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Triposphere's 5 Weirdest Ways to Travel

There was a time when airplanes were the new crazy way to travel. Then the swinging 60’s came knocking, and the boom of mass air travel left behind the slower cruise ships.

But what other crazy modes of transport are there for you to use today? And what ones will end up in the mass market? My money is on either the Cuban Camel Bus, or the Japanese Space Lift (yes, an elevator that takes you in to space).

What do you think?

The Chicken Buses of Central America

If you’re a traveller at heart you may have already heard of (or been on) a Chicken Bus. Named for the fact that locals often use them to transport their chickens to and from market, these buses are the saviour of the traveller-on-a-budget. Don’t be hopeful of a seat though - they’re pretty popular.

2. Cambodian Recycling Things?

Not really sure what to call this collection of vehicles. No two are the same, but they all do the same job: getting you to where you need to be.

Made up from a mishmash of vehicle parts, these taxis and buses are the interesting way to get around in Cambodia.

3. Cuban Camel Bus

On its way to retirement, the Camel Buses of Cuba have for a long time been a talking point in the country. Forget the pre-revolution classic American cars that don the cities, and embrace the (rumoured) sex, violence and bad language that frequented within this mighty machine. Or just take a photo of it like every other tourist.

4. Amfibus, Netherlands

Seating 50 intrepid explorers (and Bob from accounting), this bus/water conquerer is another popular mode of transport. Plus if you all use them when you’re abroad, and prove their popularity - the UK can introduce them and make puddle-splashing people at bus stops even more fun!

5. Japanese Space Elevator

Yep. Japan, the country which leads the world in innovation and craziness has done it again. Step away from the dirty-underwear vending machines, put down your selfie stick (yes: blame Japan) and look up at the sky to see the (not yet ready) Space Elevator.

Tokyo-based Obayashi Corp. wants to build a Space Elevator by 2050, reaching speeds of 124 mph and stretching 36,000km above earth. Where will this take you? To a space station type of thing which no doubt has an overpriced revolving restaurant on board.

Still, it is a new backdrop for your selfies. I guess.

-T

#Travel #Triposphere #Funny #Weird #triposphereblogs #Adventure #cuba #Japan #Space #Cambodia #Camel Bus #Chicken Bus #AmfiBus

Christmas comes and goes. Then NYE comes rolling around and you look back over the year you’ve had (and optimistically forward to the year ahead), you wake up feeling horrible and groggy on January 1st. Only to realise that you’re exactly the same person you were 24 hours ago, and your hoverboard still hasn’t been delivered.

This week is supposed to be statistically the most depressing of the year (especially on Monday). Why? After a fortnight of festivities, you now find yourself back in the office, behind the counter or staring at your miserable computer screen.

So lets look back at some of the weird and wonderful NYE traditions from around the world, and count down the days until we’re all happy again……

Only 350 days left. Only.

Singing of ‘Auld Lang Syne’

The tradition you’ll most probably know, but definitely won’t know the words to. Don’t worry, we’re all mumbling the tune along with you.

Penned in 1788 by Robert Burns, it wasn’t until way way way later that it actually became a staple feature in our New Year celebrations. It was in 1929 that Guy Lombardo and his band took the stage at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City on New Year’s Eve to perform on the radio, before midnight Eastern-time on CBS, then after on NBC radio.

At midnight, in between broadcasts, they decided to play ‘Auld Lang Syne’, and continued to do so year after year.

Guy Lombardo

12 Grapes

In Spain, it is custom to eat a grape with each of the 12 chimes of the clock at midnight. Popularised in 1909, vine-growers from Alicante wanted to increase the sales of grapes in the month of December, so they instilled this tradition to encourage a year of prosperity.

Drinking the ashes of your dreams

20th Century Communist Russia banned religious holidays (such as Christmas), and NYE celebrations quickly took its place. It is tradition to write your wish for the new year on a piece of paper, set it alight, drop the ashes into your glass and then drink the contents.

Smashing Party

The tradition in Denmark is for friends and neighbours to smash plates and leave them outside front doors as a sign of affection and to ward off bad spirits for the New Year. It is a measure of popularity to find a pile of broken crockery outside your front door.

And Finally….

Rooster Chooses

In Belarus, it is custom on New Years to play a game to choose which woman will be the next to marry. Each woman sits in front of a pile of corn, and a rooster placed in the middle. Whichever pile of corn the Rooster chooses, the relevant woman shall get married next.

Hmmmm.

-T

#Travel #Triposphere #triposphereblogs #Adventure #NYE #new years eve #new years #2015 #celebrate #celebration

HOT DOGS! GET YA HOT DOGS!

Is shouting about hot dogs in the street still a thing, or is that just at baseball games? I didn’t hear them shouting in New York last month, but there are still hundreds of street vendors. The idea of buying a hot dog from a man with an oversized shopping cart isn’t that appealing to me - but a dollar for a slice of pizza? Of course! Well, maybe dollar pizza isn’t strictly street food if you have to go in to the shop, but it’s good enough. They’re the tacky ‘I HEART NY’ gift shops of the food world, only better, because, instead of getting suspiciously eyeballed like you’re about to steal a tip’n’strip pen with the Statue of Liberty on it, you get pizza.

Food trucks are popping up in New York as well - although I don’t how they manage to find a truck sized parking space in the middle of New York City, when I can’t find one after spending a week of navigating housewives in Tesco car park. If I worked in New York, I think I’d visit a food truck for lunch at least once a week, mainly because of the novelty of finding them at a different spot each day (they update twitter with their location, but that ruins the fun of getting lost).

South Street Seaport is a popular food truck hangout at the moment, they’ve even set up some tables and chairs for you. I wanted to taste all of them but Shorty’s Cheesesteak filled me up before I could even try! They bring a good atmosphere to the seaport as well as the good food, and for the complete New York experience I was served by an actual New Yorker! Disney have even cornered off a section for food trucks at Downtown Disney, so there must be something in them - although I’m sure Disney’s version is a bit different from the New Yorker’s.

I still need to go to Thailand and try their street food - actual street food… fried grasshoppers… crickets… cockroaches… maybe not the cockroaches. They can’t be as bad as they make out on I’m a Celebrity, throw them in a salad and they wouldn’t look out of place at that newly opened organic diet craze restaurant in Los Angeles. What more could you want? It’s cheap, you get some good protien and there’s as much variety as a pick’n’mix - scorpions, spiders, silk worms, bamboo worms, even rice filled rat. Although I’m up for trying most things as part of the tourist novelty, I won’t be having the ant eggs.

-Dan