World Travelers

Well, just returned from the Canaries (Fuerteventura, a.k.a. the plains of Mars (ye Gods is it dry!)), and almost imediately off to Malaysia, but that's work related.

That'll probably keep me occupied on and off for Q1 of this year....after that, who knows?
Maybe Chile or Brazil?
Or I might just decide to spend some time in Greece. For some reason Sparta seems to be extremely alluring these last years.

so you want to drive to SPAIN?

We need pictures of your trip too Martijn. They are rare! As for the Plains of Mars, so you like hell-like temperatures then?


Here's my bunch of pictures of my trip to the Vosges, where we celebrated new year and practised our sledging skills....
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 … ce0c27acfb

Great pics Bregt, looks wonderful, I wish I could have spent time there with you rather than here in miserable Bristol.

Wow, Bregt! Great pics.

These are breathtaking

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak- … 2594_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak- … 6741_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak- … 1377_n.jpg

It's the future now, Alan, they obviously used hover boards.

That's cheating.

It's vast, it's awe-inspiring, it's beyond us and every photo series by Bregt makes me feel that.

Glad to hear you're enjoying yourself. Look forward to the pictures.

Pics mostly! (and funny tales, ok ) Bregt's sharing all those wonderful photos, Martijn we want to see some photos too

Cool! 3 or 4 weeks is heaven.

I'll just talk of what I did.

South-East Asia is cheap (and from London there's cheap flights as well to Bangkok for example) and very comfortable for travelling around, with its many hostels and guest houses, and it's even quiet in May/June. You'll always find a place to stay and experience the relaxed mood. Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, .... (although the latter has more touristy venues like Angkor Wat, if you search around you'll find alternatives to the stuff most people do)

I went to Portugal last year, and I loved it. It was great; meeting people, very relaxed, experiencing the food and wine/porto, ... (not much focus on cultural visits and such)... Skip Algarve though, Portuguese aren't proud of it (and that's where all your fellow country men are, getting drunk). There's also a lot of places to surf (around Lisbon).

Lisbon is a great hangout for visits and parties (I'm sure you are more into that than I am) and also Porto has a fair share of famous places. And in those three or four weeks you plan to have, you should also visit the lesser known and visited parts. Definitely go to the North as well (Braga, Viana do Castelo) and do a hike in the famous Serra de Geneda-Geres national park. Go to the Eastern side of the country, with its mountains and far away places. Visit a port winery in the Douro, do the train trip along that river, get lost in this region, ... I loved it, and it was a pity we had only two weeks. And it's quite cheap. The hostels always have a spot left (at least in mid-season) and cost around 10 to 15EUR a night, including breakfast, which is a fair price.

What I like to do once is to travel by train through Europe, and visit what I'd want and see what happens along the way. Since I'm getting 26 in half a year, the InterRail pass will not be as cheap anymore. Also Iceland and/or Faroer is something I'd love to hike through. And Lofoten in Norway. And Scotland and Britian's national parks.

Have to echo Bregt's suggestion of Southeast Asia...you've got culture, relaxation, excellent food and drinks, cheap prices, fantastic nature etc.