In Transit TV on the hostel’s demographic

by Grant Martin on

Every budget traveler has been there before, the tired, dusty hostel, the new group of road weary travelers and the parallels, the parallels the parallels. Suffering from the shockingly high hotel prices in Moscow years back, Gadling Labs ended up at a hostel that just wasn’t stirring our kettle. No surprise, a tenacious young Australian wooing Japanese girls with his guitar, a few drunken Western Europeans, a crowded computer terminal and two tired Americans dodging mosquitoes and shots of vodka.

Some good gentle teasing of the hostel clientele is summed up pretty well in In Transit TV‘s dispatch from last year. While it’s mostly in jest — which only makes it more endearing — it’s an interesting narrative on hostel culture and a clip well worth the click. Take a look below.


Video of the day: driving into Phoenix dust storm

by Elizabeth Seward on

The recent dust storm in Phoenix has spawned all kinds of eerie dust storm videos online. But this one is one of my favorites. Cheesy as it might be, I love the End of The World Epic Movie music used in this video as flashes of photos, taken in 2 second intervals, compile to make this video. No matter how many people drove through the dust storm in Phoenix last week, it still seems like a rare and scary occurrence to me. And yet, somehow, I want to drive through a dust storm myself now.

Anyone else feel this way? Who here thinks that driving through a dust storm might actually be fun? Raise your hands…

Video: the darkest type of eclipse shot from Tajikistan

by Justin Delaney on

Gadling, travel blog and time-lapse video enthusiast site, is proud to present this stunning video shot in Tajikistan of the total lunar eclipse last month. The eclipse was best viewed from central Asia and Africa, and vimeo user Jean-Luc Dauvergne captured it expertly in full time-lapse glory. The clarity of the stars and the silence of the Tajik steppes combine to accentuate the interstellar view. This rare central lunar eclipse only happens when the moon passes through the center part of the earth’s shadow, providing the darkest type of eclipse.

The next eclipse will take place on December 10,2011, and the next central lunar eclipse will happen on July 27, 2018. Mark your calenders.

Total Lunar Eclipse In Tajikistan from Jean-Luc Dauvergne on Vimeo.

Video of the Day: Attack of the Blob

by Mike Barish on

Blobs are awesome. They’re big inflatable masses that you can use to launch people dozens of feet into the air and back down into the water. And, according to this video, the Blob has taken its aquatic mayhem to France, where these people were using it in Cergy. As summer heats up and we all look for ways to cool off (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), you can’t go wrong with the Blob. Unless, of course, you land as awkwardly as the person in this video. I imagine they might have enjoyed cooling off with a cold beverage rather than face-planting into this lake.

Stay cool out there!

Thai country music at Bangkok market

by Elizabeth Seward on


Have I ever been to Thailand? Nope. Would I drop everything to go tomorrow if I could? Yep. In fact, maybe I’ll head there tomorrow. Thailand’s culture has always fascinated me and photos of the country have always drawn me in. But it appears as though the United States‘ culture might have perhaps magnetized some Thai residents.

Check out this video, taken at the Chatuchak Market in Bangkok, Thailand. At around :47 seconds in the the video, the camera man stumbles onto some Thai dancers and a musician who are playing what sounds to me like Luk thung music–sometimes referred to as Thai’s country music. Luk thung is often compared to country music found in the United States. But considering the American Flag in focus, it’s hard to tell where Luk thung music ends and American country/bluegrass music begins. Do you have an opinion on what these Thai market-goers are actually playing? Let us know in the comments if so.

Either way, the banjo player is good.