Space Tourists airs tonight on the Documentary Channel at 8pm & 11pm

Continue reading Space Tourists: a cinematic journey to the ISS (w/ Audio Interview)

Space Tourists: a cinematic journey to the ISS (w/ Audio Interview) originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Introducing Far Europe and Beyond

Introducing Far Europe and Beyond originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Travel then and now: Travel to the USSR and GDR

Travel then and now: Travel to the USSR and GDR originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Image courtesy Nigel Young/Foster + Partners.

Gallery: Architectural wonders of Astana

World's tallest tent opens in Kazakhstan originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AirBaltic expands, spruces up originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Russia pushes visa-free Russia-EU travel originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kazakhstan tries to sell its freezing capital originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A cargo plane loaded with heavy weapons left Pyongyang, North Korea and had not a care in the world ... until the crew needed to land for more fuel at Don Mueang airport in Thailand. This emergency stop, according to Thailand's deputy prime minister, Suthep Thaungsuban, led to an inspection which unveiled missiles, firearms and other implements of mayhem and destruction -- 40 tons in all. Apparently, there were plenty of rocket-propelled grenades on board.

According to AFP, Suthep said, "They declared that the goods on board the flight were oil drilling equipment but when we examined we found it was all weaponry." Four passengers from Kazakhstan and one from Belarus have been detained.

Captain Montol Suchookhorn, a spokesman for the Thai Air Force, explained, "According to my information, the flight originated from North Korea. It was a cargo flight that requested to land at the civilian side of the airport."

Prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was careful to note that this incident doesn't have an impact on the country's internal security: "This is a joint collaboration of intelligence. We received a tip-off."

Don Mueang airport hasn't closed over this incident.

[Photo by yeowatzup via Flickr]

North Korean departure leaves five detained in Thailand originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ship graveyards from around the world originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ten years ago on June 12, CouchSurfing was born--or rather CouchSurfing.com was registered as a domain name and sleeping on the couch of people you just met became an organized system. More than just a way to hook people up with a free place to call it a night, CouchSurfing was created as a way to help make the world a better place.

See, if you stay on the couch of people who have agreed that they like people to stay on their couch as a way to get to know traveling types and expand their connections, the world becomes more friendly. When you make this a global scene, the power just grows.

As a person who CouchSurfed before it was conceived as an organized entity, I can attest to the value of staying with strangers. When I traveled across the United States with a friend of mine after we got out of the Peace Corps, we used our connections of friends to stay with their friends and family members. In most cases it determined where we headed and the experience created a sense that the U.S. was warm, welcoming and friendly.

Continue reading International CouchSurfing Day: Do you have a couch lined up?

International CouchSurfing Day: Do you have a couch lined up? originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

1. Beirut, Lebanon: two hotels are expected to open this year (including a Four Seasons), and dining at Al-Ajami is top-notch
2. Fjallnas, Sweden: this is home to a luxury resort up by the Arctic Circle; rates start at €325 a night, but deals are available
   
3. Copenhagen, Denmark: the city's architecture is headed into the 21st century, particularly with the new zoo and theater
4. Kazakhstan: no, I'm not joking; the new opera house is not to be missed, and a ski resort is in the works

Keep busy with 44 travel ideas originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With Terence & Sarah eliminated, and Starr & Nick coming in 1st four times in a row, it was any one of the team's game during episode 9 of the Amazing Race 13. As the teams headed off to Moscow, Russia from Almaty, Kazakhstan, I was curious what would trip up Nick & Starr and if Andrew & Dan could dump their status as the team with the most trouble with tasks.

Moscow was shown as a complicated city that is more than a little expensive in the taxi department. The city gave two teams a bit of grief. Language barriers and a lack of being able to find directions were consistent problems. By the end of their day, I hope there were shots of vodka waiting.

Travel Tips:

• Hotel bedroom slippers will temporarily work as shoes.
• I would find someone who knows English to write down locations in Russian in order to find places more easily. That's just an observation I had after watching the teams struggle.
• Keep a sense of humor. It will help.
• Work out taxi costs before you get in a cab, but it may not do much good.
• On second thought, when traveling in Moscow, don't take taxis. They are EXPENSIVE.

Continue reading Amazing Race 13, recap 9: Russians don't laugh at you, they laugh with you

Amazing Race 13, recap 9: Russians don't laugh at you, they laugh with you originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

India was easy compared to Kazakhstan--sort of. This week's Amazing Race 13 was a glance into some of the more unusual aspects of Kazakh culture. As teams sped through the streets of Almaty, even though much of the city looked western and urban with architecture that reflects its former Soviet Union ties, the teams experienced more of Kazakhstan's agricultural tradition than perhaps is apparent in Almaty daily life.

I'm not sure how much more I learned about Kazakhstan, but I do know what not to order in a restaurant. Plus, Borat made this country famous, something the teams referred to when they found out this is where they were heading.

Travel Tips:

• If you're a vegetarian don't attempt to eat the rear end of a sheep
• If you make a mistake, the quicker you admit it, the faster you can make up time
• If you ask people directly for help, you'll have much better luck than just randomly shouting out, "Can someone give us directions?"

Continue reading Amazing Race 13 recap 8: Kazakhstan makes Bizarre Foods look tame

Amazing Race 13 recap 8: Kazakhstan makes Bizarre Foods look tame originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cities tend to develop the way living organisms do-- they begin their lives as small and simple creatures, they eventually flower into maturity, and some occasionally decay and die out. Cities are located where they are-- Paris is on the Seine, Sydney is on the Pacific coast-- not because central planners decided that's where they should be, but because of the choices of individuals. The decision was made from the bottom-up, not from the top-down.

But it doesn't always happen like this. Sometimes well-meaning bureaucrats, or even megalomaniacal dictators, decide that a city should develop the way they want it to-- in exactly the place they want it to. The results are almost universally disappointing.

This problem is especially acute with capital cities, which are often thought to represent countries in important ways. Because of their symbolic nature, government oficials like to locate capitals in just the right place. Their intentions are often pure, but (to paraphrase an old saying) the road to a bad city is paved with good intentions.

Here are the top four worst planned capital cities in the world:

4. Brasilia, Brazil

Brazil's capital is one of the best examples of a planned city gone awry. In the late 1950s, Brazil's president ordered the construction of a new city, Brasilia, which would be the new, more centrally-located capital. At first, the city grew wildly, and its rate of growth (over 2%) is still above that of most large cities. But Brasilia is not thought of very highly by its residents, other Brazilians, or tourists.

The city was built more for the automobile than the pedestrian, so getting around can be difficult, confusing, and expensive. On the plus side, Brasilia is known for its impressive modernist architecture-- it's a UNESCO World Heritage site. Still, the city is too cold and impersonal to be thought of as anything but a massive disappointment.

Continue reading "Let's build a city... there!" The world's 4 least impressive planned capitals

"Let's build a city... there!" The world's 4 least impressive planned capitals originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Smokers in New York already face some of the highest prices for cigarettes in the country. But last Wednesday, the New York legislature approved a $1.25 tax hike on cigarettes, meaning that taxes alone on a pack in New York are a whopping $4.25, not including a roughly 8% sales tax. Add it all up and a pack of smokes in New York is likely to cost around $9.00. Ouch!

This all got me thinking: Where in the world are cigarettes the cheapest? And more importantly, how can I smuggle a couple hundred thousand packs into New York and sell them for a handsome profit? I think I've more or less discovered the answer to the first question, but I'm still working on the second.

A table produced by the World Health Organization (maybe a couple years old) shows that one pack of Marlboros or an "equivalent international brand" costs about $1.70 in Argentina. As much as I'd love to spend some time in Buenos Aires, I have a feeling I can track down a cheaper pack.

In China, an international brand costs about $1.57, which is sneaking down into my price range. The same thing in Ghana will run about a buck-forty. Cigs in Egypt look to be about $1.17, and those in Georgia are a dollar even. But we can do better than that.

The cheapest "international brand" smokes are to be found in Indonesia, where even fetuses are known to light up every now and then. A pack in the steamy Southeast Asian nation will run you a cool $.62. I probably have enough in my couch cushions for at least a couple.

But enough of this hoity-toity "name brand" crap. Let's look at some prices for the hard stuff-- the kind of violent cigarettes that leave open sores in the mouths and throats of all those who dare to inhale.

Continue reading New York cigarettes to cost 9 dollars a pack. In Kazkhstan, the price increases to 32 cents.

New York cigarettes to cost 9 dollars a pack. In Kazkhstan, the price increases to 32 cents. originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kazakhstan

Capital: Astana, moved from Almaty in 1997

Location: Central Asia, northwest of China and south of Russia; the ninth-largest country in the world

In a nutshell: This oil-rich ex-Soviet republic has been experiencing an economic boom recently, thanks to its wealth of oil and natural gas deposits. Though the economic conditions might be improving and president Nursultan Nazarbayev has been lauded by some for his reforms, Kazakhstan's government is still plagued by corruption and many freedoms are still curtailed.

How you know it: Fictional home of Borat Sagdiyev.

Interesting factoid: Kazakh officials recently purchased a four-page ad in the New York Times to combat its backward, Borat-inspired reputation.

Make sure to check out: Any of the various sites from the Silk Road, which ran through the south of Kazakhstan. Photos here.

See also: Part 1 of this series, Kyrgyzstan.

Keeping the 'Stans Straight, part 2: Kazakhstan originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Borat make new book

Borat make new book originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 22 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading One for the Road: Realities of Foreign Service Life

One for the Road: Realities of Foreign Service Life originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You've seen the movie; now it's time to read the book.

Just in time for Christmas, our favorite Borat has gone and penned a travel guide to his home country of Kazakhstan as well as an accompanying guide to the USA.

As you might expect, Borat: Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan; Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. And A, is full of the same bumbling irreverence we've come to expect from comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. But unfortunately, according to early reviews (the book will be released November 6), the humor of last year's comedic smash movie doesn't translate well to the written page. In fact, USA Today states that "the book is much more vulgar and sexually graphic than the movie. Without Cohen's winsome screen persona, the printed stuff is just gross. NC-17."

Well, that's disappointing to hear but it's not going to stop us here at Gadling; we'll get our hands on a copy and post a review in the near future.

New Borat book originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kazakhstan Replacing Cyrillic Alphabet with Latin One originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.