GadlingTV’s Travel Talk – Thailand Part 10: Kanchanaburi

by Stephen Greenwood on

Gadling TV’s Travel Talk, episode 40 – Click above to watch video after the jump

In the first half of Travel Talk’s grand Thai expedition, we’ve tamed elephants, explored Bangkok’s temples, eaten scorpions, taken in a Muay Thai match, and witnessed a train running directly through a bustling market. Now, we’re taking you to explore a lesser known province of Thailand for a closer look at the culture and traditions of rural Thai life.

Kanchanaburi isn’t the first place you might think to visit when planning your trip to Thailand- but in many ways, that’s its charm. We explore this peaceful oasis just outside of Bangkok. The town promises to change dramatically with the recent reopening of the Three Pagodas Border Crossing to Myanmar, and we stayed in a massive 5-star resort that’s anticipating this very change. Exploring the local landmarks, we got a chance to walk across the Bridge over River Kwai- of classic hollywood fame.

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.


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Hosts: Stephen Greenwood & Aaron Murphy-Crews

Special guests: Joom, Tum, Nikki- the champion bartender & Richard- Dheva manager and businessman extraordinaire
Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood & Aaron Murphy-Crews
Special thanks: Tourism Authority of Thailand, Trikaya Tours

Travel Talk took Thailand by storm on invitation from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. No editorial content was guaranteed and Aaron & Stephen were free to openly share all adventures that they embarked upon.

Earthquake strands thousands at Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea

by Joel Bullock on

Thousands of guests were stranded in Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea after the massive earthquake that rocked the island nation on Friday. Park employees have been giving out humanitarian aid including blankets, heaters, plastic raincoats, food, and water. While Disney has reported only a few minor injuries and minimal property damage, other reports state that the earthquake has liquefied the parking lot. Authorities suspect that shaking from the earthquake caused water from the coastline to mix with the soil. The Disney parks were built on a landfill making the parks susceptible to flooding.

According to Disney, Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea will remained closed to allow for a thorough inspection of the attractions and facilities. Inside the Magic has pictures from social media sites of the stranded guests and damage to the park. Below is a video of park guests experiencing the earthquake while they were waiting for a parade.

Travel disruptions from Japan earthquake and tsunami continue

by Chris Owen on

After the record earthquake and devastating tsunami delivered a near knock-out punch to Japan yesterday, the damage is still being assessed. The death toll is rising, fears of a nuclear disaster worsen, travel alerts have been issued and hundreds of flights have been canceled as tens of thousands of travelers have been left stranded.

In Japan, both Narita (NRT) and Haneda airports (HND) which handle international and domestic flights for Tokyo were closed Friday, leaving 14,000 passengers stranded. Sendai airport (SDJ), 300 kilomerters to the north was virtually destroyed by the tsunami. Both Haneda and Narita have reopened but it is expected that flight schedules will be affected into early next week as Japanese travelers from around the world struggle to get back home.Elsewhere, the effect of Japan’s airport failures combined with a huge increase in demand for flights into Japan have had a cascading effect on travel around the globe. Airports from Canada to London saw delayed flights as the U.S. issued a travel alert urging U.S. citizens “to avoid tourism and non-essential travel to Japan at this time.”

In Japan, it is considered poor form to take a vacation when your family or your employer needs you. Beyond the strong, immediate need Japanese travelers out of the country have to get back home, future travel plans could affect tourism world-wide for quite some time.

The U.S Department of State noted in its alert shortly after the event that “Strong aftershocks are likely for weeks following a strong earthquake such as this one.” Indeed, at least 20 aftershocks ranging from 5 to 6.8 magnitude have hit Japan, a day after the 8.9 magnitude caused mass destruction.

Getting up to speed on the problem at Japan’s nuclear power plants, Friday’s events caused concern that reactors left without normal cooling capability are on a countdown to meltdown. Hour by hour, battery backup that replaced diesel generators used in the nuclear core cooling process weaken. In a race against time, at some point radioactivity will be released if the problem is not corrected.

“The events that occurred at these plants, which is the loss of both offsite power and onsite power, is one of the rarest events to happen in a nuclear power plant, and all indications are that the Japanese do not have the situation under control,” Edwin Lyman, a nuclear expert told The Telegraph today.


It was a one, two, knock-out punch as the quake and tsunami took out the Daiichi reactor’s off-site power source and then tsunami waves disabled the backup source of power.

Beyond the melt-down concern, about a 1 million homes were reported without power.


Video and photos of the disaster both during and after the earthquake and hurricane provide little hope that travel disruptions from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami will go away any time soon.

Government issues travel warning, sends navy to Japan, braces west coast

by Chris Owen on
In the anticipated travel alert issued after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck Northern Japan today, the U.S. Department of State is urging U.S. citizens to avoid travel to Japan through the end of the month. Offering condolences for loss of life and damage caused by the event, President Obama ordered mobilization of military disaster relief sending the U.S. Navy to aid early this morning and directed FEMA to go on high alert in anticipation of damage to U.S. coastal areas.

“Strong aftershocks are likely for weeks following a strong earthquake such as this one” the Department of State said in today’s travel alert. Those in the affected are are urged to move to open spaces away from walls, windows, buildings and other structures.

Navy ships USS Essex, USS Blueridge, USS Tortuga have been deployed and are on their way to Japan to help in anticipated relief efforts. U.S. Navy ships in Guam had been told to head out to sea for safety reasons earlier in the day.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said today “I join President Obama in offering our sincere condolences for the loss of life and damage caused by the earthquake and tsunamis in Japan. We are closely monitoring the tsunamis that may impact other parts the world, including Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States.”

In California, residents are preparing for the worst. Under an advisory, not a warning, those who live on the water have been told to sail 3 miles off shore for safety concerns.

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Photo: Huffington Post

Wall of water threatens U.S. west coast

by Chris Owen on


The biggest earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history sent a series of tsunami waves across the pacific stopping by Hawaii on its way to the U.S west coast. A tsunami warning continues in effect as an ocean surge of one to three feet is anticipated.

A full coastal evacuation is underway in Hawaii as the first waves arrive and raise sea levels. Touching the North island of Oahu and moving down the island chain, the massive waves are anticipated to disrupt communications, transportation and power grids.

Hawaii, though is somewhat prepared for unusual surges in ocean levels, with first-hand experience just over a year ago when a tsunami struck Hawaii after a 8.8-magnitude Chile earthquake.

CNN’s Chad Myers warns this is nothing line a wave you might surf.

“A five foot wave heading ashore can go miles inland, causing untold damage” which is the fear of the US Coast Guard, preparing for the worst as the wall of water heads toward the coast of North America.

U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews are making preparations throughout the Main Hawaiian Islands to provide post-tsunami support. Coast Guard cutter and aircraft crews are positioning themselves to be ready to conduct response and survey missions as soon as it is safe.

“Ships transiting coastal areas fronting the Pacific Ocean [are advised] to take maximum precautionary measures and/or to take shelter as necessary, and to continue to monitor further information on alert level,” Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said earlier in a statement sent by text to media outlets.

Much stronger than the earthquake that hit New Zealand just last month, the magnitude 8.9 offshore quake in Japan that occurred earlier today was followed by more than a dozen aftershocks of more than magnitude 6.0. Areas along a 1,300-mile stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles from the epicenter.

In Tokyo flights have been canceled including Nippon, Virgin, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France and Malaysia Airlines which have have all canceled flights to and from both of Tokyo’s airports.

Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co. told the Wall Street Journal that “131 domestic and international flights were canceled, grounding 32,700 passengers. Including flights which changed destinations, the earthquake affected 162 flights and 37,800 passengers”

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Photo AP/Huffington Post