Budapest is an insanely gorgeous city filled with churches, museums, large farmers’ markets, top-notch restaurants, an amusement park, zoo, and most importantly, some of the best thermal baths in Europe! Here is a view of St. Stephen’s Basilica located on the Pest side.

Looking up at the dome from inside St. Stephen’s Basilica. You can also see the mummified right hand of the first king of Hungary inside.

A look at the Parliament building.

The Parliament building is completely under construction on the side facing Pest so the only good view of the awe-inspiring building is from the Buda side. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to take a tour of the building since you have to line up for hours to get a ticket to get in, and the line stretches out to the street, I figured it would be better to spend my time eating doner kebabs and Hungarian sausages.

I did two days of sightseeing, while the rest was spent just hanging out and drinking Dreher beers in the parks. I actually stopped carrying my camera around after the second day so that’s why you’re getting a touristy view of Budapest, and that’s why there’re so many church photos. But I totally would have regretted not visiting this church, the Matthias Church, located on the Buda side, which is one of the most beautiful that I have ever visited.

This is what it looks like inside.

They balled’ out.

A replica of the crown on display. Not sure how comfortable that would be, both physically or mentally.

Outside of the church, you can pay 6 Euros to have a falcon sit on your head. As amazing as that sounded, I passed on that and get some gelato instead!

I spent the rest of my time in Budapest just eating everything there was to offer and sitting next to the skatepark looking like a posuer without my board. One of the best cheapest European cities that should be on everyone’s must-visit list! Can’t wait to go back!

We were able to escape the winter in Shanghai for a short vacation in Thailand back in December, 2012. Here is what we were able to get over the course of 5 days in Bangkok!

Special thanks to Simon Pellaux, Peter Petcharattana, & Ryan Sripaesatja at Preduce Skateshop, and Patrik Wallner!

Filmed/Edited: Tommy Zhao

Music track: The Symbol
By the artist: Action Bronson
From the album: Rare Chandeliers

Here’s a short video we did with Brian Dolle to promote the VERT 2013 Spring collection:

Shanghai is filled with over 20 million people (about the same population as all of Australia) and it’s one of the only cities in China where you can conveniently skate from spot to spot. Since Shanghai is a major city with many of its inhabitants having migrated from the surrounding provinces, during Chinese New Year, the city practically becomes a ghost town, with only the locals and expats left wandering the streets setting off firecrackers. Here we follow Brian Dolle for a day as he cruises through Shanghai’s empty streets choosing to ignore the taxis, metro lines, and buses in favor of a skateboard.

Filmed + Edited by Tommy Zhao

Skateboarding by Brian Dolle

Music: Gone with the Sunset by Damu the Fudgemunk

More Info: vertclothing.com
Follow them on Instagram: @VERTclothing

If you live in China and skate, send in your DIY skate spot and get a chance for the Vans China team to come skate with you and your homies and get a free trip to the Beijing MIDI festival this Spring!

Shot in Shanghai on a Canon 5DMKII and Canon 550D.
Featuring Cyres Wang, Wang Guo Hua, Wang Ming Jun, & Zhou Wei.
Music by Brain Failure – Another City We Gotta Go
Filmed/Edit by Tommy Zhao.

Amongst the 23 million people inhabiting Shanghai, there is a small and strong skateboard community,
Many of the individuals in this community are expats that has relocated to China for work or simply to widen their horizon with new experiences.
This video documents a year of traveling and skating throughout China, which is quickly becoming the most popular stomping grounds for amateur and professional skateboarders around the world.
Marble and architecture perfect for skating as far as the eye can see, as well as great food and culture makes China a great place to experience for any skater.
The name “Panoramic” is a metaphor for being open-minded, which is a must for anybody that wants to live and travel in China, for good and bad.
Skating by:
Elliott Zelinskas
Brian Dolle
Gustav Nyman
Jeremy Hu
Ansen Wang
Brandon King
Kristian Kvam Hansen
Christer Enciso
Ben Mullinkosson
Wilko Grüning
Henrik Svan
Boss Xie
Filmed, Directed and Edited by:
Kristian Kvam Hansen

She’s breathing in pollutants equivalent to a half pack of cigarettes a day.

Something sinister’s a brewing.

They’ve turned the previous Expo grounds into new malls and expensive coffee shops… and…

Full of amazing skatespots! Pip frontside grinds a sculpture in a vacant lot in a section of Shanghai that few ventures out to.

Pollution can’t keep Dolle inside!

Peak and his perfect marble ledge.

Peak switch ollies over the bar as the sun fades behind the cloud of pollutant particles.

Our homie Larry got a feature on the Japanese website, VHSmag! Killing it!

Here’s some Chipper footage that we won’t be using for the full lenght video, Something Sinister, coming Fall 2013!

We flew into Yangon, where you can visit the Shwedagon Pagoda, which is over 2600 years old, apparently making it the oldest pagoda in the world and according to lengend; encased within it are 8 hairs from the Buddha!

How to get cold water.

A human elephant.

A 10 hour bus ride later, and we’ve arrived in the ancient city of Bagan, home to over 3000 temples/pagodas according to a man we met who said he works for the archeological department of restoration.

Patrik Wallner and his impressive abode.

This is how they keep the weeds from overtaking the temples.

Workers in the fields.

Strangely, the majority of the workers were female. Even at one point, we saw a man riding a trike filled with shovels and getting pushed by two women.

We met these workers coming back from sunrise, as they were walking to the fields. Even though we couldn’t understand each other, they were very friendly and even offered us some of their lunch that they had packed! If you ever go to Bagan, the tomato salads there are the best in all of Myanmar…. if not the world!

A man and his cow. This was on the side of the road, at a home where the family was making candies, medicine and alcohol from toddy palm and peanuts. The cow is used to help grind up peanuts to produce peanut oil, which is used in a lot of Burmese cooking, especially so in the previously mentioned tomato salad.

We took a day trip to Mount Popa, a little over an hours drive from Bagan. 777 steps to the top, must be climbed barefoot and mindful of the monkeys and their shit everywhere.

This was taken in the lacquerware-making village of Mynkaba, located inbetween Old Bagan and New Bagan. Families live in bamboo huts as they produce lacquerware to sell in the markets. The lacquerware can be found all over Bagan at stores, but we met a very friendly family in this village that invited us into their home to purchase from directly.

Behind the village was a river with very little water due to the dry season they were experiencing. In the background you can see three field workers crossing to the otherside to go home, and further on a pagoda cuts through the landscape. Who needs a canoe?

Friendly postcard hawkers! They go to school during the week and sell postcards on the weekends to try and make money to help their family survive! Not surprisingly, their english is very good and when I asked them what they wanted to do when they grew up, the girls exclaimed they wanted to be an English speaking tour guide or a wife!

And we’re off to…

Inle Lake, located in the Shan province of Burma and home to a shitload of wildlife, the best samosas I’ve ever had, and amazing Shan noodles with tofu gravy!

We took a boat tour on the lake which included sunrise, tour of a lotus-weaving factory, tobacco factory, morning markets, and a Jumping Cats Monastery (where the cats no longer jump).

We rented bicycles and rode around the lake. Two hours later, we realized we didn’t even make it halfway, so we hired a ferry to bring us back closer to our hotel before it got too dark to ride.

A lady washes her clothes in the lake as the house in the background crumbles further into it.

A nun bids us farewell as we make our way to the bustling city of Mandalay!

Fishing for dinner!

Awesome tree swing!

The sun sets as a monk poses on the U Bein bridge, the worlds longest teak bridge! Myanmar is a gorgeous country full of friendly people and delicious food! I hope to be back again soon!

A waterfall in Koh Lanta.

Brian Peacock.

Thanks to the Preduce homies for hooking it up!

Best food street in Bangkok! Thong Lo!

Back in Shanghai with the Nasvay team!

Partied out.

Tosh is out! Have fun in Nippon and Australia!