Explore the Tuman Triangle

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you’re going to travel all the way across the Pacific, you want to make your trip to Asia worth it. The latest package from Koryo Tours is designed to do this, exposing you to three countries, three cultures and three time zones in one shot. From June 30 to July 10, 2010, a small group (only 20 spots are available) will be able to explore the “Tuman” Triangle.”

From Beijing, you’ll head out for Yanji in northeastern China, your gateway to North Korea. Across the river, you’ll visit the Rajin-Sonbong free trade zone before crossing into the North Korean city of Chongin and the nearby Chilbo mountains. Your next stop is Russia, to which you’ll travel by train, followed by a boat trip to Vladivostok. Finally, the trip ends with a flight back to Beijing, which you’ll tour your for a while (details are available at Koryo Tours).

Need to experience a new side of Asia? This is the way to do it: three unique cultures in one amazing trip.

Photo of the Day (01.16.10)

by Mike Barish on

No, this isn’t a photo that a young Don Quixote brought to school for show and tell. It’s a bucolic scene on Russia’s Kizhi island captured by Flickr user kellinasf. While I wouldn’t want to be the gentleman charged with manning this windmill (are windmills manned?), I’d love to spend an afternoon laying in that field, staring at the clouds and doodling in a journal.

Kizhi is known for its wooden churches, chapels and houses. The structures are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site which draws thousands of tourists every year. But, for my money, a day in this meadow listening to the wind rustle the leaves of that tree and the creaking of the wooden windmill would be the only way I’d want to enjoy a visit to Kizhi. Call me simple, but that’s all I would need. Well, if someone packed me an eight-foot party sub for the afternoon, I wouldn’t complain about that either.

Have a picture of a comically large sandwich (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.

The North Pole is moving!

by Kraig Becker on

According to National Geographic, a new research study shows that the magnetic North Pole is changing positions at a surprisingly quick pace, sliding towards Russia at a speed of about 40 miles per year. Traditionally, the Pole has been located in Northern Canada, but these rapid shifts are causing it to jump dramatically.

Scientists believe that changes deep within the Earth’s molten core are to blame for the shift, although it is difficult to measure and track those changes. Researchers have detected a disturbance on the surface of the core that is creating a “magnetic plume” which is responsible for the change in the Pole’s location, but how that plume was created remains a mystery.

The shifting of the magnetic pole is not quite as problematic as it once would have been. For centuries the North Pole has been used for navigational purposes, but for the most part, standard compasses have been replaced with sophisticated GPS tracking systems. Still, many explorers, mountaineers, backpackers, and the like still prefer using a compass over an electronic device. As the pole shifts position, they’ll need to learn to take into account its new location when plotting their course.

At this point, scientists are unsure exactly how far the pole will move or if it will become a permanent shift in location. The mysterious plume could dissipate and cause the pole to return to its original position, not far from Canada’s Ellesmere Island, or it could continue to move for years to come.

Mysterious blue light shines over Norway

by Katie Hammel on

On December 9th, residents of northern Norway were surprised to see a weird blue light shining above. According to reports, the beam of light seemed to point to the sky from behind a mountain. As the light began moving in circles, forming a spiral, a brighter beam came out of the center. The phenomenon lasted for about 12 minutes.

After the light disappeared, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute was inundated with calls from people asking about what they had seen. Almost as quickly, people began speculating about what the light could have been from. Air traffic controllers who saw the light said it lasted too long to be astronomical, and it is not believed to be connected to the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.

Another conjecture was that the light came from Russian missile testing in the White Sea but the Russian Navy has denied any such testing. Experts say that if the missile exploded, the leaking jet fuel could create the odd pattern. Of course, there are some who have a few more far fetched ideas. Black hole, UFO, astronomical event or man-made light show – we many never know what really caused the odd light pattern.

Go Reindeer sledding in Russia this winter

by Katie Hammel on

Forget dog-sledding. For the ultimate winter endurance test, try reindeer sledding in Eastern Russia with Russia Discovery’s 9-night excursion into the “Pole of Cold” in Yakutia.

The tour is not for the faint of heart or those who want to be pampered. In fact, Urban Daddy calls it “the most physically demanding holiday celebration outside the Polar Bear Club”. Listed as a requirement for the tour is physical fitness and “physical and psychological resistance to the cold.” How cold? Pretty darn cold. The average temperature in January is -40C.

if you think you can brave the freezing temps, you’ll start your tour with a day in Yakutsk where you can visit the Institute of Permafrost before setting out on a 19 hour drive to Yuchugey, a settlement of reindeer herders. By day three, you’ll be practicing your hand at reindeer sledding; on day four you’ll spend 5-6 hours crossing the frozen terrain by sled and then sleeping outdoors in a 4X4 tent. Another day of sledding (in total, the sledding covers 35 miles over two days) is followed by a 20 hour drive back to Yakutsk. On day eight you can visit a husky farm and compare dog-sledding to reindeer sledding before returning to Moscow.

The tour isn’t cheap at €3560 per person, but included in the cost are all meals and accommodations, rental of all the furry outer wear required to keep you from dying of hypothermia, and the chance to feel like Santa as you glide over a snowy landscape pulled by a team of real live reindeer.