Jenny Hontz

How to experience the wilderness in style.

Like any respectable holiday, a luxury safari requires proper gear. No one wants to stumble upon mating lions, for instance, without the right camera. Advanced point-and-shoot digital cameras are compact and convenient, but the most important factor is zoom capability.

Most visitors to Hong Kong imagine high-end shopping and fine dining in a concrete jungle. But the city is home to a vast wilderness filled with palm and banyan trees, purple bauhinia flowers, butterflies, monkeys and wild boar.

"Eye of the Storm," an exhibit of works by U.S. combat photographers in Iraq and Afghanistan, documents small but indelible moments.

Nuevo VallartaThis Mexican resort manages to make a family-friendly, all-inclusive beach vacation ultraluxurious. With spacious oceanfront suites, a world-class spa, three gourmet restaurants and impeccable service, there's no reason to ever leave the grounds.

L.A. prepares for a neutering spree.

After years of debate and controversy, the CDC is finally looking into the mysteries of Morgellons, an unexplained and debilitating skin condition that many doctors don't believe exists.

A leading psychiatrist warns against believing any of the diagnoses reported for Britney Spears, and why it can be difficult for any family to help an adult relative in trouble.

A clinical psychiatrist on what happens at the hospital.

The weather may be cool, but there's nothing like a romantic getaway to heat things up again. Plenty of resorts cater to lovebirds or honeymooners with special settings and services.

The weather may be cool, but there's nothing like a romantic getaway to heat things up again. Plenty of resorts cater to lovebirds or honeymooners with special settings and services.

The Dummies are coming to San Francisco! Alan L. Rubin, who organized the conference, wants to share his pride: as author of "Diabetes for Dummies," he knows how hard it is for Dummies to get respect.

Listen up, "Battlestar Galactica" fans. A war is brewing, fiercer than anything involving Cylon robots. The battlefield: the Internet, where fans can get their "Battlestar" fix with three-minute mini-episodes created especially for the Sci Fi Chan-nel's Web site, SciFi.com.

It's not easy to provide five-star luxury in the midst of a treasured wilderness without damaging the environment. But the King Pacific Lodge in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest manages that difficult feat.

With "Brokeback Mountain" and "Walk the Line" dominating the Golden Globes, cowboys and their country vistas are cool again. A traveler's guide to the Old West: book a cowboy vacation year-round at the Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort in the Santa Ynez Valley ( alisal.com), the Santa Barbara wine country made famous by "Sideways." A cowgirl boot camp offers barrel racing and lasso lessons.

Two weeks after Katrina, I drove a van full of supplies into Ocean Springs, Miss., a small town on the Gulf Coast where I graduated from high school. It was my first visit in nearly a decade, and as I passed my old house, I saw straight through my bedroom.

After years of sugary-sweet cosmos and appletinis, spicy cocktails are suddenly hot. Get a Sudden Headache ($10) at the hip Elm Street Liquors lounge ( elmstreetliquors.

Maintaining a regular yoga practice can be a hassle for business travelers, but several hotel chains are making it easier to strike a pose on the road. Kimpton Hotels (kimptonhotels.com) supply guests with a complimentary yoga mat and block, plus a 24-hour yoga channel.

Atkins adherents have spawned a new revolution: the low-carb cocktail. While hard liquors like gin and vodka come carb-free, dieters should avoid sugary mixes.

Gary Arabia has organized thousands of parties--birthday bashes for Shaq, the opening reception at the 2000 Republican National Convention. But the GOP won't exactly play to its base if it gets Arabia onboard in '04.