While the world’s top athletes are sweating it out during the Summer Olympics in Beijing (Aug. 8-24), China’s dog population has reason to breathe easy, now that Chinese authorities have reportedly removed dog meat from certain restaurant menus and asked other restaurants to limit or discourage customers from ordering dishes made with the animal considered in many other parts of the world to be man’s best friend.

The move follows a similar ban in South Korea during the 1988 Olympics, though it apparently has not been strictly enforced.

Other places travelers might encounter rover on the menu? Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos.

We all know a picture’s worth a thousand words, but in the case of Me No Speak pocket guidebooks, pictures may just be worth a whole lot more. After all, who needs a thousand words when the person on the other end of the conversation can’t understand them?

The guidebooks - available for China, Japan and Thailand - have been around a while, but I was reminded of them yesterday by Thrillist. Yes, you may feel silly accosting a stranger on a busy street corner and repeatedly pointing to a picture of a train, but you’d probably feel a whole lot worse after wandering aimlessly, missing your scheduled departure and spending the rest of the day pantomiming your way around town in search of food, shelter and distraction.

Along with transportation, the guides also tackle food, shopping, health topics and accommodations.