"IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL!" longsanborn's Profile

Giza Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt in October 2010

What's next for me?

Hello Visitors to my VT Page,

I have not been active on VT for some months now due to my work and personal life being too busy. In addition, the winter months were long and I've been "hibernating". Then recently a life-changing incident happened to me so suddenly that it made me realize that life is really so short and precious. So now that Spring is here and Summer coming soon, I am going to be active again - with updating my travel pages and tips as well as traveling around.

Like I said, life is short and precious. We should not take our God-given life and our loved ones for granted. We should always be thankful and grateful - not just content - but also strive to live our life to the fullest. Enjoy reading my travel stories and tips.

Thank you. Danke Schoen. Terima Kasih. Merci. Gracias.....

Latest Update

I have moved to The Hague, Netherlands in mid-October 2011 after living and working in Vienna, Austria for 12 years. I am excited to start my new job and new life in the pretty little city of Den Haag. I hope I get to stay here longer than 1 year, and get to make new wonderful friends as well. Anyway, let's see what the future holds!

By the River Duoro in Porto, Portugal

Porto, Portugal (June 2011)

I went to Porto, Portugal, located in northern Portugal and residing along the River Duoro and close to the Atlantic Ocean. One of Portugal's internationally famous exports, Port wine, comes from Porto. The wine grapes are grown in the famous Duoro valley and shipped to Villa Nova de Gaia (a twin town directly across Porto), where the grapes are then pressed into wines, fermented and then later fortified with brandy to produce the famous Port wine.

Gondolas in Venice City

Grado and Venice (April 2011)

I spent Easter 2011 in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia area of northern Italy. It is an area famous for white wines and Daniele ham. The famous towns within the region include Udine, Grado, Trieste, and Venice. The area is also quite close to the border of Croatia.

Grado, a town and comune in the north-eastern Italy, is located on a peninsula of the Adriatic Sea between Venice and Trieste. Once mainly a fishing center, today it is a popular tourist destination, known commonly as L'Isola del Sole ("The Sunny Island"), also famous because it is also a spa town; together with Marano Lagunare, it is the center of a lagoon, which is famous for its uncontaminated nature.

My Furry Travelling Companions

Happy teddy bear

I have a few stuffed furry "friends" (toys) at home. They include 2 fat cat (ginger Ms. Chubby and grey Mr. Chubby), Happy the teddy bear (a gift from my best friend in Malaysia), a cheetah baby I got from South Africa, 2 black bears from Austria, and reindeer from Oslo. I will post a photo of them later on my travel page.

Anyway, during my latest trip to Italy in Dec. 2007, I took along Happy the teddy bear. You can see him here and also in the above photo with me overlooking Florence. Happy bear was given to me before the Millennium (year 2000); he is such an adorable furry little thing, always smiling and cheerful, which also makes me happy with I am travelling around.

I used to post a photo of my other traveling companion, Ms. Chubby the ginger-colored fat cat. But she looked so grumpy when traveling with me so I decided to leave her at home for now. :-)

Many more places 2 See but not Enough Time & Money

Hibiscus flower of Malaysia (from mom

I still have so many more places I want to see in the future. Here is my wish list:

- New York, New England and Florida, USA
- Greece (Athens, Santorini and other greek islands)
- Jordan and Lebonan
- Brussels, Belgium
- Peru and Argentina
- Brazil and Chile
- Croatia and Bulgaria
- Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane/Golden Coast & Great Barrier Reefs)
- Cyprus and Malta
- North Finland to see Northern Lights and Lapland
- Kenya and Zanzibar/Tanzania
- Senegal and Nabimia
- Hong Kong, Shanghai, China, and Taiwan
- Japan and South Korea
- Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia
- Cambodia
- Sri Lanka and India
- Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia
- New Zealand
- Fiji and Hawaii
- Tunisia or Morocco
===================================

- Mikulov, Czech Republic - went in July 2011
- Porto, Portugal - went in June 2011
- Istria, Croatia - went in April 2011
- Grado, Italy - went in April 2011
- Singapore - went in January 2011 after 18-20 years absence!
- Cairo and Luxor, Egypt - went in October 2010
- Amsterdam, Netherlands - went in September 2010.
- Krakow, Poland --> I was there end of May 2010 to join the Euro VT Meet 2010;
- Lisbon, Portugal -> I was there end of May 2009 for personal holiday and to join the VT EuroMeeting 2009.
- Spain (Madrid, Cordoba, Sevilla and Malaga) and Gibraltar -> I went in April 2009 and again to Madrid in June 2010
- Saigon, Vietnam -> I went in January 2009
- Phuket, Thailand (I've been to Bangkok!) --> I went in July 2008
- Dubai, UAE --> I went in Feb. 2008
- Cape Town & Johannesburg, South Africa --> I went in June 2007
- northern Norway (to see the fiords) --> I went in Sept. 2007
- Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary --> I've visited Bratislava, Budapest and other surrounding towns on regular basis.
- California and Oregon states, USA --> went to University in Fresno, travelled to San Franscisco, Los Angeles and San Diego as student and also visited Portland, Oregon in the late 1980s++

I feel like I don't have enough time and money to cover them all. Sometimes, I'm overwhelmed with the helpless feelings that I will not meet my travel goals. Sometimes, I feel high with confidence that I could cover at least half on my list. But whatever I'm feeling at the time - or anytime - I tell myself that slowly, slowly, I will make it.

Most of all, I hope to meet new people and make new friends during my travels. Life is short and we should make the most of it. Meeting new people, especially nice friendly people, and sharing exciting adventures can make living so worthwhile.

Simple Village Girl ...now International Traveller

My mother and I

I am humbled by the wonderful things I have seen and learnt throughout my travels around the places I have been, the people I have met, the cultures I have experienced and the adventures I have had. I hope when I grow too old to travel, I will proudly say that I have lived a rich and full life.

Do not just stay in your home (either your house, town/city, country, personal space, private shell/box, etc.). Go out and travel, see the world and understand this beautiful world of ours.

Marina Sands Hotel, Singapore, Jan.2011

Intro Updated Dec 5, 2011
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Personal Pages (5)

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Comments (124)

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OH_DK Apr 28, 2013 at 2:31 AM

Happy belated Birthday Helena - hope you had a nice day. I arrived to Manila on your B-day and didn't log in to VT
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DAO Apr 18, 2013 at 1:43 PM

Happy Belated Birthday !
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Balam Apr 16, 2013 at 7:50 AM

I hope you had a great Birthday!
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HeshamMA Apr 15, 2013 at 6:47 PM

Happy birthday , lovely photo in pyramids
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globetrott Apr 14, 2013 at 9:36 AM

Happy birthday, Helena, and best regards from Southafrica, where I will start a cruise to Europe from tomorrow !
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nixca316 Apr 13, 2013 at 5:19 PM

Happy birthday, Helena. :) Blessings and cheers!
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HORSCHECK Apr 13, 2013 at 1:33 PM

Helena, happy birthday from Germany.
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yumyum Apr 13, 2013 at 1:21 PM

happy birthday Helena!
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Roadquill Apr 13, 2013 at 12:49 PM

Happiest of Birthdays dear Helena. from a slightly drizzley Malibu, Karl
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Zajem Apr 13, 2013 at 9:54 AM

Dear Helena, happy Birthdayto you from the Czech Republic!