Desktop globetrotter: July 14

A weekly round-up of travel news and debate from around the globe.

LOOK TO THE SKIES: The population of remote Easter Island doubled on Sunday as thousands of tourists and photographers arrived with a view to witnessing a total solar eclipse. The eclipse began north of New Zealand and tracked east, finishing over South America a little more than two-and-a-half hours later. More on the eclipse - including photos and a video - can be found here.

BONNE FÊTE?: In a few hours' time, France will be waking up to its annual Bastille Day celebrations - but, as The Wall Street Journal's Max Colchester reports, festivities are being toned down this year. President Nicolas Sarkozy has even cancelled the annual presidential garden party as part of austerity measures.

HOOFING IT: The San Fermin Festival, held annually in the Spanish town of Pamplona, is always a spectacle. Images of the daily bull runs flash around the world - as do pictures of the less-fortunate souls who end up impaled on one of the 500kg beasts' horns and the protesters who argue that it's time bullfighting was banned altogether. Here's an interesting read about the festival's history and the various challenges it's facing in the 21st Century.

COWBOY CARNIVAL: From a Spanish bullring to a Canadian rodeo arena ... the popular Calgary Stampede kicked off earlier this week. Like the festival in Pamplona, not everyone's a fan of the 10-day event, but this article from the Calgary Herald rounds-up some of the experiences that make it unique.

AFTER THE VUVUZELAS DIE DOWN: The World Cup may be over, but there's still a lot of South Africa for intrepid adventurers to explore. This article from The Guardian takes readers on a journey to the country's wild east coast, where former president Nelson Mandela grew up.

In case you were wondering...

The Spanish Canary Island of Lanzarote was in the news recently after UNESCO threatened to strip it of its biosphere status due to illegal construction. But what exactly is a biosphere reserve? Here's a link to UNESCO's website, which explains the concept. Lanzarote is currently the only entire island to be classified a biosphere reserve, but residents of Waiheke Island are aiming to gain the accreditation for the Hauraki Gulf island too.

And finally, from Argentina...

A new hotel in Buenos Aires is billing itself as the continent's first dedicated siesta zone. Aimed at tired central city office workers, the hotel gives people the chance to nap for 40 minutes before being woken by staff and given a cup of herbal tea. Watch a video about the new venture here.