“My Village, My Lobster” documentary film project about Nicaragua, official trailer release!

August 18th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Independent filmmakers Brad Allgood and Joshua Wolff have been toiling to bring the story of Nicaragua’s lobster fishermen to international viewers for years. They have just released a hard-hitting movie trailer (which you should watch if you have any interest in Nicaragua — or where that lobster tail on your plate came from) and they have started a Kickstarter to complete the final production. Please consider helping them, so they can spread this story about the fishermen of Puerto Cabezas.

I talked with Brad (who is a fellow Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Nicaragua) about the project. (more…)

Travelers on the Charms of Melbourne, “the kind of city to lose yourself in the feeling of it”

August 16th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

I occasionally like to ask my well-traveled friends about places they’ve visited which I have not. These few simple remarks could probably fill a week for a traveler to this city. What would you add to this advice? Do you agree with it?
One friend said Melbourne reminded her of her hometown, Toronto. She mentioned its Victorian era station, Flinders St., the Yarra River, the ocean, and “lovely small neighborhoods.”

(more…)

Moises Gadea: Nicaraguan singer-songwriter, new video “Soy Migrante”

August 5th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

I first met Moises Gadea in 1998, at an open-air nightclub in Managua, near La UCA (University of Central America) campus. His band, Ixmaná, a high-energy folk-rock experiment, was playing. Moises invited me on stage that night and a friendship was born.

I follow Moises’s musical career from afar now, bummed about all the gigs I’m missing in Managua bars, but happy to see him putting out new music and working on new projects all the time, like this stunning track, “Soy Migrante,” from the documentary film, “Y Me Fui” (And I went).

The video shows Moises singing in the studio in between scenes of Nicaraguans struggling to survive in the distinct landscape of their patria. “I am Nicaragua,” begins the song. It definitely makes me want to see the film—and return to the country. Enjoy: [VIDEO]

Sometimes you pick the hotel, sometimes the hotel picks you…

August 3rd, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

A Welcome Rooftop in the Heart of Pakistan

Travel Stories: Joshua Berman discovers a backpacker haven in Lahore where tales are spun, friends are made and plans are changed. (more…)

Hogs for the Gods: Thai Spirit Houses

July 20th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Every home and business in Thailand is inhabited by spirits—both good and evil—and the Thais believe these beings must be acknowledged and appeased, whether that means providing a “spirit house” in which to live on the corner of their land, a high shelf inside the house for dead ancestors, or a special offering on a table in front of your storefront. In the latter case, a succulent pig’s head, white rice, pack of smokes, bottle of whiskey, and some sweets and incense seems to do the trick. (more…)

Colorado road tripping: hot pools and buff burgers in Idaho Springs

July 15th, 2011 | By Joshua | 1 Comment »

A few days ago, a particularly fierce Rocky Mountain summer storm landed me in Idaho Springs, a narrow town in a narrow canyon, next to a very busy highway, Interstate 70. Idaho Springs is the kind of place I’ve driven through hundreds of times without ever wondering if there was more to it than coffee and gasoline, the only reasons I’ve ever stopped there. (more…)

Tea Time in Boulder: Dushanbe Prepares for 2011 Rocky Mountain Tea Festival

June 30th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Actually, I began tea time with an “orange blossom mojito” at the famous Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, a unique Persian-style building which was a gift to the people of Boulder from our sister city in Tajikistan, and is Boulder’s top tourist attraction. Dushanbe is a restaurant and teahouse with a fascinating back story and an innovative team of chefs and tea-lovers preparing the menu. My wife and I had been there for a few weddings, but never for a proper afternoon tea. (more…)

Travel Memoir to write home about: Two big thumbs up for Julian Smith’s ‘Crossing the Heart of Africa’

June 26th, 2011 | By Joshua | 3 Comments »

I first picked up Crossing the Heart of Africa: An Odyssey of Love and Adventure by Julian Smith not so much for the author’s recent route across a continent in the footsteps of some old explorer, but more for Smith’s journey from the guidebook shelves to the more exclusive “Travel Literature” shelf, that holy mish-mash of memoir, adventure-logue, and other curious bits of travel-related nonfiction.

As a writer who spends way too much of his time fact-checking hotel prices and bus departure times for my four guidebook titles — while my own book-length narrative percolates on the back burner — I sympathize with Smith’s journey from guidebook jockey to storyteller. I understand why, after penning successful Moon guides to Ecuador and the US southwest, he gave it all up to try his hand at a narrative tale. In Crossing the Heart of Africa, he succeeds brilliantly. (more…)

Uxmal Archaeological Site: A Maya Beauty in the Yucatan, Mexico

June 25th, 2011 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

Uxmal is considered one of the most beautifully designed cities in the Maya world, located 70 miles west of Chichén Itzá (and only an hour’s drive from Mérida). Its name means “Built three times,” and it was indeed destroyed and rebuilt at least that many times. Rich soils in the region allowed for large populations to thrive at Uxmal, whose highest glory was in the Late Classic (a.d. 875-900) before the Toltec overran it around a.d. 1000. I got to visit one fine, hot morning in June, 2011. Here are some photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tranquilo/sets/72157626921000751/

Merida, Mexico: New photos from the capital of the Yucatan

June 24th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Merida, the capital of the state of Yucatan, totally lived up to the hype I’d heard — namely, that it was such a lovely and remarkable colonial town. I had a chance to visit in June, 2011. Merida is not only a fun-loving city of over a million Yucatecans who love to eat and dance in the streets, it is also one of the best bases for exploring the Yucatan Peninsula’s Mundo Maya, with day trips galore to archeological sites, caves, and haciendas. Enjoy these shots.