TRAVEL WATCH: October 4, 1999 VOL. 154 NO. 13

Hot Tip

ALSO IN TIME

Seek Enlightenment, Off the Beaten Path Since the dawn of Buddhism, pilgrims have worn the soles off their sandals visiting the religion's hallowed sites Trend Spotting Not a fusty old guidebook, but a deck of cards, 53 of them, as user-friendly for visitors to Hong Kong as it is for residents Detour Cabbages & Condoms is no ordinary restaurant chain: it serves prophylactics in the place of after-dinner mints Off the Shelf Become the complete Richard Branson-branded traveler by picking up one of his new Virgin City Guides Web Crawling Doug Dyment's site is an obsessive's look at the joys of traveling light Hot Tip The world's top gymnasts will bounce, leap and vault their way into Tianjin, China, this fall for the World Gymnastics Championships

FLIP OUT: The world's top gymnasts will bounce, leap and vault their way into Tianjin, China, this fall for the World Gymnastics Championships. International fans are expected to fill the 10,000-seat Tianjin Gymnasium for this top-flight competition, which runs Oct. 9-16. The championships showcase the best of men's and women's gymnastics from around the globe, giving competitors a chance to strut their stuff for an international panel of judges, the same folks who will be eyeing contestants at the Olympics in Sydney. In fact, the top 12 men's and women's teams will gain a spot for the 2000 Games. Though it's tough to forecast who will soar and who will stumble, the Romanian, Russian and Chinese teams are likely to dominate the women's event; the United States, the defending Olympic champ, has yet to regain its form after losing many core members to retirement. On the men's side, look for China to dominate on its home turf, with Russia and Japan chasing close behind. To book seats, phone (8622) 2311-1203.