"Home is where the feet are..." mafi_moya's Profile

If somehow time stood still and you had to live one single moment of your life over and over again, what would it be? I think mine was the picture above, the summer of 1998 in HaLong Bay in Northern Vietnam, one of the most beautiful places in the world. It was late afternoon and I was lying in the warm sun at the front of an old fishing boat, having just stuffed myself on freshly caught seafood and lycees and spent the morning swimming at one of the hundreds of deserted island beaches. The engines were dead as we floated along, alone but for the fisherman in the photo; I had Jimi Hendrix in the walkman, and I remember thinking, "life just can't get any better than this." My ultimate travel moment!

Islamic art in Marrakech

Israel and Palestine, from June 2004: For those of you who know me, my new project back in Sri Lanka didn't quite work out as hoped (these things rarely do!) so after twiddling my thumbs in the UK for a bit I'm now doing some work for an Arab organisation in Israel. Not sure how long I'll be here but seen as the politics and history of a place are often what I find most fascinating this seems an interesting place to hang around! Haven't had time to build any pages yet but will try to do soon...

Morocco, Jan/Feb 2004: Not a country I'd ever really thought of going to or knew very much about. But it was all very last minute and satisfied all the criteria - cheap airfare, not far away, no time-consuming visa application required. It also made a good compromise destination, partially satisfying three cravings at once: Mediterranean Europe, the Middle East and Africa. As it happens I had a great time, and if you want to read all about it then click right HERE

Dream journeys to make before I die (hopefully quite a bit before)

Forget all those money and visa problems and practical impossiblities for a while, what journeys really get you excited?

The Source of the Nile: The journey that baffled the great explorers for years. When (insha'allah!) Southern Sudan is finally peaceful I'd love to travel by boat up from Alexandria, through Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, to the origins of the great river and eventually up into the Mountains of the Moon. I know the cataracts and mountains make a single boat journey a problem but I'll sort out the technical stuff another time!

The "Other" China: Literally a thousand miles away from the ultra-modern East coast cities lies a time-warp that takes you back into rural Western China, still unexplored by foreigners. For full romantic appeal I'd ideally like to do it on horseback, but that bit's not compulsory!

Sunset over Kurru Pyramids, Northern Sudan

The Sahara: The greatest sandpit in the world. Up through Mali and across Algeria, Niger and Libya. This journey should definitely be done on a camel, damned uncomfortable things though they are - and this time the animal is definitely a compulsory part of the trip!

The Stans: Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan - rugged, beautiful, remote and very very strange. Might throw in Iran as well for a bit of phonetic diversity!

The Holy Lands: Although not religious personally, I am fascinated by it. This trip would take in Galilee, Jerusalem, Mecca and all in between. The centres of three major religions in one journey. I suppose this is the one I'm closest to at the moment, but visa problems make it an impossibility

Chinese New Year flags in Beijing

I've had quite a few comments and questions about the name mafi_moya. Basically it means 'there isn't any water' in Arabic. I was setting up my pages and my first choices had gone so I just put down the first thing that came in to my head, thinking I'd change it later. Of course, now it's too late to change so here I am stuck with it!

It came from a very long, very uncomfortable ride hanging on for dear life to the roof of a bus going across the desert in Sudan . Being the wholly experienced intrepid desert explorer that I am, I quickly ran out of water and was desperate for a drink - you know that horrible feeling when your mouth gets all salty from thirst? Anyway, exhausted and thirsty and completely fed up, I asked everyone around me and I have this enduring image of a very old guy in a dirty jalabiya, with no teeth and practically deaf, squinting at the sun and repeating over and over again, "ma fi moya." The complete opposite travel experience to the one in Vietnam at the top of the page!

On a more serious note, availability of fresh water represents one of the major crises facing the world in the 21st century. Much of the planet really hasn't got any water.

- Less than one percent of the world's freshwater resources are accessible for human use
- At least 400 million people live in regions with severe water shortages. By the year 2050, it could be 4,000 million
- Since 1950 global water use has more than tripled
- One in six people have no regular access to safe drinking water
- 6000 children die everyday from waterborne diseases, the equivalent of 20 full jumbo jets
- On current trends over the next 20 years humans will use 40% more water than now
- A 10% improvement in irrigation efficiency could double drinking water supplies for the poor
- 77% of the world's freshwater is frozen in icecaps and glaciers

Afternoon drinks session in Sri Lanka

Just in case any of you are remotely interested in the person behind the pages - I am 24 at the time of writing and travel is something I've been obsessed with ever since, well, not really sure when it all started! I wish I had one of those great stories about a crazy uncle who travelled the world and captivated me with all his exotic tales when I was little, or that I grew up in a really multicultural family and spoke seven languages by the time I was 11. But in fact my family has never been outside Europe so I guess I must have got this love of faraway places and strange cultures somewhere else - I can never honestly remember a time when I didn't desperately want to "see the world!"

Since graduating I have had perhaps the best couple of years of my life and have been lucky enough to spend nearly all of it abroad. I spent one very memorable year living in Sudan, from where I moved to Sri Lanka working with a media organisation. I've been lucky enough to get to travel around Asia with work so here are a few more pages - Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Singapore. Sri Lanka was great and I was planning on staying there for a new job but a few problems (damn politics!) put an end to that... for the moment anyway. So now I'm in Israel for a few months and tainted by that damn Israeli visa stamp, which makes travelling elsewhere in the region a little difficult!

Leaving the mosque late at night, Sudan

Visiting somewhere on holiday is great, but to really get to know a country I think you have to live there and be part of daily life there, rather than just passing through. When I finished university I decided that I had to experience actually living abroad for at least 12 months. I have to admit that I thought living in Sudan might get it all out of my system. I figured: have a year living abroad then get a "real" job and a c*reer (aaah I hate that word! I blame my parents...) and then just stick to holidaying twice a year. Of course a few years on and I've got the bug and it's too late!

Don't get me wrong, I love Britain - a fantastic country that I definitely consider to be home. But having spent 21 years of my life in the UK, there is just so much else to see. Besides, I feel so much more alive being abroad. Being in a new country means you're learning and experiencing new things every single day. Also, the people play a large part in this. British people are great of course - can't have you all thinking otherwise!! - but coming back I can't help but notice that everyone seems so stressed and miserable. And before you mock I know it's the same for most Western Europeans and North Americans as well! I'm beginning to get bored of people ranting on about immigration and terrorists and mortgages all the time. A cliche yes, but travel really does make you put things in perspective and realise just how lucky you are. I just want to shake them hard and scream, "stop moaning and enjoy life a bit more!"

Another thing that makes life abroad seem more "live" is the assault on the senses. The UK is so sanitised - everything is clean and wrapped in plastic. The streets of Colombo, Omdurman, Saigon, Bangkok, Dhaka etc etc, seem so vibrant and full of life - there's colours everywhere, different sounds and smells. Walk the pavement and you're stepping through someone's shops and living room. I'm definitely not trying to romanticise the horrendous poverty, but it all makes you feel much more a part of the city and the community than walking through a British city where everything is behind doors.

Big man with big stick! Sudan

This Virtual Tourist thing is seriously addictive! I've had such a great time everywhere I've been that to compile everything I want to say would take years. None of the pages are finished yet (most not even started!) but I'd like to hope that they are still of interest and, who knows, maybe even useful?!!

Obviously the Sudan and Sri Lanka pages will eventually be the most extensive but they've a long way to go yet. I've noticed the strange fact that for the cities where I've lived, such as Omdurman and Colombo, I actually have very few photos.

Ideally the pages might help out people visiting the country, or maybe even help persuade them to go. But ultimately, the pages are also to remind me just why I loved all of these sometimes weird and wonderful places.

Playing football with kids in Thailand. A bit wet!

These were my New Year Resolutions that I put on here in a desperate attempt to force me to keep them. So how are they going? Not too well it has to be said! Oh well, better keep them up as a guilty reminder!

1) Obvious one first - visit some new places.
The Middle East (Syria, Yemen) and central Africa (CAR, Congo, Uganda) are high on my list, although this year could see my first visit to South America, somewhere I've avoided so far in fear of getting addicted to yet another corner of this enormous world of ours.

2) Learn a language.
I desperately want to avoid being one of those stereotypical Brits abroad who insist on speaking only English and rant and rave every time one of the locals has the cheek to speak in their own language. I picked up enough Arabic to get by living in Sudan, but lack of practice means my small vocabulary is rapidly diminishing. French is another language I would love to brush up on after long-forgotten school lessons, and I enrolled in a class last year but it kind of fizzled out. I should really make more of an effort to learn Sinhala, the main language in Sri Lanka. But so many people speak reasonable English and, unlike French and Arabic, it is virtually useless outside of that one country. Besides, it is so difficult! But in all seriousness, how do you expect to properly understand a country if you can't speak the lingo?

3) Take better photos.
I love flicking through old photo albums to relive past memories, and there is nothing worse than capturing a new friend or wondrous landscape on film, only for it to come out all underexposed or out of focus. So no more red eyes, blurred faces and dust on the lens! Am treating myself to a new camera and actually going to learn how to use it. Hopefully you can see the results on here some time...