North Korea Dance Video

by Erik Olsen on


I can’t vouch for the authenticity of this video, but it sure seems like it’s something that would come out of an axis of evil…if by evil we mean tormenting young children through dance. The video here is said to be of some North Korean kids doing the kind of passionate, high-intensity dance steps you’d expect from a rogue nation…or American Idol, for that matter.

In all honesty, I thought it was very cute. Kinda made me feel warm and tingly for the North Koreans…for the kids, anyway. But you just KNOW that Kim Jong Il had a say in the choreography. He’s apparently quite talented, you know. Very artistic.

I mean, look at those suits! So 70’s, so Sid and Marty Croft, in a way…which kind of begs the question :maybe the North Koreans aren’t so far behind us after all.

Underground Russia

by Erik Olsen on


This is a site that I might have deferred to Neil since it’s more his bailiwick, but hey, he took the Manhattan Kayak piece a while ago. So there.

Here is a series of really interesting photos from underground Russia, or more specifically under Russian Streets. The captions are pretty much non-existent, so I have no idea if this is just Moscow or an assortment of different places, but the photos are rally quite striking, kind of a mix of futuristic, Matrix-underworld and brutal Communist construction. Anyway, take a look.

Getting Good Gelato in Italia

by Adrienne Wilson on

If I’m correct when I reflect back and say this then I had my very first gelato experience ever like two days ago, but it was far from Italy. Considering it was the only gelato spot around for miles a guide to finding the BEST wasn’t really necessary. In that kind of heat I would have taken the gelato from the palms of a bum on a shady Venice Beach side street. In Italia it’s different though. It’s the home of gelato. The real deal. You want to score the best. But how?

Valerie Ng at World Hum fills readers in on telling the best from all the rest. Long lines are a good indication in any place and Italy is no exception. Just be sure to line up behind all the Italians and not your foreign look-a-likes. Search for the signs that read “fatta in casa,” which means the gelato was made in house. Learn how to order, a little gelato lingo and some advanced technique to help get you the best gelato in all of Italy. Check out all of Ms. Ng’s tips. Something tells me she really knows what she’s talking about.

From Afghanistan to Tajikistan

by Adrienne Wilson on

A few nights back I was introduced to a gentleman I was told could help me. I was told he was filled with an enormous amount of information about where I am headed and where I should go. He could point out Tajikistan on a map three-times blindfolded. He had been there before. When I met him I felt intimidated at first, questioning the unbelievable amount of knowledge he had on the area. Only five weeks sit between our meeting and the time of my departure to Dushanbe. He came off a little brash, but no matter what I thought of him then, I knew, he knew his stuff. I begged him to tell me everything and told him to promise he’d send more information about Tajikistan, about anything.

I was happy to have made his acquaintance and that I had found someone with even a half-idea of the Central Asian land. Keeping his to his promise, he forwarded this link from a piece he had written for Pology, a favorite online cultural travel magazine of mine. In his story he talks about crossing borders from Afghanistan to Tajikistan and describes the border towns, places, nomads, people, and the distinctive differences between the two. Whether or not Afghanistan or Tajikistan are particularly places of high tourism interest I’m sure anyone would enjoy the piece. Forget the landmines and casual talk about pistols, just read it and soak up the realness of the people, the buildings and the Soviet decay.

Very excellent read…

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of July 16

by Adrienne Wilson on

Lots of exciting things happening here at Gadling these days. I’ve just wrapped up my cross-country adventures with Steps Across America, Erik is hanging out around Newfoundland and Neil is just starting to divulge the details of his Balkan adventure. With the forces combined I now bring you our Take 5 for the week. (Thanks Neil for holding it down!)

5. Rental Car Rant – Underage Driving:
I just did this blurb earlier today, but it deserves another look. Just think back to the days when you paid an arm and a leg for a rental car because of your age. Did anyone offer you any affordable solutions? Well, this one goes out to all the folks under 25 who wish to rent cars on their big time Miami Beach or NYC excursions and some of the cheaper rental companies around. Good luck.

4.Sex Tourism for Women:
As a woman I find this topic pretty wild and raunchy. Paying for sex or offering gifts while traveling in Third World lands has never been on my travel agenda and reading this disturbing piece pointed out by Neil really gets me hot and bothered in a very un-sexual way. I couldn’t imagine. I don’t want to, but I am interested in seeing the film based on female sex tourism, Heading South.

3. Balkan Odyssey Part 1: Getting to Albania:
Judging from the sound of part 1 I can already tell Neil is full of incredible tips and stories from his Balkan Odyssey. Flight into the Mother Teresa Airport? Only in Albania. With this one we’ll just have to watch and see, but oh, it looks like another will be making our take 5 this week!

2. Kayaking Manhattan:
The great outdoors in NYC – a man, his paddle and all the Hudson to tackle. This piece reviews the lesser explored and kayaked waters in New York by way of a Brit who discovers the same type of peace and solitude so often blogged about by our own Erik Olsen.

1. Balkan Odyssey Part 3: What to see in Tirana:
Now we’re getting cookin’. Tirana is as foreign to me as Zanzibar, but Neil breaks the post-communist capital down to basics. Check out the National Art Gallery, the Blloku, or better yet just check out the post.