As if traveling to a new country wasn't adventurous enough, a Spain based company called "Viajes Con Imaginación" (Vacations With Imagination) has started offering trips to Egypt where they not only organize your entire itinerary, but they also plan strange things and make them happen to you. For example: robberies, kidnappings, ghosts coming to haunt you at night -- it's all part of the package -- "Indiana Jones Style" they say. Check out their promo video of what you may encounter on your tour. Of course, exactly what will happen is a surprise.

They also offer a 3-day trip to London where under the "Jack the Ripper" theme, you get to be part of a mysterious investigation while you see the city.

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who doesn't find this cool. Why would I want (and pay for!) an actor pretending to be a robber, jump on me and steal my money while I am enjoying the Pyramids? Besides, even if it sounds like fun, it's NOT REAL -- how could you take it seriously!?

I love the juxtaposition of traditional and modern in this photo; something that is ever present all around Europe. Danner00 manages to capture that romanticized European feeling with the perfectly parked motos on the old cobblestone street. Taken in Menorca, Spain, the photo has a very calm and quiet feel, but you can almost sense the impending whiz of a moto coming past you, most likely with a snappily dressed European on their way back to work after a home cooked lunch.

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My first few hours in Barcelona went like this: Wandering around with an outrageously heavy pack on my back, a battered lonely planet in my hands, and a confused look on my face. I was lost, more lost than I think I've ever been. I have a natural sense of direction and a knack for reading maps and yet I still couldn't figure the place out. The city is a maze of busy streets, teeny alleys and meandering walkways. Don't get me wrong--it's not a bad place to get lost in, what with all the beautiful architecture and such--but if you're going to get lost, it's best to do it after you've found a place to leave your baggage.

This photo from Tyson Williams takes me back to the hurried streets of Barcelona. You too?

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4 luggage handlers at Madrid Barajas Airport have been arrested for smuggling cocaine into Spain by taking advantage of their position and access to luggage that is unloaded off air crafts.

A bag with over 17 kilograms(!) of cocaine was loaded onto the plane from an unspecified destination. The "loaders" then contacted their friends who worked at Barajas with identification details of the bag that had the drug. Once the bag arrived at Barajas, the luggage handlers picked it up and sent it to the person responsible for delivering missing luggage to its owners (who was also part of the scheme) -- this is how they had planned to get it out of the airport. Sounds too easy to be possible, eh?

It seems like this wasn't the first time it has happened, but the first time they've been caught. It is unclear at what stage they got caught, and how.

Spain has a serious cocaine problem: 3% of adults in the country consume cocaine (even more than the US), making Spain the largest consumer in Europe.

Spain is very lax in many aspects: it's rules are not applied stringently, especially at the airports the controls are quite loose, nobody seems to be really bothered. For example: I have American friends living here for years without papers, sin problema. Once, one of them got questioned on her overstay when she re-entered Spain from the US. She told them she had fallen in love, that's why she didn't go back when she should have. Apparently, the officer smiled and let her back into the country! It could have been her lucky day, but I still don't think that's acceptable.

Another example: smoking marijuana in public is illegal here (you can grow and smoke it at home!), yet every one does it -- I don't know anyone who has been caught.

In my opinion, no matter what soup you are in, if you look innocent, behave with the authorities, and are a little smart, you'll probably get away with it in Spain. So it doesn't surprise me that even authorities take advantage of this chilled attitude. I am glad they got caught. Hopefully this will make Barajas re-evaluate their procedures and tighten controls!

Afraid of heights? Don't watch this video, shot along El Caminito del Rey, a mountain walkway near Malaga, Spain. This narrow, gut-wrenching path is only 3 feet wide, pinned along the side of a gorge, nearly 700 feet above the river below.

Originally built in 1901 to allow local workers to cross between two nearby waterfalls, El Caminito has recently fallen into a sad state of disrepair. Many parts of the walkway have completely collapsed, leaving nothing but a metal beam and a wire between you and 700 feet of nothing. Not surprisingly, there have been a number of deaths along the trail, and the local government has tried to seal it off.

But for some adrenaline junkies, a warning sign, tall fences and the prospect of a fatal slip-up is nothing but a challenge. Check out this video and watch one man laugh in the face of death.

What is it about Spain that inspires thrill-seekers to the utmost feats of poor judgment?

On holiday, it's not uncommon to consume large quantities of toxic beverages. An attempt to check out the city's nightlife = an all-nighter pub crawl.

Some cities are just geared to allow for the most memorable crawls (assuming you remember stuff post getting plastered, which of course, isn't the objective). Here are the Lonely Planet blog's idea of a what entails a good pub crawl, here are mine:

• A number of bars in the same area, so you can walk the whole way (or even crawl if necessary!).
• No dress code. You have to be allowed to enter the places without stuck-up bouncers. Preferably, there shouldn't be bouncers at all and you should be able to enter with flip-flops.
  
• Cheap. Getting drunk, not remembering anything, AND not having any money left -- not a good combination.
• The places should be filled with locals rather than tourists.
• Friendly bar tenders. Rude bar tenders with a chip on their shoulder for anyone out having fun while they are working, can ruin your night.
• Bars with games, happy hours, and music. A little bit of research and you can find a cluster of bars with special drink offers and games to win them alongside music and/or jam sessions.
  

Basis these criteria, my favorite cities for a pub crawl -- that believe it or not, fulfill at least 5 of the 6 points above, are:

• Valencia, Spain
• Madrid, Spain
  
• Wollongong, Australia
• Phi Phi Island, Thailand

What are your favorite cities for a pub crawl?

The noisiest city I have been to is Athens--at least what I remember. I'm basing this on a fuzzy memory of an experience crammed onto a bus thinking that the people around me were angry, bit finally decided that they were having a chat and had to raise their voices to be heard above the din of the traffic. That was one bustling place, and I've lived in New Delhi.

There's an article in the New York Times about how noisy Cairo is these days. It's so noisy with horn honking and teaming people, as a matter of fact, that it's like living in a factory. If you know anyone who has worked around machinery for a lifetime, think about how often the word "WHAT?!" comes up. Just a tad.

Where else has noise? I found a Web site, "hear-it " that cites Spain as the country with the most noise and the second loudest country is Japan.

According to The Hearing Journal, San Francisco is the loudest city in the United States beating out New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The quietest city is Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

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What's a country to do when two million residents vote for a man who calls himself Rodolfo Chikilicuatre and looks like an exaggerated (not to mention distorted) version of Elvis, to represent their country in this year's Eurovision?

Although condemned by the press, there is nothing that can be done but laugh and join in the "chiki chiki"!

Eurovision is one of the longest running television programs in the world. It's a singing competition where each country sends a representative; the day of the contest, all participants must sing their respective songs live as the European audience votes for the best song.

Being a continent-wide singing competition, the contest is generally taken seriously, but the Spanish people seem to have a different definition of that as they chose to send the contestant they found most absurd and hilarious. The representing song "Baila Chiki Chiki" is a rap reggaton that includes reference to politicians and to grandmothers waving knickers in the air as they dance the "chiki chiki". Go Spain!

The word is that our Spanish chiki chiki will only face competition from Ireland's rubber turkey puppet Dustin. The contest this year in on May 24 in Belgrade.

If you're curious as to what countries have the most conducive environments for tourism, you might want to check out the second annual World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008. Basically it's a report full of a lot of economic figures used to measure how good tourism industries are in countries around the world. This year's report put a special emphasis on economic development and environmental sustainability. Here are the top ten:

1. Switzerland
2. Austria
3. Germany
4. Australia
5. Spain
6. United Kingdom
7. United States
8. Sweden
9. Canada
10. France

I've been to 7 out of the top 10, meaning that the tourism boards are probably doing their job -- or I'm just visiting popular destinations. Surprisingly, popular backpacker destinations like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Nepal are at the bottom of the list. For the complete PDF of rankings go here.

For the eco-sensitive traveler, there is no excuse now for not taking the more environmentally friendly route through Europe, writes The Independent, among others. Rail companies are starting to advertise to the eco-conscious traveler as well. Who knew they cared so much about the environment, wink wink.

The truth is, Europe has been pumping a lot of money into upgrading its railways and encouraging people to take the train, rather than flying, especially if traveling only a short distance. With the budget airlines making it affordable, it is not uncommon for Europeans to fly from place to place even if it is only as little as 150 miles away because it is cheaper than taking the train.

Some of these new upgrades, however, might really make it better to take the train:

• High-speed link between Madrid and Barcelona now only takes 2 and a half hours
• The new east-west, Paris-toward the Rhine TGV route cruises at over 200mph and offers WI-Fi from Paris-Frankfurt
• The new Lotschberg Base Tunnel through the Alps cuts an hour off the time of Basel-Milan trains

More upgrades, such as the long awaited Moscow-St. Petersburg fast train should be done next year.