Having lived in Scandinavia, I love stories that involve moose or elk, and with so many running around the northern country, it's not hard to find them. The animals sometimes do weird things, like run amok on subways. But today's bit of Scandinavian news is even weirder; it involves a drunken elk.

Just outside of Gothenburg, a three year old was playing in her sandbox when a young elk walked up to her and bit her on the arm. The elk was apparently drunk after having consumed a few too many yeasted apples and after biting the young girl stumbled away from the backyard.

Elk roaming into residential areas isn't uncommon, but inebriated ones are. Something to keep in mind during your next trip to Scandinavia.

These days, airline passengers expect the worst when they embark on a flight. Yes, they will still get a free bag of salted peanuts, but often have to pay $5 for a beverage to wash them down.

Not all airlines are toning down the in-flight offerings, however. Air New Zealand is doing just the opposite by introducing a new breed of air service personnel, the airborne concierge.

According to Scott Carr, ANZ's GM in Europe, the airline thinks the new service will add to their customers' travel experience.

"The concierge service is about adding a personal touch to the whole flight experience, from booking, to check-in, to arrival and beyond."

The concierge on duty is charged with aiding passengers with everything from check-in to finding the appropriate gate to booking hotels and finding connecting flights.

Will this become a new trend in the often impersonal world of airline travel? Surely other airlines will be watching closely to see if the service is well-received of if it seems redundant. Concierge workers take to the sky on the London to L.A. route this week. Their Auckland-based peers will work flights between L.A, and Auckland. Eventually, the service will be offered for the airline's London to Hong Kong route as well.

Photo: Flickr user Chris&Steve

To the disgust of millions of quiet-airplane activists, the scales are starting to tip in the direction of mobile phones being allowed on aircraft. Today, word leaked from the UK indicates that Ryanair, the continent's largest budget carrier will start to allow inflight mobile phone calls on a limited basis.

If these trials pan out and and model is profitable, you can expect that the service will be expanded to all aircraft in the Ryanair fleet -- and further into the European Union.

All of this micro buildup from several international carriers testing out inflight mobile service is just prolonging the inevitable, unfortunately -- at some point I get the feeling that we're all going to have to sack up and deal with loud talkers on our flights.

Interestingly, however, Ryanair is taking a different approach to fees associated with the service than other carriers -- they don't plan to enforce any wild roaming fee from which they take a giant cut. Instead, CEO Michael O'Leary says that passengers will only be subject to normal roaming fees. Perhaps the profit that he plans to make from increased fare revenues will make up for the mobile phone equiment.

Canada's southernmost city might as well be called a suburb of Detroit. The Motor City's skyline is distinctly visible from downtown Windsor, which lies just across the Detroit River. While most border-hopping is for the purpose of shopping or sightseeing, Windsor's airport is a major gateway to Cuba for US residents.

It is illegal for folks from the US of A to spend money in Cuba. Thus, there are virtually no direct flights. On the other hand, Cuba is just another Caribbean destination for Canucks. No one made a fuss when Canada's Sunwing Airlines announced a weekly flight from Windsor to the Cuban resort town of Varadero, about 50 miles from Havana. At least, no one made a fuss except the Detroit News, which published a controversial story about Sunwing's new service:

"While U.S. citizens are mostly barred from spending money on travel to Cuba, officials with the airline and airport expect Americans to make up at least half the passengers on the route."

Controversial? Not according to Windsor Airport officials, who shrugged the report off by saying that 50% of passenger who fly to Cuba from Canada are already US citizens. Sunwing's expectations are nothing new.

The punishment for US citizens traveling to Cuba is usually a $5,000 fine, though it can be significantly higher. But most Yankees don't get caught. Since Cuba does not stamp passports directly, there is no evidence that a traveler ever set foot on the forbidden isle. US customs officials have been known to stake out flights arriving in Canada from Cuba, but US residents can avoid suspicion as long as they don't head directly for a connecting flight to the US or run straight for the border. (A t-shirt emblazoned with a gigantic red maple leaf might also help).

Photo by Flickr user Mr. Mark

The great thing about running a communist state is that you can dream up and enforce any crazy rule you want -- and the people can't do anything about it.

China, scrambling to clean up its image as the Olympics draw closer, has been making changes to the landscape left and right -- beautifying Beijing, planting flowers and cleaning up the streets.

This week, in an effort to clean up the chronically bad air conditions, the government decided to cut down on vehicle pollution by forcing half of the population to take public transportation. Odd and even ending license plates are now supposed to alternate days that they're able to drive in the city -- and violators are faced with a stiff fine.

As a result, half of the population that formerly commuted by automobile and motorcycle is now trying to cram into the city's public transportation system. The resulting load on the subway system was recently so great that authorities had to shut down several lines to prevent the suffocating crowds -- passengers were only allowed get off of the trains for a while. Perhaps the volumes are a bit larger than the Chinese had predicted.

What would happen to you if you were suddenly forced to take public transportation to work or class? Could you walk far enough to reach the bus or train stop and make it to your morning appointments? Would you let your government prevent you from driving every other day of the week?

Visitors to an air show at Dayton Int'l Airport got more excitement than they paid for when a Northwest Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing on the runway during the festivities.

The flight originated in Tampa and was bound for Detroit. The crew decided to land when one of the computers connected to an engine failed. The pilot landed at the nearest airport, which happened to be Dayton, as a precaution.

No one was injured.

The air show was stopped for about half-an-hour while the plane landed. Spectators were made aware of the situation over the air show's public address system. They applauded when the plane landed (and no doubt had something extra to talk about on the way home).

The plane's passengers were not able to hang around for the end of the show, however. They were whisked away to Detroit by bus.

Actually, the successful emergency landing might have been a welcome event for Northwest's public relations department. They finally have something to talk about besides bankruptcy and their recent merger with Delta.

Photo: Flickr user Sakurako Kitsa

It's hard to imagine that an airport is actually a place that you would want to spend some time when you're stuck in Newark's Northwest terminal, but believe it or not, there are actually a few really fantastic airports out there.

Domestically, San Francisco recently won the award for best airport facilities and my personal favorite is the Detroit McNamara Terminal, but Skytrax took an in-depth look at airport amenities and service around the world. And their winner for best airport on the planet?

Hong Kong International.

With sprawling, well-lit terminals, excellent connections to the city (you can check your luggage in HK before even getting on the train to the airport) and a friendly and efficient staff, it's not hard to believe.

In fact, five of the top ten airports ranked were in Asia, with four more in Europe and the final airport in Cape Town, South Africa. Where are the American airports, you ask? San Francisco is at number eleven while Atlanta, Dallas and Dener. The top ten list (in no particluar order)?

• Hong Kong
• Singapore
• Seoul, South Korea
• Kansai, Japan
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Munich, Germany
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Zurich, Switzerland
• Helsinki, Finland
• Cape Town, South Africa

Click on the links below to see some images from the top ten.

Tijuana, San Diego's cross-border Mexican cousin, has long been known as a place that'll get you what you want, when you want it. And if what you're looking for is an early death, according to the New York Times, the city can help you with that too.

Visitors to Tijuana are accustomed to street hustlers peddling marijuana, cocaine, and girls, but a far more dangerous product lurks on the shelves of Tijuana's pet shops: pentobarbital, commonly known as Nembutol, which is often used to euthanize animals.

The Times describes the drug thusly: "The drug, pentobarbital, literally takes a person's breath away. It can kill by putting people to sleep, and it is tightly regulated in most countries. But aging and ailing people seeking a quick and painless way to end their lives say there is no easier place on earth than Mexico to obtain pentobarbital..."

The drug costs about 30 dollars for a dose, and according to some sources, hundreds of people have already traveled to Tijuana from the US, Australia, and elsewhere, to purchase the drug for human consumption.

More here.

Since it was sold to the BBC, everybody's favorite guidebook company has had uncertainty looming in its future. The brand took a step away from its paper-and-binding roots recently by signing a deal with Expedia and Hostelworld. The trio will join forces to provide an online hotel booking service.

Lonely Planet will put all those hotel reviews it has in its vaults to good use, while Expedia and Hostelworld will provide the nuts-and-bolts.

The move is good for LP. They are actively bringing the brand to an online audience, and by doing so, are ensuring their survival in a world populated by websites featuring user-generated travel reviews and tips. With guidebook writers already scouring the globe and bringing back write-ups about hotels, guest houses and hostels, it shouldn't drain the budget too much.

Expedia might also come out well in the deal. They are a giant among booking sites, but perhaps not much of a player when it comes to the backpacking set. By working with LP, they will gain exposure to a new group of customers.

Hostelworld and Lonely Planet are a match made in backpacker heaven. The budget accommodation booking service gets to put its name next to two of travel's biggest, LP gets the technical side of the venture taken care of without having to break a sweat, and Expedia, like I mentioned above, gets some exposure in a new demographic.

No word on when the service will be up and running, but I'm sure quite a few people are holding their breath in anticipation.

Photo from Flickr user ChihPing

Cathay Pacific Airlines recently reported that they have had to alter their flight schedule after they were told that Beijing's airport would be closed during the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. According to the Associated Press, the airport will be closed from about 7 p.m. until just before midnight on August 8th. This is one of the many precautions that China seems to be taking to increase security during the Olympics.

Certainly, the usual security fears associated with a major international event are part of the equation. Add to that the fact the Olympics would be a perfect stage for people from the provinces of Tibet and Xinjiang to voice their discontent to the world.

Plenty of things could go wrong for China during the month of August. The airport closure is just one example of the actions authorities are taking to make sure nothing that would cause a loss of face for China actually comes to pass.

Another face-saving measure: vetting all opening ceremonies performers for Tibetan sympathizers. You can be certain that Bjork or Richard Gere will not be gracing the stage on August 8th. Those who will perform have been issued a warning by Beijing: "The content of the performance should not violate the country's law, including situations that harm the sovereignty of the country... incite racial hatred and ruin ethnic unity."

Attendees have already been given their set of rules. Makes one wonder if it wouldn't be more of a blast to wait until after the Olympics are over to pay China a visit.

Photo from Flickr user Melinda