When we poked around Buenos Aires earlier this year, our food quests were focused not only on understanding Argentine cuisine but also seeking out various ethnic cuisines that we hadn’t encountered much while traveling the Andes and Paraguay. A couple of times a week, we’d head out with a restaurant recommendation, a gigantic map of the city, and scribbled notes as to our bus route.
We often got lost. We always ate. And we discovered something.
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Argentina, Food, South America by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
50 Comments | 30 August 2010
Have you ever heard of the banana millionaire? Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
10 Comments | 27 August 2010
Some places are best suited to road trips. They speak: move at your own pace, get lost, stop off in small towns, have the flexibility to enjoy whatever experiences might come your way.
The area around Salta and Jujuy in northwest Argentina is one such chunk of perfect road trip territory. Listen and watch the audio slideshow below to find out why. Continue Reading »
- Road Trip Northwest Argentina: Where Gauchos Go To Party
- Three Vignettes: Beautiful Everyday People of Northwest Argentina
- Audio Slideshow: Northwest Argentina, Road Trip Style
Filed Under: Argentina, Audio Clips, South America, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
16 Comments | 25 August 2010
I am not a linguist, so when people find out that I am conversant in five foreign languages (French, Estonian, Czech, Russian, and Spanish) – most of which I’ve picked up on the fly instead of through formal study – they often ask me how I do it.
I don’t have a “get rich quick” secret for learning how to speak a new language. It can be challenging, humbling, and frustrating. So why do it?
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Personal Growth, Travel by: Audrey Scott
42 Comments | 23 August 2010
Before we backpacked around Europe in 2000, I got my hands on a used copy of Rick Steves’ “Europe Through the Back Door.” (If you are inclined to do so, don’t hold it against me. I was young and impressionable; it was the only English language travel book available.)
Estonia’s capital city, Tallinn, was described as having “a frosted cake feel.” Sure, the old town is small, cute, medieval and full of cobblestones, but Tallinn is more than just a pretty dessert.
But maybe I’m biased. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Estonia, Panorama by: Audrey Scott
12 Comments | 20 August 2010
So their eyes are growing hazy ‘cos they wanna turn it on, so their minds are soft and lazy. Well, hey, give ‘em what they want.
– Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs) in “Candy Everybody Wants”
Have you ever come across a photo in a magazine or on another website and thought, “Hey, that’s my photo!”?
We were poking around BBC Travel the other day and came across an article about a tango festival in Argentina. I looked at the lead photo and thought, “Hey, that’s our photo!!”

Ha! That’s everyone’s photo. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Perspectives, Photography by: Audrey Scott
23 Comments | 19 August 2010
When I think about my first contact with the concept of Argentine cuisine, I recall a discussion twelve years ago with an unassuming foodie friend in San Francisco.
“I bet the food in Argentina is great!” I offered with blind optimism as visions of gauchos stepping to a tango beat danced in my head. Argentina seemed so damn far away; therefore the food must be exotic and varied.
My food-wise friend brushed off my enthusiasm without skipping a beat, “Yeah, if the only thing you like is steak and wine.”

Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Argentina, Food, South America by: Daniel Noll
59 Comments | 18 August 2010
Filed Under: Photography, Technology by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
9 Comments | 16 August 2010
I recently shared our stories of Chandigarh with a group of new friends over a beer and was shocked to find someone who not only knew of Chandigarh but also asked me what I thought about the “Rock Garden.”
As cool as the Nek Chand Rock Garden is, the story of its construction and evolution in the unlikely city of Chandigarh is even cooler. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: India, Panorama by: Daniel Noll
18 Comments | 13 August 2010
In a future incarnation, we will run world tours that seek to deliver extraordinary travel experiences through encounters with ordinary people. And when we do, a road trip in Northwest Argentina will be one of our first stops in South America.
After stumbling upon a dazzling gaucho festival on the first day of a week-long road trip, we figured our travel karma would have run out. Instead, our journey across the valleys outside of Salta featured interactions with engaging people open to odd encounters.
Here’s a taste. Continue Reading »
- Road Trip Northwest Argentina: Where Gauchos Go To Party
- Three Vignettes: Beautiful Everyday People of Northwest Argentina
- Audio Slideshow: Northwest Argentina, Road Trip Style
Filed Under: Argentina, South America, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
14 Comments | 11 August 2010