South of the Clouds: Introduction to Yunnan, China

by Catherine Bodry on

Yunnan, which translates as “south of the clouds,” is China’s most diverse province, and offers travelers extreme variation: tropical lowlands bordering Laos and Burma curl at the bottom of the province, while the unsummited Meili Snow Mountain reigns near Tibet. It’s home to more ethnic minorities than any other province in China (25 out of 56), three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the deepest river canyon in the country (Tiger Leaping Gorge).

Long on the informal backpacker’s “banana pancake trail,” Yunnan shares not only borders but culture and languages with Vietnam, Laos, Burma, and Tibet.

Gadling recently spent three weeks in Yunnan on a trip partially sponsored by WildChina. During that trip, we followed parts of the ancient Tea Horse Road, from the southern Yunnan tea fields to caravan market towns. Over the next few weeks we plans to introduce in detail some of Yunnan’s delights.

But first, the basics:How to get there

Though high-speed rail connections to Southeast Asia are in the works, the easiest way to visit Yunnan from outside China is by flying there. Kunming is the capital of the province, with direct flights to and from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Hong Kong, among others. Within China, domestic flights abound, and it’s possible to ride the rails from Shanghai and Beijing. For “shorter” distances, sleeper buses run between provinces — and there’s even a 40-hour bus from Kunming to Vientiane. It’s also possible to ride the bus to the Vietnam border in Hekou and transfer to a train to Hanoi on the other side of the borer.

What to do and where to visit

Your options are nearly limitless, but more popular destinations include Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-la (Zhongdian), and Kunming. You can hike Tiger Leaping Gorge, cycle to the Vietnam border, and photograph the terraced rice paddies in Yuenyang at sunrise. In Xishuangbanna, eat Dai food and wander medicinal gardens. In Shangri-La, perform koras around a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, and in Dali hike the Cang Shan trail.

In most tourist-centric towns you’ll manage with English, and though traveling without any Mandarin is no doubt tough, it’s not impossible.

Read more about my travels in Yunnan here.

Though my trip to Yunnan was partially funded by WildChina, my opinions are all my own.

[Photo credit: treasuresthouhast, Flickr]

TSA causes two international incidents by searching Indian diplomats

by Sean McLachlan on

It seems we common folk aren’t the only ones who find TSA‘s security checks intrusive. Transportation Security Administration officials have recently caused not one but two international incidents with India by searching diplomats.

India’s ambassador to the U.S. Meera Shankar got frisked at an airport on December 4. She was pulled out of the line because she had brown skin and was wearing a sari in a random search. When she revealed she was a diplomat, security officials were unimpressed and frisked her anyway.

Now it turns out this wasn’t the first incident, the BBC reports. Two weeks ago India’s UN envoy, Hardeep Puri , who is Sikh, was asked to remove his turban. Sikh men think it is immodest to remove their turbans in public. Once again, the diplomat mentioned his special status and was ignored. He was taken into a holding room so the turban could be checked for whatever it was the TSA thought he was hiding in there.

Hey, at least they didn’t have to go through a body scanner like Baywatch actress Donna D’Errico.

Photo of the Day (12.11.2010)

by Catherine Bodry on

What caught my eye about this photo is that at first the greenery looked like continents – as if someone was spinning a globe or flying a rocket ship around the planet. Alas, it’s only a boat ride in India, but I quite like the effects. You can see the whole world in a single cell and all that. I appreciate the way speed is conveyed, as well as the flat surface of te water. The photo was taken by Flickr user Florian Paar, in India.

Have any rad photos from your travels? Upload them to Gadling’s Flickr pool, and we just might choose one for our Photo of the Day feature.

Lady Gaga now a waxwork model at eight Madame Tussauds museums

by Sean McLachlan on

Ah, Lady Gaga, what would we do without your telephone hats and nude suits?

Now the famous wax museum Madame Tussauds has unveiled Lady Gaga models at eight of their branches: London, New York, Las Vegas, Hollywood, Amsterdam, Berlin, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

The figure at the London branch has the crazy suit shown here: a telephone hat designed by Philip Treacy and a midnight-blue Armani suit. Keeping up with Amsterdam’s debauched reputation, the museum there has a Lady gaga in a nude body suit, white jacket, and a rather phallic-looking purple hairdo. The other outfits are equally outrageous.

Hopefully her penchant for crazy clothes will continue, but not so much that she’ll have to be stripped by flight attendants like she was in March.

[Photo courtesy Madame Tussauds]

Gadling’s favorite gadgets, apps, & websites for 2011

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Earlier this week we took a look at our favorite destinations, hotels, and airlines. It turns out that we’re all over the map on most of these counts, although underappreciated destinations, good service, and general efficiency tend to warm our hearts.

Nowhere perhaps is the quirkiness of the Gadling team more perceptible than it is in this final category of favorites. Without further ado, here are Gadling’s favorite gadgets, apps, and websites moving into 2011.

Blogs & sites

Annie Scott. I do love to visit Color Me Katie and see what the fabulous Ms. Sokoler is up to. I adored her trip to Japan. I recently fell in love with Will It Blend, which has to be the most brilliant social media campaign I’ve ever seen. Other than that, I’m really the kind of person who can watch Marcel the Shell with Shoes On over and over and call it “contextual research.”

Tom Johansmeyer. I resolved to explore New York more this year, forcing myself not to work as hard and enjoy my hometown a bit more. Local travel blogger Laurie DePrete has been a big help. She provides a look at speakeasies, restaurants and attractions all over the five boroughs. This is insider info at its best.

Karen Walrond. As a photographer, I’m a big fan of photoblogs. My current favourites: UK-based Brian Ferry, Modern Day Gilligan, by an American photographer based on the island of Grenada, and Netherlands-based Rachel James.

David Farley. When I was driving around Los Angeles earlier this year I found Sigalert, which shows all the up-to-the-minute traffic congestion in the greater LA area, to be incredibly helpful.

Sean McLachlan. The Whole World at Your Hands, run by a woman named Ana. A member of Postcrossing, she avidly trades postcards around the world. Her blog features some of them and talks about the places they show. She just sent me a nice card from Serbia in exchange for one I sent to her from the Scottish Highlands. Also noteworthy: TheBloggess and Tomb Wrecks.

Alex Robertson Textor. Sporcle keeps me on my toes, geographically speaking. L’Antipodeuse is good for daydreaming.

Mike Barish. Nile Guide is a good li’l startup in San Francisco with travel guides, a fun blog and tremendous amounts of local advice and tips. (Disclosure: I just started editing their East Coast US content. But even before I started with them, I liked them a lot.)

Grant Martin. I relieve pressure with FAIL Blog.

McLean Robbins. For beauty, All About the Pretty. For cooking, Smitten Kitchen and The Pioneer Woman.

Meg Nesterov. Even when I’m not in New York, I love Manhattan User’s Guide, and now there’s a travel version. Wish You Were Here has everything from quirky museums to diners to luxury retreats. Basically bookmark their every link.

Catherine Bodry. Killing Batteries.

David Downie. Michael Balter, Rolf Potts, Mort Rosenblum, and David Lebovitz.Gadgets & apps

Jeremy Kressmann. NYCWAY iPhone App is an interesting example of a city-specific app that incorporates a lot of info in one place (transit info, upcoming events, news, bathroom locations). Expect to see more of this for big tourist destinations. Good for locals and tourists alike. Instagram is a great example of how you can make your smartphone photos more social. Instead of filing your travel snaps in Flickr or on a hard drive, the app emphasizes sharing with others, creating “feeds” of popular photos and photos from those you follow.

Heather Poole. I love Twitter because I can get up to date information regarding travel, delays, breaking news, and I use Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends when I’m on the road.

Meg Nesterov. Not the newest or the sexiest, but the Kindle was hands-down my best purchase before moving overseas. It’s one of the only e-readers that works abroad (with a U.S. billing address). The wireless functions in nearly every place I’ve tried it, and it’s perfect as my reliable source of English-language reading materials and travel guides.

McLean Robbins. Blackberry. While it’s not exactly revolutionary, it’s my life, quite literally. I don’t know what I’d do without it, and with the world edition I can travel just about anywhere and still be in touch.

Alex Robertson Textor. Google Maps & magazine apps (for example The Economist, recently released) on my iPad.

Annie Scott. I’m quite addicted to Words With Friends (basically Scrabble) and Diamond-Twister on my iPhone. I play them all over the world at night when jet lag prevents sleep.

Mike Barish. I’m quickly falling in love with my iPad. I don’t view it as a “game-changer” or a full-on computer replacement. But when it comes to passing the time in airports and airplanes, it’s a fantastic way to watch movies, read the newspaper and bring tons of books with you. It’s also great for quick trips where you want something larger than a phone for checking emails but don’t need your computer with you for work.

Karen Walrond. I don’t go anywhere without my iPhone, my Macbook Pro and my Nikon D300 dSLR camera. After those things, I don’t have a favourite.

David Farley. My new MacBook Air.

Grant Martin. Wool tech gear has been around for a while, but only this year in fleece form. Both Icebreaker and Ibex released wool fleeces this year, and they live up to their hefty pricetags: well-fitting, good smelling and perfect for a full range of outdoor activities.

[Image: Flickr | yoggy0]