We just finished a three-day trek that landed us at Inle Lake, Myanmar. While the people, markets, temples, villages and floating gardens here have all been wonderful, internet connectivity and availability of electricity leave much to be desired. With rolling brown-outs, random power outages, and heavily censored dial-up internet, staying in touch with the outside world has been next to impossible. Being able to view one’s inbox is cause for fist-pumping victory; sending an email is cause for nationwide celebration. That we have been able to post this article is something of a minor miracle. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Burma (Myanmar), Southeast Asia by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
7 Comments | 26 January 2008
Don’t worry, we’re not feeling lonely. The title refers to the current reality here in Myanmar where once bustling tourist sights and streets have been transformed into ghost towns. Strings of flashing lights still hang from restaurants advertising the best Burmese, Indian, Nepalese – and even Tibetan – food in town, but the sobering and obvious fact is that most of these restaurants have only a few customers per day…and that’s on a good day. There are simply very few tourists here. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Burma (Myanmar), Perspectives, Southeast Asia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
3 Comments | 16 January 2008
The following is a bulleted list of sites and markers along the famed Pamir Highway, all the way from Osh, Kyrgyzstan to Khorog, Tajikistan. This particular list follows the southern route (Langar to Ishkashim) along the Wakhan Valley that traces the Tajik-Afghan border. Continue Reading »
- The Pamir Mountains and Wakhan Valley – People and Landscape
- Stories and Highlights from the Pamir Mountains
- Pamir Mountains and Wakhan Valley: Transport, Accommodation and Food
- Pamir Mountains, Pamir Highway and Wakhan Valley Sites
Filed Under: Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 5 January 2008
Filed Under: Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
3 Comments | 5 January 2008
Filed Under: Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 5 January 2008
A couple of notes, dear reader. We are headed to Myanmar and things may be quiet, or they may not. We just don’t know. If you don’t hear from us on the home page, take a look at “The Very Latest” on the left-hand sidebar. Twitter seems to have worked in most countries, even those with heavy internet controls and painfully slow connections.
We are also still catching up on Central Asia. It left an impression on us that has rendered us far behind in our writing. While we figure out Myanmar, we offer you the following: the best people, food and landscape/cityscape shots from a journey that still leaves us surprisingly nostalgic for the intensity, challenge, and people of Central Asia. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central Asia, Photography, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
4 Comments | 5 January 2008
When we arrive in a new location, we usually seek out the local market. This is how we orient ourselves. Markets provide an easy way to meet real people in a friendly context. They also offer an insight into local food and culture. Central Asian markets proved no different. We found ourselves frequently sampling local fruits (OK, having fruit heaped upon us by the lapful) and talking with vendors about their products. We decided that the markets, the vendors and the produce in Central Asia deserved a video. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central Asia, Food, Travel, Videos by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 5 January 2008
Our visit to the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan introduced us to some the most spectacular scenery we’ve taken in on our journey thus far. Other mountainous areas, hyped in guidebooks and on travel websites, have only paled in comparison. The Pamir region not only stands out for the severity and beauty of its landscape, but it shines most of all for the colorful, hospitable and fascinating Pamiri people who live there. Continue Reading »
- The Pamir Mountains and Wakhan Valley – People and Landscape
- Stories and Highlights from the Pamir Mountains
- Pamir Mountains and Wakhan Valley: Transport, Accommodation and Food
- Pamir Mountains, Pamir Highway and Wakhan Valley Sites
Filed Under: Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
19 Comments | 5 January 2008
When times were difficult during the years following independence, the men felt sorry for themselves and the women carried on with the business of providing for the family.
- a Georgian friend explaining the situation there during the early 1990s. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central Asia, Hope for Humanity, Kyrgyzstan by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 4 January 2008
We are often asked “What were your best experiences? What are your favorite places?”
“All-time favorite places” is a difficult one to answer without writing a book, but if we limit the question to 2007 (as we did in our personal growth exercise last night), the answer becomes manageable and something worth sharing with our readers. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Cambodia, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Perspectives, Southeast Asia, Travel, Turkmenistan by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 1 January 2008
