From the merely curious (the woman swinging a child around) to the totally bizarre (like the upside down statue of Charles La Trobe in Melbourne) Oddee’s roundup of the world’s most bizarre statues throws up a couple of real crackers.
Standing outside the Ernst & Young building on 725 South Figueroa in Los Angeles, the above statue is presumably a caustic attack on faceless global capitalism. Or it might just be a man with his head stuck in a brick wall…
In any case, full marks to the surprisingly witty caption entries on accountingweb.co.uk (and I promise this is the last time you’ll ever see them mentioned on HostelBloggers!!!):
Backpacking through Europe and sick of the sight (and sound) of Euro 2008 already? Never fear, The Guardian’s put together this handy list of alternative Swiss sports for the summer. And although Burostuhlrennen (office-chair racing) sounds like a lot of fun, it’s definitely topped by the truly inspired Kuhfladen-bingo, or cowpat bingo.
The rules appear to be pretty simple. In an odd twist on bingo you try to guess in which of the numbered squares on the ground the cow is going to relieve itself.
It’s also only ever to be played by one adult cow, and, as such, is categorically not a game of two calves…
Hostels are, for the most part, full of decent people going about their business in a decent, respectful and friendly manner. But like everywhere else, from time to time, you’re likely to come across the odd annoying type. (HostelBloggers’ advice: Of all the annoying hostel types below, be particularly wary of No.3 and No.4. The tedium of No.4, in particular, has been known in some rare cases to be fatal.)
1. Mr./Mrs. Selfish
It’s time to catch that early morning flight but they didn’t pack the night before. Fine if they would just pack in the corridor like everybody else, but, oh no, it’s lights on, maximum noise and door slamming included. Because they just don’t care. A major hostel faux pas.
2. The Smell
The room smells awful due to this person’s questionable personal hygiene. Pray you can switch rooms and ask at reception immediately.
3. The Dorm Room Godfather
This person is a long-term resident who thinks they have a right to dictate affairs in the room (most of which, incidentally, is taken up by their accumulated stuff.) They decide if the window is to be open or closed and one death stare is usually enough to deter anyone who disagrees.
4. The Competitive Traveler
This guy (and it always is a guy) has been everywhere and he wants you to know it. Sitting there like a backpacking Buddha, he challenges all newcomers to a game of “who’s got the most ‘authentic’ travel story”. He wins hands-down having spent a year working as a guano-gatherer in Tierra del Fuego. Frequently fills the position of No.3 (the Dorm Room Godfather). He’s also the most tedious human being on the planet.
5. The Pillow Pilferer
They need another pillow, and don’t see why they shouldn’t take yours. The problem is that the hostel’s now short and you’re just going have to improvise. Since rolled up towels never quite cut it, you’re not sleeping well tonight. (Also does a nice sideline in swiping blankets.)
6. The Volunteer
This long-term resident thinks they’re a member of staff and (rudely) orders you about whenever they can. Usually the last person the hostel would actually employ to do the job.
7. The Shameless Self-pleasurer
He’s pulled the duvet right over himself to shut out the rest of the room – if only that worked for everyone else. But that noise can only mean one thing. Who are you kidding? We all know what you’re doing under there.
8. The Midnight Busybody
Whatever the problem is, it’s getting this person up every 20 minutes, in and out of the door constantly… And it’s driving everybody else nuts.
9.The Locker Hogger
One locker is never quite enough for this person, so they take someone else’s too. Deeply inconsiderate.
10. The Night Terror Sufferer
They can’t be blamed, of course. But hearing them wake up screaming will probably give you nightmares.
(With thanks to Sebastian Lovell and the year of selfless research he put in at The Generator Hostel, London.)
Ok, so there have been a few changes to HostelBloggers recently. A late spring-clean if you like. And as well as its nice new look, we’re going to be moving in strange and exciting new directions.
There are going to be posts about hostels and HostelBookers, naturally. But it’s not going to stop there; the new HostelBloggers is going to be something of a budget travel miscellany, a catch-all site for news, views and assorted flotsam and jetsam from the world of independent travel.
We’re going to be scouring the internet night and day for the latest cool sites, cool videos, cool deals and cool gear. And when we find something we like, we’re going to stick it up here, for everyone else to check out, too.
We’re a London-based lot, so there’s going to be a fair bit of posting on what we’ve been up to in this dirty, noisy, ancient, modern, and most of all, gloriously unpredictable city we call home.
Watch out for our thoughts on where to go – and where not to go - for cheap drinks, great music, buzzing markets, unusual shopping or for just lounging around in the park on a summer’s day… It’ll all wash up here in a series of posts, articles, podcasts and videos eventually.
But we also travel. That’s what we do. We travel for work and we travel for pleasure. And wherever we go, and whatever we get up to on our travels, we’ll tell you all about it here on HostelBloggers.
So… the mantra? Keep it independent. Keep it budget. Keep it travel.
Ping. It’s the sound of a Google alert last week. This one’s not your average day-to-day alert, though. Neve Black runs a blog called ‘Neve Black’s Black and Blue Erotica’ of a somewhat, um, sexual nature. However, she also seems to be something of traveler and (naturally) a HostelBookers fan, too. Anyway, in last week’s post (entitled Hostel Hookers and more) she suggests we change our name to ‘Hostel Hookers’.
We can’t say we’re seriously considering such a radical change to what we do… But Neve - ‘Hostel Hookers’? Doesn’t ‘HookerBookers’ have a far better ring to it?!?!
Keep us posted on how you get along in Florence, by the way!
Where do bad folks go when they die? Darvaza in Turkmenistan, apparently.
Over thirty years ago, geologists accidentally uncovered an underground cavern filled with natural gas. Part of the ground collapsed forming a large flaming crater and now, years later, the hellish vision can still be seen raging away.
This amazing footage from brightcove of a couple of (ever so slightly crazy?) climbers filming themselves as they charge along the Camino del Rey has been knocking around for a little while now. Doesn’t make it any less cool, though:
The Camino’s down in Andalucia (near Alora in Malaga Province), and was built by railway workers at the beginning of the last century. These days (as you can see) it’s pretty dilapidated - although that doesn’t stop the climbers flocking to it.
A Rough Guides insider tells HostelBloggers that they’re looking to get their hands on a couple of British/Irish University students, or as they put it ”social butterflies, brilliant communicators and relationship-builders to raise the Rough Guide brand profile on campus for one academic year starting this September.” Or work, that is…
Oh, and apparently you’ve got to be ”good-humoured and passionate” as well as sharing their ”love for travel and (be) able to work independently.”
Anyone who feels they match that exhaustive set of criteria should get their CV over to (Marketing Officer) Vanessa Godden by Sunday 15th June.
Seriously, though, they’re a brilliant bunch down at Rough Guides. Anyone lucky enough to secure the job should get some excellent work experience under their belt, and have a great laugh at the same time.
Hostels are, for the most part, full of decent people going about their business in a decent, respectful and friendly manner. But like everywhere else, from time to time, you’re likely to come across the odd annoying type. 
Ping. It’s the sound of a Google alert last week. This one’s not your average day-to-day alert, though. Neve Black runs a blog called ‘Neve Black’s Black and Blue Erotica’ of a somewhat, um, sexual nature. However, she also seems to be something of traveler and (naturally) a HostelBookers fan, too. Anyway, in last week’s post (entitled 
A Rough Guides insider tells HostelBloggers that they’re looking to get their hands on a couple of British/Irish University students, or as they put it ”social butterflies, brilliant communicators and relationship-builders to raise the Rough Guide brand profile on campus for one academic year starting this September.” Or work, that is…
