Photo of the Day (5-14-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

This shot taken in Seoul, South Korea by Traveling Dutch, captures what one doesn’t see every day while traveling in Asia. I never have. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person holding a “Free Hugs” sign ever. I am wondering about the face mask. Has this person decided to not worry about germs? Is this an act of defiance? No matter. Here’s sending you a hug on this wonderful Wednesday.

If you have a photo with which you’d like to befuddle or bemuse us, send it our way at Gadling’s Flicker photo pool.

Women-only subway cars comimg to South Korea in 2008

by Catherine Bodry on

When I was traveling through India, the crowds were often the most tiring aspect — constantly being closely surrounded by people. When I took a local train to a guesthouse in Mumbai, I stood next to an open door, my backpack slamming people’s faces every time I turned my body.

Then I discovered the “women-only” car — a calm respite from the crowds. Here, I was able to find a seat next to mellow ladies who chatted amiably with me. My ride was relaxing and I didn’t worry about anyone trying to grab my booty or steal something out of my pack.

South Korea has the same idea. The country will be adding women-only cars to its Seoul subway line in 2008 in order to make rides for women more comfortable. Reuters states that “nearly half the crimes reported on the city’s eight subway lines are sexual in nature, with many taking place on two lines that serve university and office districts.” Officials are hoping the women-only cars will cut down on subway crime.

Thanks to ampontour on Flickr for the shot of the women-only sign for a train in Japan.

The Price of Gas Around the World

by Justin Glow on

The next time you pull into the station for a fill-up, keep this in mind before you curse the prices: People elsewhere have it a lot worse than we do in America (and we tend to gripe about it the most, it seems!). Take Asia for instance — Hong Kong averages a whopping $6.30 per gallon, with Seoul, South Korea, not too far behind. Europe also pays well above what we do in America. London, Berlin, Oslo, and Paris are all well above $6 a gallon. On the low end of the spectrum, places in the Middle East like Kuwait City and Tehran, Iran, pay under 79 cents for their gas. Big surprise there!

The lowest, however, is reserved for Caracas, Venezuela. 17 cents per gallon! [via]

Related:

The World’s Most Expensive Cities

by Justin Glow on

Mercer, a human resource consulting company, has compiled a list of the most expensive cities in the world based on a cost of living survey which “measures the comparative cost of over 200 items” in each city. Two years in a row Moscow has topped the list, followed by London, Seoul, and Tokyo. Here’s the top 10:

  1. Moscow
  2. London
  3. Seoul
  4. Tokyo
  5. Hong Kong
  6. Copenhagen
  7. Geneva
  8. Osaka
  9. Zürich
  10. Oslo

Most of the locations on the list were in Europe, taking thirty of the fifty spots, with six in the top 10. New York and L.A. are the only two from the United States in the top fifty. For the full list, head to Mercerhr.com. [via]

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