Corkboard: our weekly travel news round-up

A David Nash sculpture exhibition at Kew Gardens, S�o Paulo's new gay hotel and the first ever trans-Amazonian overland trip. Plus your tweets on festival misadventuresEscapismThere's a new exhibition of sculptures by David Nash at Kew Gardens (kew.org). The pieces are made from wood made available through storms, lightning or disease, which is then carved and burned by the artist.What's new?BooksLoving these new releases: Le Road Trip by Vivien Swift (�18.99, Bloomsbury), a sweet little journal with sketches and notes about this American's love affair with Paris. London Style Guide (�16.99, Murdoch Books) is quite hipstery but the photos and design are gorgeous, and the cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels and shops featured really are some of London's best ? as well as nice to look at.ExhibitionPosy Simmonds, graphic novelist, and this rag's own serial cartoonist and social satirist, has her first dedicated retrospective later this month, at the Belgian Comic Strip Museum in Brussels. From 12 June-25 November visitors can see the original artwork of some of her creations, including the graphic novel characters Gemma Bovery and Tamara Drewe, pictured. ? Rue des Sables, +32 2219 1980, comicscenter.netAdventurePanoramic Journeys has some unusual adventures in Mongolia, Burma and Bhutan, including a new 13-day trip tackling the Kharkhiraa Trek in pristine scenery in Mongolia's Uvs Province, departing 5 August, for �2,471pp, excluding international flights. Over the summer there's a 50% discount for under-18s travelling with an adult paying full price. ? 01608 811183, panoramicjourneys.comMen only: S�o Paulo's new gay hotelThe S�o Paulo Gay Pride Parade, the largest of its kind in the world, took place on 10 June, ideal timing for the opening of a new hotel which caters for single gay men.Framed under a flyover is a handsome, art deco-style building ? the Chilli Pepper Single Hotel (Largo de Arouche 610, Santa Ifig�nia, chillipepper.com.br, rooms from R$59 [around �20] for six hours). With 100 miniscule rooms, five suites, two pools, a sauna, a bar and a tiny cinema, it's a cross between a no-frills capsule hotel, a gay sauna, and a classic Brazilian "motel" ? a love hotel, with six-hour slots available as well as 12- and 24-hour rentals.It is located in Largo do Arouche, a downtown square that fizzes on weekend nights, bringing hundreds out on to the street and into bars such as Caf� Vermont, Caneca de Prata and Soda Pop. It's the heart of gay S�o Paulo and the gritty counterpoint to Frei Caneca, the city's more upmarket gay zone.Douglas Drummond, the hotel's owner and president of the local LGBT Chamber of Commerce, said: "Hotels don't make it easy for gay men, there's no real desire to cater for us. For an event like the parade I want to meet up with friends, have a drink and get ready, but there's no hotel in S�o Paulo, except maybe the InterContinental, that really makes us feel at ease."The welcome at Chilli Pepper doesn't extend to women however. Drummond explained: "There are gyms and clinics just for women; this is a hotel tailored for men."Transexuals and transvestites, on the other hand, are welcome ? Drummond wants a third of his 50-strong staff to be travestis. Claire RigbyOn the edgeThe first ever (so they say) trans-Amazonian overland trip through South America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, is available with Dragoman (01728 885171, dragoman.com), using the new interoceanic highway through the interior. The 24-day trip from Rio to Cusco costs �1,396pp if booked before 30 June (�199 more if booked later; excludes flights). First departure is 14 February 2013.Travel trashPlease have your boarding card in your paws, ready for inspection ... Thomson Airways is now providing boarding passes for teddies and other cuddly toys, so kids can make sure BearBear/Fluffy/Mr Ted or whoever is checked in, too, and hasn't been left behind in the gift shop ?Cheap dateThe new Gaya Island Resort on Pulau Gaya in Borneo is offering seven nights for the price of six. Guests can enjoy nearby golden beaches and explore the rainforest for proboscis monkeys, orangutans and pygmy elephants. Trips with DialAFlight (0844 556 6060, dialaflight.com) between 1 September and 11 December 2012 cost �1,299pp B&B including flights, if booked before 12 June.Tweet ur tripThis week, festival misadventures Next week: Your honeymoon disasters Tweet us at @GuardianTravel #TravelCorkboardS�o PauloSouth AmericaCoach travelRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kewguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Lapland skiing holidays Travel Finland holidays Finland skiing holidays