When you want to take technology to guide and entertain yourself, don't miss the following apps.

Triplt

Triplt is a helpful app to organize travel plans. Sign up for a free account and download the app to have all your travel plans available in one place.

OpenTable

OpenTable includes over 31, 000 restaurants around the world. Check the app to see availability and to book within the app. The app has been updated to include searches by hot list, cui-sine (烹饪法), location and more.

Fotor

Part of the fun of traveling with a smart phone is taking and sharing photos. The Fotor app lets you edit your photos and add filters (滤波器) for special effects.

Google Maps

Google Maps can be used even when no Internet connection is available. Maps can be down-loaded for times when you are away from the Internet. You can even create your own Google Maps. After creating it, you can share it with others so they can see where you are going or join you on your trip.

An expert has revealed whether carrots truly help you see in the dark and if an apple a day actually keeps the doctor away.

Nutritionist Lily Soutter also clarifies if it really takes seven years to digest chewing gum (口香糖), whether you can swim after eating and if fish is good for the brain.

She confirms that while carrots contain lots of vitamin A, which helps maintain healthy vision, they don’t help you see any better in the dark. Similarly, enjoying an apple a day won’t in itself reduce your chances of needing to visit a doctor, and chewing gum doesn’t take seven years to leave your system. And sadly, eating celery (芹菜) doesn’t burn more calories than you gain from eating it, despite 23 percent believing it to be the case.

Yogurt maker Onken teamed up with Lily. They conducted a survey of 2,000 people, finding half of them are “confused” about food fact and fiction.

Onken said, “Many of us rely on what we remember from school when it comes to nutrition. But we’re learning new things all the time about what different foods do for our health, such as the benefit of fermented (发酵的) foods to our gut and immune system. While some of what’s passed down over generations is super advice, some of it isn’t.”

The study also found that swimming right after eating is wrongly believed by 34 percent of adults to be something you shouldn’t do. In fact, it’s exercising to high intensity immediately after eating that should be avoided, as it can give you a sudden pain.

Almost half believe fish is good for the brain. They’re right, as long as they’re eating oily fish, because essential omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish contribute to normal brain function. Other “fake news” wrongly believed by many of those surveyed include eating chicken soup helps if you have a cold (27%) and drinking fruit juice is as healthy as eating whole fruit (17%).

Fifteen months after operation began, the China-Laos Railway (Laos section) is set to introduce the LCR Ticket App on Wednesday, which allows passengers to make ticket purchases via their mobile phones, bringing Laos into the era of online train ticket sales.

The system, developed by a branch of China State Railway Group, marks a further step in the informatization process of the China-Laos Railway passenger business, according to a press release sent to the Global Times by the China State Railway Group on Tuesday. Since the start of operation on December 3,2021,the China-Laos Railway (Laos section) has seen strong demand, with the daily passenger traffic exceeding 10,000 on most busy days. However, the train tickets are sold manually at windows and sales outlets.

The app, which has the advanced technology of China’s 12306 online ticketing system, is based on the laws and regulations of Laos, its cultural characteristics and user preferences. It also supports Lao, Chinese and English. Due to the size of its population and its advanced and extensive railway system, China is home to the world’s most complex online ticket selling system. During the Spring Festival period this year, the system was able to handle a peak transaction volume of over 1,000 tickets per second. Tickets can be paid for via several methods including VISA, UnionPay, WeChat Payment and Alipay. A manager at Laos-China Railway Company, which operates the Laos section, said that online ticket sales will greatly improve the travel experience on the railway which helps promote tourism. The LCR Ticket App is set to be available for downloading from 6:30 am on Wednesday in Laos. Growing passenger and cargo volume has meant that the China-Laos Railway has become a promising route for international logistics.

Lao Ambassador to China Khamphao Ernthavanh said in a recent interview that the China-Laos Railway is an important project featuring win-win cooperation between the two countries, opening up new prospects for the socio-economic development of Laos and turning the dreams of people along the route into reality. The railway has turned land-locked Laos into a land-linked hub with freight train service bringing goods to countries including Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Singapore.