Jun 28th, 2010 at 3:30PM:
Shopping is a fun part of any trip, yet sometimes it's hard to find something truly unique, something that tells a bit about the culture but stands out from what 10,000 other tourists bought that year. Finding a good souvenir can be a real problem.
In Madrid, you'll never have that problem. At El Rastro, a giant open-air market that happens every Sunday from about 7am to 2:30pm, you can find ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
market posts
Bargain hunting in Madrid's famous Rastro market
Jun 28th, 2010 at 3:30PM:
Shopping is a fun part of any trip, yet sometimes it's hard to find something truly unique, something that tells a bit about the culture but stands out from what 10,000 other tourists bought that year. Finding a good souvenir can be a real problem.
In Madrid, you'll never have that problem. At El Rastro, a giant open-air market that happens every Sunday from about 7am to 2:30pm, you can find ...Exploring a Somali camel market
May 14th, 2010 at 3:00PM: Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, is built on an oasis used by nomads since ancient times. It's been a center for camel and livestock trading for centuries. Hargeisa's camel market, the Senlaola Hoolaha as it's called in Somali, is a huge and dusty field a mile from the city center. Most of the day it´s used as playground by schoolchildren, but between 7 and 12 a.m. the scene is taken ...Do you buy too much junk in third world countries?
Apr 15th, 2010 at 8:30AM: One of the biggest problems that I have when I'm traveling overseas is "strong dollar syndrome." With a rough approximation of the exchange rate in my head and the smell of foreign commerce, everything looks cheap and I buy trinkets and souvenirs with reckless abandon.
This has happened all over the place, from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul to the artisan market in Ubud, Indonesia to the Old ...Challenge your family to a food "dare" contest - Dining out tip
Feb 18th, 2010 at 10:19AM: We go on vacation to be someplace different. Yet many people eat the same old foods on vacation as they eat at home. On your next vacation, challenge your family to a food "dare" contest. Here's how:
Go to a local marketplace or anywhere serving local foods.
Ask each member of the family to find one food for everyone to try.
Pick an outside area for a picnic and be sure to photograph the ...South by Southeast: Exploring Luang Prabang
Dec 30th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Welcome back to Gadling's series on backpacking in Southeast Asia, South by Southeast. As travelers, we have a tendency to overload our trips with adventure and movement. This is especially true in Southeast Asia - as I've discovered in Thailand and Laos, there's no shortage of motorbikes to ride or zip lines to catch. But if you truly want to understand this part of the world, it's not a vigorous ...Hawaii needs your help!
Dec 24th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Hawaii needs $1.23 billion and could use your help. Governor Linda Lingle is calling it a "fiscal crisis" and says it won't be fixed with budget cuts alone. Essentially, the fiftieth state wants everyone else to chip in. This year's budget gap is $721 million, which will be followed by $509.5 million next year. The state might not hit pre-recession levels until 2014.
According to Lingle, "The ...10 souvenirs to buy in Honduras
Dec 10th, 2009 at 10:30AM:
A hammock
Hammocks aren't just places for tourists to relax, they are a way of life for the people in Honduras. A lack of modern conveniences like air-conditioning in a place where the tropical heat can be oppressive means that families tend to do their socializing and relaxing outdoors. So everywhere you look, hung between trees or strung up on porches, you'll see a hammock. Bring a little ...The Spice Isle: Making the most of a cruise stopover in Grenada
Nov 6th, 2009 at 2:00PM:
It's official -- the cruise season in Grenada has begun. Actually, the first day of the season fell on a day when I was there recently. I might've missed the influx because I was across the island during most of their 12-hour stay, but I saw the big boat sail in during my breakfast, and sail away during my dinner. Ideally, you'd want several days on the island where you could see waterfalls in ...Outback Australia: Mindil Beach Sunset Market
Oct 6th, 2009 at 10:30AM:
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/06/outback-australia-mindil-beach-sunset-market/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
Before departing for the Northern Territory, I was discussing my trip with some Aussie friends. When they heard that I was going to Darwin, they raved about two things: the food and the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. Darwin is a melting pot of Southeast Asian and ...Photo of the Day (6.23.09)
Jun 23rd, 2009 at 9:30PM: Today's Photo of the Day comes from our very own Stephen Greenwood, our newest blogger and resident Hong Kong expert. He'll be blogging from southeast asia for the next few months in his series Dim Sum Dialogues, absorbing the culture and taking us on a journey through the massive city state. In case you hadn't figured, he's a damn good photographer too. Think you've got what it takes to submit ...Photo of the Day (6.7.09)
Jun 7th, 2009 at 6:00PM: I'm loving the simply symmetry of Flickr user arunchs' photo above of mangoes in India. The repetition of pattern and form, the geometry of stacking and the bright colors all caught my eye. It's offset nicely by a few touches of light pinkish-orange color on a few of the riper pieces of fruit, adding some nice breaks in the pattern. I doubt an abstract painter could ask for a better source of ...Adventures in the Amazon: A Trip to the Market
May 19th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Iquitos, Peru is, without a doubt, a unique city. Its colonial heritage can be seen at every turn, and its jungle roots can still be felt, despite the fact that modern conveniences have become a part of everyday life. No where is this contrasting lifestyle more evident then in the Belen district, home to a sprawling market that is loud, colorful, and hot.
The Belen Market is by far the largest ...Photo of the Day 4.27.09
Apr 27th, 2009 at 8:30PM: Man, if there was *ever* a study in colour and texture, this fabulous photograph is it. Shot and shared by Adal-Honduras, you can almost hear the sounds and smell the smells of this Guatemalan market. Beautiful capture! If you've got some great travel shots you'd love to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day. ...Gadling + BootsnAll - Picks of the Week (4.10.09)
Apr 10th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Welcome back to another weekly installment of our Gadling and BootsnAll Picks of the Week. Every Friday we've been taking a look at 4-5 of the most interesting stories from our friends at independent travel website BootsnAll. What strange destinations, thought-provoking lists and out-of-the-way festival ideas did we come up with? Check below for a few ideas:
Beer Bash - if you like drinking ...Gadling exclusive: Online vaca rental market to hit $4.6bn
Jan 21st, 2009 at 2:00PM:
Gadling gets the news first. According to a report that won't be released for another 10 days, online vacation rental bookings are set to soar over the next two years. Thanks to an anonymous tipster, we're able to give you an early look at this hot corner of the marketplace.
Online vacation rental bookings are expected to exceed $4.6 billion by 2010, according to a study by travel research firm ...Syria's Sexy Side
Dec 31st, 2008 at 2:00PM: Bras with flashing lights, transparent g-strings, underwear that is made from little more than fake butterflies and plastic flower petals. No, it is not the dressing room of a Las Vegas gentleman's club, it's a shop in a Damascus souk. BBC correspondent Martin Asser recently uncovered some unexpected retail spaces in the Syrian capital. It turns out that, despite the penchant for ...A Slice of Japan in New Jersey: Mitsuwa Market
Oct 14th, 2008 at 9:30AM: Everything about Japan is unique. The people, the culture, the media and the food are all reflections of the how incredibly fascinating the entire country truly is. Having visited Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka back in May, I have been jonesing for an authentic Japanese experience ever since I returned home. Sure, I can find great ramen joints and sushi counters in New York City but no place can make me ...Photo of the Day (6.01.08)
Jun 1st, 2008 at 3:30PM: Local markets are an eternal source of curiosity for many travelers. Exotic smells, strange sounds and all sorts of unfamiliar produce make food markets around the world a must-see destination for the culinary-inclined. Markets are also great photo spots too, as Flickr user Theodore Scott illustrates in this shot from the Sacred Valley in Peru. The bright colors of the vegetables on the tarp ...Video: Train Cuts Through Crowded Bangkok Market
Sep 19th, 2007 at 1:30PM: This video is classic. And by "classic" I mean "awesome." So why didn't he just say awesome? you may be wondering. Because it's classic too! As in Citizen Kane classic. The method acting, use of deep focus, low-angle shots -- it has everything! Anyway, somewhere in Bangkok, there is a market with a commuter line train running through it. The beginning of the shot seems normal enough for any major ...
A Canadian in Beijing: The Great Baozi, A Tribute
Jun 26th, 2007 at 12:30AM:
I have put on weight in the past month, partly due to almost zero working out (too hot, too polluted, too much else to distract me) and partly due to my discovery of the amazing food known as "baozi" ??. Yum. Now, I'm generally not a big person and I was honestly worried about dying for hunger the first three weeks that I was here. I lost a bit too much weight, I'd say, and I really didn't have ...
