This particular ‘candy trail’ is the invention of Michael Robert Powell. He may not hand out sweets as we know them, but between his travel tales and electric artwork, his site fits the title he has chosen. Michael cuts through the proverbial bullshit of travel and the nomadic lifestyle. Please realize you have been warned – but you will also enjoy.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | the candy trail… | No comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: adventure travel, cultural experiences, expat life, long-term travel, Perpetual Travel, photography, Round the world, solo travel, Travel artisan

Matt and Tara Banker packed it in, or in reality, packed it up and moved to Beijing, China. After spending the last few years living/working there, they have created The Middle Kingdom to write about their experiences and help others who are choosing the same path. As Tara states: “Not in Kansas Anymore”.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | The Middle Kingdom | No comment |
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Post tags: China, couples, cultural experiences, expat blog, expat life, living abroad

Both Andrea and John were seasoned travelers when they met, and eventually married. They ‘settled down’, spending four years in one place. Wanderlust struck again and now they have embarked upon a round the world journey. They share their stories plus those of other travelers they have met along their way.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | inspiringtravellers.com: Ideas from the road | One comment |
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Post tags: Asia, Australia, couples, cultural experiences, Europe, expat life, North America, Round the world

Country home by UStravel23

Lunch with our landlady was a nice experience. She lives outside the city of Moscow. Its about a 30 minute drive. You have to drive to a place called “Luxury Village”. This was not my first time visiting “luxury village”. I had the unusual experience before Christmas of teaching an Oligarch’s son near where our landlady lives in Luxury Village.

Yulia (Julia) lives in one of the many gated private villages that seem to be common here in and around Moscow. We have gated communities in Britain, but they are few and far between. I would not mind living in one, if I could afford it, they are safer and cleaner than regular housing estates.

Red Caviar courtesy of Author

Yulia, made an excellent lunch of crab salad, red caviar eggs, salmon, meat burgers and mashed potato. This was all washed down with large amounts of red and white wine. I noticed that Yulia liked to make many toasts, maybe that a Russian thing to toast to everything? I like the idea a lot. A toast to welcome us to her home, a toast for the New Year, a toast for good health, a toast to us, a toast to this and a toast to that. I did not take part, as I was the unlucky driver. Her house is big and wooden. She told us that it has been in her late husbands family for years and that the land was spilt up, half was given to one son and the other half was given to another son (her late husband), the brothers did not speak to each other. The house is surrounded by birch forest and very peaceful, and the air is clean and fresh. Fresh, clean air is a luxury when you live in Moscow.

The house she lives in, is her former holiday house or “Dacha”, the flat we live in, is her former city residence.

Or rent supports Yulia and her old sick mother, of course Yulia has no mortgage, (as far as I can assume), so our money must give her a good life style. She is a widow, her husband died a few years ago, he was a famous Russian actor, who’s name I don’t know and could not pronounce anyway. The house she lives in, is her former holiday house or “Dacha”, the flat we live in, is her former city residence. She told me they used to spend the summer at the Dacha and the winter at their city flat, where we now live. Its a modest flat, small and not at all luxurious (despite the rent price) , but its only a 15 minute walk to the Kremlin, so we are paying for the location. It is a hard and large pill to swallow, since I know everyone else that lives in our block of flats, certainly does not pay the rent we pay, (or any rent) so its does make me a bit angry. But rent is rent. We can’t live for free.

I told my wife not to become too friendly with her, as after one year she may decide to increase the rent. We did agree to fix it for two years, but its common in Russia for flat owners to just increase the rent as and when they feel like it. If she does increase it, we will move and she will have to search all over again for a tenant willing to pay her the rent that she demands. However, she is a kind person and we are lucky to have chosen a nice landlady. This is very important when renting in Moscow, choose your landlord/Landlady carefully, you will save problems later.

Editor’s Note: Yulia is a real person. The author has chosen to use a fictitious name for the purposes of privacy.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | Lunch with Yulia | One comment |
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Post tags: cultural experiences, expat life, living abroad, Moscow, Russia

Simon Cordall has had his obstacles – one of them being the loss of his sight. I don’t mean “insight or inner sight or even hind sight”. I mean his visual sight. Something we all take for granted. He quotes: “There comes a time in a man’s life when, to get where he has to go, if there are no doors or windows he walks through a wall.” For Simon this is true. He’s passed through the wall and has reclaimed his life – something he is now writing about in a very entertaining and insightful way.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | Life II, The Sequel | No comment |
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Post tags: cultural experiences, Europe, expat life, living abroad, Moscow

The journey started about 10 years ago for Steve and Jocelyn Broyles. They are on their fourth Sandcruiser (landcruisers with attitude) and still on the road. Okay, there have been stops in between but never for very long. Besides Calypso, their dog, they are joined periodically by an assortment of friends, family and other travelers. It’s been an interesting ride – or should I say drive. WOOF! (More can be found at Sandcruiser.com: Adventure Continues)

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | Sandcruiser.com | No comment |
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Post tags: Central America, couples, cultural experiences, expat life, Green technology, overland travel, road trip

So, you take a trip to Costa Rica and fall in love. For Erin Morris, it wasn’t just falling in love with the country but also the first person she met – her tour guide. After a “long distance relationship”, Erin and her dog moved to CR. She, Julio and their (now) two dogs travel the country with Erin writing about their wonderful experiences on her site.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2010. | de la pura vida Costa Rica | No comment |
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Post tags: Central America, Costa Rica, couples, cultural experiences, expat life, living abroad, photography

Luke Sewell had been living and working in the jungles of Costa Rica but, six months ago he decided to trade in the palm trees for a more conctrete jungle. He is now a Brit hiding out in Buenos Aires, Argentina and you can read about his ‘misdemeanors’ on his site.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2010. | Beforeiforgetitall | No comment |
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Post tags: Argentina, Central America, Costa Rica, cultural experiences, expat life, living abroad, South America

Lindsay Holmwood left the US for Bangkok as an Associated Press journalist in 2008. As does happen more often than not – life got in the way and she’s been living in Stockholm since 2009. (A move made in the name of love.) Her blog is a compilation of her North American, Asian and Swedish experiences, focusing on the little (and big) idiosyncrasies that that make life so entertaining.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2010. | urban pilgrim | No comment |
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Post tags: Asia, cultural experiences, Europe, expat blog, expat life, North America

Moscow – Souvenirs by Sabrina Kammeier

I was met by two large security guards and asked to walk to the house.

I did some teaching at a mega rich Russian family a few weeks ago. A driver collected me and drove me to the house outside Moscow. After some forty minutes we arrived, I got out the Mercedes, was shown to a big metal front gate with security cameras on each side and I was led inside. I was met by two large security guards and asked to walk to the house. I made my way along a red winding brick path that cut through pine and silver birch trees through a silent landscaped garden. As I approached, I was met by a vast house rising out of the ground in between the trees. It was made of glass and wood and looked as if it was growing out of the raw forest ground. I went inside through the glass front doors and waited nervously on the marble steps. I was greeted by a maid who took my coat and gave me some slippers. She showed me to a seating area and I followed her silently across the marble floor to a sunken reception area that had three vast six-seater sofas and a white grand piano. I sat down on the soft royal cushions and waited to meet my young student. He arrived and shook my hand.

Teddy Bears

I was to teach a very confident seven year old boy, we went upstairs to his round play room and he told me he wanted to just read for half an hour and that we would then play. His playroom had more toys in it than a small toyshop. We read, then he led me down a big marble spiral staircase to his indoor football pitch. We played soft football, then ping-pong, then snooker, then darts. After an hour or so of games, he said he wanted to draw, so we went back up to his play room and drew pictures with dot-to-dot.

I felt like one of his many big teddy bears… A silent friend without an opinion.

He asked me if I was hungry, I said yes, (I am always hungry) so he phoned down to the kitchen and a maid quickly came to us with a big tray of freshly made cakes and fresh tea, we ate them in silence, while he drew more pictures. After eating, he coldly announced that he wanted to play Nintendo. So he played Nintendo, while I watched, he did not offer me a go, which annoyed me, I felt like one of his many big teddy bears sitting next to him on the bed, looking ahead without a word or a sound. A silent friend without an opinion.

After two hours, the time was over, I said goodbye and the driver took me back to the city. I was paid very well and it was an experience I will not forget. I enjoyed it. I have spoken about wealth before here in Moscow, Russia, but now I have seen it with my own eyes.

…it was an experience I will not forget.

The young boy I taught (if you can call it teaching) was very confident, in charge and very matter of fact about everything, he was years ahead of a seven year old boy in behavior and personality. I found it a bit disturbing. He had no smile and just seemed to function, perhaps a symptom of his situation. The house was beautiful, big and surrounded by Forest where the air was fresh, sweet and clean. It was good to breath in fresh air outside the city. The work was fun, easy and very well paid. Please can I have more English lessons like this!

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2010. | Teaching the Rich in Moscow | 3 comments |
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Post tags: cultural experiences, education, expat life, Moscow, Russia