Eating in Ho Chi Minh City

After getting food poisoning in India and basically fasting for a week, I was starving, and on the hunt for delicious Vietnamese delicacies. The goal was to spend the entire day satiating my hunger, breakfast, lunch, dinner, desert and coffee. I had a mission on this one epic day to fill my empty belly in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

World's longest sausage measures 392 meters

A man grills part of a sausage looped around a rack in Bucharest during a Guinness World Record event for the world's longest sausage Dec. 27, 2008. The sausage measured 392 meters (1286 feet) and set a new world record.

Men grill part of a sausage looped around a rack in Bucharest during a Guinness World Record event for the world's longest sausage Dec. 27, 2008. The sausage measured 392 meters (1286 feet) and set a new world record.

A man stands next to a sausage looped around a rack in Bucharest during a Guinness World Record event for the world's longest sausage Dec. 27, 2008.

Want a healthy life? Take a dip in icy water

Members of a local ice swimming club head for the water to swim in the Yenisey river in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk Dec. 28, 2008. The club promotes a healthy life style, encouraging its members to spend most of their free time in the countryside.

A member of the "Optimalist" heath club hacks a hole into the ice covering a canal near the village of Viazynka, some 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Minsk Dec. 28, 2008.

A member of the "Optimalist" heath club takes a dip in the icy water of a canal near the village of Viazynka, some 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Minsk Dec. 28, 2008.

Cultural Carnival in Valparaiso city Chile

A reveller takes part in the Cultural Carnival in Valparaiso city, about 75 miles (120 km) northwest of Santiago, December 28, 2008. Valparaiso is celebrating the end of the year with art activities in public places.

A reveller takes part during the Cultural Carnival in Valparaiso city, about 75 miles (120 km) northwest of Santiago, December 28, 2008. Valparaiso is celebrating the end of the year with art activities in public places.

Members of different Chilean groups dance and perform during the Cultural Carnival in Valparaiso city, about 75 miles (120 km) northwest of Santiago, December 28, 2008. Valparaiso is celebrating the end of the year with art activities in public places.

National Geographic's top 10 space pictures of 2008

10. Supernova creates "ribbon" in space

Like a ribbon trailing from a parade float, a streamer of hydrogen gas seems to waft across the stars in an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Released in July, this festive shot of a supernova remnant was National Geographic News's tenth most viewed space photo of 2008.

National Geographic's top 10 space pictures of 2008

9. First picture of alien planet orbiting sunlike star?

A Gemini adaptive optics image of the star 1RSX J160929.1-210524 and its likely ~8 Jupiter-mass companion (within red circle) in this handout released Sept. 15, 2008. Scientists have snapped the first images of a planet outside our solar system that is orbiting a star very much like the sun. In findings announced on Sept. 15, 2008, University of Toronto scientists said they used the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii to take direct pictures of the planet, which is about the size of Jupiter but with eight times the mass. This planet and the star it seems to orbit are located in our Milky Way galaxy about 500 light years from Earth, the scientists said.

National Geographic's top 10 space pictures of 2008

8. Black hole seen in closest look ever

A supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way has wound up in the crosshairs of a virtual telescope spanning 2,800 miles (4,506 kilometers). Although by definition we can't see a black hole directly, we can see the bright region of radio emissions known as Sagittarius A* that's thought to be either a disk of matter swirling toward the black hole, or a high-speed jet of matter being ejected from it.

National Geographic's top 10 space pictures of 2008

7. New supernova "gumball" picture

The remnant of a supernova called SN 1006 hangs like a gumball 7,000 light-years away in a composite image released by NASA on June 26, 2008. The blast wave from the stellar explosion is still traveling at about 6 million miles (9.6 million kilometers) an hour, heating gases along its path that emit radiation in visible light.

National Geographic's top 10 space pictures of 2008

6. New picture of the pinwheel galaxy

An image released by NASA in April shows baby stars taking shape in the Southern Pinwheel galaxy. Embryonic stars were found to be growing in the galaxy's spindly arms (shown in red), rather than in its bright heart.

National Geographic's top 10 space pictures of 2008

5. New Hi-res views of Mars's "fear"' moon unveiled

In April the Mars-orbiting HiRISE camera caught new high-resolution snapshots of Phobos, a Martian moon named for the Greek god of horror. The impact that created Stickney is thought to have almost shattered the roughly 17-mile-wide (27-kilometer-wide) moon.

National Geographic's top 10 space pictures of 2008

4. New Jupiter image: Sharpest view ever from Earth

Jupiter looks sharp in the crispest whole-planet picture of the gas giant ever shot from Earth, released in October.

National Geographic's top 10 space pictures of 2008

3. Gamma-ray burst visible to naked eye

In March scientists detected an interstellar explosion so bright that it was briefly visible to the naked eye—from 7.5 billion light-years away. Images captured by NASA's Swift satellite show two views of the unusual gamma-ray burst, an outpouring of high-energy radiation and particles thought to follow the collapse of a massive star.

National Geographic's top 10 space pictures of 2008

2. First Mars avalanches seen in action

Snapped by the Mars-orbiting HiRISE camera, billowing clouds of dust revealed the first-ever picture of active landslides occurring on Mars at the base of a towering slope near the planet's north pole in March.

Calves running competition for year of ox

Calves run during a race on the Mother Farm in Futtsu City of Japan's Chiba Prefecture, Dec. 28, 2008. The running competition of calves was part of the new year celebrations on the farm, which is aimed to bring good luck to its visitors in 2009, the year of the ox.

Bullfighting festival in Columbia's Cali

French bullfighter Sebastian Castella perfoms a pass at a bull during a bullfighting festival at Canaveralejo bullring in Cali Dec. 28, 2008.

National Geographic's top 10 space pictures of 2008

1. Venus, Jupiter, Moon smile on Earth

A rare positioning of planets Venus (top left) and Jupiter (top right) and the crescent moon of the Earth provides a "smiley" effect that captivated Asia Monday night Dec. 1, 2008 in Manila, Philppines. The heavens smiled down on Earth December 1 in National Geographic News's most viewed space photo of 2008.

Eggshell's birthday party

Several events are being staged to celebrate the first anniversary of one of Beijing's dazzling new landmarks, the National Center for the Performing Arts.

They include a concert given by China National Symphony Orchestra, an opera and the Peking Opera, Red Cliff. Based on the historical battle that inspired John Woo's film of the same name, the six-act Red Cliff boasts an A-list cast and 180 hand-made costumes.

There are also three exhibitions, lectures on art and music, and the opening of the theater's art file center.

Until Monday, the NCPA is also holding open days for the public and free tickets are available online.

NCPA Deputy President Deng Yijiang says the anniversary is not only a celebration. They want the venue to become a brand, a real national-level venue that encourages more people to develop an interest in the arts.

The NCPA has already staged more than 1,000 performances and about 320,000 people have enjoyed more than 800 art and music lectures at the grand theatre.

Alaska

Experience Alaska with Lonely Planet author Greg Benchwick. You'll see more than 80 straight days of 24 hours of sunlight giving you plenty of time to admire the icy white landscapes of the Arctic ocean that's been home to the Inupiat people for thousands of years. Special note from Greg: Oops, I called the sealskin boat an upiak, but actually it's an umiak, 24 hours of sunlight can really mess with your head!

Paris is not a cliche

While the Parisian cliches of romance and bike baskets full of baguettes are proven true, the unexpected manages to rear its head. Who wouldn't love a city that closes its streets so everyone can rollerblade?

Jakarta in 12 hours!

Indonesia's capital city Jakarta: a tour of six cultural highlights in 12 hours and your time starts now!

Behold Mt. Sinai - Burning Bush

Touch the burning bush at St. Katherine's Monastery. Behold Mt. Sinai where the Ten Commandments were given to Moses, written in stone. Ah, Egypt!

Hello Italy

A quick snapshot of some of the places I visited in Italy. It was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to go back. I threw my coins into the Trevi so I'm sure I will.

Winter in Colorado

After years of holidaying in the tropics, Randy and Jenny spend the holidays in deep in snow in Colorado.

King Solomon's Tablet

Archaeologists use advanced technology to determine the age of a stone said to hold the truth about King Solomon's temple.

Study: Captivity erodes elephant health

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Female elephants living in protected populations in Africa and Asia live longer than those in captivity in European zoos, an international team of researchers reported Thursday in the journal Science.

The findings could mark the end of a long-standing debate about the physical and mental well-being of zoo elephants and may also bring about improvements in how these animals are kept, the researchers said.

A herd of elephants walk on the plains of Masai Mara game reserve November 14, 2008.

Using data on more than 4,500 elephants, researchers from Britain, Kenya and Canada found that zoos can cause shortened adult life spans in both African and Asian elephants.

In the most endangered species of elephant, the Asian, calf death rates also were elevated. For this species, the researchers found that being born in a zoo (rather than being imported from the wild), being moved between zoos, and the possible loss of their mothers put the animals at particular risk.

The authors looked at data on female Asian and African elephants from Amboseli National Park in Kenya and compared that to data on elephants in European zoos to reach their conclusions.

The authors recommend screening all zoo elephants for signs of stress and obesity in order to identify those that might be in trouble. The researchers also called for an end to the importation of elephants from their native countries and the minimizing of inter-zoo transfers.

Outback Undertakers

What happens when you die in the middle of nowhere? Some of Australia's outback undertakers take you through the burial process as it's done in Broome, Western Australia. That hearse sure has some miles on the clock.

Self-made "panda"

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A girl walks a "panda" in a street of Wuhan, Hubei Province in central China, attracting the attention of lots of people around. The "panda" turns out to be a dog wearing pandas' makeup!

A "panda" attracts many puppies. This "panda" turns out to be a dog wearing pandas' makeup!

"A panda" attracts a dog. It turns out to be a dog wearing pandas' makeup!

A self-made "panda." It turns out to be a dog wearing pandas' makeup!

A self-made "panda." It turns out to be a dog wearing pandas' makeup!

Sahara Safari

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Sail the Great Sand Sea of the Sahara. Hang on though, this sea is gonna get rough!
Produced by Baxter Jackson for Lonelyplanet.tv

Sara the walrus and her trainer perform in a show

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Sara the walrus and her Russian trainer Sergiy perform during a show at the newly-opened Istanbul Dolphinarium in Istanbul, Turkey, December 1, 2008.

Sara the walrus and her Russian trainer Sergiy perform during a show at the newly-opened Istanbul Dolphinarium in Istanbul, Turkey, December 1, 2008.

Sara the walrus and her Russian trainer Sergiy perform during a show at the newly-opened Istanbul Dolphinarium in Istanbul, Turkey, December 1, 2008.

Lanterns set up in Nanjing to welcome new year

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People view the colorful lanterns on a street in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 3, 2008. More than 10 sets of colorful lanterns have been set up around a business zone in the city to welcome the forthcoming Christmas Day and New Year.

A woman takes photos of the colorful lanterns on a street in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 3, 2008.

People walk past the colorful lanterns on a street in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 3, 2008.

76th Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting ceremony

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The 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is pictured after the lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

The 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree stands after the lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

The Rockettes perform during the 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

The Rockettes perform during the 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

Performer Kristin Chenoweth poses during the 76th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

Actor Jamie Fox poses after performing at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in New York December 3, 2008.

Morro de Sao Paulo Tiroleza

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I was on an island of the coast of Bahia called Morro de Sao Paulo in Brazil for 2 weeks and i had the balls to go down the tiroleza...Good times :)

Acapulco Loco!

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Going loco in Acapulco! Mexico's glam resort of the 50's hasn't lost its appeal - even if it's retro this time round.

Panamania!

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As travellers are rapidly rediscovering this overlooked paradise, Nick Vivion gets a bad case of Panamania! Grab yourself a sharp-looking hat, and check it out yourself, before it's too late...