Jay Martin's blog

11 Years in eXile - Can the Expat Paper Be Saved?

Jay Martin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:44:33 -0500

After a "special audit" of their editorial content, Mark Ames, editor of The Exile, has announced the paper is folding.
The bi-weekly free paper for English-speaking expats in Moscow has survived beatings, death threats, police intimidation, sexually transmitted diseases, censorship, and calls for...

Otok Brać - Vacation from Vacation

Jay Martin — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:09:45 -0500

The phylloxera swept across the terraced hills of Otok Brać – Island of Brać – in the early 1900s, invading the soil. Native to North America, the tiny yellow aphids traveled across the sea to Europe in the late 1800s, feeding on vino roots and spreading their wine death...

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A Travel Confession

Jay Martin — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:47:07 -0500

With the recent furor over whether Thomas Khonstamm lied or embellished in his Lonely Planet guidebooks, I feel like I must get something off my chest.I tell people I’ve been to Ireland, but I've never really been there.
When sharing with others the list of countries...
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Why Is National Geographic Traveler Such a Bad Magazine?

Jay Martin — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:30:38 -0500

National Geographic Traveler is awful. I've had a subscription for about 9 months and will not be renewing it. There are too many short snippets of travel in each issue, and besides some good photography, there is nothing memorable that I can remember between these yellow covers. It...
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In Case You Missed 'Em

Jay Martin — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:33:26 -0500

A nice read in the New York Times about tracing Ken Kesey's escape to Manzanillo, Mexico, after he faked his suicide to avoid a trial for drug possession.
Stag parties in Riga beware.
A...
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The Situation in Tajikistan

Jay Martin — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:22:14 -0600

Surrounded by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China, the littlest "stan" - TAJIKISTAN - cannot stay warm.
Babies freeze to death in their cribs as an energy crisis grips this nation of 7 million. Babies die in maternity wards by candlelight, yet the government...
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Mist Opportunities in London

Jay Martin — Fri, 7 Dec 2007 21:32:42 -0600

My brother Mark and I looked down at the disheveled lump lying on the cot. It looked pitiful amongst the borrowed blankets and pillows, eyes peering above the covers, and uttered the phrase all travelers in a foreign country dread hearing: “I need to go to the hospital.”

It was about 12:30 a.m....

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The Travel Spectrum

Jay Martin — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:16:07 -0600

Travelers come in many different
varieties, from the once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon tripper to the vagabond who
has spent years on the road. One thing
travelers across this travel spectrum share is the traveling tale. How you tell your story can reveal a lot
about what kind of traveler...

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