Upbeat World Music CD takes kids to the Caribbean, Latin America, and South Africa

By Joshua | November 8th, 2011 | No Comments »

I am a complete sucker for pretty much everything produced by Putumayo Kids, the children’s and educational division of the renowned music label Putumayo World Music (for which I am an equally eager sucker). In addition to their new Kids World Party CD, Putumayo Kids has launched a collection of sticker and coloring books. I LOVE the Latin America book — it is oversized with an alluring travel scene on the cover and big, simple drawings of animals and cultural landscapes inside.

“That looks like the Banjo Billy bus,” said my four-year-old when she saw the cover. She was referring to the funky, decked-out tour bus that we often see lumbering around the streets of Boulder, Colorado.

“That’s called a ‘chicken bus,’” I explained, loving this sudden teachable opportunity the book had given me before I’d even opened it. Read the rest of this entry »

Science says 2012 date is important, but it is NOT The End: book review of David Stuart’s The Order of Days

By Joshua | November 6th, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Few Mayanist scholars command the experience and authority of David Stuart, a professor of Mesoamerican studies at the University of Austin who literally grew up amid Maya archaeological sites (his parents were also archaeologists) and who began his prodigal Maya studies career at the age of 8. Over the last few decades, Stuart has been responsible for some of the biggest breakthroughs in the decipherment of Maya iconography and hieroglyphics and he has authored numerous books on the subject. In his newest, The Order of Days: The Maya World and the Truth about 2012 (Harmony Books, New York, 2011), Stuart explains basic Maya ideas of time and calendrics while also addressing misconceptions about 2012. For, as one reviewer put it, 2012 is “an embarrassing situation to serious scholars,” many of whom have felt compelled to publish similar explanations. Still, I’m glad the 2012 hub-bub spurred Stuart to write The Order of Days, one of the most grounded, fact-based, academic-yet-readable books I’ve read on the subject.

I’m a newbie Mayaphile with many questions and in this book, Stuart clarified many things I’d been wondering about. Like, for instance, the difference between the Aztec calendar round and Maya calendars (and why they are so often confused); or a big-picture explanation of the Maya’s “deep time” inscriptions and what they mean for the bak’tun ending in 2012. I loved the mini-lectures about each of the most famous Maya stelae, vases, inscriptions, and murals — objects I’d seen before, but never accompanied by such concise explanations. Read the rest of this entry »

Denver Airport is Best Airport for Flute Music and Conspiracy Theories

By Joshua | October 28th, 2011 | No Comments »

I’ve never complained much about my hometown airport, Denver International. They’ve called it “America’s Most Inconvenient Airport” but I disagree. After all, I can walk out my front door in Boulder with a backpack on, and make it to the airport by bus in under 90 minutes (for only $5 with my RTD eco-pass and a free return).

I love that the Denver airport has a unique feel to it (especially on the Terminal A bridge, with the eternally looping peaceful and eerie Native American flute music). I also love that DEN is considered the home of some of “history’s greatest conspiracy theories,” especially in Leo Tanguma’s murals in the main terminal. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview in today’s Charlotte Observer: Foreign Correspondent page

By Joshua | October 23rd, 2011 | No Comments »

Thanks to John Bordsen, Travel Editor of the Charlotte Observer, for interviewing me in his foreign correspondent column this week: “Mayan sites worth the trip” has me rating ruins and discussing the Long Count, Tulum, and extra-terrestrials. Enjoy.

Maya 2012 Travel Show and Book Release Party: Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras

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

Join me this FRI. 21 OCT, at Nomad Theater in Boulder, 7-9 pm, as we take a little trip through the Maya region. Slide show, songs, travel stories, raffle, and autographed books for sale. ($20 for Moon Belize or Moon Nicaragua, $10 for Maya 2012.) Prizes from the Mundo world (chocolate, vanilla, and salt; free travel books, more…).

DETAILS and RSVP: BELIZE AND MAYA 2012 BOOK RELEASE AND TRAVEL EXTRAVAGANZA

Moon Maya 2012: FREE ebook till the end of October!

By Joshua | October 14th, 2011 | No Comments »

Are you an e-reader? If so, download your free copy of Moon Maya 2012: A Guide to Celebrations in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize & Honduras (retail value $2.99) on iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Sony Reader, Nook, etc. Get yours now and let me know how it looks on your machine. I would also appreciate any reviews of Maya 2012 on the download sites above. Gracias!

The free ebook deal is part of Moon Travel Guides’ promotion. The book, which offers in-depth information on traveling to the Mundo Maya 2012, is an ideal companion for travelers looking to explore the fascinating world of the Maya in 2012. Maya 2012 is unlike any guidebook you’ve ever read and unlike any I’ve ever written. Packed with strategies for planning a 2012 trip, lists of the organizations and tourism boards offering the best packages and tours, and easy-to-read maps to help travelers navigate their way through them all, Moon Maya 2012 give you the tools to create a unique trip to the Mundo Maya at a very auspicious time.

The eBook is currently available for free download at Amazon.com, the Apple iTunes store, and BarnesandNoble.com. A print version of the book is available for $7.99 USD and is available now at bookstores and online retailers.

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Thanks to Belize vacation rentals for their support.

Nicarado Event: Mi Camera, Mi Mundo Denver Photography Exhibit

By Joshua | October 3rd, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Come out this Saturday to support a worthy program for the children of Nicaragua. Mi Camera, Mi Mundo is a fantastic project that directly benefits the children of Nicaragua who are learning about photography through Empowerment International’s education program in Nicaragua. See for yourself this Saturday! Or take a sneak-peek now: these kids have created some remarkable art, which will be on display at Root Yoga in Denver, in “an exhibition and auction of limited edition photos taken by Nicaraguan children. All proceeds to go towards Empowerment International’s efforts. Keynote speaker: Travel and humanitarian photographer Colby Brown. Donate now and buy your tickets. The event is at 6:30 pm this Saturday at Root Yoga (1539 Platte St.). More on their FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE. See you there!

10 (and 1/2) Years Later: From New York City’s frigid waters, a fond memory of the towers

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

It was a particularly frigid spring in New York City in 2001, and spending five days sleeping outside was often a cold, blustery, wet affair. Each night for a week, after a day of sail school, we would dock up, lay the oars across the hull, then place our sleeping pads and bags atop that. Read the rest of this entry »

Ice-jumping video from the Continental Divide

By Joshua | September 2nd, 2011 | No Comments »

I love these guys:

Ice jumping video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IhU4UDOL5o

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

By Joshua | August 18th, 2011 | 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. Read the rest of this entry »