"Let me show you the world in my eyes!" littlebush's Profile

Hi, and welcome to my homepage! I hope that you will find my pages useful to pick up tips for your own travels. As well as finding VT useful to pick up tips and chat about travel, I like to use it as a personal record to keep photos, travel info' and travel journals. All (well, most of) my pages are based on budget travel, so if you're into backpacking...read on........

It all really started in September 2000 when I set off on my first Round the World backpacking trip. I intended to go away for around 18 months or more. I had 2 working holiday visas, one for Australia, one for New Zealand. However, being the lazy bugger that I am, I ended up not working at all, wasting 2 visas and only being away for 10 months! Since then though, I've got 'the bug' and travel has now become an obsession!
After that RTW trip, I had the bug, and travelled around europe on cheap low cost airlines with nearly a weekend away every month(Good old Ryanair!).
At the end of 2002, I'd saved up again, wasn't enjoying my job and so jacked in the job and set off to Africa for 2 months for a totally awesome experience, which only made my 'bug' stronger!

2002 and 2003 were awesome travel years, going away 12 times each year, but 2004 was a study year and so only went away 4 times. 2005 was one of the best years ever with trips to New Zealand, Thailand, and Morocco and plenty of cheap quick Europeans getaways in between. 2006 was superb-a trip to Vietnam & Bangkok, a few weekends away plus Germay for the World Cup for 3 weeks in a campervan - superb.
I didn't go long haul for the first time in years in 2007, but had 12 trips away, the highlights being Moscow, Bulgaria and the Baltics.
2008 was a busy year (No long haul again which is disappointing) visiting my Bulgaria apartments twice, city breaks to Berlin, Belfast and Barcelona, the Cologne carnival and a trip to Belarus, plus a mini adventure through northern central europe before flying off to Malta. The year finally ended with a week in the Canaries.
2009 wasnt quite so busy but i managed a 17 day backpacking trip around the Balkans plus some weekend trips to new countries.

2010 was great, I went to cyprus for several days, plus a few visits to moscow and the big trip was to south africa for the world cup, which was great and my first long haul for 4 years! I then went on a great trip from Croatia through to Bulgaria. Awesome.

2011 started out to be my worst year of travelling since i started, mainly because i found it hard to get away from work having started a new secondment with work in Newcastle. However, it ended up to be an awesome year, with a trip to Israel and Jordan, Cuba and finally Xmas in Gambia.

Nowadays, I often find myself staring at a map of the world an djust dreaming of a new route or the next trip.

I'm a qualified accountant(recently qualifed, Jan06-and over the moon!), which sounds boring and to be honest isn't the most exciting job but theres 3 main reasons why I do this job :

1 - It pays well so I can save to travel,
2 - Now qualifed, I can emigrate if i wish!
3 - It'll give me the skills to run my own business one day.

As for me as a person, Im very laid back...love my adventure activites..but my life really evolves around travelling! I just cant say no to a cheap flight or an offer to get away! I love to meet people so I'm happy to meet any willing VT members either in London or when I'm travelling...get in touch!

Now I'm qualified, I plan to have some big holidays every year, to far flung places!

The Highs and Lows of Backpacking

Heres a few words for anyone considering going on their first backpacking trip:

St Basils, Moscow, Russia

The hardest part of any long backpacking trip is making the decision to go! A lot of people talk about doing it, but never end up doing it. Every person has different reasons why they want to go and everyone has different reasons stopping them from going. But, once the decision has been made to go, the adventure begins! Personally I dont think theres any buzz like the one you have when you walk out of the travel agents(or come off he phone) after booking it all up!

The best part of travelling is the people you meet, whether locals or fellow travellers. You can meet a set of complete strangers one morning from all corners of the globe and by that evening they are suddenly your best mates. You'll go out and have a few beers and chat about the places youve been and heading to. Back at the hostel, you'll play cards (nearly always '***head'!). You'll eat '5 minute super noodles' and drink a minging 4 litre cask of wine because it only cost a couple of bucks! You'll find that although you packed 10 t-shirts when you left home, you only wear 2 of them all week because you cant be bothered to wash them that regularly! You'll say you wont drink tonight as youve drunk every night for the past 3 weeks but know that by morning, you wont remember the night before! You'll end up getting a wrong bus at some point and find yourself asking someone who doesnt speak a word of your language where the hell you are and the only English that they will know will be 'Manchester Utd' or 'David Beckham'!....i could go on....but the big picture is...it an experience for which you'll have stories to tell for the rest of your life!
One day you can be on a deserted beach with crystal clear waters, the next in the middle of the bussle and noise of a big city. You are free to roam around at your own pace and make your own decisions about where and when you want to go. All you have to do is pick up the backpack and move onto the next place. You even forget which day of the week it is, who cares!

More recently, i've got into couch surfing (www.couchsurfing.com) and have found this such a great way to meet local people and to get to know the locla culture. Its a fantastic concept.

The worst part about the whole experience is coming home. Different people deal with it better than others, some are ready to see family and friends and settle back into their old routine happy with their adventurous memories. But some, have the Wanderlust,wishing they were still away and cant settle back into everyday life back in their homeland. After having so much freedom and living a completely different life, it can be very hard to adjust back into a 'routine'.....youve been warned!

A Few Tips for Backpackers

Tax Rebate (Maybe only UK) - This may seem like a bizarre tip but most people dont even realise it. If youre going away for some time and yout trip takes you from one tax year to the next (tax year end 5th April) then you will probably be due a rebate for the year you leave in. Get a form from your tax office and declare that you wont be working again in the current year and you should get a nice rebate. I left in September and got ?500, a real bonus when saving for a big trip!

Check Bank Card Details - Again, if youre going away for a while, check the expiry dates on your cards. If theyre going to run out whilst away, get a new one before you go. Its a lot easier than your new one trying to find you on the other side of the world!

Vietnam coastline

Things to Take :
- A sarong, takes up hardly any room and can be used on the beach, as a towel, as a sheet in bed, or even wear it (for girls, or David Beckham).
- Sleeping pills. Go tell your doctor youre scared of flying and he'll dish out a few pills. Keep them for long train/bus journeys! very useful!
- 'The ***s' tablets and a good first aid kit. Its surprising how much you wil need it!
- Spare passport photos. You may need some for visas.
- Flexible tickets. When boking tickets,try to get as flexible tickets as possible, trust me, your plans 'WILL' change.
- Don't plan too much, as above, your plans 'WILL' change!
- A journal. Write down all your memories, its easy to forget little things that when you read it back a few years later, will bring a smile to your face(or maybe a tear to the eye).
- All the usual things you'd have heard of but definately worth taking - pack of cards, a good book(for swapping), insurance!

Facts about the World

Our Planet, Our Environment, Our Lives :

- The Worlds population is now over 7 billion people
- 4.9 billion people live in a developing country
- 2.5 billion people do not have electricity
- 3 billion people live on less than US$2 per day
- 1 in 4 adults in the World is illiterate
- 45% of the Worlds population live in cities
- The average New Yorker uses 680 litres of water a day, the average Kenyan, just 4 litres a day
- There are 700 million motor vehicles on earth(30n the USA)
- At the beginning of 2002, 50 million people were displaced from their homes due to war or disaster.
-10.7 million children every year do not live to see their 5th birthday
-1 fifth of humanity live in countries where many people think nothing of spending US$2 a day on a cappuccino. Another fifth of humanity survive on less than a dollar a day and live in countries where children die for want of a simple anti-mosquito net.

Largest Countries :

- Russia - 16,996 thousand km2
- Canada - 9,976 thousand km2
- China - 9,597 thousand km2
- USA - 9,373 thousand km2
- Brazil - 8,512 thousand km2

Largest Populations :

- China - 1,335 million
- India - 1,144 million
- USA - 306 million
- Indonesia - 229 million
- Brazil - 190 million

My top 10 favourite cities in the world are(not in any particular order) :

1 - New York City, USA
2 - Cape Town, South Africa
3 - Bangkok, Thailand
4 - Sydney, Australia
5 - Perth, Australia
6 - London, England (Home)
7 - Cairo, Egypt
8 - Barcelona, Spain
9 - Christchurch, New Zealand
10 - Tel Aviv, Israel

My most favourite places to chill out on earth :

- Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand
- Ko Pha-ngan, Thailand
- Cape Range National Park, Australia
- Aitutaki, Cook Islands
- Gili Trawangan, Indonesia
- Benguerua Island, Mozambique
- Cintsa, South Africa
- Kande Beach, Lake Malawi
- Barra Beach, Tofu, Mozambique
- Kiwengwa Beach, Zanzibar
- Jinack Island, Gambia

The memory of the 2010 world cup, the vuvuzela!

Trips are that are top of the to do list: (I would love to visit everywhere, but these are higher priority than others although new places pop into my head all the time):

- Trans Mongolia train (with side trip to Kazakhstan)
- Canada & Alaska
- Machu Pitchu
- China
- Easter Island
- Ice hotel, Sweden
- Cape Verde
- Dominica
- Japan
- Climb Mount Kili
- Climb Mount Toubkal
- African mountain gorillas
- Greenland
- Bora Bora
- India (finally this year!)
- IN OTHER WORDS, ANOTHER RTW TRIP!!!!!

Some of my best travel journeys:
- Perth to Darwin, Australia(Car)
- Flam Railway, Norway (Train)
- Corromandel Peninsula, New Zealand(Car)
- Milford Sound, New Zealand(Boat)
- Death Valley, USA (Car)
- Zagreb to Pula (Train)
- Belgrade to Sofia (Train)
- Girona to Andorra (Car)

Favourite hostels
(What makes a good hostel? - a good common area to be able to meet people, friendly helpful staff, a good crowd, good facilities, good location, obvious signs theyve gone that bit further to accomdoate you, sometimes a bar helps but just generally one that creates a feel good vibe)
- Bucaneers,Cintsa,South Africa
- Big Blue, Cape Town, South Africa
- Ozi Inn, Perth, Australia
- Three Pines, Dunsborough, Australia
- Cokers, Christchurch, New Zealand
-Hanoi Backpackers hostel, Hanoi, Vietnam
-Fun Franks Friendly hostel, Riga, Latvia
-Hostel Mostel, Sofia, Bulgaria
-Malealea lodge, Malealea, Lesotho
-Abraham hostel, Jerusalem, Israel

Best cities for a beer:
- London (Or any Uk town)
- Cape Town
- Perth
- Sydney
- Darwin
- Stockholm
- Any German city
- Moscow
- Tel Aviv

Stupid things I can claim I've done since travelling
- Been to the worlds tallest building (As was in 2000 - Malaysia)
- Been on the worlds steepest railway (Australia)
- Been on the worlds steepest road (NZ)
- Been on the worlds longest straight road (Australia)
- Been to the worlds most southern city (NZ)
- Been to the worlds oldest standing man made structure (Malta)
Asleep yet!?

I often get asked whats my favourite country. I find this impossible to understand as i have loved every single border ive crossed and got something from every single trip. Experiencing every country culture is part of the reason i do it. But if you pushed i'd have a few favourites for different reasons. New Zealand for its all round beauty, followed closely by Iceland. Mozambique for its rawness. Cook islands for desert island life. Israel for culture and sight seeing in a compact space.

Trekking in Lesotho

My most memorable moments whilst travelling :

- Sharing my packed lunch with a kangeroo in Cape Range NP, Western Australia.
- Seeing the Grand Canyon by helicopter.
- Skydiving the bay of Islands, New Zealand.
- Holding a chimpanzee at Singapore zoo.
- Scenic flight over Vic Falls in Zimbabwe.
- Walking with Lions in Zimbabwe.
- Chilling out in a hammock by the lagoons of the Cook Islands.
- Cruising the streets of Zanzibar on a 250cc motorbike.
- Watching the sunset at Key West, Florida.
- Standing at the rim of an active volcano on White Island, New Zealand.
- Attending the tumunu on Aitutaki in the Cook Islands.
- Gambling in Las Vegas casino's til 8am.
- Sunrise at Uluru (Ayres Rock).
- Seeing the great pyramid at Giza for the first time.
- Viewing Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain.
- Shark Diving in New Zealand.
- Viewing a pride of lions after a kill in Nakuru, Kenya.
- In the water with dolphins in Monkey Mia, Australia.
- Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef.
- Visiting Australia's first settlement from 1626, in the Abrolhos Islands.
- Walking on a glacier in Iceland
- Canyoning in Wanaka, NZ
- Hang Gliding in Queenstown, NZ
- River surfing in Queenstown , NZ
-Desert Safari in Dubai
-Trekking in the high atlas mountains, Morocco
-Experiencing minus 16 degrees on a night out in Brno, Czech.
-Watching the sun go down from a boat with a cold beer in Halong Bay,Vietnam.
-Touring Germany in a campervan whilst following the England Football team at the 2006 World Cup.
-Partying all night in Moscow, Russia
-Standing on the eerie World war battle fields near Ieper in Belgium
-Chillin' out at my newly purchased apartments in Bulgaria!
-Crossing from Europe into Asia across the Bosphorus sea in Istanbul
-Climbing a Via Ferrata in stunning scenery in Andorra
-Cruising the streets and bars, and drinking cheap beer in Soweto with some locals
-Walking across the old bridge in Mostar, Bosnia&Herzogovina
-Walking asround the ancient city of Petra, Jordan
-Sunrise at Masada, Israel
-Floating in the dead sea, Israel
-Walking the Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem, Israel
-Roaming the back steets of Havana, Cuba
-Walking a deserted beach for miles crossing the invisible border from Gambia into Senegal on Jinack Island, Gambia.

Future breaks planned :

Jersey-May 2012
Albania-June 2012
Bucharest-Chisinau-Kiev - June 2012
Greek Islands - August 2012
India-Dec 2012

Now, I love my sport and one of the reasons for loving sport is down to that moment when your team/individual wins. Here are some of the most memorable moments of live sport I've witnessed:

-Being ringside to witness Frank Bruno become world heavyweight champion - 1995
-Gulliano Grazzioli scoring Stevenage Boro's equaliser against Premiership giants, Newcastle Utd in the FA cup 4th round - 1998
-Steve Morrison scorer in the 89th minute to win the first ever final at the new Wembley stadium and winning the FA trophy for Stevenage - 2007
-Jonny Wilkinson scoring a last minute drop goal to beat Australia on their own turf to win the Rugby World cup final (I wasn't actually there for this one but the feeling when that ball when over was just as good!) - 2003
-Michael Owen scoring in the 92nd minute to beat Argentina 3-2 in a friendly match in Gevena (Although only a friendly, it felt like we'd won the world cup that night - true rivalry!) - 2005
-Joel Byroms goal for Stevenage against Kidderminster in April 2010 to seal the Championship and send us into the football league.
-John Mousinho's goal at Old Trafford to send Stevenage into league one in the play off final of 2011.

Lake Bled, Slovenia

This is where my homepage gets its title from (I'm a Depeche Mode fan!)

"Let me take you on a trip
Around the world and back
And you won't have to move
You just sit still
Now let your mind do the walking
And let my body do the talking
Let me show you the world in my eyes
I'll take you to the highest mountain
To the depths of the deepest sea
We won't need a map, believe me
Now let my body do the moving
And let my hands do the soothing
Let me show you the world in my eyes
That's all there is
Nothing more than you can feel now
That's all there is
Let me put you on a ship
On a long, long trip
Your lips close to my lips
All the islands in the ocean
All the heaven's in the motion
Let me show you the world in my eyes
That's all there is
Nothing more than you can touch now
That's all there is
Let me show you the world in my eyes"
(Depeche Mode, Violator,1991