Thomas Cook has a number of specials to Asian destinations, including a diving package to Cebu/Davao in the Philippines with three nights accommodation and two days diving from $4,180. The offer ends on September 29. A 'Midnight Express' deal does not mean you end up in a Turkish jail. It is three nights accommodation in Osaka and return flight with Cathay Pacific from $3,990. Another low cost deal is with Japan Asia Airways to Taipei with two nights accommodation from $2,300. Phone 2853 9933 or fax 2545 7477. By 2002 Britain will have completed 45 millennium projects which it is hoping will revive a sagging tourism industry. Continued strength of the pound is making holidays expensive for tourists from abroad and the British are taking advantage of the attractive exchange rates to go on cheap packages in Europe and Asia. The most expensive project was the controversial Millennium Dome in London, which cost GBP750 million (HK$8.77 billion). But many are being built in areas that have been hit by high unemployment. Among the attractions still under construction are a National Space Science Centre in Leicester (GBP46 million); the restoration of a 110-km canal link from Glasgow to Edinburgh and the Forth to the Clyde (GBP78 million) and the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff (GBP70 million) which will focus on Welsh culture. An aquarium featuring some of the most feared predators of the sea - venomous tropical fish, carnivorous water monitors and 10 species of shark - has opened at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay is constructed to resemble the ruins of an ancient temple sinking into the sea. A path winds through the temple's courtyard and gradually descends, to suggest that the visitor is going underwater. Staff members in scuba gear have an underwater communication system that lets them answer questions from visitors as they work. The aquarium measures 105,000 sq ft. The Andong International Mask Dance Festival, which gives a kiss of life to a dying tradition, will be held from September 29-October 8 in Korea. The highlight of the festival (which was featured in these travel pages recently) will be a mask dance performance by 19 groups in Hahoe village. Mask dances date back around 500 years, and were a satire on the hypocrisy of the ruling classes. It is possible to take a bus or train from Seoul to Andong (about four hours). For further information e-mail mask2000@weppy.com Train late? Service staff rude or unhelpful? Amtrak, the US rail service, says it wants to make sure passengers get their money's worth by giving them a certificate for future travel if things go wrong. The railroad will offer a certificate to take the trip again free, says George Warrington, the president. He says Amtrak wants to build long-term loyalty.