Matador Network's Blog, page 2127
March 20, 2015
35 things every traveler thinks but doesn’t want to say out loud
Photo: Shira Gal
“This was not worth the flight.”
“I’d like to say I’ve been to every country in the world, but there are about 30 I have no desire to actually be in.”
“I really just want to sleep in today.”
“Wow, they always tell you how great the outdoors are, but they always fail to mention the bugs.”
“God, I hope someone else drops the chopsticks for a fork before me.”
“Is every Australian in their 20’s on a gap year right now?”
“How long till I can start drinking?”
“If I had a time machine, I’d find the guy who invented dorm style hostel rooms and murder him on a toilet before he had a chance to spread his evil out into the world.”
“This looked way cooler when Bourdain did it.”
“I wish body odor was a universal cultural taboo.”
“Shoulda gone with the all-inclusive.”
“I don’t care if it’s unethical, I wanna pet a goddamn tiger.”
“Ugh, I can’t believe I have to pretend to like this food.”
“I’m pretty sure they speak English and are just pretending not to.”
“Wow, we do this so much better back home.”
“I’m just doing this day trip to the Taj Mahal for the Facebook profile pic.”
“I wonder if they’ll understand me better if I keep speaking English, but speak it in an offensive approximation of their accent.”
“WHO NEEDS TO BE REMINDED THAT MANY TIMES TO MIND THE GAP?”
“God help me, I do not get why the Mona Lisa is a thing people care about.”
“If I wasn’t sure it would get me arrested, I would absolutely be a pain in the ass for this TSA agent.”
“This food’s gonna be rough on the way back out.”
“Street food? How can I say no to introducing 147 new parasites into my system?”
“If I don’t see a single lion on this entire goddamn safari, I’m docking this company a star on Yelp and blaming it on ‘bad service.’”
“Really? More ruins? Did we ever think there might be a reason the original inhabitants abandoned this shithole in the first place?”
“Oh good, another ‘cultural experience’ that’s going to make me sound super pretentious at dinner parties.”
“Oh thank god, another American.”
“Annnnd yep: it’s decided. I’m never going to a country where durian is a thing ever again.”
“This exchange rate is killing me. Can’t every country just get on the dollar?”
“Oh right, I totally forgot about how little I care about art.”
“Eh. That Wall’s not that Great.”
“God, I could eat some KFC right now.”
“Please don’t rob me. Please don’t rob me. Please don’t rob me.”
“If I have to die in a plane crash, it better be on the return flight.”
“‘Yes,’ ‘No,’ ‘Thank you’ and ‘Beer, please,’ are literally the only new foreign words I plan on learning during this trip.”
“I’m gonna be so pissed if I die in a fucking rickshaw.”
Delicious-looking French food pics
THERE’S no arguing that French food is some of the best in the world. Maybe you’re fortunate enough to get it on the regular, or maybe you just need a reminder of what you’re missing. Either way, dig into these 22 drool-inducing French food Instagrams.
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A photo posted by Christina (@xsteena_) on Mar 19, 2015 at 3:02pm PDT
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A photo posted by Vanessa Lety (@vanessalety) on Mar 19, 2015 at 3:00pm PDT
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A photo posted by Kait (@pinkfoodiela) on Nov 6, 2014 at 8:51pm PST
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A photo posted by Equa (@imcaoo) on Mar 19, 2015 at 2:04pm PDT
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A photo posted by @triedntrueeeats on Mar 19, 2015 at 11:40am PDT
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A photo posted by Patisserie (@yoon901) on Mar 19, 2015 at 2:54pm PDT
More like this: 9 Paris food myths that need to die
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A photo posted by Bone's in the Kitchen (@bones_in_the_kitchen) on Mar 11, 2015 at 4:24am PDT
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A photo posted by Seah Yang Chiak (@yangchiak) on Mar 16, 2015 at 4:49am PDT
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A photo posted by Galina (@galina.klm) on Mar 16, 2015 at 5:39am PDT
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A photo posted by Petrouchka Von Rvs (@petrouchkavonrvs) on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:05am PDT
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A photo posted by France Gourmande (@france_gourmande) on Mar 12, 2015 at 9:58am PDT
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A photo posted by Mia (@wildandfolkheart) on Mar 19, 2015 at 11:29am PDT
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A photo posted by Dan Clapson (@dansgoodside) on Mar 18, 2015 at 11:27am PDT
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A photo posted by Vincent Negre (@vincentnegre) on Mar 16, 2015 at 4:37am PDT
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A photo posted by Jonathan Dick (@jondick91) on Mar 13, 2015 at 1:09pm PDT
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A photo posted by @wheninparis.15 on Mar 19, 2015 at 11:17am PDT
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A photo posted by Katie Lane (@katielane__) on Mar 19, 2015 at 3:28pm PDT
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A photo posted by @sgr_w2 on Mar 19, 2015 at 3:53pm PDT
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A photo posted by Elena Tordi (@weisapori) on Mar 19, 2015 at 4:06pm PDT
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A photo posted by Lily (@lily.inwonderland) on Mar 19, 2015 at 3:34pm PDT
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A photo posted by KitchenAid Brasil (@kitchenaidbrasil) on Mar 19, 2015 at 12:05pm PDT
1
Screen Shot 2015-03-20-French-food-Instagram
March 19, 2015
The 20 funniest Russian expressions
Photo: Anastasia R
1. Russians don’t exaggerate, they “make an elephant out of a fly.” (delat iz muhi slona)
2. A Russian won’t lie to you, he’ll “hang noodles on your ears.” (veshat laphu na ushi)
3. A Russian doesn’t get overexcited, he “jumps out of his pants.” (vyprygnut iz shtanov)
4. Russians don’t start from the very beginning, they “dance from the stove.” (tancevat ot pechki)
5. Russians don’t say you have an interesting aspect to your character, they say you have a “raisin.” (izoominka)
6. Russians don’t just miss an event, they “hat it” (proshliapit) or “yawn it.” (prozevat)
7. Russians won’t say they have no idea when something is going to happen, they’ll say it will happen “after the rain on Thursday.” (posle dozhdika v chetverg)
8. Russians don’t argue or discuss private things in public, they “take the litter out of the house.” (vynosit sor iz izby)
9. Russians don’t drink alcohol, they “put it behind the collar.” (zalozhit za vorotnik)
10. Russians don’t just study, they “crunch the granite of science.” (gryzt granit nauki)
11. A Russian isn’t clumsy, he is “an elephant in a china shop.” (slon v posudnoi lavke)
12. In Russia you are not just talented or skilled, you can “shoe a flea.” (podkovat blochu)
13. Russians don’t have a snack, they “kill the worm.” (zamorit cherviachka)
14. A Russian doesn’t procrastinate, he “pulls a cat’s tail.” (tianut kota za hvost).
15. A Russian doesn’t say he’s in a crowded place, he says he’s “like herring in the barrel.” (kak seledka v bochke)
16. In Russia you don’t merely mess up, you “mangle the firewood.” (nalomat drov).
17. A Russian doesn’t have a lot of experience in something, he “has eaten a dog in that.” (sobaku siel)
18. A Russian doesn’t work without enthusiasm, he works “with his sleeves down.” (spustia rukava)
19. A Russian isn’t distracted and inattentive, he “counts the crows” (schitat voron) or “claps his ears.” (hlopat ushami)
20. Russians don’t say that something was in vain, they say “it went under a dog’s tail.” (psu pod hvost)
March 18, 2015
22 Instagrammers show us Utah
These Instagrams show why we can’t get enough of this wild and beautiful state.
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A photo posted by Ben Hurst (@benbenbuhben) on Dec 2, 2014 at 5:06pm PST
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A photo posted by Jimmy Peterson (@jimmypeterson27) on Mar 11, 2015 at 5:15pm PDT
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A photo posted by Jeff Larson (@jefflarsonphoto) on Feb 28, 2015 at 8:52pm PST
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A photo posted by Tayne Hunsaker (@taynehunsaker) on Mar 4, 2015 at 1:25pm PST
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A photo posted by B r i a n n a M a d i a (@briannamadia) on Jan 18, 2015 at 7:27am PST
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A photo posted by J o r d a n K a t t e r ↟Ⓤⓣⓐⓗ↟ (@jordankatter) on Mar 3, 2015 at 9:05pm PST
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A photo posted by Steven Michael Howa (@blue_falcon_foto) on Nov 21, 2014 at 11:44am PST
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A photo posted by @chris.n.cramer on Feb 26, 2015 at 8:48am PST
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A photo posted by Allison Harrigan (@aharrigan15) on Jan 3, 2015 at 9:46pm PST
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A photo posted by Camp4Collective (@camp4collective) on Jan 26, 2015 at 9:55am PST
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A photo posted by LANE PETERS MULTIMEDIA (@lanepeters) on Nov 15, 2014 at 11:50am PST
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A photo posted by Whit Richardson Photography (@whitphotography) on Dec 16, 2014 at 4:25pm PST
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A photo posted by Douglas Steed (@dougystyles) on Jan 8, 2015 at 11:45am PST
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A photo posted by Ben Hurst (@benbenbuhben) on Nov 25, 2014 at 6:43pm PST
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A photo posted by Steven Michael Howa (@blue_falcon_foto) on Nov 30, 2014 at 7:56am PST
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A photo posted by LANE PETERS MULTIMEDIA (@lanepeters) on Mar 9, 2015 at 9:51am PDT
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A photo posted by Functional Fitness Freak (@functionalfitnessfreak) on Mar 5, 2015 at 2:14pm PST
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A photo posted by tiffany nguyen (@tiffpenguin) on Nov 18, 2014 at 3:29pm PST
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A photo posted by Don Evans (@kdonevans) on Aug 5, 2014 at 4:35pm PDT
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A photo posted by Steve Yoshimura (@steve.yosh) on Mar 18, 2015 at 11:29am PDT
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A photo posted by Nick Gottlieb (@ngottlieb88) on Dec 7, 2014 at 9:35am PST
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A photo posted by Ben Hurst (@benbenbuhben) on Nov 23, 2014 at 3:06pm PST
15 killer Instagrams of Germany
Germany is known for beer and bratwurst, but the country of 80 million in western-central Europe is so much more. These 15 images show us the many other scenes that make up Germany.
1.
A photo posted by ! Sebastian (@sebnero) on Mar 11, 2015 at 1:49pm PDT
Sebastian Bochum captured this image of a snowstorm overtaking the medieval Eltz Castle. The castle has been owned by the same family for 33 generations.
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A photo posted by vagabrothers (@vagabrothers) on Feb 12, 2015 at 11:32am PST
The VagaBrothers are known for their wild adventures, like in this scene from the Bavarian Alps.
3.
A photo posted by GaboBassMan (@gabobassman) on Dec 30, 2014 at 2:20pm PST
Fog lifts over Hohenschwangau Castle, built in the 19th century in southern Germany.
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A photo posted by Caspar Diederik (@storytravelers) on Jan 21, 2015 at 12:26am PST
A couple kisses in front of Ulm Minster, which is the tallest church in the world, measuring 161.5 meters high.
5.
A photo posted by Caspar Diederik (@storytravelers) on Nov 12, 2014 at 1:43am PST
A German woodsaw mill rises from the ground in Spreewald, Germany.
6.
A photo posted by ! Sebastian (@sebnero) on Feb 13, 2015 at 10:31pm PST
In winter, lots of Germany can be covered in snow, like this road in Wierschem.
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A photo posted by ! Sebastian (@sebnero) on Jan 25, 2015 at 11:27am PST
Cologne is the 4th largest city in Germany. The Cologne Cathedral is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, and can be easily accessed from the Hohenzollern Bridge.
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A photo posted by www.viajoteca.com (@viajoteca) on Mar 9, 2015 at 2:16am PDT
The Reichstag Dome, built on top of the Reichstag building, lets viewers see a 360-degree view of the capital and its surrounding countryside.
9.
A photo posted by Naturheimat (@naturheimat) on Mar 5, 2015 at 11:14pm PST
Lake Kochel, located at the foot of the Bavarian Alps, was formed during the ice age when the Loisach-Isar glacier dug into the ground and proceeded to melt when the temperature warmed.
10.
A photo posted by Oktoberfest München (@oktoberfestmuenchen) on Mar 3, 2015 at 12:28pm PST
Every September, 6 million beer lovers descend upon Munich for the 16-day event known around the world as Oktoberfest.
11.
A photo posted by Germany Tourism (@germanytourism) on Mar 13, 2015 at 9:24am PDT
Schwabisch Hall is an old saltmakers town which has a river, the Kocher, running through it.
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A photo posted by Oktoberfest München (@oktoberfestmuenchen) on Feb 4, 2015 at 2:56am PST
Oktoberfest isn’t only good for beer drinkers. The kids have plenty of entertainment while the parents taste some of the world’s finest ales.
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A photo posted by We love Hamburg (@welovehh) on Mar 16, 2015 at 1:41am PDT
Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany, and recently was chosen as the German bid city for the 2024 Olympic Games.
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A photo posted by Uwa Scholz (@uwa2000) on Feb 1, 2015 at 1:57am PST
Built in the 17th century, Schlosspark Charlottenburg is the largest palace in the German capital of Berlin.
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A photo posted by Germany Tourism (@germanytourism) on Mar 17, 2015 at 11:21am PDT
Reichenau Island in Lake Constance was declared a world heritage site in 2000. It is home to the well known monastery, the Abbey of Reichenau.
30 images of Tasmania we love
LAST YEAR was the first time the Australian island of Tasmania cracked the 1 million visitors mark, and only 10% of those tourists were from international locations. Located 240 kilometers south of the mainland, Tasmania is home to just over 500,000 residents, and more than half of of them live in and around the capital city of Hobart. These photos by Mia and Matt Glastonbury show why the visitor numbers to Tasmania is growing every year.
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Forrester kangaroos can often can be seen fighting, as was the case in this scene from Narawntapu National Park, located in central north coast of Tasmania.
2
Mia Glastonbury modeling at Bridestowe Lavender Fields.
3
Summer rains falling on Mount Rugby, near Bathurst Harbour in Melaleuca, Southwest National Park, Tasmania.
Intermission
188
12 differences between a normal friend and a Spanish friend
by Ana Bulnes
9
10 of the world’s farthest flung gay bars
by Tom Gates
22 Instagrammers show us their top shots of Utah
by Katie Scott Aiton
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Precipitous Bluff overlooking New River Lagoon, Southwest National Park.
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Mount Wellington in southern Tasmania is a popular place for photographers at sunrise.
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One of the best possible views of Wineglass Bay is from Mount Amos in Freycinet National Park, on Tasmania's east coast.
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Sunset from Lindisfarne Bay, located on the River Derwent in southern Tasmania.
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Sunrise provides some of the best possible light in Tasmania. This early morning photo was captured at Sandy Bay, located on the River Derwent in southern Tasmania.
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Mia is always happy to put down her camera and literally jump into a photo. This is Forest Lagoon, Melaleuca, located in Southwest National Park.
Intermission
363
What bartenders actually think of your drink order
by Lisa Millar-Jones
13
12 natural wonders of Australia
by Carlo Alcos
Stark and beautiful images of the Chihuahuan Desert
by Cathryn Hoyt
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The international space station is seen flying across Bridestowe Estate's Lavender fields located in the central east region of Tasmania.
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Seagulls on the lookout for food at Constitution Dock in Hobart, Tasmania.
12
Aurora Australis light up over Mortimer Bay in southern Tasmania.
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Sunset over Deloraine in central Tasmania.
14
June River in southwest Tasmania.
15
Dove Lake shines under moonlight at Cradle Mountain National Park.
Intermission
137
The 22 craziest party hostels around the world
by Matt Kepnes
17
Top 15 adventure towns woldwide
by Chris Weiss
8 reasons we’re proud to live in Catalonia
by Jeremy Ullmann
16
The journey to Cradle Mountain National Park is one of the best drives in Tasmania.
17
Tasmania's fast rivers and green foliage make for some great long exposure photography. Junee River in southwest Tasmania is just one of many places to practice using neutral density filters.
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The Huon River at Tahune Airwalk in southwest Tasmania.
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Aurora Australis as seen from the caves at Howrah located just outside of Hobart in southern Tasmania.
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Aurora Australis light up the sky over Eaglehawk Neck's tessellated pavement.
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Cradle Mountain sits behind Dove Lake at dusk.
22
Sunrise over Eaglehawk Neck, in Southeast Tasmania.
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Painted Rocks at Maria Island, on Tasmania's east coast.
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Bay of Fires on the east coast of Tasmania often lives up to its name.
25
Mount Wellington Observatory overlooking the Tasmanian capital of Hobart.
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Sunrise over Hobart from Mount Wellington.
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Sunset over Honeymoon Bay in Freycinet National Park on Tasmania's East Coast.
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Southern Lights over South Arm in southern Tasmania.
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Tasmania has some very big wombats.
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Glassy water makes for great reflections for photographers, and luckily, Tasmania has a lot of water.
To see more images from Tasmania, follow Mia and Matt Glastonbury on Instagram.
Epic Instagrams of northern lights
Besides green beers, St. Patrick’s Day revelers — and many others in the northern hemisphere (and some even in the south!) — were treated to green skies last night as a “pair of solar belches…cast a cloud of magnetized gas into space, triggering a strong geomagnetic storm.” Instagrammers were busy uploading pics — here are 20 of our favorite.
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A photo posted by NasaGalaxyPlanet (@nasagalaxyplanet) on Mar 17, 2015 at 6:23am PDT
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A photo posted by Greg Johnson (@canadogreg) on Jun 16, 2013 at 9:51pm PDT
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A photo posted by Ed Norton (@ed_norton) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:54am PDT
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A photo posted by Paul Zizka (@paulzizkaphoto) on Mar 18, 2015 at 7:30am PDT
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A photo posted by Chodiak Bear (@yourfriendcholo) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:52am PDT
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A photo posted by Pure Michigan (@puremichigan) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:24am PDT
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A photo posted by Adam Nolley (@nanovivid) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:35am PDT
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A photo posted by WalesOnline (@walesonline) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:33am PDT
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A photo posted by Charles Waldorf (@charleswaldorf) on Mar 18, 2015 at 9:05am PDT
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A photo posted by Sergi (@sergi.galiano) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:38am PDT
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A photo posted by Hugo Sanchez (@yeghugos) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:25am PDT
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A photo posted by Eyewitness News (@wdiowirt) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:23am PDT
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A photo posted by Jonathan Söderström (@joontes) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:21am PDT
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A photo posted by Paul Lavoie (@paullavoieimages) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:15am PDT
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A photo posted by Taylor Photography (@taylor_photo) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:12am PDT
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A photo posted by Styrmir Kári & Heiðdís (@styrmir_heiddis) on Mar 18, 2015 at 8:10am PDT
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A photo posted by @visitscotland on Mar 18, 2015 at 5:06am PDT
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A photo posted by swedennewyork (@swedennewyork) on Mar 18, 2015 at 7:37am PDT
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A photo posted by Sarah Nicole (@indigo_makes) on Mar 18, 2015 at 7:28am PDT
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A photo posted by Kent Miller (@kent_miller) on Mar 18, 2015 at 2:43am PDT
5 questions Americans have for China
Photo: Lauren Rushing
THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA are basically complete opposites. Americans tend to have no idea what it’s really like in China, and as a result, we’re deeply suspicious and fearful of the gigantic, terrifying monolith that is Communist China. Since we’re the two most powerful countries in the world, we could probably benefit from opening up a bit of a dialogue between our cultures, right? Here are some honest, no-kidding questions we regular Americans have for you, China.
1. You’re not like, planning on enslaving us, right?
We Americans are deeply suspicious of China (and I’d imagine the converse is true as well). The biggest worry is that you guys basically own us, economically. It’s a fear that’s based off of a pretty poor understanding of global economics, but it’s a fear that needs some assuaging anyway: pretty much all of us have an uncle who will go on rants about “outsourcing jobs to China,” or how “China owns our children’s future and wants to convert us all to communism, so THANKS, OBAMA.”
Most of the Chinese people I’ve met, though, are not so interested in owning the United States as they are in improving their position in life. This is something we could benefit from hearing a little bit more.
2. So… why does basically zero Chinese culture ever make it over here?
Don’t get me wrong: I know that there’s a ton of culture within China. But we’re getting like, none of it over here in the United States. Chinese food has been distorted in America to an almost unrecognizable extent, and I don’t think we’ve ever gotten any Chinese music over here except for the type of stuff that’s used in meditation studios. As far as movies, we get a few from the world’s third biggest movie market, but they are almost exclusively movies centered around martial arts (like Kung Fu Hustle, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Hero).
And I know this doesn’t go both ways: when I was in China, I could basically see whatever American movies I wanted to in theaters, and DVDs of our movies are available everywhere. The Chinese people I spent time with were generally familiar with if not fluent in American pop culture. Why does so little Chinese culture ever make it across the Pacific to the U.S.? Is that our bad, or yours? Because it can’t possibly be good for our relationship if we know nothing about you.
3. Why the ambivalence about individual rights?
I was living in China on the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. It was a big news story in the west, but the English-language Chinese newspaper I was interning at had absolutely no interest in it. When I asked young people about the event and why they weren’t upset about government repression, they usually just shrugged and said, “your government is oppressive, too.”
The most instructive answer I got, though, was when one young man said, “30 years ago, members of my family were starving to death. Now, we’re able to afford nice things that our parents could never afford. Why would we question a government that’s made that change?” Americans are frankly baffled by this. We like to imagine ourselves as rugged individualists who are skeptical of any and all authority, so any philosophy that focuses on collective rights rather than individual rights is really difficult for us to understand.
4. Why so pissed at the Dalai Lama?
The dude is like, super chill and peaceful. Yes, the culture in Tibet prior to the Chinese invasion was unjust and feudal in many ways — ways that, admittedly, many Americans are unaware of — but the Dalai Lama’s pretty much number one on America’s “Spiritual Leaders We Would Most Like to Hug” list. It’s pretty hard to understand why someone this huggable is on an enemies of the state list.
5. How awesome was Pacific Rim?
Our countries might not agree on everything, but the robots vs. monsters sci-fi movie Pacific Rim grossed $100 million in both of our countries. We’ve seen the future of Sino-American relations, and it is giant robots fighting giant evil monsters from another dimension.
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