There's much to enjoy in the story of Saeed Ahmed, the man who ran a sex tourism company called "Jump Off Destinations" from his Washington Heights apartment. Convicted in May of three counts of promoting prostitution by way of his prostitutes-included trips to the Dominican Republic, Ahmed was sentenced this week to 10 days of community service and five years' probation. (The DR cemented its reputation as a sexual playground with the unappetizing story of Rush Limbaugh's Viagra-fueled stag party there in 2006.)

Ahmed's tour packages consisted of airfare, accommodations, tour guide, translator, chauffeur, and a predetermined number of sex partners, with prices starting at $2,500. As the AP notes, "Ahmed plans to continue the tours but eliminate the prostitution and sex. Court papers say Ahmed planned to donate the proceeds to Dominican children." Brilliant! Coincidentally, I plan on donating the proceeds of my Dominican child slavery ring to Dominican prostitutes. It all trickles down eventually, if unappetizingly and perhaps infectiously.

Manhattan man sentenced for arranging Dominican sex tours [via Guanabee]

Something new this week, Travelistic viewers: your most watched videos, showing lots of love for The Map and The Experience, and a lunar theme, with Kelly Loudenberg’s “Moon Collector” clip picking up an item Liza mentioned in last week’s “Moon Madness” show.

– The Map: Moon Madness
– The Consumer Electronics Show
– The Experience: Cockfight Madness
– FOUND: Moon Collector
– Focus on Amsterdam:


And here’s where you currently dreaming about going:
– India
– New York
– Thailand
– Paris
– Hawaii:

Most viewed this weekend:
– Apparently, the NSA touchy-feeliness of cuddle parties makes our friends at Gothamist, and some of you guys, very, very, uncomfortable.



However, based on the nearly 3,000 of you who watched this clip from Greener Media, the no-holds-barred blood and guts of cockfighting is a-ok!

This image of Manila comes from a Forbes special on the most densely populated, congested cities on earth. With a total population of 10 million in the metropolitan area, Manila may not be the largest city on earth, but its city center squeezes a staggering 41,000 people into each square kilometer. In comparison, Mumbai, which has become virtually synonymous with urban density, has just under 30,000 people per km squared by Forbes’ reckoning, and doesn’t make the list of the most congested cities. They are, in descending order: Cairo, Lagos, Macau, Seoul, Dhaka, Buenos Aires, Jakarta, Kaohsiung and Santo Domingo. Attempt driving in any of them at your own risk.

There seems to have been a bipolar choice of two topics in the travel stories published this weekend: creepy, Halloween-themed tales of haunted inns, resurrected neighborhoods, and the end of the road for lost luggage, or serious newspapers (the WaPo, the NYT) trying a fresh take on the quintessential vacation land of the sunny Caribbean.

Los Alamos, CA’s Creepy Inn
The perfect hotel for Halloween (SF Chronicle)

Europe’s Catacombs and Ossuaries
SKULL AND BONES: Continent chock-full of skeletal stashes you can visit (SF Chronicle)

Macabre London
The London prowl (LA Times)

The Afterlife of Lost Luggage
When you and your bags part ways (LA Times)

City of Night of the Living Dead Back from the Dead
Pittsburgh’s South Side, Resurrected (Washington Post)

The Caribbean
Antigua
Intimate Caribbean (Washington Post)

All-Inclusive Resorts
Caribbean Resorts With Infinity Pools, Golf Courses and Sandcastle U. (NYT)

Caribbean Boutique Hotels
Upscale and High Design Hotels in the Caribbean (NYT)

Jost Van Dyke
Jost Van Dyke, a ‘Somewhere’ Barely on the Map Island in the British Virgin Islands (NYT)

Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic Offers a New Place in the Sun (NYT)

Puerto Rico
36 Hours: San Juan (NYT)

(Images via ant468hyde and matt.ohara’s photostreams)