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.
Do you ever question what popular news media have to say about what’s going on in other parts of the world?
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Filed Under: Perspectives by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
60 Comments | 22 January 2012
Often, when people hear that we’ve been traveling for five years, they think we’ve “done it all.” This could not be further from the truth – the more we explore of this world of ours, the more we realize how big and diverse it really is. This is something to be celebrated.
Caught up in Holi celebrations in old Dhaka, Bangladesh
When we began 2011 we could not have even imagined where this year would take us. Not only has 2011 been a year of activity and reflection, but it has also been a year of many firsts. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
30 Comments | 30 December 2011
Just a few hours outside of Jordan’s capital city of Amman lies Jerash, a city playing host to a rather impressive collection of Roman ruins. No “ruin fatigue” here: the history of Jerash – layer upon layer of civilizations, from Greek to Roman to Umayyad, keeps you wondering about the cycles of cultures and religions — and all the people who walked the same streets over the last 3000 years.
The South Theatre pictured below was built by the Romans in the 1st century AD. Its layout highlights the Roman skill of acoustic design. If you stand at the central acoustic point inside the theater and belt out your favorite tune or poem, every person in that 3,000 seat theatre will hear you loud and clear. Impressive.
Filed Under: Jordan, Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
5 Comments | 30 August 2011
OK, great photos and stories from Jordan but what exactly was your itinerary? Where did you go, stay, eat? We’ve been answering a bunch of “I’m thinking of going to Jordan” emails and need a place to put all of our answers.
So here it is: the details of where we stayed, where we ate, what we saw and experienced. The whole scoop for one final go-round.
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Filed Under: Jordan, Middle East, Travel by: Audrey Scott
29 Comments | 10 April 2011
Our journey through Jordan took us from sprawling Amman to the ancient Roman city of Jerash and Nebatean city of Petra. Along the way, we made our way through canyons, deserts, dusty villages, forests and farmland. We took dips in both the Red and Dead Seas. This is all to say that Jordan packs quite a lot into a small land mass.
Someone on Twitter recently asked us how Jordan was as a photographic destination. We admit we’re a bit biased, so we invite you to check out the slideshow below and decide for yourself. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Jordan, Middle East, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
15 Comments | 25 March 2011
If you emerge from a visit to Jordan and you haven’t had enough to eat, you’ve clearly done something wrong. Or in the words of an American friend of Jordanian heritage, “If you don’t leave Jordan heavier, we haven’t done our job.”
Mansaf, the Jordanian national dish.
Filed Under: Food, Jordan, Middle East by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
31 Comments | 24 March 2011
Whereas we sometimes feel like we know the Romans and Greeks when we visit the ruined cities they left behind, the Nabataeans, the mysterious ancient civilization behind Petra, are people we need to meet. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Audio Clips, Jordan, Middle East, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
15 Comments | 22 March 2011
Sure, the Rock Bar in Petra has great ambiance and a smooth lemon mint shisha, Luigi’s at the Dead Sea Movenpick has impeccable shisha service and adds a nice belly dance, and Al Rasheed in Amman is the ideal place to chill out in the big city.
But when I think “shisha in Jordan,” where will my first memory go? I’ll remember hanging with the guys in the northern Jordanian town of Rasun. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Jordan, Middle East, Panorama by: Daniel Noll
8 Comments | 21 March 2011
Bedouins. Before our visit to Jordan, the term conjured an image of mysterious desert-bound, tunic-wearing nomads.
While in Jordan, we met our share of Bedouins — some camel collectors and shepherds, others guides and businessmen. Upwards of 40% of the Jordanian population is of Bedouin heritage. As a result, Jordanian hospitality, wisdom and culture are all very much a product of their Bedouin roots.
As our Bedouin hosts shared some of their protocols, their wisdom, and their clever ways of looking at the world, we took note. Here’s what we learned. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Jordan, Middle East, Travel by: Daniel Noll
38 Comments | 18 March 2011
On occasion, we are fortunate enough to have an experience or conversation that sends chills for its human quality. Our time with Zikra Initiative and the women of Ghor al Mazra’a was one such experience.
From the moment I passed into the courtyard, Um Atallah took control and led me to a seat on the ground near her. Two other women swapped their attention between their work and us, offering encouraging smiles. These were the women of Ghor al Mazra’a near Jordan’s Dead Sea. And for a few hours, they shared a bit of their lives with us.
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Filed Under: Jordan, Middle East, Perspectives by: Audrey Scott
13 Comments | 15 March 2011
