Margilan Day Trip: Silk, Worms, and Dresses
Khushnud and I were chatting at the pottery wheel, as always. For two people from different cultures, different generations, different religions, and opposite sexes, we found no shortage of things to talk about. At first, all we shared was a common language, Russian, and a love of pottery. Within a […]
The Student Becomes the Teacher
But by the third day, I had settled into the rhythm of life in the studio. We ate breakfast of bread, cheese, and tea and then Khushnud and I spent the morning at the pottery wheels, throwing new pieces, decorating, and trimming whatever had dried enough to handle. Before long, it […]
Detained at the Uzbek-Kyrgyz Border
While Julia was busy taking pottery classes, I got my ass in trouble. Funny story. When we arrived in Rishton, it was already dark outside, and we barely saw the surroundings. But as we settled for the night at the pottery studio, I looked at Google Maps on my phone […]
Pottery for Pets
I woke up the next morning with my heart fluttering. It was the first day of my pottery retreat. I threw on older clothes I didn’t mind getting dirty with clay and hurried outside. I hadn’t really seen the courtyard the night before. We arrived after dark, when little was […]
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. […]
Somoto Canyon: The What, the Why, and the How
We were eating breakfast in our Granada Airbnb, the standard affair of rice, beans, eggs, and plantains, when Victor loudly snickered and put down the book he had been leafing through. It was an old, torn-up Nicaraguan guidebook he found on the bookshelf among poetry books by Ruben Dario and […]
Español Nicaragüense Es Pura Deacachimba
My First Post in Spanish “Sabes qué,” me dijo el guia nicaragüense, “eres el primer gringo que conozco que habla español muy bien.” Estabámos en la cima del Volcán Telica, a cien metros del cráter, y no podía creer lo que acababa de eschuchar. Antes de visitar Nicaragua, no podía […]
Volcano Day: Up We Go
In 2014, Victor was in Panama, and his favorite story was visiting Embera village and watching a pet toucan wash itself in a small outdoor sink. Victor turned on the faucet to wash his hands, and the bird flew right in and started splashing around and trying to awkwardly fit […]
Volcano Day: Down We Go
The way it usually goes is like this: Victor plans the itinerary, and I book the transportation and accommodations. One thing about Victor is that he is meticulous, detail-oriented, and thorough. He doesn’t make mistakes, he doesn’t forget small details, he doesn’t just leave off details from the itinerary for […]
Skipping Managua. Part II. Leon
One week after visiting Granada, we drove into its long-time rival-Leon. Like Granada, Leon is set in a breathtaking location. Approaching the city from the north, we counted at least six volcanoes on the horizon, all part of the Cordillera de Maribios. As we got closer, it became obvious that […]
Skipping Managua. Part I. Granada
One clear trend in our travels is that Central American capital cities don’t get much love from us. It’s just the way it is. In Guatemala, upon arrival, we left the capital, Guatemala City, without ever seeing it. In San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, we spent only half […]