While Orlando's already known for its world-class theme parks, a developer thinks that there's room for one more. The Baker Leisure Group has proposed a thrill-focused park that would be located in the Tangelo Park area near the Festival Bay Mall. It would be just a short drive from Universal Orlando Resort and its two theme parks. Central Florida is also home to Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando, and my favorite park in the state, Busch Gardens Tampa. If that wasn't enough, Legoland Florida will be opening in 2011 as well.

Like many, I've considered Central Florida's theme park market saturated at this point. However, Orlando Thrill Park will offer something different. The park's success will hinge on whether they can communicate its distinction as the home of the most intense and extreme thrill rides in Florida. If built, the park would easily attract roller coaster enthusiasts like myself. Of the fourteen rides that the park has proposed, eight of them are roller coasters. And of the eight, five or so are either prototypes or rare in the United States.

This photo touches on a general feeling I sometimes have about the nature of travel: when I'm jetlagged or simply feeling a little lonely and blue, travel feels like a horizontal line. I've simply gone from point A to point B, and I'm still myself no matter where I've stepped off the metal tube with wings. Of course, my first encounter with a cloud of chile smoke, or first near-accident crossing a road plants me firmly in the three-dimensional world, and I'm always grateful to be plunged into a new environment.

Thanks to Flickr user Fly For Fun (Gadling's own Kent Wien!) for sharing this photo with us.

Have any travel-related photos that cause you, however briefly, to ponder your place in space? Upload them to Gadling's Flickr pool, and we just might choose one for our Photo of the Day feature.

A rancher in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, has destroyed a large Mayan residential complex to make way for pastureland, Fox News Latino reports.

The 2,300 year-old site covers 250 acres and includes many homes, temples, and other buildings. Much of the center of the site was bulldozed away so the rancher could graze his animals there. The rancher claims he recently bought the land and didn't know the site had any archaeological importance. The government says the site is registered and is launching an investigation.

The rancher didn't explain how he couldn't know of the site's importance if he knew it was so big that he needed to clear it away with heavy machinery. Some of the buildings stood up to ten feet tall. The workers cleared away the town's main square, including seven buildings and two altars.


[Photo courtesy user Adalberto.H.Vega via Gadling's flickr pool. This is actually a Mayan site in Honduras and not the site that was destroyed. Sadly, thanks to rancher Ricardo Ascencio Maldonado we can't get photos of the actual site!]

A UNESCO team has arrived at Pompeii to investigate the recent collapses of ancient walls and buildings, All Headline News reports.

Two Roman walls collapsed earlier this week, and in November the House of Gladiators fell down. Authorities blame heavy rains but there's a growing controversy over the lack of maintenance at the site.

The Roman city was buried in ash during an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. The ash kept the city remarkably preserved, making it one of the world's top archaeological treasures.

The team will study the site and give suggestions as to how to preserve it, but the investigators have made clear that it is Italy's responsibility to do the work. The Italian government has created a task force of archaeologists, craftsmen, and architects to shore up the walls and buildings. Considering that the last conservation project at Pompeii is under investigation for mob connections, it remains to be seen how effective this new task force will be.


[Photo courtesy user Alago via Wikimedia Commons]

Earlier this week, the Chinese high speed rail operator pushed one of its newest pieces of rolling stock to 302 miles per hour (486 kilometers per hour) during a test run on the new Beijing - Shanghai route.

Train buffs will probably point out that the French SNCF once took their TGV to 357 miles per hour - but they could only achieve that with a highly modified train on a track with more modifications. The Chinese train is 100% stock - and is exactly the same as the one they'll use on the new route when it opens in 2012.

While the U.S. keeps talking about high-speed rail, the Chinese built or upgraded a whopping 13,000 miles of track, with some brand new routes completed in just a couple of years.

A (Chinese spoken) video is after the jump, but speed is speed, no matter what language it is narrated in.

[Photo: AFP/Getty]

Here are the hottest daily gear deals for today, Saturday December 4, 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is for the Kensington iPod/iPhone backup battery pack. This pack charges off a regular USB port and plugs into the dock connector of your phone. We have featured this product in the past, but it just dropped to $12.49, making it well worth another mention. Click here for this deal.

Next up is a 9" Philips portable DVD player with a 5 hour battery pack. This DVD player obviously plays any kind of DVD, but also supports DIVX and MPEG4 digital video formats. Includes a home and car charger. On sale for $79.97 at Yugster.com.

Next up is another portable DVD player, but this one is designed to install in your car. For $69.99, you get two 7" screens and all the mounting materials you need. On sale at sellout.woot.com, click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup is a fantastic bargain on the Nikon L110 ultra-zoom digital camera. This 12.1 megapixel camera features a 15x optical zoom, a 3" LCD display and HD movie mode with HDMI. On sale for $196. Click here for this deal.

On Thursday, FIFA announced that Qatar defeated South Korea, Japan, Australia and the United States in the race to host the 2022 World Cup. This historic decision marks the first time a Middle Eastern country will welcome a major sporting event.

FIFA's choice has brought a significant backlash in the American media, with critics claiming that the summer heat (as high as 120 degrees Farenheit) will be unbearable and that a country the size of Delaware (with 1.6 million residents) will not be able to handle an estimated influx of 400,000 spectators.

Nonetheless, Qatar has outlined a complex plan to renovate three stadiums and build nine brand new complexes across seven host cities. Bid organizers claim that they are developing revolutionary methods to keep each of the stadiums climate-controlled and carbon neutral, at an estimated construction cost of about $6.2 billion.

Check out the designs in the gallery below:

Gallery: Qatar's 2022 World Cup stadium designs

German architects AS&P have produced 12 conceptual designs that incorporate retractable roofs and solar power for cooling systems as well as modular designs that allow some of the stadiums to be dismantled at the end of the tournament and rebuilt in other countries.

Whether or not you agree with FIFA's decision, it's hard to deny that Qatar made an impressive pitch. Watch the video below to see the entire presentation, or just skip to 3:18 to see a live action rendering of Qatar's vision for the 2022 World Cup.

The Galapagos Islands have been inspiring adventurous travelers almost from the very moment that Charles Darwin first stepped ashore back in 1835. Upon his arrival, the famous naturalist discovered an array of unique wildlife there, which inspired him to write The Origin of Species and formulate his Theory of Evolution. Modern travelers continue to visit the Galapagos hoping to catch a glimpse of those same creatures while cruising through the Pacific waters 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador.

While relaxing at the local resorts and spending your day aboard a comfortable cruise ship is the perfect vacation for many, active travelers are often looking for a little more when they visit the Galapagos. With that in mind, adventure travel company Detour Destinations has designed a number of great itineraries that include hiking, snorkeling, mountain biking and kayaking around several of the 18 main islands that make up the archipelago. But a new itinerary offers a unique way to tour Darwin's natural laboratory as visitors can glide along the coastline on a stand-up paddle board.

Stand-up paddle boards have seen an amazing rise in popularity over the past few years. Essentially, the sport puts the rider on a surfboard, but also gives them a one-bladed paddle, with a long shaft, that is not unlike those found in a canoe. Using that paddle, the rider can propel themselves through the the water and deftly steer through and around obstacles.

Using a stand-up paddle board in the Galapagos provides visitors with a number of advantages. The almost silent mode of transpiration allows travelers to get close to the wildlife that permeate the coastlines, which include sea lions, penguins, turtles, sharks and more. It also allows them to visit places that are not normally inaccessible through other forms of transportation, while the standing position affords a better view of the surrounding scenery than a kayak.

Active travelers whow want to explore the Galapagos in unique and adventurous ways should check out the various options that Detour Destinations has to offer. Even Darwin would be envious of these tours.

[Photo credit: Bill Ebbesen]

Jay-Z (yes - THAT Jay-Z) issued a press release this morning, outlining his plans to open several 40/40 clubs at "select airports". The first of his eight 40/40 clubs opened in New York City in 2003 and since then, locations have opened around the country, as well as abroad.

The airport club concept will offer passengers a stylish sports bar and lounge. Very little was revealed about the exact theme or design of the airport clubs, but you can probably expect a decent bar service, along with a variety of TV screens showing sports games.

The clubs are a collaboration between Jay-Z and airport hospitality firm Delaware North. A spokesman for Delaware North had the following to say:

"We are thrilled to partner with the 40/40 Club, to bring a stylish sports bar and lounge to airports across the country. From the personalized, one-of-a-kind jerseys on the wall, to every sports game you can think of on the television screens, the club will bring a new experience that we are sure travelers will welcome."

To me, this means they have probably never been to an airport and seen one of the many Fox Sports Bars around the nation where a very similar experience has been offered for years.

Still, I'm sure there is enough interest in a 40/40 club at airports, the market for airside booze is massive - revenue from thirsty passengers is a great incentive to sell as much liquor as possible. After all, who doesn't love a $6 beer with some $12 nachos before their flight?

[Photo: Getty Images]

Winter might not officially be with us until late December here in the northern hemisphere, but it certainly feels as if winter hibernation has already begun in many locales. This hazy shot of a Ryanair plane at the UK's East Midlands airport, snapped by Flickr user u07ch, encapsulates the spirit of a blurry-eyed winter morning before the morning's most essential things have transpired, things like caffeine refueling and plane de-icing.

Got a good image that sums up whatever seasonal moment you're currently experiencing? Yeah? Great! Upload it to the Gadling Flickr pool. If you're lucky, we'll select your image to be a future Photo of the Day.