I completely agree with you in saying England is beautiful... I'm not English, but I've been living here for the last (nearly) 10 years and it's such a beautiful country!! We've got a van and sometimes we travel around in it...but we haven't even seen all of it yet!!. We were also in Dartmouth and Cornwall last weekend :o)
Beautiful Britain Lovely photos, I agree entirely - we have a beautiful country! I just hope our current dreadful government doesn't allow unscrupulous development to concrete over it all!
Welcome Home... I understand how you feel, coming home and then thinking you have to give up Travelblogging as home is so ordinary. But that's why I changed the name of my blog to Home and Away, because where I have lived, just as in your case, is a travel destination for other travelers who want to know what to see and do there. So thanks for this personal view of Devon...a place along with Cornwall where we spent one Spring vacation when our children were young.
as always your writing is so emotionally transportative. I am immediately in your shoes and head and can feel all of those misgivings and fears vying with the triumphs. your experiences will shape you in ways you never knew, now and down the road, I am guessing. If nothing else, it gives us all a firm appreciation for the lovely simplicity of home and those we love.
hi from Argentina So, if i want to visit the market I need to use a boat and cross the lake, right? The market is inside the lake, on an island? I am asking you these questions as there is not much information about it. Thank you for your answers. Graciela. gracetandil@yahoo.com.ar
so sorry that you'd have to witness first hand such stressful event. you know you can always find someone who can help you cope with it. hope you are somehow feeling better now. stay safe! x
SORRY YOU HAD TO WITNESS THAT I once saw a van turn in front of our stationary vehicle in Tanzania to enter a market...ran over a schoolgirl...kangaroo-hopped with the child under it to drive away...eventually stopped...scooped up the child and drove away...people screaming. I still see the child...indelibly imprinted in my memory. The accident you saw is shocking...the only solace...it so nearly could have been you. Keep safe Jessica.
Travel or Stay Home. What is safer? That is one harrowing tale. I am truly sorry you had to see this happen right in front of your eyes. It brings up a constant thought that I grapple with; whether I should continue to travel to developing countries due to safety? I do not believe I put myself in overly dangerous situations on purpose, but something as simple as your bus journey or riding a motorcycle in Vietnam could be the end of it. sayonara
However, I always end in one thought process. In my current home country of the US, I drive at least two hours a day for work, and if its not driving, it's flying half way across the country. I want to believe that living in a 1st world country I am more in control of my destiny (and survival of accidents), but just by looking at the news each morning, that thought begins to waver
Personally, I'll take my chances traveling.
Travel can be downright ugly. I had the same experience in Siberia. Not the busload you saw, but a lone man decapitated by a work truck's equipment just as my tour van drove by. Me and our driver saw, the rest of my group did not. I was glad they didn't see it. I'm used to gore and blod, but I can still see that particular incident when I close my eyes. Very traumatic. You are suffering from PTSD, take care of yourself please.
I am so sorry that you had such a difficult experience on your last days in Burma. As you say life is just like you describe. One moment you are here an in another all is gone and life takes another turn. I was glad to have had the opportunity to share your experiences in this amazing journey you had . Thank you for taking the time and emotional energy to write this last blog. Take care and my best wishes Anabela xx
I am so sorry that you had such a difficult experience on your last days in Burma. As you say life is just like you describe. One moment you are here an in another all is gone and life takes another turn. I was glad to have had the opportunity to share your experiences in this amazing journey you had . Thank you for taking the time and emotional energy to write this last blog. Take care and my best wishes Anabela xx
I am so sorry that you had such a difficult experience on your last days in Burma. As you say life is just like you describe. One moment you are here an in another all is gone and life takes another turn. I was glad to have had the opportunity to share your experiences in this amazing journey you had . Thank you for taking the time and emotional energy to write this last blog. Take care and my best wishes Anabela xx
We are so sorry that so many died and that you had to witness this terrible accident... Asians are mostly fatalistic so accept life as it comes. We come from cultures that believe we can change how life happens. Thanks for sharing this difficult expereince.
A GOD IN DEED How is it that so many amazing sights in this World are promotion or result of belief in a God?...I can name a zillion...Bagan is clearly one of them. Glad to see Burma is open for business...thanks for that...all I need is to feel safe...the rest follows...never a dull moment...yep...put Burma on the list.
another great blog! I do admire women who travel alone... I wish I could but I'm not brave enough and I'll probably and sadly be one of those tourists inside an air-con bus! keep the blogs coming, I really enjoy reading them
Questions What about transportation? how did you go from one place to the next one? Could you tell me your itinerary, please? I ask you all these questions because I am planningmy trip to that region. Thank you. Graciela. gracetandil@yahoo.com.ar
Thank you Thank you for another interesting blog, with more great pictures. The info for people planning to visit Burma is really useful as we are planning to visit in 2013 - thanks for your honesty and for expressing your opinions so well. take care.
Critisise if you think it's warranted We were in Burma 5 years back and things seem to have changed drastically already. Back then tourists were very thin on the ground and subsequently it was extremely cost effective. It is a question of supply and demand and guide books will need to hurry to keep abreast of price hikes for unsuspecting travellers. If you think something is worth criticising, then don't be gagged at the risk of upsetting someone. A blog overflowing with lip service is prostituting yourself. Try reading my next instalment on Hawaii in a day or so, man I give it to Hawaiin surfers.
The question is rhetorical... but traveling around Asia where the people are much more attuned to the spiritual world does cause Westerners to reflect on our sole focus on the material world.
Quite a few bloggers have been to Burma recently; possibly because the military junta seems to be granting their people more freedoms. When Linda and I visited Burma in 1974 (see [blog=616137]), we were the only tourists around. Imagine having Bagan all to yourself...but sadly those days are gone.
I agree strongly with you that guests to a country should respect the customs in what we wear and say and do. Being polite is not prejudice.
I envy that opportunity. Burma was incredible, and in all fairness there were very few tourists in comparison to other Asian countries. But it is high season and people are flocking there, and I am not surprised. It is a country which captures your heart. It was so beautiful and the people were so kind and generous. It is definitly one place I will go back to in a few years time and I can see myself frequently going back to visit.
In a nutshell; I am Jess. I was 27 years old, and left a wonderful teaching job in search of unemployment and volunteer opportunities across the other side of the world. Some say it's foolish, I was inclined to agree but these experiences altered me in ways I never imagined possible. I accomplished dreams, re-found lost passions, set up a charity in Sapa, taught in Cambodia, established a teaching course in Vietnam and published articles and photos for magazines and books.
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Stephanie and Andras
Stephanie
This looks like the absolute perfect picnic spot. The English countryside is soo beautiful, I just can't get over it.