This is the Mondo Spider, an art-slash-um-art project, built for the express purpose of killing hippies. At least, that’s what it says in the FAQs. Another thing it says in the FAQs is that you can’t buy one, though you may be able to rent it. You sure wouldn’t look like a tourist then.
It seems everyone is getting into video these days. And if there is one magazine and online site that I’ve been waiting with bated breath to see enter the online video fray, it’s Outside Magazine. I went over to Outside online to check out what they are doing and while I was not blown away, I did spend some quality time consuming some top-notch vids. Take, for example, a an excerpt they’ve posted from the upcoming film The Ghost Mountain Boys, based on the article “Chasing Ghosts,” by writer James Campbell. I haven’t read the piece yet (still getting through my April issue, alas), but it’s in the May issue of Outside. Then, dear to my Chile-loving heart, there is the five-minute piece called Eco-Trekker on Torres del Paine (one of my favorite spots on earth) with Ian Wrights. Keep scrolling down and you’ll find vids on snowboarding, surfing, climbing and more. Most of them are re-purposed pieces from shows like the above Eco-Trekker, but definitely a good way to while away a few minutes. As I say, it’s a good start for the much-loved outdoor magazine. Not quite where I’d like to see them ultimately, but worthy of a perusal.
Riding a cyclo in Vietnam is a bit like riding in a baby stroller if you can remember riding in a baby stroller. Except, in a cyclo, you’re moving in traffic and not safely on a sidewalk somewhere. As more and more people have cars and motorcycles in Vietnam, it’s getting harder to find places to get a cyclo ride. Although in Hanoi, there are still places where they are everywhere. At Virtual Tourist, you can find cyclo riding tips and comments from others who’ve been there. Once I stood on a street corner taking pictures of cyclos going by and the things they carried besides people. One had a coffin. I can’t imagine that cyclos will ever go totally out, and they may just be money makers from the tourist industry like they are in Singapore.
Here’s a video posted by budlake on You Tube of a cyclo ride in Hue that did make me feel like I was on a cyclo. The person holding the camera had the right idea. Just keep the camera steady and let the movement of the cyclo do the work. The result is that the viewer gets an idea of what it’s like to move in Vietnam’s traffic at a slower pace than the other vehicles passing by.
Train surfing is a thrill-seeking activity that involves riders clinging to or “surfing” on the outside of a moving train. It’s dangerous and it’s illegal, and there are, of course, numerous potential accidents that can result from it. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty extreme form of traveling, so I thought it deserved a mention on Gadling.
This clip shows some train surfing by a German known only as The Trainrider. According to the person who uploaded the clip to YouTube, “Before he died from leukemia, he enjoyed the last year of his life by surfing on trains. Included Germany’s fastest Highspeed train ICE with a top speed of 330 km/h(!) No one did that before.”
Is The Trainrider for real? Insomnia seems to think the Trainrider is a guy named Alexander Richter who faked the death of his alter-ego — possibly to sell some videos. Kinda sleazy, if it’s true. If you’re interested, there’s another video after the jump.
If you’re chomping at the bit for more, iFilm has a 23-minute film of the Trainrider.
Recently, a group of English as a Second Language adult students I teach picked a trip in the Sahara desert as the one they would most like to take. Why? I’m not sure. Perhaps, they thought it was better than the other three choices-posts on those later.
The group read this article from the magazine Budget Travel, also on-line. According to the article, Morocco is a good place to join up with a Sahara tour. Here’s a link to company that does them. I’m including this one because it offers some interesting information on the Sahara and desert travel in Morocco. Also, here’s a well done slide show in video style with music by romodro that sets the mood and brings you to Morocco from wherever you are.