Word: deserts
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...more memorable than this. On Feb. 28, the sleepy Australian outback town of Alice Springs, usually known for its ecological attractions and bush walks, plays host to Alice Is Wonderland-a riotous, daylong extravaganza catering to divas, drag queens and those with a simple yearning to dance in the desert. Alice Springs (pop. 25,000) would appear to be an unlikely setting, but it apparently boasts a higher percentage of lesbian residents than any other town in the country...
...ROSWELL: As every UFO enthusiast knows, an alien spacecraft putatively crashed in the desert near this New Mexico town in 1947?and the U.S. military tried to cover it up. At the Roswell International UFO Museum, visitors can examine hundreds of autopsy drawings, sworn affidavits and newspaper reports from the time of the crash. And pick up a tasty Alien Cookie Kit in the gift shop...
Reality check: unless you have about $15 million for a ride on an old Soviet Soyuz rocket, private space travel still exists only on design boards and in desert workshops. If it does take off, it will be risky. One in 20 missions to space fails, usually catastrophically. Also, the government could set rules onerous enough to ground the fledgling industry. The FAA is now charged with issuing launch licenses and could impose tough restrictions on private trips, in part to minimize its own potential liability. "Even if people accept the risks, our government will be regulating private space travel...
Visitors have also been flocking to Dubai for its international sports events, such as the Dubai World Cup, horse racing's largest pot, and the Dubai Desert Golf Classic, which attracts top players, among them Tiger Woods. Another major attraction is the winter Dubai Shopping Festival, which runs from mid-January to Feb. 15. Its price reductions in fashion and electronics outlets temporarily turn Dubai into a mecca for the material world. Gambling may not exist here, but partying certainly does. There are no strict Islamic bans on alcohol--or on basically having fun in public--as in neighboring countries...
...Dubai's attractions is simply being able to lounge around gorgeous hotels, getting the royal treatment as you soak up the year-round rays. Accommodations range from such superluxe joints as Al Maha Desert Resort to more conventional names, such as Sheraton, Sofitel and Best Western, whose rooms start at about $140 a night, plus a 20% tax. Arabs from around the region may frolic in the waves wearing traditional thobes (robes) and abas, but there's no frowning on string bikinis, if that's your taste in swimwear. And there is all manner of outdoor adventure, from scuba diving...