"Maria's Travel Diary" Maria81's Profile

My life on VT

This was my old page, under the login 'aliante1981' Although I have recovered the password now, I have built quite a lot here as well - and in different style. So I've decided to let the old page stand as it was - text, pictures, et all.

VT - What I am up to now

- Major clean up, adding text to all tips that where still as ***coming soon*** and photos only (about time, too!). These are mostly gone now

- Transcribing my travel diary as travelogues for some of the pages. These are my opinions only, and reflect the places as I have seen them - sometimes sarcastic, these are not for the too easily offended :)

- Adding photos to those tips that were without any pictures - just because I was lazy enough not to convert them to .jpeg. There are still many locations that I have visited as a kid, though, ''sans' camera and they will have to be left as is for the moment

- Building something that looks like a proper intro, as opposed to merely a photo at the top

About these pages

All the photos were taken by me, except those of me on this page (professional photoshot), hotel pictures (where I do use official pictures which are representative of the place), and a few items marked 'postcard' (which are scans from my by now abandoned collections)

All the text is mine, unless it's a quotation obviously :)

A buddhist monk at Thomannon temple, Angkor

My Travel Wishlist - Countries I've Yet to See:

New Zealand: visiting all the locations of the 'Lord of the Rings' and everything else
Myanmar: those baloon flights over Bagan look amazing
Laos: Vientiane and Luang Prabang are two cities I'd particularly like to see
USA: all the National Parks
Australia: see the coasts and drive across the Outback
Chile: Atacama and the South
Argentina: the South, with possibly an Antarctica Cruise
India: moutains and forts, also the Taj Mahal
Bhutan: monasteries, mountains (again!), and what the 'Gross National Happiness Index' is all about
Greenland: the great wild outdoors

Planned trips for 2013:

France: Alpe d'Huez (skiing), Chamonix

Portugal: Lisbon, Peniche (beach and surfing)

Switzerland: Geneva

Sudan: Khartoum, Karima, Meroe

Austria: Kitzbuehel (skiing)

Germany: Munich

Myself

Myself - A Few Facts:

Real name: Maria
Place of Birth: Moscow
Hometown: London
Profession: Investment Banking
Languages: English, Russian and Italian; learning (well, trying to) French and Arabic

Hobbies:

- Travelling: hmmm, why else would I find myself on VT? :)

- Photography: first thing I take on my travels (well, third really, after passport and bank card) is now my brand new EOS 550D (thank you Chesh - I was simply too lazy to buy it myself :) ) and all the stuff that goes (and is dragged!) with it

- Interior design: one of my ambitions is designing and building my own house, Grand Designs-style

- Hiking and walking: Would be amazing to walk all the National Trails in the UK, but where does one find the time?

- Golf: Despite the fact that I am pretty awful at it!

- Top Gear: love the show, especially the challenges!

- Fashion: I am a shopaholic :)

Some of my favourite links:

- Style - The Online Fashion Bible

- Long Distance Walking Association - For Hiking/Walking in the UK

- Kiwi Collection - Source of hotel inspiration

A postcard of Bagan, Myanmar

The Travel Favourites

Airline(s): Qatar Airways Business Class

Hotel(s): Hotel 101 in Reykjavik; American Colony in Jerusalem; Sextantio Grotte della Civita', Matera; St. Regis Resort, Lhasa

Event(s): New Year's Concert, Vienna; Last Night of the Proms, London

Prayer flags in Boudnath, Nepal

The Dream Trip

Road trip of a lifetime, the one that would require more than a year to complete - so maybe in retirement :)

Ingredients: a large map of the world (well, ok, a Sat Nav :) ), a car, passport and visas, money (to avoid camping where possible!), camera and sense of adventure

Dream Route:

***to be completed***

Europe:

London, UK -> Paris (France) -> Brussels (Belgium) -> The Hague, Amsterdam (Netherlands) -> Bremen, Hamburg (Germany) -> Copenhagen (Denmark) -> Oslo, Bergen, Coastal Route (Norway) -> Rovaniemi, Helsinki (Finland) -> St. Petersburg, Moscow (Russia) ->

Asia:

-> Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk (Russia) -> Ulaan Bataar, The Gobi Desert (Mongolia) -> Hohhot, Beijing, Taiyuan, Zhengzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Fuzhou, Guangzhow, Hong Kong, Xian, Chengdu, Yunnan, Kunming (China) -> Ha Noi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Dalat, Saigon, Mekong Delta (Vietnam) -> Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang (Cambodia) -> Bangkok (Thailand) -> Vientiane, Luang Prabang (Laos) -> Chiang Mai (Thailand) -> Yangon, Inle, Mandalay, Bagan (Myanmar) -> Dhaka (Bangladesh) -> Calcutta, Agra, Delhi, Jaipur (India) -> Karachi, Pakistan ->

Middle East:

-> Yazd, Shiraz, Esphahan, Tehran, Tabriz (Iran) -> Van, Cappadoccia, Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul (Turkey) ->

Europe:

-> Burgas (Bulgaria) -> Transfagarasan (Romania) -> Budapest (Hungary) -> Bratislava (Slovakia) -> Vienna, Innsbruck (Austria) -> Venice, Verona, Reggio Emilia, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi Coast, Sicily (Italy) ->

Africa:

-> Tunis, Along the Coast (Tunisia) -> Tripoli (Libya) -> Alexandria, Cairo, The Nile, Abu Simbel (Egypt) -> Khartoum, Sudan -> Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia -> Addis Abeba, Ethiopia -> National Parks, Ethiopia -> Nairobi, Kenya -> Maasai Mara, Kenya -> Serengeti, Tanzania -> Ngorongoro, Tanzania -> Manyara, Tanzania -> Kilimanjaro, Tanzania -> Ruaha NP, Tanzania ->

Europe:

-> Gibraltar ->

Intro Updated Jan 12, 2013
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Personal Pages (4)

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Comments (43)

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MrBill Oct 25, 2012 at 7:02 AM

Happy belated birthday, Maria. All the best for the coming year. Bye for now. Bill
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London-Calling Oct 23, 2012 at 4:09 AM

Maria, so sorry we missed your birthday. I (Fergy) usually check the London-Calling page and I have been away for a few days with no internet. We hope you had a great birthday and that we will see you soon.

fergy
p.p. London-Calling.
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hazem.t.marei Oct 20, 2012 at 2:08 PM

best wishes for you on your BD from Egypt
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Ntomnif Oct 18, 2012 at 1:28 PM

Best wishes on your birthday Maria and warm greetings from Cameroon,Africa in miniature.May all your travel dreams come to fruition.
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Usctwin Oct 18, 2012 at 12:18 PM

Happy birthday, Maria, hope it's a great one!
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RickinDutch Oct 18, 2012 at 8:58 AM

Happy Birthday Maria!
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TrendsetterME Oct 18, 2012 at 5:24 AM

Hey Maria, "Happy Birthday", with all my best wishes ... :)
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rosata Oct 18, 2012 at 2:24 AM

Wishing you a Happy Birthday, Maria! :)
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DaHongHua Oct 18, 2012 at 12:39 AM

A warm happy birthday greeting from Malaysia. Wish you all the best to keep travelling interest years and years. Cheers.
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akkipaa Oct 18, 2012 at 12:35 AM

Happy birthday Maria, wish you sunshine and luck for today and the future. Greetings from green spot in your map, Finland.