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Cleaning up dirt's image

A major new museum exhibition in London asks visitors to think again about the filthy and the fetid, exploring the role of dirt as humanity's enemy and ally in history, art, science and medicine.

The exhibition at the Wellcome Collection - Dirt: The Filthy Reality of Everyday Life - explores both the good and bad sides of dirt.

A new cruise ship port in northern Jamaica celebrated its official launch on Tuesday with the arrival of one of the world's largest recreational liners.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas docked at the Falmouth pier in Trelawny with nearly 6,000 passengers aboard, the government said in a statement.

The two-berth Historic Falmouth Cruise Port development is nestled between the resort cities of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. A $220 million, three-phase project, it is being developed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and the Port Authority of Jamaica.

It was originally scheduled to open in early January, but has suffered from delays. Work is still underway to construct retail stores and a historical center, among other features.

Although the port received its first visiting cruise ship in February, officials didn't hold the opening ceremony until Tuesday's arrival of the Oasis of the Seas.

Norway color-codes hike paths

Norway is introducing uniform signposting on its hiking network, allowing walkers to follow routes according to their level of difficulty. Under the system, which is similar to that used on ski pistes, the easiest category is marked by the color green, followed by blue for medium, red for challenging and black for expert. The Innovation Norway tourism office has announced that 15 of the country's major hiking areas will have the new signposts in place by the end of 2012.

For almost a century now, Washington DC has celebrated the arrival of spring each year with the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The tradition dates back to 1912 and showcases the gift of 3,000 cherry trees that the city of Tokyo gave to the United States capital. This year's two-week, city-wide event featuring more than 200 international cultural performances takes place between March 26 and April 10, when the trees are expected to bloom.

The 99th anniversary festivities include nearly 400 free events and shows, including fireworks, live Japanese music, street art and cuisine.

Museum highlights calamities

The Humanity House museum in The Hague offers visitors the chance to experience the effects of natural disasters and wars first hand.

The museum not only tells real-life stories of people from all over the world who have survived disasters or were forced to flee their homeland but also gives visitors a chance to walk in their shoes, and feel what it's like to be a victim.

The program to teach tourists about the work of humanitarian organizations is an initiative of the Dutch Red Cross and is financed by the European Union and The Hague's city council.

Airline news and deals:

New route opened: China Eastern Airlines will start the Ordos-Taiyuan-Nanjing route beginning April 4. Flights will be operated every Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

Nanyang-Hangzhou route opens: China Southern Airlines opens its Nanyang base Sunday to offer a new direct flight between Nanyang and Hangzhou. The tickets for the route are on sale now, with the largest discounts up to 50 percent (575 yuan). Six routes are flown from the Nanyang airport.

New routes from Lucky Air: Lucky Air is starting five new routes, Kunming-Xiamen (four times weekly), Kunming-Haikou (three times weekly), Kunming-Hangzhou (weekly), Kunming-Wuhan-Jinan (weekly), and Kunming-Jinan-Dalian (weekly)..

China Daily - Associated Press-Deutsche Presse Agentur

(China Daily 03/27/2011 page16)