Reminiscent of the man without out a country is this cruise ship without ports of call because of fears over swine flu.

Australia orders ’swine flu ship’ to remain at sea as more cases confirmed

Concern over an outbreak of swine flu on a cruise ship off the coast of Australia has prompted authorities to order the vessel to remain at sea through at least Saturday.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports P&O Cruises’ Pacific Dawn, which left Sydney Monday on a 10-night voyage, has been told not to dock in Port Douglas or Cairns over the next two days as scheduled because of worries passengers and crew could spread the illness into the local population. The “swine flu ship,” as some Australia media outlets are calling it, already has been steered away from one other port this week and has yet to touch land since leaving Sydney.

And the worst idea of the week award goes to…

Bird magnet? Trash depot near LaGuardia called bad idea

About 700 yards from the end of a runway at LaGuardia Airport, where thousands of planes take off and land, New York City officials want to build what could be the equivalent of a bird magnet: a very large garbage transfer station.

This just four months after a run-in with birds sent a jetliner full of people into the Hudson River separating New York and New Jersey.

Having trouble with the high cost of air travel? How do $9 tickets (plus fees) sound to you?

New low-cost airline targets smaller markets

Clearwater, Fla.-based JetAmerica said 34 nonstop passenger flights a week will start July 13 at Toledo, Ohio; South Bend, Ind.; Melbourne, Fla.; Newark, N.J.; Minneapolis and Lansing, Mich. Twenty-eight flights start or end at Newark Liberty International Airport. The carrier will add six more flights — from Toledo to Minneapolis — starting Aug. 14.

Prices will start at $9 a seat and top out at $199. The $9 price will apply to the first nine to 19 seats on each plane. Passengers will pay $15 to check a bag. Food, drinks and in-flight TV will also come at a cost.

Talk about taking your work with you on vacation…

Two vacationing San Jose cops subdue violent airline passenger

At 40,000 feet over the Pacific, the only thing vacationing San Jose police officers Luan Nguyen and Manny Vasquez wanted was to catch some Z’s, maybe see an action movie and finally hear the announcement: “Welcome to San Francisco International Airport.”

What they heard instead was the captain: “I have a situation on board. If there are any law enforcement officers on board, please identify yourselves to a flight attendant.”

The unarmed officers were soon battling a violent and possibly mentally ill man and holding him down for hours using seat belts, coffee cart straps and Vasquez’s black cowhide belt he got for a birthday.

Other articles that caught my eye:

• So Long, Coach: Get an Upgrade at the Airport
• Virtual Pilot - Lufthansa Destination Game
• Flying in comfort — or not

There was something about the airy clifftop setting of Amankila that made me feel like flying while I was there. Perhaps it was the way the three-tier pools flowed into each other and, seemingly, off the side of the precipice. It could have been the fact that the adjacent bar had no walls, just pillars, through which sunbeams and breezes swooped in and out. Or it could have been the far-reaching views, with the Lombok Strait fading into the horizon. A pair of wings would have been a good idea, though, to get down to the beach. Guests at this hotel can take a pathway cut into the hillside – or hitch a ride on a hotel buggy. Either way, the destination is worth the journey to the base of the cliff, to find a long, long swimming pool, its emerald surface reflecting the green of the coconut grove in which it sits.

It feels secret somehow – although not as secret as the beach lounging areas, set into the sand, surrounded by foliage, to create a sense of privacy. It might feel private, but hotel staff are instantly on hand to provide any requisites, should an urge to snorkel or sail or kayak or surf take hold of you. The hotel has a 40-foot outrigger anchored just offshore, designed after a jukung – a traditional Balinese fishing craft – and available for island cruising or private picnics on board. As you sail out to sea and look back at the resort, it barely makes an impression against the rich green hillside, with just some roofs visible: and even these fit perfectly into the Balinese backdrop, crafted as they are with alang alang thatching. Just as the boat reflects traditional Balinese design, so does the hotel, built to blend into the area instead of standing out starkly, as so many other hotels in beautiful places do. The individual suites here are set far apart from each other, and follow the lines and flow of their eastern Bali surroundings: in particular they echo the royal water palace just outside the district capital of Amlapura.

They are a little like mini-palaces themselves, these suites, with their canopied, king-size beds, and outdoor terraces with daybeds, and – depending on the suite – private pools. One suite has not just an aquamarine-tiled pool, but lily ponds and private butler service. Whichever little house on the hill you choose, even without a private butler, you could stay there without leaving for a week. These are rooms with views indeed, and the standard of room service is almost as high as the cliffside setting. But the surroundings are seductive too, and demand to be explored. A beguiling mix of religion, royal culture and architectural splendour is to be found in Old Bali, as this area is often called, and the nearby temples and villages have enough charm to make the walk along the winding walkways that lead away from each suite worthwhile. And that’s saying something.

Gary from Everything-Everywhere.com sent me this video that he shot in Micronesia snorkeling with jellyfish in Palau. The jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake on Palau do not have any stingers so you can safely swim with them.

I am trying to schedule time to have Gary come on the Amateur Traveler and talk about his travels.