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Pijka in Brooklyn, artwork by Bruce Busby

Time to update my VT-pages

In September 2006, me and my kids left our birth country; The Netherlands behind to live with my partner in the US. We now have been living in New York City for almost a year and I totally love this city. It is vibrant and there is so much to discover, it is impossible to get bored here!

It will take me while to update all my pages, since it has been more than 2 years for me to really do anything with VT, it is time to get back on track, but that will most likely take me several months with two small children demanding most of my time.

My first travel-experience was in my first year on earth, my parents took me to Canada. Although I have no clear memory of it, I have been to the Niagara Falls! Ever since I can remember I have enjoyed traveling. I can not imagine a life without it. My parents took my sister and me on trips, mostly to the Canary Islands, but also to Germany, Canada, London, Tunesia and the USA.

As a teenager I took short trips with my friends in Nederland and Belgium until I left for one year to live as an exchange student in Missouri, USA. It was fun to be part of a different culture, not always easy, but definatly interesting! When I came back I wanted to see Europe and traveled around with two friends. We went through Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, and after Berlin headed back home. It was my first budget-travel experience and I felt good traveling that way, I knew from then that I wanted to travel like that more often. I feel I become more creative when traveling on a budget, I meet more locals, because I often rely on their help, and it is more interesting since I feel I get a closer look at the culture.

China is until now my favourite, because of its diversity. China is a country of contrasts in many ways. Crowded cities, empty landscapes. The desert on one side, while they are having an ice-sculpture festival on the other. Buddhists and Muslims. I also enjoy countries with an interesting variety of food, well...China has lots of variety in that too!

Cambodia also has become very special to me, maybe most of all because I became pregnant somewhere between Phnom Penh and Battambang. I spent quite a few months here in 2004. The most precious memories are of the time at Srepok river in Mondulkiri. The walk through the jungle was rough, though, but very much worth the blisters!

My last trip was Cambodia. I left 9 February 2004 for BKK, from where I went go to Cambodia. I came back early July 2004. And my next one is New York City in September (again).

I hope you all enjoy what I have written and that it might be of some help to you. If you see anything that I should change, or mistakes that I have made, please let me know so that I can update it. And please, don't rate me if you don't read it or are just glancing through, I don't care about the ratings, I just want to write about my travels and enjoy.

Thanks and Enjoy!
Aukje

My favorite destinations [and therefor my favorite pages] are:

CHINA

ANGKOR in Cambodia

SULKAVA in Finland

NEW YORK CITY

Other Interests

CD-cover of great musicians from Finland

Some other interests I have include:

Art - favorite at the moment is Anish Kapoor

Music - Jazz to Gypsy, at the moment I listen a lot to Shirley Bassey and Bebel Gilberto

Film - some favourites are "Raise the Red Lantern", "Sonatine", "Delicatessen", "Underground"

I am also very much interested in psychology. I am an art-therapist and it really fascinates me how art and psychology can work together.

Favourite Transport

Beachsteps at Vlieland

There are three favourites ways for me to move around the world. These are train, biking, and walking. I always get a special feeling in trains, especially when they make the sound that older trains often do.
Biking is the best way to get around in my own city and most of the country, and I found out that in many places (especially in China and Cambodia) it is a great way to see more of the surroundings getting on paths where a car has no access because the path is too narrow.
Walking is always a good option! I really like to walk a lot. Although sometimes I feel a little lazy...ones I am walking I feel good again! Favorite place to walk is along beaches. Most dutch city-centres are small enough to walk around, even in Amsterdam walking is the nicest option. I also enjoy making long walks in New York City.

Chinese Wisdom

China has the most beautiful quotes to life-issues:

♦ "If I had 6 hours to cut down a tree, I would spend 4 hours sharpening my axe!" [Old Chinese Martial Arts Master]

♦ "Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime." [Old Chinese Saying]

♦ "Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it."
[Chinese Proverb]

♦ "He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever." [Chinese Proverb]

♦ "Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still." [Chinese Proverb]

♦ "A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion." [Chinese Proverb]

Other Quotations

A drawing I made of one of my patients

♦ If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet. [Isaac Bashevis Singer]

♦ If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it,
change your attitude. Don't complain. [Maya Angelou]

♦ Wherever you are, be there totally! [Eckhart Tolle]

♦ Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it
doesn't get you anywhere.

♦ Peace of mind is attained not by ignoring problems, but by solving them. [Raymond Hull]

♦ Men do not stumble over mountains, but over mole hills. [Confucius]

♦ We have nothing to fear but fear itself. [Theodore Roosevelt]

There is an interesting story about a message in a bottle on my Nitra page. I would love to hear from anyone who had a likewise experience, since so far I never heard anyone with a similar story yet, and I am sure it must have happened before.

Intro Updated Feb 26, 2012
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Comments (121)

planxty Apr 11, 2012 at 9:15 PM Report Abuse

Hello Aukje, I have just read your UNESCO pages and I have to say that is one of the most impressive travel lists I have ever seen. You certainly have seen a lot of the world, congratulations. fergy.
pieter_jan_v Sep 7, 2011 at 12:24 AM Report Abuse

Aukje, Gefeliciteerd. Fijne dag! PJ
ATLC Aug 30, 2010 at 11:21 PM Report Abuse

Ah, je woont nog steeds in NY! Alvast gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag en een fijne dag gewenst. Reis je nog?
RoscoeGregg Oct 27, 2009 at 9:28 PM Report Abuse

I love the list of UNESCO sites. So little time, So little time....
brooklyned Sep 8, 2009 at 7:49 PM Report Abuse

Dear Aukje, Happy Birthday! I hope you will have a special year.
zin Sep 7, 2009 at 12:35 AM Report Abuse

Hi Aukje, Happy Birthday to you for 2009. Hope you have a special day. Regards, Zin
glabah Jun 5, 2009 at 8:53 AM Report Abuse

Love your Chinese quotes!
36waterfalls Dec 18, 2008 at 5:31 AM Report Abuse

Love your hp. Geniet van New York en al het mooie in het leven!
joiwatani Nov 17, 2008 at 8:58 AM Report Abuse

Love your pages and the wise sayings! Those are so true! Also, I love your front page picture!
Mr.Sparkle Sep 23, 2008 at 6:36 PM Report Abuse

Great Chinese Wisdom... hope you are enjoying NYC