Photo of the Day (11/1/07)

by Neil Woodburn on

Contrast. It’s what makes Gadling’s Photo-of-the-Day judges all hot and bothered and generally just excited to be alive. Sure, it’s the most overused descriptor in the history of photography, but it still gives us a kick in the pants.

Take this shot, for example. If that Chinese fisherman was wearing a beige shirt and some khaki Banana Republic pants, this would just be another ho-hum photograph. But instead, the contrast of the bright blues captured the eye of Gorwell48 who did a fine job of capturing this image on the banks of the Yangtze. And that, folks, is why Gorwell48 has landed a spot in today’s Photo of the Day.

Sign up now for your 2009 solar eclipse tour

by Catherine Bodry on

On July 22, 2009, China and the South Pacific will experience a total eclipse of the sun — and tours to see it are selling out almost as soon as they’re announced. Sirius Travels, a company specializing in eclipse tours, said their first tour filled up so fast they had to open another one and are thinking about offering a third.

According to USA Today, “eclipses happen on average about every 18 months. But not all are created equal. Some last just a few seconds; others darken the sky for up to seven minutes. And where they occur makes a huge difference.” Often one will occur over the ocean, or in areas where it’s usually foggy our cloudy. But the 2009 eclipse will be take place over relatively easy-to-reach areas that generally have good weather. Plus it will last a whopping 5 minutes.

Eclipse tours are typically accompanied by an astronomer, and include other astronomical sites. For a list of tour companies that offer such tours, as well as some tips for choosing your trip, read the USA Today article here. Happy star-gazing!

One for the Road: China – People, Place, Culture, History

by Kelly Amabile on

It’s been awhile since I’ve talked about China. But I’ve been thinking about the country this evening while admiring DK’s new book about the Asian empire. Seems a good time to tell ya about it — China: People, Place, Culture, History is a massive tribute to the country, with over 700 specially commissioned images by world-class photographers.

The photos are grouped around themes: landscape, history, people, culture and architecture. The book sets the scene with stunning images of the mountains, plateaus and plains of China’s three “steps” and then follows with a chronological look at the dynasties that ruled throughout the country’s 4,000-year history. The people section does a spectacular job of peering into daily life in China with profiles of craftsmen, farmers, children, religious, artists, business people and retirees. Cultural traditions are also captured with vivid color and descriptions — calligraphy, opera, literature and philosophy are all explored. And to complete the collection, an architecture section marks the nation’s transformation through its buildings — from ancient courtyards to modern skyscrapers. Anyone with affection for China will want a copy of this spectacular look at the evolution and every day life of a world superpower.

Will Chinese really take over English and Spanish?

by Abha Malpani on

When I left my high-flying public relations job to travel, learn Spanish and write, more than a few people said: “what are you learning Spanish for? Learn Mandarin, it’s going to be the new most needed/wanted language, it will take you places!” This context is often debated and recently resurfaced in articles on Forbes, Freakonomics and World Hum.

I still don’t see the point.

Mandarin may be spoken by a larger number of people, but those people are mainly in China, Singapore and Hong Kong. When they travel or immigrate abroad, they need to learn the language of the place they’re at — people aren’t going to try to learn Mandarin to communicate with them.

Approximately 400 million people speak Spanish, across the US, all of Latin America and a majority of Western Europe. So if I speak English and Spanish, I can communicate practically anywhere except perhaps Japan and the 3-4 Mandarin speaking countries. Even with skyrocketing rate of economic growth in China, and the increase of travel of Mandarin speaking people worldwide, I really don’t see the whole, expansive world changing their main language of communication from English to Mandarin, do you?

The world’s tourist traps and how to avoid them

by Catherine Bodry on

What constitutes a tourist trap? Forbes Traveler’s Chris Colin argues that it’s a place that eclipses the genuine article. Postcard racks block the actual view, and prices are considerably higher than they might be a few miles (or blocks) away. They leave you drained financially, asking yourself, “Why did I do this?”

How do you spot a tourist trap? Colin suggests that anywhere a cruise ship docks is a good indicator. Also, double-decker buses tend to deposit large numbers of camera-toting tourists. Fisherman’s Wharf and sections of China’s Great Wall are good examples of tourist traps. I also think of Koh San Road in Bangkok, Thailand, a backpacker’s trap (although I love it, I’m sort of ashamed to admit) filled with bootlegged-CD stalls, bland pad thai, and restaurants showing the latest bootlegged DVD.

But you shouldn’t avoid all places overrun with tourists. Sometimes it’s a matter of wandering a bit further, or coming at a different time of year. I know the pad thai gets a lot better just a few blocks away from Koh San Road, and that the Grand Canyon is less crowded on weekdays.

Thanks to Mamabrarian on Flickr for the photo she titled “Existential Tourist Trap.”