An immersive travel and culture documentary podcast where Peabody award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian reports fascinating stories from faraway places and makes you feel like you’re really there! On past episodes, he’s road tripped 18,000 mi. (29,000 km) from the UK to Mongolia and back, visited Iran as an American tourist, wandered through abandoned buildings in Chernobyl, and participated in a hallucinogenic healing ceremony in Peru. Learn more and view bonus content at <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

I introduce the show and describe the first season, which involved an epic, 7 week road trip from the UK to Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a> and <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>.

I introduce the show and describe the first season, which involved an epic, 7 week road trip from the UK to Mongolia. For more info, visit teamdonundestan.com and farfromhomepodcast.org.

On the first season of Far From Home, I take an 11,000 mi. / 18 country road trip in a ridiculously tiny car

Far From Home: Season 1 Trailer

Another full episode is coming out next week, but in the meantime, here’s an excerpt of a recent interview I did about my trip on my friend and colleague Paul Brubaker’s show, The Backgrounder podcast. Our conversation was recorded live on stage in Montclair, NJ, and is being used here with the permission of The Backgrounder and Direct Audio Media. To listen to the full interview, go to <a href="http://www.backgrounderpod.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BackgrounderPod.com</a> and search for episode 68.

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

Another full episode is coming out next week, but in the meantime, here’s an excerpt of a recent interview I did about my trip on my friend and colleague Paul Brubaker’s show, The Backgrounder podcast. Our conversation was recorded live on stage in Montclair, NJ, and is being used here with the permission of The Backgrounder and Direct Audio Media. To listen to the full interview, go to BackgrounderPod.com and search for episode 68.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

A bonus episode featuring me being interviewed on The Backgrounder podcast.

01a: Bonus Episode

My friend Rosi from Australia contacts my brother and me to invite us to join her on an 11,000 mile road trip this summer across Europe and Asia, and we weigh the risks, challenges, and rewards of driving to Mongolia in a tiny car that’s totally not built for such a journey.

Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

My friend Rosi from Australia contacts my brother and me to invite us to join her on an 11,000 mile road trip this summer across Europe and Asia, and we weigh the risks, challenges, and rewards of driving to Mongolia in a tiny car that’s totally not built for such a journey.
Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

The story of how this whole crazy adventure came about.

01: Getting Started

When my brother and I told our friends and family that we were planning an 11,000 mile road trip across Europe and Asia, one of the first questions they often asked was, “What kind of car?” In this episode, we seek advice on what kind of vehicle to buy, we go car shopping in London, and we learn to drive stick.

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

When my brother and I told our friends and family that we were planning an 11,000 mile road trip across Europe and Asia, one of the first questions they often asked was, “What kind of car?” In this episode, we seek advice on what kind of vehicle to buy, we go car shopping in London, and we learn to drive stick.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We make the most important decision of our entire trip: what kind of car to drive.

02: What Kind of Car Do You Drive to Mongolia?

After reading a hilarious, cringe-worthy article about the “culinary horrors of Mongolia,” we were curious what us two pescatarians would eat in the meat-loving countries of Central Asia, so my brother and I take a field trip to Cheburechnaya – an Uzbeki restaurant in Queens, NY – to find out. We also give updates on some of the many things we’ve been up to since the last episode, like getting more vaccinations and visas and taking a class to learn emergency first aid. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/planningupdate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After reading a hilarious, cringe-worthy article about the “culinary horrors of Mongolia,” we were curious what us two pescatarians would eat in the meat-loving countries of Central Asia, so my brother and I take a field trip to Cheburechnaya – an Uzbeki restaurant in Queens, NY – to find out. We also give updates on some of the many things we’ve been up to since the last episode, like getting more vaccinations and visas and taking a class to learn emergency first aid. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We figure out what two pescatarians will eat in the meat-loving countries of Central Asia.

03: What Will We Eat?

Our road trip from London to Mongolia is sure to be a fun and crazy adventure, but we’re also doing it for a good cause. On this episode of the podcast, we visit Port-au-Prince, Haiti to learn about the main charity my brother and I are supporting on our journey. Read more <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2016/9/15/for-a-good-cause" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

UPDATE: We are no longer accepting donations as part of the rally, but you can give directly to our charities by visiting the support page on our team website: <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com/support" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com/support</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

Our road trip from London to Mongolia is sure to be a fun and crazy adventure, but we’re also doing it for a good cause. On this episode of the podcast, we visit Port-au-Prince, Haiti to learn about the main charity my brother and I are supporting on our journey. Read more on my website.
UPDATE: We are no longer accepting donations as part of the rally, but you can give directly to our charities by visiting the support page on our team website: teamdonundestan.com/support
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

I travel to Haiti to introduce you to the charity we'll be supporting on our trip.

04a: For a Good Cause

I fly to London to make final preparations before our road trip to Mongolia and find myself dealing with one logistical and bureaucratic nightmare after another. We also take a basic car repair class and pick up some essential supplies for our trip. Plus, things heat up in Turkey at the last minute, leaving us scrambling to figure out our route. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/final-preparations" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

I fly to London to make final preparations before our road trip to Mongolia and find myself dealing with one logistical and bureaucratic nightmare after another. We also take a basic car repair class and pick up some essential supplies for our trip. Plus, things heat up in Turkey at the last minute, leaving us scrambling to figure out our route. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We make final preparations before setting out on our 11,000 mile journey.

04: Final Preparations Before the Big Day

After nearly a year of planning, we descend upon the Goodwood Raceway in southern England to begin our road trip to Mongolia as part of the Mongol Rally. I chat with other teams from around the world to hear their stories, and we discuss our concerns about traveling through Turkey in the aftermath of the recent political unrest. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2016/12/16/hitting-the-road" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After nearly a year of planning, we descend upon the Goodwood Raceway in southern England to begin our road trip to Mongolia as part of the Mongol Rally. I chat with other teams from around the world to hear their stories, and we discuss our concerns about traveling through Turkey in the aftermath of the recent political unrest. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After a year of planning, we go to southern England to embark upon our journey.

05: Hitting the Road

We leave southern England and set out on our road trip to Mongolia, overcoming some of our fears and throwing our plans out the window while we drive across Europe on the first leg of our journey. As we head towards the Turkish border, we continue to follow the news closely and weigh the risks of driving through the country just days after an attempted coup. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/mad-dash-across-europe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We leave southern England and set out on our road trip to Mongolia, overcoming some of our fears and throwing our plans out the window while we drive across Europe on the first leg of our journey. As we head towards the Turkish border, we continue to follow the news closely and weigh the risks of driving through the country just days after an attempted coup. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We overcome our fears and throw our plans out the window as we drive across Europe.

06: Mad Dash Across Europe

The first few days of our trip across Europe were mostly smooth sailing and uneventful, but things were about to change. On this episode, as we cross into Romania and Bulgaria, the roads get rougher, the journey becomes more interesting, and we experience our first mechanical difficulties as we continue our drive east. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/the-real-rally-begins" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

The first few days of our trip across Europe were mostly smooth sailing and uneventful, but things were about to change. On this episode, as we cross into Romania and Bulgaria, the roads get rougher, the journey becomes more interesting, and we experience our first mechanical difficulties as we continue our drive east. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

The roads get rougher and our journey becomes more interesting in Eastern Europe.

07: The Real Rally Begins

First there were a series of terrorist attacks in Istanbul and Ankara and a threat from Kurdish separatists vowing to target Turkey’s tourism industry to inflict economic harm. Then an attempted military coup followed by a government crackdown on dissent. As we followed the news in the months leading up to our planned drive across Turkey, it was easy to feel nervous and uncertain about just what we would encounter. After all the anticipation and hand-wringing, we finally cross the border and are surprised by what we see. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/3/15/not-what-we-expected" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

First there were a series of terrorist attacks in Istanbul and Ankara and a threat from Kurdish separatists vowing to target Turkey’s tourism industry to inflict economic harm. Then an attempted military coup followed by a government crackdown on dissent. As we followed the news in the months leading up to our planned drive across Turkey, it was easy to feel nervous and uncertain about just what we would encounter. After all the anticipation and hand-wringing, we finally cross the border and are surprised by what we see. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

Our road trip continues across Turkey, and we're surprised by what we see.

08: Not What We Expected

Our eighteen country road trip across Europe and Asia last summer left us with a wealth of memorable stories and experiences. But if you asked me to name the single most fascinating and thought-provoking place we visited, the answer would clearly be Iran. On this episode, we have enlightening conversations with average Iranians that make us see the country in a new light. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/3/29/an-eye-opening-experience" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

Our eighteen country road trip across Europe and Asia last summer left us with a wealth of memorable stories and experiences. But if you asked me to name the single most fascinating and thought-provoking place we visited, the answer would clearly be Iran. On this episode, we have enlightening conversations with average Iranians that make us see the country in a new light. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

As American tourists, we’re pleasantly surprised by how welcome we feel in Iran.

09: An Eye-opening Experience

“Honestly, most Americans — when they think of Iran — probably think of 3 things,” my brother said. “Desert, oil, and nuclear capabilities.” And it was true. Before our road trip across Europe and Asia last summer, we didn’t really have much of an idea what to expect. But now as we drive across Iran, we realize it’s a place where things are rarely black and white. Everywhere we turn, we see a tension between sticking to the old way of doing things and forging a new path. Listen in as we visit the country’s holiest site and have more car trouble in the middle of the desert. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/old-and-new" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

“Honestly, most Americans — when they think of Iran — probably think of 3 things,” my brother said. “Desert, oil, and nuclear capabilities.” And it was true. Before our road trip across Europe and Asia last summer, we didn’t really have much of an idea what to expect. But now as we drive across Iran, we realize it’s a place where things are rarely black and white. Everywhere we turn, we see a tension between sticking to the old way of doing things and forging a new path. Listen in as we visit the country’s holiest site and have more car trouble in the middle of the desert. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We visit Iran's holiest mosque and break down again while driving across the desert.

10: Culture Clash

While I continue to work on the next regular show, here’s a short bonus episode of some conversations I had with some other Mongol Rally teams during our stopover at Turkmenistan’s Door to Hell. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/just-plain-weird" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

While I continue to work on the next regular show, here’s a short bonus episode of some conversations I had with some other Mongol Rally teams during our stopover at Turkmenistan’s Door to Hell. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

A bonus episode of conversations with other rally teams at Turkmenistan’s Door to Hell.

11a: Bonus Episode – Voices From the Door to Hell

We visit the hermit kingdom of Turkmenistan — one of the most reclusive and authoritarian nations in the world — and we see why some visitors describe its capital city of Ashgabat as a cross between Las Vegas and Pyongyang. Paranoia sets in as we get the feeling we’re constantly being watched. And we take a side trip to a giant fire pit in the desert that’s been burning for 40 years! Read more and see photos, as well as a video of the Darvaza Gas Crater <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/just-plain-weird" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We visit the hermit kingdom of Turkmenistan — one of the most reclusive and authoritarian nations in the world — and we see why some visitors describe its capital city of Ashgabat as a cross between Las Vegas and Pyongyang. Paranoia sets in as we get the feeling we’re constantly being watched. And we take a side trip to a giant fire pit in the desert that’s been burning for 40 years! Read more and see photos, as well as a video of the Darvaza Gas Crater on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We visit Turkmenistan, a profoundly odd country where we feel like we’re being watched.

11: Just Plain Weird

Driving a small, crappy car was a prerequisite for anyone participating in the Mongol Rally. The point was to make the journey more exciting and adventurous. We liked the idea at first, but now we’d broken down yet again, and our mechanical issues this time were worse than ever. After getting a hole in our radiator while driving across eastern Turkmenistan, we get towed to a garage where they repair the leak, but things take a turn for the worse. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/breaking-down" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

Driving a small, crappy car was a prerequisite for anyone participating in the Mongol Rally. The point was to make the journey more exciting and adventurous. We liked the idea at first, but now we’d broken down yet again, and our mechanical issues this time were worse than ever. After getting a hole in our radiator while driving across eastern Turkmenistan, we get towed to a garage where they repair the leak, but things take a turn for the worse. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

A mechanic in eastern Turkmenistan repairs the hole in our radiator, but our car still won't start.

12: Breaking Down

When it comes to welcoming foreign tourists, Turkmenistan is close to the bottom of the list. It was hard enough to get visas in the first place, and when we did, they were only good for 5 days. Now broken down with serious car problems, we had to try to convince officials to give us more time. Alternately, we could throw in the towel and tow the car all the way to the border to try to get it fixed on the Uzbekistan side, but would the border guards even let us in with a car that wouldn’t start? Suddenly, our little road trip had turned into an international bureaucratic dilemma, and the next 24 hours were sure to be interesting as we sorted this one out. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/should-we-stay" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

When it comes to welcoming foreign tourists, Turkmenistan is close to the bottom of the list. It was hard enough to get visas in the first place, and when we did, they were only good for 5 days. Now broken down with serious car problems, we had to try to convince officials to give us more time. Alternately, we could throw in the towel and tow the car all the way to the border to try to get it fixed on the Uzbekistan side, but would the border guards even let us in with a car that wouldn’t start? Suddenly, our little road trip had turned into an international bureaucratic dilemma, and the next 24 hours were sure to be interesting as we sorted this one out. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After our car breaks down in Turkmenistan, we run into trouble trying to get it fixed

13: Should We Stay or Should We Go?

In the three weeks since we started our journey, we’d broken down about 4 times, been to half a dozen mechanics, and tried all sorts of stop-gap measures to solve our car issues, but there was still some sort of big underlying problem whose name we didn’t yet know. Now at another mechanic in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, we were about to find out. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/12/from-bad-to-worse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

In the three weeks since we started our journey, we’d broken down about 4 times, been to half a dozen mechanics, and tried all sorts of stop-gap measures to solve our car issues, but there was still some sort of big underlying problem whose name we didn’t yet know. Now at another mechanic in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, we were about to find out. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After towing our broken down car to Bukhara, Uzbekistan, we finally get a proper diagnosis of what's wrong with it.

14: From Bad to Worse

When we first learned that it would take a week for our car to get repaired, we figured we’d have some time to relax and explore the historic city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. But instead we’re hit with a variety of unforeseen challenges: our friends Rosi and Jane’s visas are about to expire, the four of us contract some sort of nasty stomach bug, and we learn that we might not be able to enter Mongolia after all. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2018/1/4/whatever-it-takes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

When we first learned that it would take a week for our car to get repaired, we figured we’d have some time to relax and explore the historic city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. But instead we’re hit with a variety of unforeseen challenges: our friends Rosi and Jane’s visas are about to expire, the four of us contract some sort of nasty stomach bug, and we learn that we might not be able to enter Mongolia after all. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

While we wait for our car to be repaired in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, we encounter an endless list of unexpected challenges.

15: Whatever It Takes

Our car was running once again, but now we faced a handful of new mechanical issues, just as we were about to embark on the roughest part of our journey yet: a 600 mile stretch of mostly unpaved and mountainous road along the Tajikistan - Afghanistan border that’s considered one of the most spectacular and potentially dangerous routes in the world. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2018/road-gets-rougher" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

Our car was running once again, but now we faced a handful of new mechanical issues, just as we were about to embark on the roughest part of our journey yet: a 600 mile stretch of mostly unpaved and mountainous road along the Tajikistan - Afghanistan border that’s considered one of the most spectacular and potentially dangerous routes in the world. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We drive along the Afghan border on one of the most spectacular and potentially dangerous roads in the world

16: The Roads Get Rougher

The mountainous Pamir Highway in Tajikistan was precisely the type of terrain that our 1-liter Nissan Micra hatchback was not suited to handle. One of our friends had described it as a car “that you would expect a 60-year-old woman to drive to the supermarket twice a week,” and now we were pushing it to ever-greater extremes, keeping our fingers crossed that it would somehow persevere. So we weren’t totally surprised when our luck eventually ran out. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2018/episode-17" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

The mountainous Pamir Highway in Tajikistan was precisely the type of terrain that our 1-liter Nissan Micra hatchback was not suited to handle. One of our friends had described it as a car “that you would expect a 60-year-old woman to drive to the supermarket twice a week,” and now we were pushing it to ever-greater extremes, keeping our fingers crossed that it would somehow persevere. So we weren’t totally surprised when our luck eventually ran out. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After camping at 13,000 feet, our car refuses to start, and we get stranded in the most remote place we've been.

17: Stranded

We were in an extremely remote section of eastern Tajikistan, and we’d just received news that our car’s engine might not last much longer. Left with few options, the best we could do was to keep going, keeping our fingers crossed that our luck would hold out. In the midst of it all, our route was about to take us over a mountain pass that was nearly 3 miles high. Then we end up getting horribly lost in Kyrgyzstan on a rocky dirt road with dozens of switchbacks, and we have no idea where we’ll spend the night! Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2018/wrongway" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We were in an extremely remote section of eastern Tajikistan, and we’d just received news that our car’s engine might not last much longer. Left with few options, the best we could do was to keep going, keeping our fingers crossed that our luck would hold out. In the midst of it all, our route was about to take us over a mountain pass that was nearly 3 miles high. Then we end up getting horribly lost in Kyrgyzstan on a rocky dirt road with dozens of switchbacks, and we have no idea where we’ll spend the night! Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After being told our car is on its last legs, we face several new challenges: climbing to the top of a 15k ft. mountain pass and getting horribly lost.

18: Wrong Way

When my brother and I told friends we’d be driving across Kazakhstan, we got plenty of jokes about Borat, but we were about to find out that the real-life nation of Kazakhstan was almost nothing like what was portrayed on the screen. Far from being backwards and uncivilized, the country we experienced was fascinating, friendly, and full of surprises. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2018/episode-19" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

When my brother and I told friends we’d be driving across Kazakhstan, we got plenty of jokes about Borat, but we were about to find out that the real-life nation of Kazakhstan was almost nothing like what was portrayed on the screen. Far from being backwards and uncivilized, the country we experienced was fascinating, friendly, and full of surprises. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

Borat jokes aside, Kazakhstan turns out to be fascinating, friendly, and full of surprises.

19: One Surprise After Another

Mongolia is a place of wide open spaces and little vegetation. It’s the the land of Genghis Khan, nomadic culture. and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmNBuHsUtB4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">yodeling dance music</a>. It’s a country that’s twice the size of Texas, but with only 3 million people, it has the lowest population density of any nation on earth. It’s also a place with notoriously bad roads, where the main east-west routes are often little more than tracks through the dirt. Maps and satellite GPS are of little navigational help, and signs are few and far between. Throw in some river crossings for added entertainment, and – as we found out – traversing the country can be quite an adventure! Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2018/going-gets-tough" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

Mongolia is a place of wide open spaces and little vegetation. It’s the the land of Genghis Khan, nomadic culture. and yodeling dance music. It’s a country that’s twice the size of Texas, but with only 3 million people, it has the lowest population density of any nation on earth. It’s also a place with notoriously bad roads, where the main east-west routes are often little more than tracks through the dirt. Maps and satellite GPS are of little navigational help, and signs are few and far between. Throw in some river crossings for added entertainment, and – as we found out – traversing the country can be quite an adventure! Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We finally arrive in Mongolia and see that its notoriously bad roads live up to their reputation!

20: The Going Gets Tough

After getting stuck driving across a shallow river in Mongolia, my brother and I make the fateful decision to veer off the main path onto another trail that seems like it might be easier. Unfortunately, it’s not long before we realize we’ve made a terrible mistake. Now we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no other signs of life for miles in any direction. Having exhausted all our options, we seek shelter in an abandoned-looking building and contact the American embassy for help. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2018/costly-mistake" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After getting stuck driving across a shallow river in Mongolia, my brother and I make the fateful decision to veer off the main path onto another trail that seems like it might be easier. Unfortunately, it’s not long before we realize we’ve made a terrible mistake. Now we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no other signs of life for miles in any direction. Having exhausted all our options, we seek shelter in an abandoned-looking building and contact the American embassy for help. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After our cars get stranded in Mongolia, we contact the embassy and wait for help to arrive.

21: A Costly Mistake

After a series of bad decisions, my brother and I had ended up stranded with our friends at the bottom of an incredibly steep and rocky hill in a really remote part of Mongolia. We’d sent a text by satellite to the American embassy in Mongolia’s capital who dispatched a rescue team, and when that team couldn’t find us, they sent a second team.  Help finally arrived after dark, but this would be no simple rescue. Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2018/12/24/the-longest-day-ever" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After a series of bad decisions, my brother and I had ended up stranded with our friends at the bottom of an incredibly steep and rocky hill in a really remote part of Mongolia. We’d sent a text by satellite to the American embassy in Mongolia’s capital who dispatched a rescue team, and when that team couldn’t find us, they sent a second team.  Help finally arrived after dark, but this would be no simple rescue. Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

A combination of bad decisions and really bad luck lead to a complicated rescue and a really long day!

22: The Longest Day Ever

We’d spent 7 weeks driving nearly 11,000 miles across Europe and Asia, and although we were nearing the end of our journey, we still had a series of challenges ahead. Our route in the coming days would take us across some of the roughest terrain we’d encounter our entire trip, and our car problems would continue, but after hearing stories from some of the other rally teams, we realized our situation could have been far worse. Plus the hardships along the way only make getting to the end all the more rewarding! Read more and see photos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2019/finish-line" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

We’d spent 7 weeks driving nearly 11,000 miles across Europe and Asia, and although we were nearing the end of our journey, we still had a series of challenges ahead. Our route in the coming days would take us across some of the roughest terrain we’d encounter our entire trip, and our car problems would continue, but after hearing stories from some of the other rally teams, we realized our situation could have been far worse. Plus the hardships along the way only make getting to the end all the more rewarding! Read more and see photos on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After 53 days and 11,000 miles on the road, we finally near the finish line of our journey!

23: The Finish Line!

After driving 11,000 miles over the course of seven weeks, we finally reached the finish line of the Mongol Rally, and everything was suddenly over. There was no more waking up early to hit the road, driving 12 hours to make up for lost time, and arriving at our destination long after dark. No more tow trucks or tow ropes, restaurants serving meat from another strange animal, or sleeping in uncomfortable beds in sketchy hotel rooms that desperately needed a remodel. No more use for Google Translate or need to hand over bottles of vodka to police officers as bribes.  And you know what? As crazy as it sounds, we kind of missed it! On this final episode of Far From Home season one, I take a look back at our journey, give some updates, and talk about what it was like finishing this adventure and returning to normal, everyday life.

Read more a see a video of some highlights from our journey <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/looking-back" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a> and <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teamdonundestan.com</a>. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

After driving 11,000 miles over the course of seven weeks, we finally reached the finish line of the Mongol Rally, and everything was suddenly over. There was no more waking up early to hit the road, driving 12 hours to make up for lost time, and arriving at our destination long after dark. No more tow trucks or tow ropes, restaurants serving meat from another strange animal, or sleeping in uncomfortable beds in sketchy hotel rooms that desperately needed a remodel. No more use for Google Translate or need to hand over bottles of vodka to police officers as bribes.  And you know what? As crazy as it sounds, we kind of missed it! On this final episode of Far From Home season one, I take a look back at our journey, give some updates, and talk about what it was like finishing this adventure and returning to normal, everyday life.
Read more a see a video of some highlights from our journey on my website.
Far From Home is a series, so it’s best to listen to all the episodes in order from the beginning for the story to make the most sense. Learn more about our trip and follow our adventures at farfromhomepodcast.org and teamdonundestan.com. And if you like what you hear, please do me a favor and leave a quick rating or review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

I look back at our 11,000 mi. journey and discuss what it was like returning to everyday life.

24: Looking Back

People often say it’s a small world, but there are giant parts of the planet that most people never think about and billions of stories they’ve never heard. On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian visits some of those places, documenting his unexpected adventures and chance encounters with interesting people wherever he goes. For more info, visit <a href="http://www.farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>.

People often say it’s a small world, but there are giant parts of the planet that most people never think about and billions of stories they’ve never heard. On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian visits some of those places, documenting his unexpected adventures and chance encounters with interesting people wherever he goes. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org.

On season 2 of Far From Home, we venture to more far-flung places and continue telling stories off the beaten path

Far From Home: Season 2 trailer

If you’ve seen or heard about the recent HBO dramatic miniseries about Chernobyl, you might have wondered what it’s really like there today. I take a trip to the abandoned villages surrounding the reactor to find out for myself. Read more about my visit and see photos and videos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/0201" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

If you’ve seen or heard about the recent HBO dramatic miniseries about Chernobyl, you might have wondered what it’s really like there today. I take a trip to the abandoned villages surrounding the reactor to find out for myself. Read more about my visit and see photos and videos on my website.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

I take a trip to Ukraine to visit the abandoned villages surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

Visiting Chernobyl

For more than 80 years, Tokyo, Japan’s Tsukiji fish market had a reputation for supplying some of the freshest and best quality seafood anywhere. But over the decades, it had become overcrowded, unsanitary, and unsafe. After years of planning, the city decided to move the market last fall to a larger and more modern facility about a mile-and-a-half away. Despite the obvious benefits, there were also plenty of complaints that the new location was harder to get to, felt sterile and soulless, and simply lacked the charm of the old Tsukiji. I had the opportunity to visit Tsukiji for one last time and witness one of its famous early morning tuna auctions.

Read more about my visit and see photos and videos <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/0202" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

For more than 80 years, Tokyo, Japan’s Tsukiji fish market had a reputation for supplying some of the freshest and best quality seafood anywhere. But over the decades, it had become overcrowded, unsanitary, and unsafe. After years of planning, the city decided to move the market last fall to a larger and more modern facility about a mile-and-a-half away. Despite the obvious benefits, there were also plenty of complaints that the new location was harder to get to, felt sterile and soulless, and simply lacked the charm of the old Tsukiji. I had the opportunity to visit Tsukiji for one last time and witness one of its famous early morning tuna auctions.
Read more about my visit and see photos and videos on my website.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

I attend the early morning tuna auction at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market before it closes for good

The Largest Fish Market in the World

Throat singing is one of the world’s oldest forms of music. It’s practiced by indigenous groups in several parts of the world, including South Africa and the Canadian Arctic. But mostly when people talk about throat singing, they’re referring to the style performed in the remote Russian republic of Tuva, which the local people call khoomei. It’s an ancient practice created by the nomadic people of Central Asia who were trying to mimic sounds of nature like the songs of birds, a babbling brook, or even the growls of a camel. On this episode of Far From Home, I visit the city of Kyzyl in the Republic of Tuva to learn about traditional music and instruments, and to try to learn to throat sing myself.

Read more about my visit and see photos and videos of the Tuvan National Orchestra <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/0203" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a>

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

Throat singing is one of the world’s oldest forms of music. It’s practiced by indigenous groups in several parts of the world, including South Africa and the Canadian Arctic. But mostly when people talk about throat singing, they’re referring to the style performed in the remote Russian republic of Tuva, which the local people call khoomei. It’s an ancient practice created by the nomadic people of Central Asia who were trying to mimic sounds of nature like the songs of birds, a babbling brook, or even the growls of a camel. On this episode of Far From Home, I visit the city of Kyzyl in the Republic of Tuva to learn about traditional music and instruments, and to try to learn to throat sing myself.
Read more about my visit and see photos and videos of the Tuvan National Orchestra on my website.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

I visit the remote Russian republic of Tuva to learn about the traditional music and take a throat singing class

Learning to Throat Sing

In 1998, political leaders in Northern Ireland signed a peace agreement they hoped would end the Troubles, a 30 year period of armed conflict between Catholic nationalists and Protestant loyalists. Decades later, the situation has improved, but cities like Belfast remain divided by dozens of fences and walls separating the two communities. And removing them isn’t going to be easy. On this episode of Far From Home, I visit Northern Ireland to learn about the history and speak to residents about why the walls are still standing.

This documentary was produced in collaboration with my friends at the excellent podcast 99% Invisible, which you should definitely check out if you aren’t already a listener. <a href="https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/peace-lines/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Visit their website</a> for more background information about this story and to hear an extended conversation between host Roman Mars and me (starting around 28:30 into episode 367) about the connection between the peace walls and Brexit, the ongoing divisions between Catholics and Protestants, and a very funny television show that’s helping to bring them together.

Also, visit<a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/0204" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> my website </a>to see photos and an interactive map of the peace walls in Northern Ireland.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

In 1998, political leaders in Northern Ireland signed a peace agreement they hoped would end the Troubles, a 30 year period of armed conflict between Catholic nationalists and Protestant loyalists. Decades later, the situation has improved, but cities like Belfast remain divided by dozens of fences and walls separating the two communities. And removing them isn’t going to be easy. On this episode of Far From Home, I visit Northern Ireland to learn about the history and speak to residents about why the walls are still standing.
This documentary was produced in collaboration with my friends at the excellent podcast 99% Invisible, which you should definitely check out if you aren’t already a listener. Visit their website for more background information about this story and to hear an extended conversation between host Roman Mars and me (starting around 28:30 into episode 367) about the connection between the peace walls and Brexit, the ongoing divisions between Catholics and Protestants, and a very funny television show that’s helping to bring them together.
Also, visit my website to see photos and an interactive map of the peace walls in Northern Ireland.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

In Belfast, walls and fences continue to divide Protestants and Catholics, 20 years after fighting officially ended.

Another Brick in the Wall

Lucho is a traditional medicine man who describes himself as a "curandero," or someone who heals. Using medicinal herbs, archeological relics, and hallucinogenic plants (as well as some special powers), he claims to have rid himself of diabetes and his father of cancer. He regularly travels around Peru treating people with all sorts of ailments. On this episode of Far From Home, I travel to Lima and join Lucho as he goes on a journey, searching for a star-shaped stone with supposed magical powers that he saw in a vision.

<a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/0205" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Visit my website </a>to see photos from my trip to the traditional medicine market in the northern Peruvian city of Chiclayo.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

Lucho is a traditional medicine man who describes himself as a "curandero," or someone who heals. Using medicinal herbs, archeological relics, and hallucinogenic plants (as well as some special powers), he claims to have rid himself of diabetes and his father of cancer. He regularly travels around Peru treating people with all sorts of ailments. On this episode of Far From Home, I travel to Lima and join Lucho as he goes on a journey, searching for a star-shaped stone with supposed magical powers that he saw in a vision.
Visit my website to see photos from my trip to the traditional medicine market in the northern Peruvian city of Chiclayo.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

I go to Peru and tag along with a traditional medicine man as he searches for a stone with magical powers

Medicine Man

As a follow-up to <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/206" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my last episode</a>, I present the story of my friend Dennis, who also tried ayahuasca in Peru and seemed to be immune to its effects.

Select music in this episode was licensed from composer <a href="http://www.anthonykozar.net/music/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anthony Kozar</a> under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

As a follow-up to my last episode, I present the story of my friend Dennis, who also tried ayahuasca in Peru and seemed to be immune to its effects.
Select music in this episode was licensed from composer Anthony Kozar under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

My friend Dennis tells the story of the time he tried ayahuasca in Peru, and how it didn't affect him either.

Ayahuasca - bonus episode

In the previous episode of Far From Home, I visited Lima, Peru, where I met a traditional medicine man named Lucho. This time, I accompany him to a healing ceremony where he uses a hallucinogenic brew called ayahuasca. I also speak with an anthropologist to learn more about the history of shamanism. <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/206" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Visit my website </a>to see some photos from the ceremony.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

In the previous episode of Far From Home, I visited Lima, Peru, where I met a traditional medicine man named Lucho. This time, I accompany him to a healing ceremony where he uses a hallucinogenic brew called ayahuasca. I also speak with an anthropologist to learn more about the history of shamanism. Visit my website to see some photos from the ceremony.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

In Peru, I attend a traditional healing ceremony where people drink a hallucinogenic potion called ayahuasca

Ayahuasca

I feel like several of the trips I’ve taken in recent years have been to places people have urged me to go while I still can, or at least before things change. On today’s show, I visit Cambodia, which is one such place that’s changed dramatically, where the present no longer looks like the past. First I go to Angkor Wat, which had just 8000 tourists in 1993, but 2.5 million by 2018. Then I take a ride on Battambang’s famous bamboo railway, which was moved to a new location the year after my trip.

<a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/0207" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Visit my website </a>to see photos of the crowd watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat and a video of my brother and me riding the bamboo railway.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

I feel like several of the trips I’ve taken in recent years have been to places people have urged me to go while I still can, or at least before things change. On today’s show, I visit Cambodia, which is one such place that’s changed dramatically, where the present no longer looks like the past. First I go to Angkor Wat, which had just 8000 tourists in 1993, but 2.5 million by 2018. Then I take a ride on Battambang’s famous bamboo railway, which was moved to a new location the year after my trip.
Visit my website to see photos of the crowd watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat and a video of my brother and me riding the bamboo railway.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

I travel to Cambodia and visit places that are no longer the way they used to be 

Before It's Too Late

When he was growing up in Southern California, Addi Somekh wasn't quite sure what to do with his life. But he knew from a young age that he wanted to "spread warmth" and make other people happy. On this week’s episode, the unusual story of how Addi’s quest to do just that set him off on a worldwide mission to make people laugh. Addi and his friend Charlie hatch a plan to travel around the globe making balloon hats for people, but what at first sounds like a fun and quirky adventure turns out to be far more meaningful than they ever could have imagined!

<a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/0208" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Visit my website </a>to see some of Charlie’s amazing photos of people around the world wearing Addi’s balloon hats, and for links to his balloon art, his balloon bass music, his reality TV show, and the documentary that was made about his travels.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

When he was growing up in Southern California, Addi Somekh wasn't quite sure what to do with his life. But he knew from a young age that he wanted to "spread warmth" and make other people happy. On this week’s episode, the unusual story of how Addi’s quest to do just that set him off on a worldwide mission to make people laugh. Addi and his friend Charlie hatch a plan to travel around the globe making balloon hats for people, but what at first sounds like a fun and quirky adventure turns out to be far more meaningful than they ever could have imagined!
Visit my website to see some of Charlie’s amazing photos of people around the world wearing Addi’s balloon hats, and for links to his balloon art, his balloon bass music, his reality TV show, and the documentary that was made about his travels.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

The remarkable story of Addi Somekh's worldwide travels, spreading  peace and joy through balloon hats

Balloon Hats

This upcoming January marks the tenth anniversary of the massive earthquake in Haiti. It came on a Tuesday afternoon, 12 days into the new year, and destroyed or severely damaged a quarter of a million homes, killing more than 100,000 people. Eight months later, in September of 2010, I traveled to Haiti with several journalist colleagues to document the country’s slow recovery process. On today’s episode, I revisit my journey and some of the reporting I did, and I check in with Haitian freelance journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/gaetantguevara" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Etant Dupain</a> to see where things stand in Haiti today.

<a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/0209" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Visit my website </a>to see some photos and videos I took during my trip and for a list of worthwhile organizations if you’d like to make a donation to help the Haitian people.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

This upcoming January marks the tenth anniversary of the massive earthquake in Haiti. It came on a Tuesday afternoon, 12 days into the new year, and destroyed or severely damaged a quarter of a million homes, killing more than 100,000 people. Eight months later, in September of 2010, I traveled to Haiti with several journalist colleagues to document the country’s slow recovery process. On today’s episode, I revisit my journey and some of the reporting I did, and I check in with Haitian freelance journalist Etant Dupain to see where things stand in Haiti today.
Visit my website to see some photos and videos I took during my trip and for a list of worthwhile organizations if you’d like to make a donation to help the Haitian people.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

A decade after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I revisit my reporting and get an update on the situation

Haiti: Ten Years Later

This week’s episode is a bit different from what I normally do on the show. I’ve been getting a lot of questions and comments from listeners recently, so I thought I’d spend some time today answering some of them and sharing a bit of the feedback I’ve received. Some of you were also curious about my background and how I created Far From Home, so in the second half of the program, I’m featuring a recent interview I did with Corey Cambridge on his show, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/opp-with-corey-cambridge/id1436706262" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OPP (Other People’s Podcast)</a>, where I talk a little more about the path that led me into podcasting and the thinking that goes into my show.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

This week’s episode is a bit different from what I normally do on the show. I’ve been getting a lot of questions and comments from listeners recently, so I thought I’d spend some time today answering some of them and sharing a bit of the feedback I’ve received. Some of you were also curious about my background and how I created Far From Home, so in the second half of the program, I’m featuring a recent interview I did with Corey Cambridge on his show, OPP (Other People’s Podcast), where I talk a little more about the path that led me into podcasting and the thinking that goes into my show.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

On this episode, I share listener comments, respond to some questions, and talk more about my background

Meet Your Maker

While driving across Russia on my way home from the Mongol Rally (the story I documented on the first season of this podcast), I had several conversations and interactions with people in Russia and Kazakhstan that surprised and even baffled me. So on this episode, I call up <a href="https://twitter.com/cwmiii3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Charles Maynes</a>, an American public radio journalist based in Moscow, to help me interpret and understand Russian culture. If you want to hear some of Charles’s reporting, I highly recommend the <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/showcase/spacebridge" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spacebridge documentary series </a>he co-produced that ran on PRX’s Showcase podcast.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

While driving across Russia on my way home from the Mongol Rally (the story I documented on the first season of this podcast), I had several conversations and interactions with people in Russia and Kazakhstan that surprised and even baffled me. So on this episode, I call up Charles Maynes, an American public radio journalist based in Moscow, to help me interpret and understand Russian culture. If you want to hear some of Charles’s reporting, I highly recommend the Spacebridge documentary series he co-produced that ran on PRX’s Showcase podcast.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

I enlist the help of an American journalist in Moscow to help me interpret and understand Russian culture

Mother Russia

The historical accounts are a bit fuzzy, but the way the story is commonly told, Caribbean slaves in the 18th century gained a day of freedom two times a year, on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) and New Year’s Day. They made costumes and played music to celebrate, and over the centuries, that tradition evolved into what’s now know as the annual <a href="https://www.bahamas.com/junkanoo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Junkanoo festival</a>, an all-night parade through the streets that’s been compared to Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in Brazil.

On this episode of Far From Home, I visit Nassau in The Bahamas, which is home to the largest and most well-known of the celebrations. I speak with several participants to learn more about the festival and why they look forward to it each year around this time.

<a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/0212" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Visit my website </a>to see some photos and videos my brother took when we attended the Junkanoo Festival a number of years ago.

The Bahamas are still recovering from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_Hurricane_Dorian_in_The_Bahamas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">awful devastation of Hurricane Dorian</a> a few months ago. If you’d like to make a donation to help, I suggest contacting <a href="https://solrelief.org/dorian/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sol Relief</a> or <a href="https://support.worldhope.org/us-emergency-relief-2019/RespondNow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">World Hope International.</a>

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

The historical accounts are a bit fuzzy, but the way the story is commonly told, Caribbean slaves in the 18th century gained a day of freedom two times a year, on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) and New Year’s Day. They made costumes and played music to celebrate, and over the centuries, that tradition evolved into what’s now know as the annual Junkanoo festival, an all-night parade through the streets that’s been compared to Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in Brazil.
On this episode of Far From Home, I visit Nassau in The Bahamas, which is home to the largest and most well-known of the celebrations. I speak with several participants to learn more about the festival and why they look forward to it each year around this time.
Visit my website to see some photos and videos my brother took when we attended the Junkanoo Festival a number of years ago.
The Bahamas are still recovering from the awful devastation of Hurricane Dorian a few months ago. If you’d like to make a donation to help, I suggest contacting Sol Relief or World Hope International.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

A visit to the annual Junkanoo parade in The Bahamas, an all-night celebration of music and dance

Junkanoo

In light of the recent political developments that briefly brought the US and Iran to the brink of war, I’m re-releasing an excerpt of a story I produced for the first season of Far From Home. It’s about the time a few years ago when I drove through Iran with my brother Drew and our friends Jane and Rosi as part of an <a href="http://www.teamdonundestan.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">11,000 mile road trip we took</a> across Europe and Asia, raising money for charity. Along the way, we had enlightening conversations with average Iranians that made us see their country in a totally new light.

You can read more and see photos that accompany this episode <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/2017/3/29/an-eye-opening-experience" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on my website.</a> To listen to this complete story, as well as my other stories from Iran and the rest of my road trip, go back and check out the first season of this podcast. Note that it’s a series, so it’s best to start at the very beginning and listen to all the episodes in order for the story to make the most sense.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

In light of the recent political developments that briefly brought the US and Iran to the brink of war, I’m re-releasing an excerpt of a story I produced for the first season of Far From Home. It’s about the time a few years ago when I drove through Iran with my brother Drew and our friends Jane and Rosi as part of an 11,000 mile road trip we took across Europe and Asia, raising money for charity. Along the way, we had enlightening conversations with average Iranians that made us see their country in a totally new light.
You can read more and see photos that accompany this episode on my website. To listen to this complete story, as well as my other stories from Iran and the rest of my road trip, go back and check out the first season of this podcast. Note that it’s a series, so it’s best to start at the very beginning and listen to all the episodes in order for the story to make the most sense.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

A story from my drive across Iran in the summer of 2016, when I met the friendlist people in the world

Revisiting Iran

While Far From Home is on a break between seasons, I’m popping into your feed from time to time to share segments from other shows I’ve enjoyed that I think all of you might like as well. Today I’m featuring an episode from <a href="https://www.theradiovagabond.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Radio Vagabond podcast</a>, where Danish radio producer Palle Bo tells stories from his travels, kind of like I do. This time he goes to a place I’m not quite brave enough to go myself, at least not right now, and not as a journalist: North Korea. You can read more about Palle’s journey and see some picture he took <a href="https://www.theradiovagabond.com/north-korea-travel/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on his website</a>.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

While Far From Home is on a break between seasons, I’m popping into your feed from time to time to share segments from other shows I’ve enjoyed that I think all of you might like as well. Today I’m featuring an episode from The Radio Vagabond podcast, where Danish radio producer Palle Bo tells stories from his travels, kind of like I do. This time he goes to a place I’m not quite brave enough to go myself, at least not right now, and not as a journalist: North Korea. You can read more about Palle’s journey and see some picture he took on his website.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

A story from The Radio Vagabond podcast about what it's like to visit North Korea as a tourist

Touring North Korea with The Radio Vagabond (bonus episode)

With a global pandemic, canceled flights, and closed borders, many travelers suddenly found themselves trapped in foreign countries, trying to figure out how to get home, even if they thought they were taking all the necessary precautions. I share the story of one of them. And I tell what happened when the virus recently came to my own household.

Select music in this episode was licensed from composer <a href="http://www.anthonykozar.net/music/ambient/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anthony Kozar</a> under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

With a global pandemic, canceled flights, and closed borders, many travelers suddenly found themselves trapped in foreign countries, trying to figure out how to get home, even if they thought they were taking all the necessary precautions. I share the story of one of them. And I tell what happened when the virus recently came to my own household.
Select music in this episode was licensed from composer Anthony Kozar under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

We hear from an American traveler who was stranded abroad as a result of coronavirus

No Place Like Home

As the world is consumed by COVID-19, I check in with author and American expat Tiffany Parks, who lives on the outskirts of Rome, to get a sense of what things are like in Italy right now. Then, in my quest to find positive stories to share in this dispiriting time, I play an episode of <a href="http://www.thebittersweetlife.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Bittersweet Life</a> — the travel podcast Tiffany co-hosts with her friend Katy Sewall — about so-called travel angels, the unsung, everyday heroes who assist in small and not-so-small ways when we’re in a foreign place and need a helping hand.

This episode includes the song <a href="http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100456" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">“Impromptu in Blue,”</a> which was licensed from composer Kevin MacLeod under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution license</a>.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

As the world is consumed by COVID-19, I check in with author and American expat Tiffany Parks, who lives on the outskirts of Rome, to get a sense of what things are like in Italy right now. Then, in my quest to find positive stories to share in this dispiriting time, I play an episode of The Bittersweet Life — the travel podcast Tiffany co-hosts with her friend Katy Sewall — about so-called travel angels, the unsung, everyday heroes who assist in small and not-so-small ways when we’re in a foreign place and need a helping hand.
This episode includes the song “Impromptu in Blue,” which was licensed from composer Kevin MacLeod under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

We hear how COVID-19 is affecting Italy, and we listen to an episode of The Bittersweet Life podcast

Finding the Helpers (with The Bittersweet Life)

As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, I speak with Istanbul-based author and journalist Fariba Nawa about what the situation is like where she lives in Turkey. Then I play a recent episode of her podcast, <a href="https://medium.com/onspec" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">On Spec</a>, where she tells the story of her photographer friend Hilaneh Mahmoudi’s personal experience battling the virus.

If you enjoy this episode, check out <a href="https://medium.com/onspec/this-thing-finds-its-way-a-photographer-grapples-with-covid19-in-turkey-f13d3009e84a" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hilaneh’s photo essay </a>of what she went through. And listen to other shows in the On Spec archive wherever you get your podcasts.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, I speak with Istanbul-based author and journalist Fariba Nawa about what the situation is like where she lives in Turkey. Then I play a recent episode of her podcast, On Spec, where she tells the story of her photographer friend Hilaneh Mahmoudi’s personal experience battling the virus.
If you enjoy this episode, check out Hilaneh’s photo essay of what she went through. And listen to other shows in the On Spec archive wherever you get your podcasts.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Journalist Fariba Nawa tells me how COVID-19 is affecting Turkey, and she shares an episode of her podcast, On Spec

Pandemic Diary (with On Spec)

In light of the recent protests for racial justice across the United States and around the world, I chat with two African American friends about what it’s like to travel as a Black person, both in their own country and abroad. The stories they tell are sometimes funny and sometimes sad, but always eye-opening, and they shed light on what it’s like to constantly stick out from the crowd, even when you’re just trying your best to fit in.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

In light of the recent protests for racial justice across the United States and around the world, I chat with two African American friends about what it’s like to travel as a Black person, both in their own country and abroad. The stories they tell are sometimes funny and sometimes sad, but always eye-opening, and they shed light on what it’s like to constantly stick out from the crowd, even when you’re just trying your best to fit in.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Funny and sad stories of what it's like being an African American traveling in their own country and abroad

Traveling While Black

If you were forced to quarantine as a result of COVID-19 and could only hang out with members of one other household, who would you choose? On the latest episode of Far From Home, writer and filmmaker <a href="https://twitter.com/hickeycommamike/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mike Hickey</a> tells me how a government experiment that limited the number of people he and his fellow residents of Newfoundland, Canada could interact with forced many people to make difficult and stressful choices. I also play some excerpts from Mike’s <a href="https://anchor.fm/hickeycommamike" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Double Your Bubble podcast</a>, where he speaks to his friends about how they made their decisions.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

If you were forced to quarantine as a result of COVID-19 and could only hang out with members of one other household, who would you choose? On the latest episode of Far From Home, writer and filmmaker Mike Hickey tells me how a government experiment that limited the number of people he and his fellow residents of Newfoundland, Canada could interact with forced many people to make difficult and stressful choices. I also play some excerpts from Mike’s Double Your Bubble podcast, where he speaks to his friends about how they made their decisions.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Canadians in Newfoundland try an experiment in social distancing that forces them to make difficult decisions

Double Your Bubble, Double Your Fun

From the 1930s to the 1960s, Black motorists driving across the United States and Canada often brought along a copy of The Negro Travelers’ Green Book, which was a sort of AAA guide that told them which gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses were safe for them to stop at, and which areas they should avoid. Publication eventually ended after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, when things seemed to be improving. But now two Colorado women are trying to revive it in digital form. Parker McMullen-Bushman and Crystal Egli join me to talk about <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/digital-green-book-website" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">their GoFundMe campaign</a> and explain why they think we need a new Green Book. You can read more about their project at <a href="https://www.inclusivejourneys.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">inclusivejourneys.com</a>.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

From the 1930s to the 1960s, Black motorists driving across the United States and Canada often brought along a copy of The Negro Travelers’ Green Book, which was a sort of AAA guide that told them which gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses were safe for them to stop at, and which areas they should avoid. Publication eventually ended after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, when things seemed to be improving. But now two Colorado women are trying to revive it in digital form. Parker McMullen-Bushman and Crystal Egli join me to talk about their GoFundMe campaign and explain why they think we need a new Green Book. You can read more about their project at inclusivejourneys.com.
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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

COVID Stories Part 2