Video of the Day – Learning Chinese in Beijing

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Do you remember the first moment you arrived in a new city? If you are anything like me, everything about a new place seems strangely fascinating, from the unfamiliar smells and sounds to the new customs you discovered and captivating language. Today’s video, which follows the journey of a student as he begins to learn Chinese in Beijing, feels a lot like that first moment. This beautifully produced video is actually part of a series produced by a language company called Education First. So yes, it is an ad for their language courses – but the spirit of joy and discovery in the video feels very true to travel form.

[Via Core77]

[Thanks Jon!]

Photo of the Day: Boys riding water buffaloes in Vietnam

by Catherine Bodry on
I kind of want to ride a water buffalo. Do you think it’s like riding an elephant? (I haven’t done that, either, so I guess it doesn’t matter.) These two boys look quite at home on top of these creatures, and they’re bareback, yet!

Besides the subject matter, I like the colors in this photo – the vivid green against the gray skies and animals. I wonder what is growing in the background.

Thanks to Flickr user t3mujin for sharing this photo with us in Gadling’s Flickr pool.

Have any cool photos from your travels that you’d like to share with the world? Upload them to our Flickr pool, and we just might choose one for our Photo of the Day feature.

Photo of the day – New York City subway sign

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Today’s Photo of the Day is a neo-noir fragment of New York if there ever was one, a grainy, atmospheric shot of a New York City subway sign at the 3rd Avenue L station. It’s a starkly minimalist yet unmistakable image, part of a compelling 365 project by its photographer, jameskadamson.

Do you have an image of an urban fragment that unmistakably captures the essence of an urban center? Upload it to the Gadling group pool on Flickr. We might just choose it as a future Photo of the Day.

Photo of the day – Harbin Ice And Snow Festival, China

by Meg Nesterov on

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from Harbin, China‘s annual Ice And Snow Sculpture Festival. The festival starts in January and lasts about a month, or as long as the temperatures stay low enough not to melt the huge sculptures and buildings. Flickr user Bernard-SD took the shot on a -28C night. Sculptures are made with hi-tech methods like lasers, as well as lo-tech methods like lanterns (think sandcastles, water is poured into a lantern and frozen, and the resulting shapes are moulded into sculptures). Last year, Gadling’s Leigh Caldwell checked out Gaylord Hotels’ ICE! festival in the United States with many of Harbin’s master carvers.

Have you captured any fun festivals on your travels? Add them to the Gadling group on Flickr and we might just pick one of yours as a future Photo of the Day.

Video of the Day – Drop everything and travel

by Stephen Greenwood on

If you’re an avid reader of Gadling, you’ve probably contemplated putting everything on hold and traveling the world for a year. Hopefully today’s Video of the Day will give you some more inspiration to act on that desire.

Originally produced for Canada’s Outdoor Life Network, Departures is a TV series that follows high school friends Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach as they put their lives on hold to explore some of the most fascinating destinations on Earth. It not only features a great cast and outstanding cinematography, but also focuses on the experiences of the journey and not just the destinations. If you’ve never seen an episode, I highly recommend checking it out.

The show wrapped after only 3 seasons of production, but covers 30 exotic destinations over the course of 42 hour-long episodes. If you’re in the States, Halogen TV is currently airing the first season, otherwise you can track down DVD box sets on the Departures website.

Have you acted upon the urge to drop everything to travel? Were you lucky enough to capture some memories? We want to see it! Drop us a link in the comments section below and it could be our next Video of the Day.