Daniel Noll, Author at Uncornered Market

The Yin and Yang of Koh Pha Ngan (Or, Yes Virginia, There Really Are People Who Suck)

by Daniel Noll

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

We often share stories of ordinary people who humble us by showing resilience and kindness in the face of challenges. In doing so, we highlight the positive — so much so that you might be thinking: “Do these guys only run into good people on their travels? Is the world really like that? Are all people around the world really that good?”

Not always. Sometimes you meet people who grind you to the edge.

And then, you must find your way back.

In Bangkok, My Feet Are Fish Food

by Daniel Noll

During our most recent visit to Bangkok, tanks full of flesh-eating fish hungry for dead skin were all the rage.

Sound like fun? We thought so.

Watch the video below to find out.

The Lesson of the Great Bavarian Wine Harvest

by Daniel Noll

Has anyone ever told you how lucky you are regarding something for which you've worked so hard? Even when they're trying to pay you a compliment, it stings a bit, doesn’t it?

After a visit to a family winery in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia this past October, I imagine that’s how winemakers sometimes feel.

During a weekend crush event at Bickel-Stumpf winery, we helped pick the season’s Cabernet Sauvignon. We enjoyed the blazing autumn sun, we ate heartily, and we tasted far too many wines. And like any roundly fulfilling experience, one of life’s lessons was reinforced along the way: the best in life is often less about glamour and more about hard work, mettle, and passion.

Travel: A Means or an End?

by Daniel Noll

We are excited to announce that we have been selected by G Adventures for their Wanderers in Residence program. In preparation for the official announcement today, we answered a few questions about our journey, including the age-old travel writing and travel blogging query, “Why do you travel?“

In doing so, we ticked off a list, gazed at our navels and stumbled onto a stickier query: Is travel merely an instrument to achieve a set of objectives or is travel an aim in itself?

Tuscan Food: Eat Your Heart Out with these Dishes and Wines

by Daniel Noll

When we think of Italy, we think of vineyard orchards populated by wild boars, happy cows and people who talk with their hands and sound like they're yelling at each other all the time even though they are really just talking about how great the tagliatelle is.

Berlin on a Bicycle: The World in an Afternoon Interlude

by Daniel Noll

Berlin, cut clouds moving quickly. Crisp autumn air. Wide streets. Unfathomable history.

We set out on borrowed bicycles. They give me pause: Audrey’s back tire has a leak and my handlebars wobble like something out of the Wizard of Oz.

I begin to move. My apprehension fades, those handlebars steadier than I imagined.

“It's like riding a bicycle,” I laugh to myself.

Life Lessons from A Tuscan Wedding

by Daniel Noll

Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.

–- Carl Sandburg

“Are you visiting Tuscany for your honeymoon?” Lorenza, our wine tasting hostess at Avignonesi winery, asked over a swirl of 2007 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

“No,” I laughed. “We're actually here for our 10th anniversary. We were married just down the road in Pienza in 2000.“

Even as the words came out, I thought: Ten years? Really?

Ten Favorite Experiences in Southern India

by Daniel Noll

We recently reminisced about the time we spent in southern India in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. We share below the images and experiences – some from a guidebook, others from grace – that we turned over in our memories from this very special part of the world.

Patagonia: Hitchhiking the Wild West of Argentine Wine

by Daniel Noll

Patagonia: the home of otherworldly landscapes, uplifted granite, glaciers, unrelenting wind, and the toughened skin of a Pinot noir grape. At the region’s northern reaches, where fabled mountains yield to desert flatlands, there are wineries.

We couchsurfed and hitchhiked our way to find them, and when we did, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we had them virtually all to ourselves.

Adventurers, read on. For those of you interested in the details of do-it-yourself wine touring in this area, read Patagonia Wine Tasting, a How To.

Where Are You From? A Nomad’s Guide to Asking and Answering the Question

by Daniel Noll

Say you moved around when you were growing up, or maybe you were raised in one place but moved away and frequently changed locations as an adult. Then you take a trip and someone asks you, “Where are you from?”

How do you answer?