Photo of the day – Vietnamese flower seller

Sometimes (for instance during a summer day of on-again-off-again rain in London) only a major splash of color will do. Today’s Photo of the Day, by Luke Robinson, accomplishes this end very well. This Vietnamese flower seller is surrounded by brilliant hues, made all the more noticeable by the gray metal backdrop. Even the blue of the flower seller’s jacket is bright and compelling.

Got an image you’d like to share with the world? Upload it to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr and it might just get selected as a future Photo of the Day.

Travel blog celebrates Memorial Day

Whatever your plans are for this Memorial Day, odds are there will be thoughts of someone who served in the military. Formerly known as Decoration Day, today commemorates U.S. Service members who died while in the military service and is a reason for parades, shopping, family get-togethers, fireworks, trips to the beach, celebrations, picnics and more. Memorial Day is also a day when those who write blogs reflect on what the day means to them.

Princess Cruises blog, 50 Essential Experiences: The Travel Bucket List blog posts once a week and has taken us all over the world with personal accounts of travel from some of their longest-serving employees. The blog started with an account of President and CEO Alan Buckelew’s service in Vietnam. Today, the blog returns to Buckelew with some further thoughts

“This Memorial Day weekend will take me to Washington, D.C. as my mother-in-law is laid to rest with her husband in Arlington Cemetery. While there, my family and I will have the honor of visiting the Vietnam Memorial and observing the Rolling Thunder “Ride to the Wall,” a motorcycle ride to support POW/MIAs.”

Buckelew goes on to tell us about half-scale traveling version of the Vietnam Memorial called The Wall That Heals and about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund‘s Call for Photos, a campaign to collect a photograph for each of the more than 58,000 men and women whose names are inscribed on The Wall.

“The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is working to gather all 58,272 photos of those with names etched into the memorial to make sure no face is ever forgotten – nearly 19,000 have been collected so far.”

Another blog with Memorial Day content/wishes is The Word, All Entertainment, All The Time where you can vote for your favorite of the 10 greatest war movies ever made or listen to 20 Songs To Celebrate Memorial Day.

Flickr photo by paul-simpson.org

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Cobras cause panic on train in Vietnam


Passengers on a train in Vietnam got an unwelcome shock when dozens of cobras and king cobras were seen slithering under the seats.

The train, traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, was stopped at Quang Ngai when the incident happened. Apparently someone was smuggling the animals when they broke loose. Police gathered up 45 kilos (99lb) worth of snakes but didn’t find the smuggler.

Cobra is a popular dish in Vietnam, even though the poisonous reptiles are legally protected. Check out this video for a rather gruesome look at how one is prepared for a ten-course meal.

While snakes on a train are something new, there have been several incidents of snakes on a plane. Last year Abu Dhabi police arrested a passenger carrying four pythons on a plane. Back in 2008, smugglers shipped several boxes of snakes on a Vietnamese plane.

Photo of the Day: Overcast Saigon

Anyone that’s ever visited Southeast Asia knows about the region’s frequent rainstorms. Particularly during monsoon season, the heavens often open up without warning on travelers, forcing you to run for cover to avoid getting soaked. Today’s photo, brought to us by Flickr user _jeryc garcia_, is an all-too-familiar visual reminder of these Southeast Asian monsoons. Taken in Saigon, it looks as if our photographer is taking refuge from one of these typical if unexpected showers. The dark, monochrome sky is punctuated by colorful turquoise and green buildings and a luminous sliver sun off on the horizon. The grid-like pattern of the windows lends an additional visual intrigue.

Taken any great photos during your recent travels? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of them as our Photo of the Day.

Photo of the day – Don’t look a gift buffalo in the mouth


Shopping at a local market can be a highlight of any trip. You might find antiques in Paris, produce and food in Ethiopia, or just tube socks and funnel cake in America. Today’s Photo of the Day was taken by

Flickr user American Jon at the

Bac Ha Market in Vietnam, known for colorful hill tribes, livestock of all kinds (some good advice on transporting your new chicken can be found here), and moonshine. Just don’t have too much of the local swill – you want to stay sharp when bartering for your buffalo like the gentleman above.

Have any good market photos to add to the Gadling Flickr pool? Make sure we can download them so we can use one for a future

Photo of the Day.