Always on the lookout for the next big adventure, when the Ooh team heard the words ‘constantly burning crater’ and ‘middle of the desert’, we pricked up our ears.

This is, in fact, exactly what happened a couple of days ago while browsing the tasty Atlas Obscura website, where we found out about the unique co-ordinates 40.25222°N 58.43972°E, more fondly known as The Gates of Hell.

Smack in the middle of the Karakum desert, in the Ahal region of Turkmenistan, there is a really big hole in the ground. It’s about 60 meters across and 20 meters deep and it’s been on fire continuously for nearly four decades.

The hole sounds like one of Mother Nature’s little quirks – one of those unusual bubbling scars on the surface of the earth that remind us occasionally of the boiling magma that swirls silently beneath our feet.

It turns out the hole is man-made – or at least the hole was made by accident and then set alight deliberately. During Soviet gas exploration operations in the 1950’s, a drilling rig accidentally struck a huge gas cavern beneath the desert. The rig collapsed into the hole and toxic gasses began to seep into the atmosphere.

Concerned about the damage this might do to the environment and with predictably mechanical Soviet thinking, one bright spark suggested setting fire to the hole to burn up the gasses, presumably rendering them less toxic. This happened in 1971, and the hole has been constantly alight ever since.

Visit it at night for the full drama of the spectacle, although it looks impressive during the day too. You can get there with StanTours who’ll drive you out to the right spot. Photographs are courtesy of John H Bradley.

With all the news of North Korea’s muscle flexing and military bravura of late, it’s easy to forget quite how popular it’s counterpart, South Korea, is as a tourist destination.  Here are a few tips if you fancy making the trip, or you’re mooching around South East Asia.

DMZ and Panmunjeom

Whilst an obvious choice, the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) is about as tense and surreal an experience as it’s possible to get post-Cold War.  You can see the North and South facing off against each other over a series of blue huts - two countries who are (officially at least) still at war.  It’s also worth travelling to Panmunjeom, the truce village, located in the DMZ 4 km northwest of Imjingak.  It’s where on July 27, 1953 the armistice agreement of the Korean War was signed, and where talks are still conducted.  For a brief moment, you can technically walk on North Korean territory.

Bulguksa Temple

Bulguksa Temple is located at the slopes of Mount Tohamsan in Jinheon-dong in Kyongju. This Buddhist temple is a popular landmark in South Korea, attracting millions of tourists every year, and is recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site.  Inside the temple you can find some of South Korea’s national treasures, but first you must climb the 33 steps to the entrance, symbolising 33 steps to enlightenment (does one of those include exercise?).  Visit is in the spring to catch the cherry blossom from trees surrounding the temple.

Tongdaemun Gate and Market

Tongdaemun Gate, Originally called Heung-injimun (”Gate of Uplifting Mercy”) once served as the main eastern gate in the wall surrounding Seoul.  First built in 1397, it was rebuilt in 1869 in its present form.  It’s worth schlepping over to nearby Dongdaemun Market (one of Korea’s largest, most popular and fashionable) and Dongdaemun Sports Stadium.

Hamdeok Beach, Jeju

There are some fantastic beaches on the North-eastern Jeju Coast.   Popular for its safety and great local fish, Hamdeok attracts locals who fish and visit with their children, and tourists who can pick up some freshly caught dinner with a bottle of local Soju after their day in the sun.

Nights out, Seoul

Seoul has an active nightlife, and although many places close at midnight, with a large US army and ex-pat presence in the capital, there are plenty of wilder nightclubs and bars in the tourist district of Itaewon-dong.  Popular with westerners, there’s a large selection of pubs, bars, and locals, but the area is not a particular favorite of Koreans, and can be a little seedy.  For a more authentic Korean clubbing, the best place to go to is the Hongik University area.  For a more refined evening, the areas of Apgujeong and Chungdam-dong are bristling with wine bars, now very popular in the capital.

I found this in an article concerning how you can “make money on holiday”.  Needless to say, this isn’t necessarily the object of a holiday, but the article did mention an awesome site called Tripr (the “r” suffix denoting an important internet startup a la travellr, flickr etc).

The site is principally a destination for video reviews of hotels, shot by the very people staying in them.  Thus, you can be assured of an independent view of rooms and facilities.  There’s no real technology to the site as such, it’s simply a dedicated portal where you can submit a Youtube video.  The site mentions that, with an Google Adsense ID, you can run ads on your video, and make money, and whilst you could arguably just keep it on Youtube with ads, how many people are going to be stumbling across your review of the Comfort Inn in Norfolk, VA?  As an established and trusted source for unbiased user reviews of hotels accross the world, even if you’re stay was rubbish, you still might make a bit of money.

There’s also a  sister site, called Hotel Video Reviews, but its a little more confusing as to whether it’s a B2C site rather than a straightforward user community.  Tripr says: “When you are working in the travel industry and have video’s from your hotel(s) you can also publish your videos at HotelVideoReviews.com … we redirect the booking url directly to your booking site”.  But on the site itself it says “unbiased hotel video reviews from real travellers.”  Hmmmm…

Check them out:

http://www.tripr.tv

http://www.hotelvideoreviews.com

Yes,  it’s a pub in a tree.  It’s the Big Baobab Bar in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Needless to say, you can’t put a whole pub in any old beech or oak.  The clue is in the name, and the baobab tree is uniquely proportioned to allow for such a watering hole.  Itself holding massive amounts of water (up to 120,000 litres) and growing in inconsistent bursts, allows for great pockets to appear in this gigantic and somewhat bizarre African tree.

The bar itself doesn’t suffer by its environment, rather it benefits from the dark, moist lower level of the tavern, perfect for keeping the beer cold.  Complete with bar, stools, dartboard and telephone, it can accommodate up to fifty lucky drinkers.

The Sunland Baobab Estate near Modjadjiskloof, South Africa, features the Big Baobab bar and a treehouse restaurant, as well as accommodation in A-frame bungalows for $25 a night.

We get a lot of action heroes featured up on the ooh.com blog, but we also love creative types. That’s why we were captivated by the genius cooking away at Sew Be It Creations. Moxie, Ariel and Amy met at a Renaissance fair in Northern California and instantly bonded through their shared love of sewing medieval and renaissance fantasy clothing.

‘We’re crafty people to begin with, and I think that creative energy is what really brought us together and made us stick; being able to relate to your friends on a level that not everyone can understand makes it special. For some it’s computers or hiking, for us it’s being creative.’

We asked Ariel, Moxie and Amy where they learned to create their amazing array of garments:

Ariel: My mom started teaching me when I was in junior high and I’ve taught myself a few tricks too. I’ve learned that if you don’t pay attention to the quality of a pattern or fabric you’re using, whatever you create will look homemade. Let’s face it, you want to be asked “Where did you get that?!” not “Oh, did you make that…?”

Moxie: I would see jewelry that people were selling or wearing and I’d think, “Hey, I can make that!” Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. So I would try different techniques until it worked out. Ariel is trying to teach me how to sew!

Amy: I taught myself to sew and make my own patterns. It was total trial and error for a while, but I just kept at it and asked a lot of questions to anyone who would answer and eventually got better and better. I’m always up for learning new things.

We wanted to know if they’d be interested in taking their business to a new level by teaching other people the craft skills they’ve learned through years of practice.

Ariel: I don’t know if I’d be a good teacher, I’ll admit I’m not a patient person. I never learned proper sewing terminology, so it’s very much “this piece, that doohickie, the thing-a-ma-bob” and so forth if I try to tell people what to do. But I have learned that the best way to really know a subject is to try and teach it, so we’ll see what happens!

Moxie: I’m always happy to share what I know with anyone that wants to know!

Amy: I’ve taught a couple of beading classes but never anything with sewing involved. I would never claim to be a master in my crafts. I just like creating. I suppose if I were asked to teach a class I would be honored that anyone would want to learn my skills.

We’re pretty keen for Sew Be It Creations to set up some classes and start share their knowledge. If you are too, then you can contact them here, or visit them on Facebook.

We here at Ooh.com were enormously pleased when the guys over at www.hostelbookers.com and www.hostelbloggers.com got in touch asking whether they could write for us.  We, of course jumped at the chance, and the following is our first guest post.

Gastro Guide to Valencia

San Sebastian and Barcelona may be famous for their innovative Tapas and Michelin starred restaurants, but foodies on a budget should flock to Valencia, where food is one of the principal pleasures in life.

Valencians love their food, but don’t take it too seriously - take the Tomatina Festival – where trucks of ripe tomatoes are brought to Bunol for a city-wide food fight under the August sun. This also means that eating well doesn’t have to cost the earth – even if you stick to simple restaurants or cafés, you will be served fresh fruit, vegetables, and freshly-caught seafood.

If you fancy a true taste of the city, here’s a guide to eating in Valencia for cash-strapped gourmands:

Local Produce

Valencia is famous for its exports - juicy oranges and Paella, but there’s far more food to be savored in Spain’s third largest city. Surrounded by fertile countryside and orange groves, the cuisine is enriched with an abundance of fruit and vegetables, and is influenced by centuries of Moorish invaders – seen in the almonds and saffron used in most dishes. The city’s proximity to the sea means that fish is used in a lot of cooking, from succulent shrimp to grilled octopus.

Paella

One of the city’s most famous exports, this rice dish is a must during your stay. Authentic Paella is a mix of long-grain rice simmered with tomatoes, saffron, onion and garlic in a giant frying dish, over an open fire.

Traditional ‘Paella Valenciana’ is cooked with chicken, rabbit and a range of vegetables, such as sweet peppers, artichokes and garden peas. Paella is meant to be served fresh, in a huge dish big enough for sharing (for at least two people or more).

Avoid restaurants with display platters of Paella in the window – servings are usually just spooned out of this lukewarm dish and heated up! Some of the best Paella is cooked outdoors in giant pans during the festivities at Las Fallas in March.

Other Specialities

Rice is king in Valencia, forming a solid base for most dishes. Other popular meals include Arroz Negro, a simplified seafood paella, cooked with squid ink to give the dish an intriguing black colour. Arroz a Banda is paella rice cooked with leftover fish stock (much more delicious than it sounds), and Arroz al Horno is baked rice with potato cubes and chunks of chorizo – sometimes with egg spread over the top. For an alternative to rice, try Fideua, a paella cooked with noodles, or All I Pebre, a tomato-based stew of peppers, garlic, potato chunks and eels. If you like seafood, you’ll be spoilt for choice in Valencia – most restaurants serve it grilled or fried, with delicious sauces on the side – try Allioli (a very garlicky thick sauce) or Picada (made with crushed almonds).

Sweet Treats

Make sure you always leave room for dessert, as Valencia is full of sweet and festive treats. The bakeries roll out an array of cakes and special desserts during festivals and religious holidays – ‘Bunyols’ are a doughnut eaten during Las Fallas. Arnadi is an Arab dessert, a pumpkin and sweet potato pie, flavored with ground almonds, sugar and cinnamon. Other after-dinner sweets include Los Ducles de Saint Dionis (marzipan sweets) Rosegons (a toasted almond cake) and El Arrop I Talladetes (fruit slices with brown sugar syrup).

Drink Up

Valencia is famous for its refreshing summer drink, Horchata, a sweet milky concoction made with ‘chufas’ (earth almonds). It’s served semi-frozen or ice cold and eaten with ‘fartons’ – soft sweet bread sticks. There are old-world Horchaterias all over the city.
A slightly less innocent thirst-quencher is Agua de Valencia – fresh orange juice mixed with a wide range of alcohol, usually Catalonian wine or cava.

Where to Eat

Valencia’s Mercat Central is a paradise for budget travelers, a historic marketplace filled with 1,000 stalls, each bursting with fresh produce. You can almost halve your food budget by staying in a Valencia hostel with a kitchen, buying from the market and rustling up your own versions of classic dishes. The bars or ‘cervecerias’ close by are also a great place to pick up a cheap bite to eat with a cold drink.

The city’s buzzing student population means there are plenty of bargain places to eat by the university (to the northwest of El Carme), around the Plaza Xuquer and the Avenida Blasco Ibanez.

Create Your Own Gastro Tour

Has this guide whet your appetite for a gourmet holiday in Valencia? Check out this competition and you could stay in a hostel in Valencia. Find out about our beach hostels for only 5 cents a night!

Recession seems the worst time to do anything apart from lie on the floor, bash your hands and wail. But there are a few intrepid adventurers breaking the mould. Becca Grossman is one of these hadry few. She’s throwing in her job as an admin assistant and starting a new career as a yoga instructor in New York.

We asked Becca when she first got involved with yoga. ‘I first started a yoga practice when my mother suggested it might help severe joint pain I had been suffering from.’

I was extremely skeptical, having adopted the very Western idea that pills cure all ailments. I reluctantly walked into a basic Vinyasa class at OM in New York City, and was almost instantaneously transformed. There was so much energy and possibility for me in that room…I was hooked.’

Unable to touch our toes without spending at least half a day in a sauna, we were curious to know how long it takes to become a fully fledged flexibility ninja: ‘In many ways it’s taken me all 24 years of my life to become a yoga instructor. More specifically, though, I practiced for two years before enrolling in a ten-month teacher training at Yoga Synthesis in Ramsey, NJ.’

We asked Becca what benefits yoga can bring to recession-drained workers: ‘Yoga benefits practitioners in innumerable ways. There’s a physical benefit, though that is secondary or even tertiary to the mental and spiritual benefits of a consistent practice.’

‘The mind learns to focus, open, and explore the world with more curiosity & compassion. The spirit learns inexplicable, beautiful, terrifying things…’

We asked Becca what kind of yoga she would be teaching and how you can get involved: ‘The style of yoga I teach is called Ashtanga-Vinyasa; it’s an eclectic style that draws on alignment principles from the Iyengar method and incorporates breathing techniques, postures, sequencing and meditation practices from all over the yoga-verse.’

‘It can be rigorous or gentle, but maintains a sense of curiosity & mindfulness no matter what. Private sessions with me are 90 minutes, at a rate of $120 per session. Discounts are available for first-time clients, session packages, and semi-privates. I’ll also be teaching at studios in and around NYC.’

If you want to find out more about Becca’s Yoga practice, you can visit her website, www.beccafaithyoga.com or email her here.

Rebecca Schweiger is one of those rare people who makes you feel that anything is possible. She even makes me feel I could paint.

An internationally renowned contemporary painter, Rebecca’s own work has been displayed in over 50 galleries throughout the world. Of her work Rebecca says, ‘My artwork is a sensitive, intimate, and evocative reflection of this ongoing human journey towards spiritual and emotional evolution.’ Whether you are a believer in spiritual journeys or not, what is overwhelmingly obvious is that Rebecca is an enthusiastic, kind and sensitive person who loves to share her passion for art with others, and who believes that anyone can create and benefit from art, no matter what their ability.

Rebecca’s gallery and creative art school – The Art Studio NY – is based in Manhattan and is open for all ages and all levels. Rebecca and three other renowned artists offer regular courses throughout the year, and there’s certainly something for everyone. Acrylics, oils, watercolours, drawing, charcoal, pastels and mixed media are all covered. ‘Everyone can draw’, a weekly two hour course held on Mondays, should encourage even the most pencil-shy person to have a go; ‘Just 4 Kids’ on Tuesdays sounds messy and fun; ‘Paint your heart out’ on Thursdays sounds liberating, and ‘Creating the canvas of your life’ is intriguing.

Classes are for a maximum of 8 people. We think the classes sound brilliant, and Rebecca the sort of person you’d like to have as a best friend.

For more information about both Rebecca’s work and The Art Studio NY visit the her website.  www.rebeccarts.com

When you’re planning a wedding, there’s a hella lot to remember. Flowers? Check. Venue? Check. Speeches? Check. Drinks? Check. Spouse to be? Check. But there’s one thing you might not think of immediately: the first dance with your newly wedded husband or wife.

A quick survey of the ooh team suggests that we would be, at best, ill prepared for any kind of high profile dance situation involving multiple witnesses. But that’s where Jess Brichto at Start The Dance steps in.

We asked Jess where the idea to give couples-to-be dancing lessons came from: ‘My mother-in-law had been to many weddings where she’d agonised over watching couples step on each others’ toes and sway embarrassingly from side to side. As I was a dancer, I thought it would be a good idea to help brides and grooms shine on their big day.’

We wanted to know what kind of couples Jess deals with: ‘There are two types. The first is the “youtube” type - they want to perform and entertain their guests- they want some serious cheers and whoops. Their dance is most likely to include dips, twirls and even lifts!’

‘The other type couldn’t think of anything worse and merely want confidence. They want to know how to hold each other and move in a natural way to avoid that embarrassing shuffle!’

We asked Jess if there are any other dance classes she runs: ‘a team of us that work for Start The Dance and we cover all styles including Bollywood and Bellydance! We’ve had teachers in peoples’ homes to spruce up a dinner party, at hen parties, offices to add a bit of dazzle to a lunch break, schools and colleges.’

‘We’ve taught single people for a bit of extra confidence before an all important date and huge groups at events and festivals too.’

We wanted to know what people enjoy most about this, save knowing they won’t be horribly embarrassed on their wedding day by their rhythmical ineptitude. ‘People say that the lessons are enormous fun. Planning a wedding can be a huge pressure and dance lessons are often the best way to spend time together amidst the chaos to relax and have fun. At the end of all our classes you can tell that everyone has had a great time.’

We asked Jess if she had any good stories to share and she produced this gem: ‘For a corporate event I had taught a team of bosses to dance to ‘Hot stuff’ to amuse their employee’s. As if it wasn’t embarrassing enough the first time round, their staff made them do it all again at the end of the night!’ We’re hoping to nab Jess for the next ooh party…

We wanted to know how many couples Jess teches a year: ‘Around 1000. About a third of people who contact me are grooms and the other two thirds are brides. It’s the modern day - boys have to do their bit you know!’

So boys, drop Jess and email here or visit www.startthedance.co.uk to save yourself the shame of dancing like a chimp on that special day!

Once again we’ve had that tingling Friday silliness creeping over us all morning at ooh.com, so we dug out this from the handy extreme sports news site, MPORA. And this is actually quite extreme. It’s also extremely failsome.

This mad police constable seems to have decided to try and break the world bellyflop record.

On closer inspection though, we think that around 10 seconds in, you can see from his facial expression that this is just a cruel dare from his colleagues…

More Other >>

Yeah, we know. Ouch.