A guide for what you need to buy, read or consume to enhance your recreation and travel experience
GEAR
Columbia Shield Mesh Jacket
$90, www.columbia.com
Short of sticking scores of no-pest strips on your exposed flesh, this jacket might be your best protection against summertime mosquitoes. The nylon fabric is "embedded" with Permethrin, a chemical insect repellent. Outside magazine has raved about its ability to stop mosquito bites. Good news, too: The jacket is only 7 ounces and comes in colors (gray, blue, red) other than the sickly lime green.
HOTEL
"Scariest Hotel Swimming Pool Ever"
www.cnn.com
CNN reports that the glass-bottom pool jutting from the 24th floor of the Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao is not for the faint of heart. One swimmer told a Chinese television network: "I felt as if I was flying in the sky – I could also enjoy the beautiful scenery of Pudong from here …"
THE LIST
• 12 Great Hot Springs
www.budgettravel.com
Forget "concrete" jacuzzis, Budget Travel says you should go natural and soak in a hot spring. Here are Budget Travel's top 5 choices:
1. Banff Upper Hot Springs, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
2. Ma'In Hot Springs, Jordan
3. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
4. Blue Lagoon, Iceland
5. Budapest, Hungary
THE QUOTE
Announcement from the captain of a Quantas flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia, explaining why the flight would be late in leaving the gate: "Just to inform you all, the reason we've had the delay is because two of our first-class passengers refused to fly on this plane as there was no extra- large pajamas on board for them." (Note: The Melbourne Herald Sun reports the couple refused to accept a pair of XL jammies from the business-class section.)
– Sam McManis smcmanis@sacbee.com
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