Jasen71's VirtualTourist Home Page

Travel is a passion.. like all passions it can hit you hard, and give you the overwhelming and burning desire to get out there and embrace it.

My passion for travel is inspired by the Great Michael Palin. His overdeveloped sense of wit, and humour, and coupled with his insatiable love of travel. Michaels adventures and misfortunes are to me a Holy Grail (no pun intended). Michael I am not worthy!!!! hahahaha

For me it's not just the places not on the well trodden path that I desire to embrace, but it's the people and culture..

Eastern Europe to places like Ukraine, Poland, Czech Rep, Macedonia, Bulgaria,Belarus, Serbia, Slovakia & Russia. Once again I find myself in countries that have a deep sense of identity, culture and history. I would like in the next 3 years travel to all countries past the former Iron Curtain..

St Ouens Bay stretches the full length of Jerseys western seaboard from La Pulente in the south to L’Etacq in the north, and to us locals the area is know as the 5 mile road. From sand dunes. flat, marshy land and thick reed beds surround St Ouen’s pond, Jersey’s largest area of natural fresh water. Bird life is plentiful here all year round and just to its north, a small wet meadow is a haven for five species of orchid and their hybrids. This is the Jersey I love, and that is my home.....

I have attended a few VT meetings in Masstricht, Emmen, Sofia, Skopje, Ohrid, Kiev and London, and enjoying every minute of them.. I came, I saw, I sang, I danced a little and I had a beer or two.. Well I met some really great people, and I made some friends along the way... The photo is of the rather shy at times Lensa of Kiev... Who was great company for the evening, and was great to have met her after two years...

Now what can I say about myself, well I'm ex-military medic (Royal Navy) , and now a mental health worker, and antique dealer!!

The antiques and collectables is a passion of mine, which has grown into a business. When I travel I tend to make for the nearest fair or antique shop to look, buy or trade...

Me as a person well I would say that I am friendly, witty on occasion, and I can even hold a (semi)intelligent conversation now and again. It has been rumoured amongst some VT'ers from the Low Countries that I Sing, Dance and be Merry.....

Thai Curry
Thai red curry, vegetables, sour peas, lemon grass and bamboo shoot in coconut milk with Chicken. I must admit Green Curry is now my favourite, but I don't have a photo of it.. To me travel and food go hand in hand..

The Killing Fields at Choeng Ek just outside Phomn Pehn, Cambodia is not for the faint hearted, but the sheer simpleness of the Killing Fields will profundly move you, and hit home the evil that happened and this still happens today in the world.

The sunset or sunrise is always a favourite picture to place on VT, but the island of Brac... is an all time favourite place of mine....

I had been to the former Yugoslavia before, during and after the war, and the countries that are the Balkans are an all time favourite of mine, however I still have moments of reflection to ponder my times there during the civil wars.

Jasen is a place in Northern Germany that doesn't even get a mention on VT pages.. It's also my name (tacky photo I know). The meaning of the name is a question sometimes asked of myself.. So far I have been informed that it means the following:
Hebrew = "God saves."
Serbia = Ash Tree
Greece = Healer
FYRM = Brightness
Bulgaria = Clear or Ash Tree

If you know another..please let me know....