Last year, American Express expanded its Platinum card benefits to include a $200 travel credit, which passengers can use to cover everything from baggage check fees to lounge day passes on the airline of their choice. This benefit did not come without some sacrifice, however — AMEX announced that Continental lounge access would be discontinued after September 2011, presumably related to the airline’s merger with United, which does not offer lounge access to AMEX cardholders.

Beginning today, Platinum cardholders who pay the card’s annual fee of $450 (laughable, unless you happen to travel a ton) can now apply for complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which includes access to over 600 airport lounges, with the notable exception of Continental and United lounges (hence the “Select” branding). With the addition of Priority Pass membership, Platinum cardholders now have access to select KAL, Swiss, Air France, and Air Canada lounges, in addition to the US Airways, Delta, and American lounges that already welcome Platinum cardholders. AMEX also announced that Platinum cardholders would be exempt from standard 3% foreign transaction fees, and can also apply for entry into the US Customs and Boarder Protection Global Entry program, with AMEX picking up the $100 application fee. For frequent international travelers, these additional benefits almost make the card a bargain, especially with employers often picking up the $450 tab.

My friend and former roommate, Laia Prats (who also happens to be an incredible designer), is selling t-shirts featuring her Japanese-inspired original designs. They’re awesome, selling for $19.50, and all proceeds go to the Red Cross to benefit Japan. You can also use coupon code “SPRING2011” to save $10 off an order of $50 or more. Rumor has it other items are coming soon (possibly including an apron), so check back often after completing your first order!

Another equally talented friend, photojournalist Ikuru Kuwajima, has been on the ground in Tokyo for the last week, posting photos on his blog. Keep an eye out for updates, and check the photo captions in magazines and newspapers — you might just be staring at one of his photos. Good luck, Ikuru!

Chances are, you’re familiar with the ubiquitous American Express Platinum card. That’s right, the $450 charge card (read: balance must be paid off in full each month) that’s difficult to qualify for and, well, carries a $450 annual fee. For the vast majority of us, getting a Platinum card makes absolutely no sense, but I know plenty of frequent travelers (myself included) that absolutely swear by it.

Here’s the deal: for $450 per year, you get a card (think of it as more of a membership card than a charge card — I rarely use mine for purchases) that gets you into multiple airline lounges, including American Airlines Admirals Club, Delta Sky Club, and — even when you’re flying another airline — US Airways Club. Once inside, you’ll have access to all the amenities that paying customers do, including free drinks and snacks, showers, Wi-Fi, priority rebooking, and comfortable seating. You also get SPG Gold status at Starwood Hotels (Westin, Sheraton, W, St. Regis, etc.), and access to the Platinum Concierge — a powerful network of representatives who can help you score a table at a “fully booked” restaurant, plan trip itineraries, and even help find short-term apartment rentals overseas (I’ve used this service to find awesome apartments in Hong Kong and Paris). They’ll also help you charter a jet, if that’s your thing.

This year, AMEX launched an additional service as well, in response to the Continental/United merger (which resulted in Continental’s Presidents Club revoking access privileges to Platinum cardholders). Cardholders now get a $200 airline credit each year, which covers everything from checked baggage fees to in-flight drinks. There is a catch, however — the credit only applies to charges on a participating airline that you must select online before you fly. I chose Continental/United (which already counts as one airline, as far as AMEX is concerned). Astute cardholders also had access to the $200 credit for the month of December (see screenshot from my account above), and as the credit resets each year on January 1st, there was a limited window of time to use the credit before it expired. Luckily, I had several December flights booked on Continental and United, and purchased a United Red Carpet Club day pass ($50), and a lot of in-flight snacks and drinks to share with new friends on my flights.

With an incredible array of websites participating, today’s Cyber Monday is expected to exceed the day’s records in 2009. But — as nearly every family member has asked since Thanksgiving — what exactly is Cyber Monday? If you’ve ever lined up in a parking lot before 4 a.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving, then you’ve survived the hell that is Black Friday — the day that troubled retailers begin making profits, due to an increase in sales volume during the holiday season. Cyber Monday is to the Internet as Black Friday is to brick and mortar retailers, with shoppers browsing the aisles from the comfort of their homes (or offices), rather than risking their lives to score bargain electronics at Best Buy. And, unlike Black Friday, the sales extend far beyond electronics and clothing stores — you can save big on travel as well — Starwood is offering incredible rates at many its hotels and resorts, which I’m taking advantage of for a January trip to Waikiki, for example.

Some days I travel around the city without my camera, electing to shoot with my iPhone 4 instead, as the phone tends to capture excellent images in good light. Yesterday was one such day — as I walked through the city at lunchtime, I used my iPhone to chat with family and friends as I responded to emails, read a news story or two, checked the weather repeatedly in an attempt to convince myself that it really was much warmer than the 40 degrees I felt as I walked in the shade, and snapped photos at the 2010 Chocolate Show at Metropolitan Pavilion. I was able to capture some great images at the show, and looked forward to sharing them with you after I returned last night. Today, however, I am carrying my camera, as this is the first day in over three years that I am without an iPhone — it was stolen in a New York City bar last night, along with all of yesterday’s photos.

That said, this really isn’t a post about how much I miss my iPhone, now forced to squeeze by with a BlackBerry Torch until it can be replaced. We’re talking about chocolate here, and if you’re in New York City this weekend, head on down to the Metropolitan Pavilion, to catch all the sweet and savory 2010 Chocolate Show action. The show runs from 10-7 today and tomorrow, and from 10-6 on Sunday. Hint: If you go towards the end of the day on Sunday, you may have quite a bit of bargaining power with exhibitors who’d prefer to avoid returning home with unsold sweets.

Tickets to the Show can be purchased on site for $28, and most of the chocolate on display is for sale, so don’t expect too many free samples, despite the high cost of admission. During my visit yesterday, representatives were on hand from some of the world’s top (I assume) chocolatiers, including Mary’s Chocolate Company from Tokyo, which offered some kickin’ wasabi chocolate, and Neuchatel Chocolate, which had samples of Swiss chocolate-covered potato chips on hand. There were also plenty of savory cooking demos, including a shiitake mushroom caramel sauce, and a chocolate carving station, where a “Chocolate Olympics” champion carved a variety of objects out of solid blocks of chocolate. I intended to post photos of all of this (the image above was borrowed from the Chocolate Show website), but you’re just going to have to take my word for it — the Chocolate Show is a good time. I promise to bring a camera next year (and hope to have a new iPhone by then)!

There’s nothing overwhelmingly unique about the Noryangjin Fish Market, but if you like fresh seafood, you can’t do much better than the restaurants on the second floor of the market — customers haggle for fish at the market below, then head upstairs to one of dozens of restaurants eager to fry up your catch for a fee.

Click the “read more” link for more photos from the market, including some aggressive crabs and one of the best fried fish meals I’ve ever had.

You’ll find countless species of mollusks on the market floor, including a variety of octopuses.

There are plenty of baby octopuses available as well.

Sushi (sashimi, to be more precise) is also a big hit, though you won’t find any spicy tuna rolls here.

Several vendors sell stingray sashimi, bizarrely enough.

Crabs — packed live in cardboard boxes with sawdust — are a big hit at the market.

The crabs appeared agitated when removed from their boxes — not surprising, considering that crabs tend to feel more at home swimming in water than packed tightly in sawdust.

Yup, that’s blood.

This vendor set up her lunch in the middle of the market floor, chowing down on kimchi, not seafood.

I assumed that this cat would be eating raw fish, but nope — that’s kibble in its bowl.

A vendor prepares our fish, which we negotiated down to about 20 bucks.

The finished product … I think the preparation came to about $15 or so, including beers and typical Korean side dishes of tofu and quail eggs. I didn’t love the sides, but the fish was incredible!

I’m giving posting by email a try, since Beijing doesn’t seem to like my blog. Or Twitter, or Facebook. This post is out of order (I have two left from Korea), but I couldn’t go another hour without sharing today’s incredible visit to IKEA.

You may remember an LA Times article from last year, titled Beijing Loves IKEA — But Not for Shopping. In summary, the article revealed why there’s a line to get in the front door of the Beijing IKEA, but not one to check out. (Note: there wasn’t actually a line to get in during my visit today.) The picture above tells part of the story — just as many locals visit IKEA to sleep — on chairs, sofas, and occasionally beds — as come for the $2 plates of lox and $1 plate of Swedish meatballs. Oh, and a few actually purchase furniture as well. I thought it might be a bit much to post pictures of kids sleeping, so I blurred out this little guy’s face.

This is the scene when you walk in the door.

Click the “read more” link for more hilarious photos!

This lady is reading a newspaper, while her friend (I assume) sleeps on the adjacent sofa.

Shoppers ignore the non-shoppers. People didn’t even seem to notice as others slept on the piece of furniture they were examining for purchase.

Close-up of the sleeping man in the image above.

(Left to right) reading a newspaper, resting, and fast asleep.

I assume (hope) that this baby’s parents were keeping an eye on her from somewhere nearby.

Pillow talk.

I’m sure the next person to sleep here would be pleased to know that this guy was thoughtful enough to keep his shoes off the bed.

I would at least have switched off the lamps. Getting a tan, perhaps?

Close-up.

Big red.

Bargain shopper.
Reader caption: “Color coordination… I knows it.”

Expensive taste! This mattress has a price tag of $2,999 CNY (about $450).
Reader caption: “Mom, that guy snores… don’t make us sleep here.”

This looks comfortable! Any takers?

Some people really are there to shop…

And finally, before you get too excited, it’s important to note that everyone has to head home when the store closes every night at 10, so don’t plan on skipping the hotel during your next visit to Beijing.

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If you need to get away from the big city during your visit to Bangkok (as I did after just one day), a quick trip to the Ayothaya Floating Market and Elephant Village is a great option. Ayothaya is located in Ayutthaya — Thailand’s capital city until 1767 — about 50 miles from Bangkok. Even though 50 miles may seem like a reasonable distance to travel, Bangkok is plagued by some of the worst traffic I’ve seen anywhere in the world, and while we managed to make it to the market in about 90 minutes, the drive back took more than twice as long. It rained during much of my visit, which likely had an effect on the tourist presence at the floating market, but all of the shops were still open for business. Luckily, I visited the market with a Thai friend (who also happens to own a car), but guided tours are available departing from Bangkok.

Click the “read more” link for more photos from the market, elephant village, and Ayutthaya ruins!

If you’re planning to visit Thailand during the rainy season (as I did), bring an umbrella. It will rain.

Boat rides are available at the market — the driver appears to be adjusting the direction of the boat using forced water.

Even baby goats are available for purchase…

Visitors can feed the goats even if they’re not able to take one home.

Massage prices at the market are even more reasonable than those in Bangkok — hour-long massages start at just under $7.

A fish spa is also available (yes, those are my feet above). I’ve never seen a fish spa before my trip to Thailand — $3 buys you 15 minutes in the tank, in which tiny fish chow down on the dead skin on your feet and legs.

A variety of savory and sweet items are available at the market, including Phat Thai, of course.

Only one elephant was out and about at the nearby elephant village, likely due to the rain.

Bananas are available for purchase, which the elephant was more than happy to grab out of the basket I’m holding in the photo above.

One of Ayutthaya’s historic attractions, Wat Chaiwatthanaram was a Buddhist temple built in 1630. It was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767.

We even had a chance to meet a Thai farmer, out feeding his water buffalo (!). The man provided directions to my friend after an accidental detour.

Yesterday, I almost fell for Thailand’s (apparently infamous) gem scam, which happens to be very well documented on the Internet. A conspiracy involving a dozen people and stores all over Bangkok, I was nearly convinced, until it came time to pull out my wallet. I’m going to pick up right where I left off, so check out the first part of the story to get caught up.

By the time we boarded our second tuk-tuk (this one costing even less than the first, with a driver who spoke excellent English and understood every single word), we knew better than to expect the driver (that’s him above) to take us directly to the sites he suggested. Doubling as a 70-cent tour guide, our driver stopped at several photo spots along the way, pausing for a few moments for us to snap a photo or two each time before aggressively merging back into traffic.

Click the “read more” link to read about the rest of our adventure, with plenty more photos for proof.

Our first stop was the Golden Mount, a legitimate attraction that was once the highest point in Bangkok — a city that seems to have grown as vast as Beijing.

As we climbed up the stairs, I was relieved to see that our day of touring had finally begun, even though it was already after 3 p.m. at that point.

We took several photos and headed back down to our cabbie, who was of course waiting patiently by the exit. He walked us around the corner to another temple (having already established a rapport with my father, telling him he looked like “George Bush, the father”).

Inside the temple, we met a very friendly gentleman who introduced himself as the temple’s “sponsor,” having recently donated $100,000 to keep the lights on. We really wanted to believe his story about how he made his fortune growing rice several hours from Bangkok, and came back to the city to visit often, for several days at a time. Being the temple’s “sponsor,” he naturally needed to spend his days hanging around to talk to tourists. After 10 minutes of his stories (to provide context for what was to come next), he casually suggested that we visit “Thai Center,” as we made our way out.

After we returned to our tuk-tuk, our driver excused himself to the bathroom (why hadn’t he gone during the hour or two we had spent at the temples?), leaving us exposed to the other potential scam artists who were hanging out in the parking lot. Not a minute passed before a “lawyer” approached us, talking about the suits he just purchased at — wait for it — THAI CENTER! Speaking fairly good English, he asked where we were from, and then explained that he loved the U.S., and had earned his degree at UCLA (I guess he figured Columbia was too close to home). He mentioned the specific store where he purchased his suits (which I jotted down on my iPhone), and even added that Obama purchased his suits there (we didn’t want to disappoint him, so we let that one slide)! By then our driver had returned, but politely allowed us to finish talking to the lawyer as he washed the windshield of his tuk-tuk.

We asked the driver to take us to Thai Center (expecting an open-air market, or shopping mall), but weren’t surprised when we pulled up to the exact same suit shop that the lawyer in the temple parking lot had told us about. Of course the driver never asked for directions, and had been in the bathroom when the lawyer dropped the store’s name.

Knowing that we had been set up, we decided to go in to check out the store anyway, to compare pricing to what we had seen at stores in Hong Kong. The very opinionated salesman trashed Hong Kong workmanship (known to be the best in Asia), explaining that Thai suits were of far better quality. “Hong Kong suits, you wear for two months and throw away. Thai suits last for many years.” Well shit, I guess they had been full of it in Hong Kong — I imagine the two suits my father had purchased there were already beginning to disintegrate back at the hotel.

Nonetheless, the prices were very reasonable, and I ended up purchasing two sports jackets, two pairs of pants, and two shirts, while my father added one more suit and an overcoat to his collection.

We returned to our tuk-tuk, not discussing our purchases with the driver, who spoke of the Reclining Buddha that we were headed to next. A few minutes later, we pulled up to ANOTHER store — this one selling rare stones. We called out the driver on his scam, insisting that he take us to the Buddha instead. After a minute of the driver begging us to visit the store (“for his children!” … wow, these drivers have no shame), we agreed to go inside for a moment.

We walked inside to find the store empty — well, there were plenty of salesmen around, eager to send us home with an incredible deal. We looked at a ring or two before leaving the store. Amused by the day’s events at that point, we returned to our tuk-tuk yet again, assuming that the driver would actually bring us to see the Buddha this time.

I pulled out my iPhone, having noted the location of the Reclining Buddha earlier that day, and noticed that we were heading to the river, and away from the attraction. We instructed the driver to pull over, which he did, only to hop out immediately and pull out a laminated brochure for boat tours. “Just one boat ride and then Reclining Buddha,” he said, not willing to take no for an answer. We refused, and asked him to drive us back to the hotel instead. He started yelling, “No! Too far! Too Far!,” explaining that the boat would drop us off near the hotel. When we refused, he said he would take us to the dock to catch a public ferry for 20 baht (about 70 cents — the same amount as our tuk-tuk fare, and far less than the 1,000 baht for the private boat that he had suggested).

We said we would walk, at which point he set down the boat brochure and pulled out another — this one with nothing but pictures of women. You can guess what he was trying to sell at that point. My father began to walk away, but still sitting in the tuk-tuk, I refused to leave until he told me how much he had been paid for each of our stops. After a few minutes of waiting (literally), he finally admitted that he had been paid 200 baht by the suit store, about $7, and 10 times the amount of our taxi fare.

I exited the cab, feeling at least a little satisfied that the driver had not only admitted (finally) that he was being paid a commission for each of our stops, but revealing the amount (for one of the stops, at least). I asked our driver if we could have our photo taken with him — and to my surprise he agreed, even appearing flattered that we had asked — before he drove off without even requesting the 20 baht fare.

We walked around a market nearby, then met up with a couple friends of mine for dinner, who had spent that day at work while my father and I had quite the adventure in the city. My Thai friend wasn’t surprised in the least to hear our story at dinner, and at least we were only going home with some cheap suits, and not thousands of dollars in rare costume jewelry (the gems may have been real, but were certainly worth nothing close to the amount the stores were asking us to pay, even in the U.S.).

The moral of the story: Don’t trust anyone when traveling overseas, especially if what they’re pitching sounds far too good to be true. And always do your research before making any large purchase. Your credit card company won’t be likely to wipe your record of a $5,000, 2-carat loose sapphire, especially with your signature on a receipt.

Here’s how it all began:

Shortly after leaving our hotel, my father (who is joining me for the Bangkok portion of my Asia trip) and I met “Charlie” (on the street in the photo above), an incredibly friendly, well-dressed Thai man who introduced himself as the head of security at our hotel, explaining that he had seen us in the hotel earlier this morning. “Charlie” seemed suspiciously friendly, but not enough to raise any initial concern, so we allowed him to talk us into abandoning our plans to visit the Grand Palace, instead choosing to check out the wholesale gem market at Thai Center, which he explained was open to the public for two days only — for the first time ever — in celebration of its 25th anniversary. He suggested a couple other sites, including a temple that I didn’t recognize, and walked us down the street to the nearest taxi stand, helping us choose a tuk-tuk, and even negotiating the fare (just $1, including all of our stops) with the driver.

Our tuk-tuk driver spoke English surprisingly well (our far more expensive sedan cab driver from the airport didn’t speak a single word of English), and drove us several miles down narrow alleys to our first site — a non-discript Buddhist temple.

In the temple we met “Chef Tony,” the “Executive Chef at the Four Seasons in London,” who broke the ice by asking if we were Buddhist (!!!), before explaining that he was in town to visit his family, and to take advantage of the incredibly low prices for rare gems, which he was purchasing for investment.

“Chef Tony” spoke briefly about his family and life in London (which he claimed to absolutely despise) before quickly changing the subject, focusing on his gem purchases.

I STRONGLY suggest that you click the “read more” link to continue.

As if on cue, “Chef Tony” pulled out a map of Bangkok, identifying a market where he found the best deals. Then he pulled out a notepad and pen, drawing a flow chart while explaining the advantages of buying gems directly from the source in Thailand, rather than spending “several times more” to purchase them in the States. Slightly insulted that our new friend felt the need to draw a flow chart to explain a basic supply chain, we listened attentively, admittedly curious about how we could take advantage of similar deals.

Just as quickly as he pulled out the map, the chef reached into his Louis Vuitton handbag to display two certificates of authenticity, which featured photos of his two recent purchases (and displayed Monday’s date). I didn’t consider questioning Tony until I was unconvinced of the authenticity of the certificates themselves.

Just a few moments later, Tony pulled out a brochure from The Exotic Center — the same rare gem market that “Charlie” had mentioned an hour or so before.

Even this didn’t raise concern, and we returned to our driver, asking him to take us to the market (which he found without asking for any directions).

As we arrived at The Exotic Center, our driver emphasized that we should take our time shopping as he waited outside. Really? All that waiting for a single dollar?

After we walked into the market, we were whisked up to the third floor by a woman who met us at the entrance, and made our first stop at a long jewelry counter. After a sales associate pulled out  a tray of mens’ rings, I began asking questions about the market, anniversary promotion, and typical distribution channels, since the market was set up like a large jewelry store with unique items, rather than the wholesale market I had envisioned.

Only interested in gems for investment, I asked to see loose stones, and was brought into another room with tiny gems, with prices ranging from $3,500 to $10,000 and up, depending on quality and carat size (typically just over 2 carats) for each stone. I admittedly know absolutely nothing about gems, but thought it was a bit odd that the store’s blue sapphires were priced higher than diamonds, especially after Tony had mentioned that prices were three times higher back home.

I decided to leave, but reconsidered when the saleswoman explained that the direct-to-consumer sale ended today, in just under four hours. Instead of leaving, I asked to use their computer to do some research. The first woman we met led me downstairs into a back office, where she showed me to an empty desk so I could search the Web. After about five minutes of digging (and finding not one reference to the market under its current name), I stumbled upon a website called “Bangkok & Thailand Scams,” and this post (click for link) in particular.

I emailed one of the comments to my iPhone, and brought it upstairs to show my father. We quickly left, and returned to our tuk tuk, which was still waiting outside. We asked the driver to take us to the Grand Palace, but after a few minutes of driving I noticed that the blue dot on my iPhone was traveling in the opposite direction of our requested destination — into a questionable-looking area — and instructed the driver to pull over and let us out.

We paid the agreed-upon fare and hopped in a real taxi (the kind with four wheels and four doors), and set off for the Golden Palace. We didn’t walk 100 feet before a good samaritan approached us, explaining that the Palace was closed for the day, and that we wouldn’t be able to enter wearing shorts anyway. He suggested some alternatives, and walked us over to a row of waiting tuk tuks, negotiating a fare of about 70 cents, including all of our stops, of course.

To be continued! Check back tomorrow to read about the rest of the day’s scams, including one that actually ended up costing us some money.

Update: Read about the rest of the day here.