Send More Crap Back Home with Panda Poop Souvenirs

by Justin Glow on

A while back, Gadling covered a story about postcards in China made from recycled panda poop. The feces were gathered, presumably cleaned, and compressed into flat sheets of “paper” to be sold to tourists. The Chinese have stepped it up a bit and begun making souvenirs out of the cuddly bear’s dung. Fortunately, the pandas are herbivores, which keeps the little statues odor-free. Gosh, they’re awfully cute, I guess, but it’s still something that made its way through an animal’s digestive tract, and there’s something very wrong about that. Even so, it’s the perfect gift to give to someone who either has an unhealthy obsession with panda bears, or you don’t like very much.

One animals poop is another person’s Chinese keepsake. [via]

Travel Writer Found Dead in China

by Iva Skoch on

Bad news from the travel world today.

Clem Lindenmayer, 47, a seasoned Lonely Planet writer, was reported missing three months ago, after he had set out to climb Mount Gongga, in a remote area of south-west China. Last Thursday, villagers had found his dead body on a mountainside 4,600m (some 13,000ft) above sea level, The Independent reports.

Mr Lindenmayer was from Melbourne and spoke Mandarin, German and Spanish. He had helped to update guides to China, Malaysia, Germany and Sweden. Lonely Planet said he had “developed a special affection for the Swiss Alps”. He was an experienced hiker, author of Trekking in the Patagonian Andes, published in 2003, and Walking in Switzerland.

Who Faked Story about Cardboard in Chinese Rolls? The Reporter or the Government?

by Neil Woodburn on

Last week we posted a story from China in which an undercover reporter filmed workers in a Beijing suburb making rolls out of chopped up cardboard.

China is now saying the story was faked and the reporter has been jailed and, according to the ‘The Beijing Public Security Bureau, will be “severely dealt with according to law.”

Chinese officials claim that the reporter was under pressure from his editors to come up with a story. He wasn’t able to do so, and in desperation, hired a couple of workers to chop up cardboard on camera, mix it with pork, and steam it into popular baozi rolls. The footage, which was broadcast on Beijing Television’s Life Channel on July 8 and then spread globally, created disgust worldwide. You can check it out for yourself here.

Speculation has arisen, however, regarding who actually filed the false report. China recently has been facing charges from the global community regarding the poor quality of its exports. An internal investigation revealing cardboard as the main ingredient in a consumable product has only furthered these accusations and caused even more embarrassment and damage.

It is therefore, entirely within the realm of reason for Chinese officials to claim the story was fabricated and jail the reporter to protect the image of Chinese products.

In my opinion, this is exactly what happened.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of July 15

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here we are again at another weeks end. As quirky as we are at times it seems there are still many good practical pickings out there to explore. If you need tips to arrive alive or help in a travel insurance purchase check out some of these. Oh, and if you need someone to do the sight-seeing for you we’ve found a little something in that department too.

5. Americano To Go (Away from Forbidden City):
If you plan your vacations based on the number of Starbucks locations per city, you may very well be out of luck with this particular destination.

4. Think You’re Covered? Top 10 Things Travel Insurance Might Not Foot the Bill For:
This is an excellent post everyone should read! While purchasing travel insurance for your trip to Kilimanjaro can offer some peace of mind make sure you’ve read the fine print. Surprisingly, it does not cover everything you may have previously thought.

3. Vacation Surrogate Will Vacation for You:
Um, I have to agree with many of the comments on the plug above. I don’t get it. I wouldn’t do it, but I’m sure it works for someone out and there and kudos to Sara Thacher – San Fran’s Vacation Surrogate for being clever enough to develop a way for those who can’t travel to the city. I’d rather go on my own though.

2. Airline Hackers: Inside the World of Mileage Running:
I love finding ways to increase my mileage on various airlines, however mileage running hasn’t been one of my methods. This option works well if you’ve got a flexible schedule and a burning desire to collect as many sky points as possible, but there are other easier ways. Read further to find out some tips to mileage running if you’re all packed and ready to go!

1. Six Tips to Stay Awake on Road Trips:
Driving late at night or at dusk and yes, even in the day can be tiring when on a long road trip. If having the windows rolled down with blasts of cool air hitting at your face while the Iron Maiden pumps out from the stereo doesn’t work in keeping you awake, look into some of these other helpful tips.

Americano To Go (Away from Forbidden City)

by Iva Skoch on

Following up on Neil’s post, the Starbucks in Forbidden City is in fact, closing. The Chinese have gathered 500,000 signatures that caused the management to shut it down.

Is that good or bad news?

Tim Footman of The Guardian expresses a concern in his column today that “in a global market of implied cultural signifiers, absolutely any product – even a cup of mediocre coffee – seems to have the potential to challenge socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

He points out what we all know: it is not coffee that Starbucks sells. They sell “a lifestyle, a feeling, a brand, a corporate reimagining of bohemian leisure.” Although the Chinese are perfectly willing to sell the fancy coffee, they refuse to sell the name and lifestyle. It was either changing the name or closing shop.

If you change the name, you end up with mediocre coffee. Closing shop, I guess, made perfect sense.