Now the massive fuss about that Olympics thing has started to die down, you might have a chance of hearing about some things to see in this incredible country aside from underage bendy kids in naff leotards.

So what are some must-sees for the autumn? I’m a big theatre fan, and on 8asians blog I found a recommendation for a fascinating ‘Chinese theatrical extravaganza’, Zen Shaolin, held in the mountains of the Hunan Province, ‘celebrating China’s rich history, beautiful natural settings, traditional art and music, and even religious roots’ - sounds pretty good.

For something a bit more urban, forget Beijing and explore culinary Hong Kong. Karen Hamilton has an incredible set of Flickr photos from the city, mainly focused on the food and restaurants to be found in the city, and also recorded the highlights on her blog.

On a practical note, I also found this really handy forum thread which is packed with tips such as how to cross a Chinese intersection, finding Muslim food in Shenzhen, and booking for the Forbidden City.

It seems that STA Travel are thinking alone the same lines. Our sometime informant, Tom, has alerted me that they currently have a load of deals for flights and tours around China (including a package where you can learn to be a travel photographer - intriguing…) Let us know if you’re booking any of them and would like to blog about the country behind the cliches.

One of the joys of reading travel blogs is that you find little word of mouth discoveries about well-known places that can lift your visit from a generic tourist trail to a unique and individual experience.

STA Explorers Meg and Mojo have given just such an insight into Rome, the fifth destination on their European interrailing romp. Having wandered around the Pantheon, the girls spot a precipice in a piazza, which on further inspection reveals

a bunch of crazy bright pop art works and wooden structures mingling with the ancient ruins.

They then follow a strange trail of cats to an out-of-the way cat sanctuary, where they befriend the American volunteer who runs the place and get a behind-the-scenes tour of the kittens and injured strays. The discoveries continue as they root out a ‘nice looking, traditional Italian restaurant’ with a charming waiter, who brings them an old-school Roman 3-course feast for €10, with free sweet watermelon thrown in.

But the girls haven’t only been having quirky adventures in Rome. In Madrid they found a gay circus and drag queens galore and in Milan they stumbled into a photoshoot for Italia’s Next Top Model, as well as making friends with a young artist painting in the Prado.

Visit their blog to ask questions for your own trip or give recommendations for the perfect off-the-beaten-track European experiences.

STA Explorers Meg and Mojo have hit their first destination Madrid, and their series of blog posts about their four days spent in the city is an absolute must-read for anyone thinking of interrailing around Europe. With detailed descriptions of their experiences and discoveries each day, Epic Interrailing Romp contains a host of tips and insights into the hostels they stayed at, the places they ate and the attractions they rate, such as the Prado and Botanic Gardens.

Fellow interrailers will find their advice on navigating the local ‘fabulous, sleek and modern’ train services invaluable, such as this little nugget:

It’s definitely advisable to book your tickets on arrival in the train station, or if like us you don’t arrive by train then make an excursion there a day or two before you want to depart. You never know if the train will have space, if you will need to wait a long time, or if you will simply be unable to find where you need to go. And the best advice is if you are ever in doubt, ask someone.

It’s great that they’re finding time to blog such useful tips, what with their ‘drag-queen and jack daniels infused’ evenings (!) - so make the most of it and follow their blog.

You’re inevitably in Italy, which means things are good, because as far as European destinations go, the land of pizza, pasta, Fine Art and Robert Di Niro characters is one of the best.

Brenda and Shaun’s Travel Blog has posts from four Italian cities, Milan, Verona, Venice and Rome. Each is full of what they did and made of the various places of interest they visited. The posts are also accompanied by the most splendid of visual aids - photographs.

Along the same lines is Ibom’s account of adventures in Italy that come in a detailed and informative format, as well as Tara Roberts Travel Blog that does similar work in relaying experiences of traveling the country. However her Pompei Trip entry is interesting, and not just because it is about the city buried under a volcanic eruption. Tara made the error of not hiring a guide at the entrance, a mistake, that with hindsight she regrets - as a lack of signs make it almost impossible to tell what you are looking at. Worth taking note.

Finally, in relation to Italy there is this thread that poses the dilemma of whether one should choose Siena or Florence. It is a decision I was faced with during my own escapades in Italy. I went with Florence, which is a brilliant, brilliant city.

Tokyo is definitely near the top of my ‘travel-to-do’ list. Currently no plans are in place, partly due to an apprehension of a significant language barrier (I’m in the turmoil of learning French, I’m so not a natural) and other scheduled trips monopolising potential funds. Nevertheless, an upbringing centred on martial arts movies, Japanese cartoons and technological gadgetry indicates a visit, which I hope will be something of a spiritual homecoming for myself, is inevitable. Plus, I love karaoke!

Already there and settling in for rainy season is Nick of Nick’s Worldwide Wanderings. Where to begin on his experiences is basically an impossible decision to make. There is so much, all considered and involved from all over Japan. It is his latest post about the prospect of living in Tokyo until 18^th August though that hooked me. See what you think, but be sure to check back through some other entries.

A lighter look into the joy of Tokyo is to be discovered at Blog d’Elisson. The thrills of coffee in a can and Japlish are both covered. There is also some discussion on the Japanese penchant for KitKat. Got to love new flavours of anything! Especially for instance, Mango!

Finally a quick mention for Tokyo post one and Tokyo post two at Jemel and Lindsay’s Travel Blog. Consider assertion confirmed,

Karaoke is everywhere

And, if that wasn’t enough, darts is apparently the latest Tokyo craze! I love the arrows. Tokyo sounds like the best city on earth…

North America is pretty high on my dream destinations list right now. I’m feeling squeezed by the credit crunch, dsigusted by London’s cost of living and fed up with a social life that looks more like Eastenders than Sex and the City. But I haven’t got a Carrie Bradshaw budget and want to spend my dollars on shopping rather than a fancy hotel- so this week I’ve been selfish and asked the STA Travel bods to answer this Travellerspoint query from snaily that closely matches my own:

I’m planning to go to the US in september to visit several places. At the moment I’m looking for [cheap] hotels to book… I’m also looking forward to your advice on which places are to be visited first of all in the US, not too far from New York…

Calcruzer has posted some good advice, so head over to the forum to read it and add your shiny pearls of wisdom - and click here for what Dylan in STA Covent Garden has to say… (more…)

I’ve always found Paris a bit of an anticlimax. The famous landmarks (that tower, that church, that arch) seem overfamiliar from tourist shots, and I don’t want to waste hours getting lost while I ‘explore’. So this is a bit of self-indulgent post, as I’ve rooted out some bloggers who can help me find some lesser-known Parisian gems when I visit next month.

In Peter’s Paris, a retired Swede explores unique places in the capital; this week’s photos of Villa Seurat, the quirky street named after it’s famous artisitic resident, and Parc Montsouris are making me stare out of my window at the London rain in green-eyed grouchiness.

Jay Corless of Ptelevision.org has posted a map and description of his favourite walk which encompasses ‘the oldest and the shadiest streets of Paris. In some places you may cringe, in other places you may laugh while other stops will have you in awe of the hidden secrets of Paris.’ A real find.

And Christine Dijon is blogging about ‘Paris’ best-kept secret’: Ephrem, the retreat house, of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre, which offers stunning and peacful accommodation to the holy-minded for 13 euros a night. I’m not a Catholic, but it’s almost enough to make me wish I was.