First Lesson. Rishton.
It was late evening, and we had just arrived at the pottery studio of one of the most famous ceramic artists in Uzbekistan. We were exhausted and sweaty and weren’t sure if our long day of travel was over or if we would now need to look for alternative accommodation. […]
Getting There. Rishton.
I’ve been talking about doing a pottery retreat for a long time – somewhere I can learn new skills, work with different types of clay and glazing techniques, get some fresh ideas for my craft. It was always “one day” and “wouldn’t it be cool” type of idea. I might […]
A Long-Overdue Affair: The Wisconsin State Fair
Last year, it finally happened. I went to the Wisconsin State Fair! Although I had lived in the state for over a decade, for whatever reason, I’d never made it to the festival grounds in West Allis until last year. Ironically, it took me to move out of Wisconsin to […]
Chicago: Keeping the Blues Alive
Today is a special day in Chicago: Buddy Guy celebrates his 90th birthday. Although we are currently busy writing posts about Uzbekistan, this milestone-and America’s 250th year-makes it the perfect moment to celebrate one of the country’s greatest musical traditions: the blues. At his birthday bashes, Buddy Guy usually tells […]
Uzbekistan: One Conversation at a Time
We were in Margilan, a medium-sized town in the Fergana Valley, on a quick day trip when we stopped at the street market for lunch. We found a tiny café serving hot tea and potato samsas, sat down, and ordered a pot of tea with three samsas to share. As […]
Kamikaze Tourism: Surviving Nicaraguan El Classico
Fútbol or baseball? That was our dilemma. Although Esteli was only an overnight stop on our itinerary to break up a long journey from Granada to Somoto Canyon, we had a few hours to kill in the evening, and the town hosted not one but two professional sporting events. So, […]
From Mud to Magic: A Day in Nicaragua’s Pueblos Blancos
On day four of our Nicaraguan adventure, we were visiting Pueblos Blancos (White Towns), picturesque white villages outside of the town of Masaya known for their unique artisan traditions, with each village specializing in a particular craft or activity. Our first early morning stop was in Diriomo, otherwise known as […]
Two Volcanoes and Too Many Surprises: Exploring Ometepe
I am going to start this post without multiple paragraphs praising the incomparable beauty of Ometepe (unless you are comparing it with much more expensive and overly touristy Bali) and without a single mention of just how unprepared we were to traverse Ometepe on scooters, as neither of us possessed […]
Getting Around Ometepe
If I had to explain in one word why we absolutely plan on visiting Nicaragua again, that word would be “Ometepe”. The first time I saw it in our itinerary, I thought it sounded spiritual and mysterious, with a note of an ancient ceremony, and a hint of volcanic eruptions. […]
The Coffee Robbery of the Century
If you order a cup of Nicaraguan coffee at home, chances are that the beans used in preparing your drink will be from one of the fincas near Jinotega or Matagalpa. After all, this is a premier region for renowned and much-sought shade-grown Nicaraguan coffee. We were lucky enough to […]
The Shadowy Business of Nicaraguan Coffee
At breakfast, we planned to ask Edgar, if he could give us a tour of his El Soccorro finca or recommend any other coffee tours in the area. But it turned out, we didn’t even have to ask. Edgar was super enthusiastic and excited about these two travelers who wanted […]