Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott are the husband-and-wife digital storytelling and photography team behind Uncornered Market. They travel deep and off-beat, aiming to connect the world through people, food & adventure. Five years and 70 countries later, they are still going...and still married. Read more…
How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
Author: Franklin Foer
Who knew you could learn so much about globalization, economics and politics from soccer? Great read.
Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
Author: Julia Cameron
One possible path to re-discovering the creativity you never knew you had.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, New Edition
Author: Jared Diamond
An admirable crack at explaining why the world is the way it is by way of an anthropological macro-history. This book probably comes up the most in conversation as we travel.
The Cathedral Within: Transforming Your Life by Giving Something Back
Author: Bill Shore
Inspiring profiles of social entrepreneurs and projects we all can learn from and hopefully replicate to give back to community.
Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation
Author: John Carlin
Although the storyline is built around the South African rugby team and the 1995 World Cup, this book is more about Nelson Mandela and how he was able to unite a divided country. Inspiring.
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown
Author: Paul Theroux
The author re-visits Africa and re-assesses the place he once knew... and judges it once and for all. Well written, poignant observations of the thumbprints left by career politicians, aid workers, and everyday people.
Outliers: The Story of Success
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
A look at the internal and external factors of how extraordinary people got to be, well, extraordinary. One of those books that challenges assumptions and makes you think differently.
Shantaram: A Novel
Author: Gregory David Roberts
Administering first aid in a Bombay slum, selling fake passports and running guns to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Technically a novel, but closely linked to the Author's own experiences. Fantastic read.
Every major city in Southeast Asia has a backpacker ghetto – Khao San Road in Bangkok, Pham Ngu Lao in Saigon, Boeng Kak Lake in Phnom Penh. For those of you who have spent time in this region, you know what we’re talking about.
No matter the country, the scenery is the same: Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Perspectives, Southeast Asia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
4 Comments | 10 March 2007
If you refer to the statistics on Cambodia – poverty is widespread, as is AIDS, the country is still recovering from the Khmer Rouge (and has yet to put anyone on trial for war crimes), corruption is institutionalized and entrenched, health care is lacking, there are still an estimated 6 million unexploded land mines, indentured sex workers are common (children too), and the list could go on – it seems like a pretty hellish place. Yet, why is it that for many of the travelers we talked to, they (and we) put Cambodia at the top of the list of favorite countries visited? Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Cambodia, Southeast Asia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 10 March 2007
Thais love their street food and seem to snack all day and all night. As a result, the streets of their capital, Bangkok, are flush with food stalls and street-side restaurants to suit just about any taste. If you are wary of “Thai spicy”, just let the person know to go easy on the chili peppers when preparing your dish.
Condiment racks often sag with all manner of sauces and toppings to hop up, spice or otherwise customize your dish. Even a basic stall will likely offer dried shrimp, peanuts, hot pepper flakes, peppers in vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sweet and sour sauce.
Bangkok cuisine can be outstanding and almost criminally cheap. Here’s just a sample of what you might find, even if you don’t look very hard. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Food, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Videos by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 10 March 2007
There are two ways to get to Battambang from Siem Reap: 1) bus on reliable roads, 5 to 6 hours or 2) boat on less than reliable waterways, 5 to 10 hours. We chose the boat option, having read that the journey along Tonle Sap Lake is the best water trip in Cambodia, where beautiful scenery and active floating villages accompany you most of the way. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Cambodia, Southeast Asia, Travel, Videos by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
11 Comments | 3 March 2007
First the Bugs
Curious, Dan struck up a conversation with a table of people enjoying their late afternoon snack of bugs and sugar cane juice near the river in Battambang. After inviting us to sit with them, he received a proper – and unexpected – lesson in art of bug eating. Step 1: remove the wings and legs. Step 2: pop them into his mouth, Step 3: chew a long, long while, Step 4: chase them with a healthy gulp of sugar cane juice. Step 5: Pray your digestive system approves of this curious new protein. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Cambodia, Southeast Asia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
5 Comments | 3 March 2007
Spending a day on the back of a motorbike going around the villages and sites near Battambang is one of the best ways to take in Cambodia’s countryside while getting a bit of an adrenaline kick. This trip proved one of our personal travel hightlights in Southeast Asia. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Cambodia, Southeast Asia, Travel, Videos by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 3 March 2007
While visiting Battambang, we hired motorbike drivers for a day to take us through the surrounding countryside. Our day with them yielded an authentic look at Cambodian country life. Our drivers also shared glimpses of their own personal stories with us. Their stories were typical of many Cambodians and serve as a collective memory of a country that lost half its population during the rule of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s. While the scores of smiling children we encountered throughout the day still bring smiles to our faces, the day underscored how thankful we are for the fortunate lives we’ve had until now. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Cambodia, Perspectives, Southeast Asia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 3 March 2007
There’s no better way to comprehend a cuisine than to cook something for yourself. To that end, we signed up for a Cambodian cooking course with Smoking Pot Restaurant (yes, clever naming). Along the way, we also picked up some more Cambodian history. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Cambodia, Food, Southeast Asia, Videos by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
5 Comments | 1 March 2007
