For me, eating is one of the most important parts of traveling—so much that I’d rather stay in an inexpensive hotel, forgo the souvenirs and eat ramen noodles weeks before my vacation just to save the extra cash for gastronomic heaven. And, adherents to the gospel according to Michelin will certainly agree

The famed Michelin Guide, which evaluates the best restaurants and hotels throughout the world, has awarded Tokyo more three-star restaurant ratings in its 2009 Tokyo edition than (gasp!) Paris. Eleven restaurants in Tokyo have been awarded three stars, while Paris followed in a close second with 10 stars. Tokyo also beat out Paris in the total number of stars awarded—Tokyo received 261 and Paris received 197.

Delicious cuisine is plentiful in Tokyo. Photo: Mahiro1322

The Michelin Guide rates restaurants regardless of cuisine style and according to five criteria:

1. Quality
2. Mastery of flavor and cooking
3. The personality of the fare
4. Value for the money
5. Consistency between visits

Stars are awarded based on the food alone (not ambiance, service or any other factors):

• One star indicates “a very god restaurant in its category.”
• Two stars indicate “excellent cooking and worth a detour.”
• Three stars indicate “exceptional cuisine and worth the journey.”

According to the Associated Press, the “contest” wasn’t exactly fair because Tokyo is home to 160,000 restaurants, while Paris has 60,000. Don’t worry Paris, there’s always next year.

Learn more about Tokyo culinary vacations.

Learn more about Paris culinary vacations.

With 8,000 thousand figures, 10,000 weapons, 670 horses, 130 chariots and three archaeological pits, it’s easy to see why the Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang in Xi’an is one of the most popular tourist attractions in China. I spent a half-day at the site on my recent month-long trip to the country and pulled together the following visitor tips.

First, A Brief History

This life-size clay army was buried near the tomb of Qin Shi Huang in order to guard him into the afterlife, as well as perhaps entertain him since figures of acrobats and musicians were included along with warriors. Qin Shi Huang was a bit of a badass who declared himself the first emperor of China after conquering the warring states surrounding his Qin state, thereby unifying them into the vast Asian country intact today. He ruled from 221 B.C. until his death in 210 B.C. Discovered by local farmers in 1974, the archeological site remains active, with ongoing digs and restorations.

(Photos: Donna M. Airoldi)

Sightseeing Tips

• Decide whether to go by tour or on your own. If you go by tour, when reviewing prices, remember that the actual admission price to the museum is CNY90 (US$13).

• Getting there by tour. Whether you’re a luxury traveler or backpacker, odds are your hotel or hostel will be selling a day package to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors museum. Often these trips are paired with other nearby attractions, and prices will vary significantly. Make sure you choose a tour that includes admission to all the sites, gives you enough time at each place to actually see and enjoy them, and picks you up and drops you off at your hotel.

• Getting there independently. Save money and manage your own time by taking public bus No. 306 to the museum, which is the end point on the route. Cost is CNY7 (US$1) each way, with stops at the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang and Huaqing Hot Springs, and takes 30 minutes. Board at the Xi’an train station parking lot in the section to the right of the station as you face it.

• Bring binoculars or a camera with a telephoto lens. Except for a few figures enclosed in glass in Pit 2, you won’t get up close to any of the warriors in the three pits.

• Wear comfortable shoes. The ticket office is a long way from the parking lot, and the actual entrance even farther. It’s about a half mile in total, so not bad, but be prepared if you have any kind of foot troubles. Mini bus transport was available for some groups from the ticket office to the museum entrance.

• Audio guide. I enjoyed the self-guided audio tour, which includes about 90 minutes of information. Cost: CNY40 (US$4.85). As is the case in most museums in China, you need to leave a hefty deposit—CNY200 (US$30)—for the device, which you’ll get back when you return it. One drawback: Once you listen to a segment, you cannot go back and listen again.

• Hiring a guide. If you’re not already on a tour, you’ll be approached near the ticket office by independent guides-for-hire. Prices vary, so be ready to bargain. If you want a private tour, say so, otherwise you might end up as part of a small group your guide has pulled together.

• Be prepared for crowds. Bus loads of crowds. And these folks will not hesitate to push you out of the way for their perfect photo op. Busiest times are mornings and early afternoon. You can see the entire site in a couple of hours, so even if you don’t get there until 2 p.m., you’ll have plenty of time before the museum closes at 5.

• Skip the introductory film. Unless you want to chuckle at the 1970s made-for-TV production values of this film, head right to the excavation pits.

• View Pit 3 first, then Pit 2. The small Pit 3 has the lowest lighting and just 70 warriors and horses, but they were positioned face-to-face, suggesting this was the headquarters of the Terra Cotta Army. Pit 2 is larger, with more than 1,000 figures, including those kneeling while in a shooting position. Excavations are ongoing, and this is also the room where you can see five glass-enclosed warriors of differing ranks up close in order to appreciate the project’s craftsmanship and amazing level of detail.

• Save Pit 1 for last. This room is the most imposing and the most impressive. There are estimated to be about 6,000 figures buried here, most of which still haven’t been unearthed. You walk the circumference of the large pit, taking in the row upon row of warriors and horses. This room also is the hardest to maneuver through when the crowds are at their peak.

• Enjoy the surroundings. The area around the pits and other buildings is nicely landscaped with trees, flowers, paved paths, benches, and cafes and souvenir shops, for those needing a break or looking to take home a set of warrior miniatures.

Even if Xi’an isn’t on your travel radar, you can get an even better look at these impressive figures at the Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor exhibit opening Nov. 19 at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., with 15 soldiers on view until March 31, 2010. Read TravelMuse’s coverage of the show from when it was in Atlanta earlier this year.

TravelMuse is excited to launch Ask Friends where TravelMuse users can tap into their network of Facebook friends to ask for suggestions and tips for their next trip.

People planning trips regard recommendations from friends, family and co-workers as the most influential factor in making travel decisions¹. Also, people trust online recommendations less because they come from strangers they know nothing about. So with more than 300 million active users² on Facebook, you’re sure to find a few friends who’ve been there, done that and are eager to share their personal recommendations with you!

We’ve also implemented Facebook Connect, so you can easily sign in to TravelMuse from Facebook and sync up your accounts. To sync an existing TravelMuse account, sign in to TravelMuse first, then go to your profile page and click the “fconnect” button.

To round out our Facebook release, we added a simple TravelMuse app that lets you start a New Trip or Get Advice within Facebook, or jump straight to TravelMuse to Get Inspired or view My Trips.

How does Ask Friends work?

Once you’ve entered your chosen Trip destination on TravelMuse you’ll reach Step 1.of the planning process where you can begin finding and saving information to your Tripfolio. Click on the new button “Ask Friends”.

You’ll be prompted to connect through Facebook Connect where you can then add a personal note and ask for travel advice on your Facebook wall.

Friends can respond to your call for advice by clicking on the Help link and following a few easy steps to recommend specific items for your trip.

Friends can choose to post results they enter to your wall.

Most importantly, recommendations and notes from your friends are automatically added to your Trip on TravelMuse.

More about the TravelMuse app

The TravelMuse app can be found at http://apps.facebook.com/travelmuse/ and provides a handy way to start a New Trip or Get Advice for a trip. It can also link direct to TravelMuse so you can Get Inspired or view My Trips.

We hope you enjoy these newly integrated Facebook tools and that they help you to plan even better trips this holiday season!

Let us know what you think!

Information Sources:
1.     US Online Planning and Booking, eMarketer, August 2008
2.     http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

I love to travel and I hate to fly—ah, the proverbial catch-22. As a child, I would squeeze my father’s hand every time the plane hit an air pocket or the wings moved—to this day he still complains that I successfully dislocated every bone in his hand. When I became older, I replaced my dad’s hands with overpriced glasses of wine from the airport bar. So, not only would I wind up at my destination with a pounding headache, but I’d also be about 20 dollars poorer.

Photo: Ana Santos

What’s an anxious traveler to do? There are no quick fixes to quieting travel anxiety, but there are tricks and tips you can adopt to make your journey less frightening. Here are my five favorites:

1. Get a good night of sleep. You may think that pulling an all-nighter before your flight will ensure that you’ll spend your flight in dreamland, however, exhaustion amplifies emotions. If you’re an anxious and tired flier, you’re flight will be even less pleasant. I also suggest limiting your caffeine intake prior to getting on the flight.

2. Crossword puzzles or other games that require quiet attention. If you’re busy trying to figure out what twenty-three across is then your mind will have less room for distracting you with your fear of flying.

3. Visualization. When I’m on a plane and feeling anxious, I tend to think of about my destination, imagine myself relaxing there and play out positive scenarios in my head. It sounds kind of cheesy, but it does have a calming effect on the mind.

4. Pass on the alcohol. You might think that a few spirits will help you relax and enjoy the flight, and it might at first. But a lot of anxious fliers are anxious because they feel that they don’t have any control. A few drinks will amplify this feeling.

5. Education. Learn about airplanes and how they work. If certain noises scare you, feel free to ask the flight attendants what they are. Believe me, they deal with anxious fliers all the time. Although it is not often talked about, the fear of flying is a lot more common than you think.