Photo of the Day (04.15.2008)

by Martha Edwards on


I picked this photo by Kouiskas as the photo of the day because it looks almost too good be real, you know? Everything is perfect, from the colours of the earth to the fluffiness of the clouds. Postcard-perfect photos are usually fairly elusive, down to nothing more than the stroke of luck that you happened to visit a site on the ideal day. And it’s why we bring our cameras everywhere — we’re afraid of missing that perfect photo opportunity.

Got any perfect photos to share? Share them with us — join the Gadling Flickr Pool.

Nervous robber in Australia incriminated by vomit (and other fun facts about Australia)

by Iva Skoch on

I have a soft spot for Australia. I really do. No other country on Earth has the ability to produce the same number of interesting headlines per capita.

Here is what we have coming from Australia on Gadling alone:

And now we have this: Robber incriminated by his own vomit. Not bad.

Ahmed Habib Jalloul, 20, of Para Vista, was found guilty of aggravated robbery in the District Court earlier this month for his involvement in the robbery of the Kensington Gardens post office in April 2007, Messenger Community News reports. The court heard that Jalloul had vomited “out of fear” outside the post office, in a nearby car park after the robbery, before fleeing in a stolen car with two accomplices and $3700 in cash. Guess what, DNA analysis of the vomit slick matched Jalluol’s DNA.

Disclaimer: Australia has other things to offer, besides weirdos, hedgehogs, vomit and wasps.

Best cities for a pub crawl?

by Abha Malpani on

On holiday, it’s not uncommon to consume large quantities of toxic beverages. An attempt to check out the city’s nightlife = an all-nighter pub crawl.

Some cities are just geared to allow for the most memorable crawls (assuming you remember stuff post getting plastered, which of course, isn’t the objective). Here are the Lonely Planet blog’s idea of a what entails a good pub crawl, here are mine:

  • A number of bars in the same area, so you can walk the whole way (or even crawl if necessary!).
  • No dress code. You have to be allowed to enter the places without stuck-up bouncers. Preferably, there shouldn’t be bouncers at all and you should be able to enter with flip-flops.
  • Cheap. Getting drunk, not remembering anything, AND not having any money left — not a good combination.
  • The places should be filled with locals rather than tourists.
  • Friendly bar tenders. Rude bar tenders with a chip on their shoulder for anyone out having fun while they are working, can ruin your night.
  • Bars with games, happy hours, and music. A little bit of research and you can find a cluster of bars with special drink offers and games to win them alongside music and/or jam sessions.

Basis these criteria, my favorite cities for a pub crawl — that believe it or not, fulfill at least 5 of the 6 points above, are:

  • Valencia, Spain
  • Madrid, Spain
  • Wollongong, Australia
  • Phi Phi Island, Thailand

What are your favorite cities for a pub crawl?

Naked Nomad presumed dead; left multi-million dollar estate

by Iva Skoch on

Let’s set this straight. According to hard evidence I have gathered, Victor Flanagan, an Australian also known as “Naked Nomad,” didn’t walk around naked all the time. He wore a sarong when walking through towns and a pair of thongs for when there were too many prickles on the road. Sellout.

He spent at least the last decade living in Papua New Guinea, where he walked from Australia sometime in the 1990s. And, he was found dead lying in a canoe – without any clothing — in a PNG jungle, news.com.au reports.

Last week, more than a decade after he last spoke to his sister, the Supreme Court in Perth declared Naked Nomad “presumed dead”. This is a relevant piece of information because he left all his property–primarily the multi-million dollar beachfront property near Busselton–to his sister. Flanagan had inherited the property after their father’s death but didn’t have much use for it since he primarily just wanted to be in touch with nature and spend his life walking around naked.

Naked Nomad really isn’t that different from multimillionaires, after all. Multi-million beach front property is only fun if you can do nothing all day, but walk around naked.

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Australians beat underwater ironing record

by Anna Brones on

If you’ve ever had a desire to learn underwater basket weaving, you might first want to start with underwater ironing. As much as this sounds like an April Fools post, 72 Australian scuba divers did in fact break the world record for what they call “extreme ironing” when they dove into the water just south of Melbourne accompanied by their linens and ironing boards.

What exactly is extreme ironing? It’s the “latest danger sport that combines the thrill of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well pressed shirt,” according to the sport’s official website, the Extreme Ironing Bureau. Extreme ironers don’t only press their shirts underwater; the sport can take place anywhere, from a mountainside to in a canoe, all around the world.

Still confused? Check out the Extreme Ironing Bureau’s FAQ section and I am sure that all of your questions will be answered and by that point you too will be ready to add the extreme sport to your list.