GadlingTV’s Travel Talk – Austin Mann @ the World Cup (part 1)

by Stephen Greenwood on

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk, episode 26 – Click above to watch video after the jump

For everyone out there that wanted to make the trek to South Africa’s 2010 World Cup, but couldn’t – we have a fun series of segments this week.

A few days before the games began, a good friend of mine, travel photographer Austin Mann told me that he was booking a last minute flight to South Africa to meet up with friends that had spare game tickets. I asked him to document his travels, share some of his essential equipment as a photographer, and bring us back a piece of his World Cup experience right here on Travel Talk.

We’ve broken it up into two episodes, so stay tuned for the second installment to see some of the games in action!

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

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Links
What are some Austin’s essentials as a travel photographer?
– Surefire G2 LED flashlight
– Garmin 60CSX GPS
– Pac-Safe lock
– Canon 5D MKII & Canon 16-35 f/2.8 II
– Gitzo 15141T Mountaineering Series Tripod


Host: Austin Mann
Edited by: Jordan Bellamy
Music By: Josh Ritter

Hotel staffers sentenced to prison for stealing World Cup souvenirs

by Melanie Nayer on

There’s the exciting side of sports and there’s the crazy side of sports, and sometimes, crazy just goes too far.

According to reports from South Africa, the cleaning staff of an unidentified luxury hotel were sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty for stealing World Cup 2010 souvenirs.

The “souvenirs” included World Cup soccer shirts, a medal and even players’ underwear from the England team, police said. In total, about $750 cash was stolen.

The thefts were reported and within one day, all the stolen goods were recovered and returned t their rightful owners, the AP reports. The five hotel workers were sentenced to three years in prison and fined about $800.

Readers, what do you think: Was justice served?

[via USAToday.com]


Photo of the Day (6.22.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on
No matter how remote your current location, it’s a pretty safe bet that you’ve seen some trace of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa over the past 10 days. This humbling shot comes from travel photographer Austin Mann – taken at the Spain v. Switzerland game at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The Moses Mabhida Stadium is capable of seating nearly 63,000 fans and features a support arch similar to that of England’s Wembley Stadium. For a virtual look around Durban from the stadium, check out Durban’s official host city page.

Do you have stories or pictures from the games in South Africa or from your own hometown? Tips for those traveling to the World Cup? Share them with us & submit pictures to the Gadling Flickr Pool!

Kulula-air tries not to take itself too seriously

by Kent Wien on

Kulula-air.com is a low-fare 737 carrier based in South Africa. The airline started in 2001 and recently took delivery of a new 737-800 with an unusual paint scheme.

Dubbed “Flying 101” it isn’t the typical Kulula logo-jet.

Someone there clearly has a sense of humor. The entire airplane is covered with details about the plane, including arrows pointing to the more interesting parts.

“The big cheese” describes the captain’s window. An arrow points to the aircraft’s registration, calling it the “Secret code.”

Even the lav is pointed out, with the description, “Loo (or mile-high initiation chamber).”

The black box, seats, stabilizer and rudder are also pointed out and include a bit of clever commentary as well. I think we can all appreciate a marketing scheme that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

More pics:

Special thanks to Shanairpic via Flickr.

Photo of the Day (01.23.10)

by Mike Barish on
Pictures of animals are always a crowd pleaser. But while everyone oohs and ahhs over the cuddly creatures, the story of what is actually happening is often lost. This picture, by Flickr user Jenna Schnuer (who is also one of the talented writers at the fantastic Flyover America blog), allows us to get a sense of what these penguins were thinking that day in Cape Town, South Africa. From what I can tell, the female penguin standing in the middle is married to the penguin on the right. Her husband has been coming home late recently and often smells like another penguin. Today, she found another female’s feathers in his beak. He just told her that it’s not what it looks like but, as you can tell, she’s not buying it. She’s packed her things to stay with her mother (the penguin on the left).

The animal kingdom is truly fascinating.

Have a picture of a furry, feathery or scaly domestic dispute (or anything else worth showing from your travels)? Submit your images to Gadling’s Flickr group right now and we might use it for a future Photo of the Day.