Lost in a world of Skype and Reddit at Gadling Labs this morning, we were thrilled to get a dispatch from our friend Sean over at Vimeo. In a A Journey Through Vietnam, Leon Visser and his friends capture a summer vacation taken through the budget friendly nation of Vietnam, complete with plenty of local portraits, breathtaking scenery and a good beat to boot. It’s the perfect sort of daydreaming for a Friday before a holiday weekend.
Asia
Travel through Asia by country:
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
Travel through Asia by popular city:
Bangkok, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Moscow, New Delhi, Tokyo
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Travel through Asia with our writers:
Infiltrating North Korea, Keyhole Into Burma, Band on the Run ... in China, Chinese Buffet, A Canadian in Beijing, Volunteer Vacation: Tajikistan
Video: do you know South Korea?
Do You Know South Korea? from David Dutton on Vimeo.
Guilty as self-charged: I did not realize how utterly gorgeous South Korea is until watching this video. And since the creator’s intent was to share the essence and beauty of South Korea with viewers, I have to say: job well done. I have friends who are from South Korea, friends who have lived there, worked there, and played there, but I haven’t yet been there. I love the juxtaposition in this video of the bright city lights and jagged, breath-taking countryside. The colored leaves are gorgeous, but they’re only a fraction of the video footage. The music is excellent, the shots are incredible.
Have you been to South Korea? Do you feel as though this video captures the country? If you haven’t been to South Korea, does this video make you want to visit as soon as possible (because it makes me want to visit as soon as possible).
Tourists behaving badly: Lost in translation in South Korea (video)
This terribly embarrassing video making the rounds shows how learning just a little bit of the local language can help prevent a massive misunderstanding.
Robert J. Koehler of The Marmot’s Hole informs us that the incident occurred between a 24-year-old African-American English teacher and a 61-year-old man on a crowded bus in South Korea. According to Koehler, “The elderly man reportedly said “니가 여기 앉아” (a sign of consideration) but not knowing Korean, the man in question interpreted “니가” [pronounced “nigga” and meaning “you”] as the N-word which led to his violent outburst.”
Of course, the only accounts we have of this incident come from the Korean media. But, insult or not, this ugly American – an English teacher, no less – sets the perfect example of how not to act in a foreign country – or even in your own home town. Really dude, turn it down a notch, will ya?
Watch the new Ski Channel movie trailer: “Winter”
After hauling in 12 awards from various film festivals with the astoundingly successful 2010 release of their first film, “The Story”, the adrenaline addicts over at The Ski Channel have done it again with their second film, “Winter” which is set to make its debut in early October.
In addition to capturing the death defying escapades of some of the world’s top adventure athletes, the film also features 5 tracks off of the soon to be released album “The Sea of Memories” by the rock artist Bush. The album’s feature track, “The Sound of Winter”, provides the background for the high-energy trailer and is poised to become one of the top singles in the nation.
With their first film having been filmed on location in Nepal, Antarctica, Chile, Alaska, Argentina, British Columbia, and the United States, “Winter” promises to take the viewer on a global whirlwind to some of the planet’s most remote destinations in ways, which according to the trailer, “push the human spirit to its limit…and then a little further”.
Launched in 2008, The Ski Channel is a Video on Demand Cable network that also operates one of the largest ski sites on the web. Features on the site regularly range from breaking ski news to equipment guides, and it also serves as a portal for adventure sports ranging from BASE jumping to Adventure Racing.
Watch the trailer, check out the site, and I guarantee you won’t be sitting in your seat for much longer.
Climbers summit K2 for first time in three years
K2, arguably the world’s toughest mountain to climb, was conquered for the first time in more than three years earlier this week, when an international team of three men and one woman reached the summit. They were the first people to stand on top of the mountain since the tragic 2008 climbing season, during which 11 people lost their lives.
Located in the Karakoram mountain range, K2 straddles the border between Pakistan and China and stands 8611 meters (28,251 ft) in height. It is the second highest peak in the world, behind only Mt. Everest, although it is orders of magnitude more challenging to climb. While each year more than 500 people summit Everest, the top of K2 is rarely visited at all due to its extreme technical challenges and notoriously bad weather. In fact, K2 has earned the nickname “the Savage Mountain” because of its high level of difficulty and the fact that for every four climbers who have successfully reached the top, one has died trying.
On Tuesday, Austrian climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, along with Polish mountaineer Darek Zaluski and Kazakhs Maxut Zumayev and Vassiliy Pivtsov ended the three-year drought on K2 by reaching the summit from the Chinese side of the mountain. Climbing for nearly 18 hours, the team endured waist deep snow and -25ºF temperatures on their way up, although the winds were mercifully light and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. That afforded them some great views from the summit, but the exhausted group didn’t linger for long, as they still had a long trek back to their high camp below.
The successful summit earned Kaltenbrunner the distinction of becoming the first woman to climb all fourteen of the world’s 8000-meter peaks without the use of supplemental oxygen. While most high altitude mountaineers wear an oxygen mask and tank to help them breathe in the thin air, she did it using just her own lungs, which puts her in a very elite squad of climbers.
The team has now descended back to their Base Camp, where they are collecting all of their gear and are preparing to head home. After spending two months on K2 preparing for this summit push, they are no doubt more than ready to get back to their friends and families, not to mention a few creature comforts. I’m guessing a warm shower, a comfortable bed, and their favorite foods all sound pretty good about now.
[Photo credit: Kevin Mayea]