Create your own adventure with Gap!

by Kraig Becker on

Do you have a destination that you’ve always wanted to visit, but just couldn’t quite find the right way to get there? if so, you’re in luck, as Gap Adventures, one of the top adventure travel companies in the world, is inviting you to Create Your Own Adventure as part of a new contest that could send you, and two of your friends, off on your dream trip.

Designing your own adventure couldn’t be easier. Simply go to the website and begin the process by selecting your destinations from a world map, adding countries to your planned itinerary. From there, decide the length of your trip and select possible places to visit from within your selected countries. Next, you’ll decide how you want to travel, with everything from trains, boats, buses, and even your own two feet as options. You’ll also get to choose your level of accommodations, ranging from overnight buses and home stays, up to boutique hotels and private lodges as options. Finally, you’ll name your tour, and write a summary about what makes it so exceptional. After entering your personal contact info, you’ll then submit your dream tour for consideration.

The travel company has put together an interesting group of judges who will turn their critical eye on your travel masterpiece, deciding if it is worthy of being called a Gap adventure. The panelists include the likes of Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of Lonely Planet, John Rasmus, the editor of National Geographic Adventure Magazine, and adventurer Alastair Humphreys, who has circled the globe by bike and paddled the Yukon River. These judges, amongst others, will help to whittle down all of the entries to the top 20 finalists, which will then be voted on by the public, to determine which tour is the best of the best.

You can enter the contest anytime between now and the end of March. The judges will then select the finalist in early April, with voting scheduled to run from April 8-25. The final prize winners will be announced on May 25, with the designer of the winning tour being sent on the trip with two of their closest friends. The tour will also be included in the 2011 Gap catalog as well.

Not feeling all that creative when it comes to designing your own adventure? Never fear, as Gap has you covered too. Five people will be randomly selected to join the trip as well, despite the fact that they have no idea at this point where they could be headed. Click here to enter to win one of these random slots.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to kayak down the Nile or cross the Gobi Desert on foot, this might be your chance. Perhaps a mountain biking tour of Ethiopia would be more your style, or camping in the Amazon Rainforest. Let Gap bring whatever trip you’ve been dreaming of to life and then send you on that adventure of a lifetime.

Iranian and British national museums face off over artifact

by Sean McLachlan on

Iran’s national museum has cut off ties with the British Museum because of a controversy over a 2,500 year-old cuneiform tablet called the Cyrus cylinder. One of the most important artifacts from Persian civilization, the cylinder was supposed to be loaned to Iran but the loan has been delayed. Iran says the delay is politically motivated, but the British Museum says they need to compare the artifact to two similar tablets that were discovered recently. This is a change from the reason they gave back in October, citing the insecure situation after Iran’s disputed national elections.

In anticipation of displaying the cylinder in Tehran, the National Museum of Iran has spent $200,000 to enhance its security systems, but now it has nothing to display. The UK now faces the possibility of having all its scientific and cultural missions to Iran canceled. The move is similar to what Egypt did to the Louvre a few months ago in protest over some artifacts stolen from the Valley of the Kings.

The Cyrus cylinder was made in 539 BC to commemorate Cyrus the Great’s conquest of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The inscription is significant for several reasons. It mentions returning exiles to their homeland, which might refer to the end of the Jews’ Babylonian captivity. Some scholars have written that this passage and others about just rule make the cylinder is the world’s first declaration of human rights, although it is by no means comparable to a modern constitution. The text is online here.

Secret tunnel in Dubai a big surprise to drivers

by Kraig Becker on

A new underground tunnel has opened in Dubai that will save drivers tons of time through one of the busiest sections of the city during rush hour, but no one seems to know where it came from, or when it was completed, including the agency responsible for road construction.

According to this story from Gulfnews.com, the new tunnel runs 1.1 kilometers in length, linking the Downtown Burj Khalifa area to Al Mafraq Road, allowing drivers to bypass the extremely heavy traffic that runs to the nearby Dubai Mall. But major cities open new roads and bypasses all the time. What makes this one so unique, is that it appears to have been completed, and opened, without anyone at the Roads and Transport Authority knowing about it. In fact, an official from the RTA said, “We may have announced this already, but I’m not aware of it,” adding, “It sounds like it will save drivers a lot of time.”That same official admitted to having no idea when the tunnel actually opened to traffic.

According to the story, the massive four-lane tunnel with a concrete divider running down the middle, has no street signs or name plates of any kind. The unmarked road also remains mostly empty at this time, as it seems that drivers have yet to discover the entrance, giving those that do know of its existence an unfair advantage in the race to and from work each day.

Obviously we’ve all seen how much construction has been going on in Dubai over the past decade. You know you have a lot of construction underway when a major project like an underground tunnel, such as this one, can be built to completion, opened to the public, and completely escape the notice of the agency that ordered that it be built. Crazy!

Photo of the Day (1.24.2010)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

You know when you look at a photo and can’t quite figure out why you like it? That’s how I feel about today’s selection, courtesy of Flickr user zackly76, who took this photo in Tel Aviv. Perhaps its the creepy “stalkerish” perspective? I feel like I’m spying out from behind a bush at this peculiar old gentleman. But more importantly, I like that the image feels like an unfinished story. Who is this man? Where’s he going? And why am I spying on him? The answer, it seems, is up to the viewer to decide.

Want your pics considered for Gadling’s Photo of the Day? Submit your best shots here.

Interfaith tourism in Syria

by Sean McLachlan on

Who says the Middle East has to be a place of religious tension?

Not the worshipers at Deir Mar Mousa monastery. This medieval Christian monastery is a pilgrimage center for Christians and Muslims alike thanks to an open policy of worship and tolerant religious discussion.

Christians make up about ten percent of Syria’s population and there are churches in many cities, like the one in Hama pictured here. Byzantine monasteries dot the countryside, although most have been empty for centuries.

Deir Mar Mousa is located atop a rugged hill in the desert fifty miles north of Damascus. Long abandoned, its buildings and historic frescoes were restored over the past two decades and it’s now open to all. Pilgrims are welcome to stay the night for free in a stone hut in exchange for light work such as cleaning the dishes. Much of the pilgrims’ time is spent participating in long, patient discussions with people who believe differently than they do. Sounds a bit like the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

You don’t have to be of a particular religion or indeed any religion to stay, but getting there is a bit complicated and you’ll need some basic equipment. Instructions are on the monastery’s website.

The monastery is run by the Jesuit priest Rev. Paolo Dall’Oglio and a group of monks, nuns, and lay volunteers. This group has taken a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience like in most monastic communities, but unusually they have also dedicated themselves to “being in service and love for the Muslim world.” People gather regularly for prayer meetings that involve silent meditation, multilingual services, and interfaith discussion.

Father Dall’Oglio explains his life’s work by saying, “Jesus loves Muslims, the same Jesus who is alive in me.”

When speaking with the New York Times for a recent article, he put it more simply.

“We’re all in this together.”