phil_uk_net's VirtualTourist Home Page

Thanks for looking at my pages. I was born and raised in east London but now live in the suburbs. For 13 of the last 20 years I worked in London so I know small parts of the city fairly well, but a lot of it not at all. London is vast and changes constantly.

In July 2002 I left my job in IT and decided to completely change my lifestyle. This transition is almost complete and has not been without its difficulties (see Life Change below).

At the moment my favourite part of the world is SE Asia where I spent 3 months touring around Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia last winter. I am returning again soon.

I have received some very complimentary comments about the main photo on this page. The idea for the photo was inspired by the work of John Fielder, a brilliant Coloradan photographer. Colorado is one of my favourite states in the US and Fielder is my favourite photographer. There was a lot of hard work involved getting the shot. I walked for several km over sand dunes in soft sand looking for these flowers. My calves ached like hell after but I think it was worth the effort!

Travelling has been the main passion for most of my adult life and VT is a perfect place to share travel experiences and meet fellow travellers. I set up my own web site just before joining VT but my efforts recently have been concentrated here rather than on my own page.

One of the first things I did was try to remember where I had been and add these places to my map for the sake of completeness. As a result, some pages are empty and may remain empty. It has been fairly easy to record my travels since being a VT member but building pages retrospectively about places I went to years ago is much more difficult.

My US pages should be bulging as this is the country I have visited the most, outside of England. I have spent about 18 months there in total on business assignments and holidays. However, my time there was all pre-VT. One day I may get out the old photos and delve into my memory banks but it probably won't be soon.

The pages that are most complete are from SE Asia where I spent 3 months from November 2003 until February 2003. This is currently my favourite part of the world and I am going back there again soon. My London page has a number of tips but will never be complete, such is the vastness of London. I will continue adding to this whenever I feel the urge!

You won't find any verbose or flowery descriptions in my pages, the type found in in-flight magazines, it's not my style. I try to concentrate more on photos and facts, with some anecdotes and humour thrown in here and there to keep things light. A few of my 'tips' are tongue-in-cheek but it should be obvious which ones these are.

A little over a year ago, bored as hell, I was sitting at my desk at work, sneakily looking at VT pages ... and dreaming. After 19 years with the same company, the last 3 being almost unbearable, maybe it was time for a change? But would I be brave enough to actually do anything about it?
Well, after a difficult year trying to make the transition, in which time I've had to deal with a lot of anxiety and doubt, the final stage is almost here.
My flights are booked and tenants are being actively sought for my house while I undertake the final preparations. The rental income should provide me with enough cash to live comfortably in south-east Asia for a while and allow me to do the things I want to do. The dream was to lead an existence where I could travel and please myself, without any dependents, attachments or responsibilities. Whether the reality of such a move is anything like the dream remains to be seen. I know there will be times when I get sick and when things go wrong. There will be times when I'll ask myself why I did it but this is a normal part of travelling. Hopefully the good points will easily outweigh the bad ones and I will have the resolve and strength of character to get through the bad times. More will follow on these pages after the adventure begins.