Wacky world - weekly offbeat travel roundup

(AFP PHOTO DDP / VOLKER HARTMANN)

A roundup of this week's offbeat travel stories: LA is rude, wet air balloons, mile high kits...

A warm climate, but a cold welcome

If you're expecting a warm welcome next time you're in the US, don't go to LA. Or at least that's the conclusion we'd draw from a recent Travel + Leisure survey which suggests that Los Angeles was the rudest city in the States, followed by New York City and then Philadelphia.

Down to Earth with a splash

Hot air balloon trips are supposed to be incredibly peaceful, but for one unlucky group their trip over Melbourne was anything but, when winds forced them to ditch on water. "Not something we'd want to do," was how the pilot put it.
Watch the landing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2TJMXVIQOc

Mile High Kits

If you've ever had the chance to join the Mile High Club but haven't been properly, ahem, equipped, one entrepreneur has the product for you. Mile High Intimacy Kits contain everything you could possibly need for an impromptu quickie at 35,000 feet, all packaged in a "travel-ready" container.
http://www.milehighkit.com

Sargeant Segway

Police in the town of Taupo on New Zealand's North Island have had to resort to foot patrols again after their new Segway personal transportation devices were deemed illegal for use in public areas. However, the force remains optimistic that they'll be used again, which is supposedly a good thing, as they "engender curiosity."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110120/od_afp/nzealandpolicetransportoffbeat_20110120170442

Separately, Segways have been banned altogether on the sidewalks of Great Britain following a judge's ruling that they are intended for use on roads - despite the fact that they're already banned for use on roads. Read more from CNET.