About

“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life” – Michael Palin

So, after lots of deliberation I have decided to commit some of my travels to paper (well screen!), mainly because I love travelling so much and writing about it after I return from a trip keeps the adventure alive!  I’m not really sure where to start or where to go, but you’ve got to start somewhere, right?

So, how about a bit about me first then?  I’m a 40-something wanderluster and the travel bug was instilled in me from a very young age.  I moved to Bahrain when I was a baby and spent my formative years out there.

On returning to England the urge to see more of the world grew stronger and it was really piqued by one of my travel heroes, Michael Palin (hence the quote above)!  Yes, I have Michael to thank for a lot of my wanderlust!!  We had just returned to England when his show ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ was aired on telly and I loved it!  I really enjoyed seeing some of the places that were familiar to me in the Middle East and also a lot of places that were not, that I decided I wanted to see.  It looked like such a fantastic adventure!  At that point, I realised that I wanted to do what Michael did and I have been lucky enough to do it, although it took me a long, long time to get there.

I finally managed to traverse the world 14 years ago – although it took me a lot longer than 80 days!  In fact it was a whole year and was one of the best experiences of my life.  Since then, I have managed numerous smaller and shorter trips, mainly focusing on the South East Asia region.  There is so much of the world that I want to see, but SE Asia and Australia are my main areas of travel at the moment – oh and Europe of course for shorter breaks!  I’m definitely not complaining though, I’ve covered quite a lot of these regions, which has been brilliant … and of course there is still so much more to explore!

So, why My Dusty Flip-flops? Well, the name of this blog was inspired by this photo (I apologize in advance for anyone who doesn’t like feet!!):

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I took this photo towards the end of a month long trip to Myanmar. It had been simply amazing, and I was marveling at where my poor, battered, filthy, dusty feet had taken me once again.  And oh those flip flops!  They had done me proud and been with me through the entire journey, despite the beating they had received. I really loved them and the adventures they had accompanied me on!

As a side note, they were a replacement for the pair of flip-flops that I had worn throughout my year long travels and beyond – that pair were lost in a guesthouse in Phnom Penh… it was a sad day.   I realized that I had become very attached to those shoes as they’d been with me throughout my adventures and had become a treasured possession!  Silly I know, but that’s me sometimes!

20 thoughts on “About”

  4. Just found your blog and I’ll read more of your posts over time. Like you, I travel a lot in S.E. Asia and each year I have spent a couple of months there for the past 20 years or so, covering most of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia. I’m a lot more than 40-plus so long-haul is becoming more of a problem for me but I’m finding spots in Europe that were unknown to me so I’m still being surprised by travel.

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    1. Thank you very much for your comments! I would love to read about your travels in SE Asia over the years, I imagine the region has changed quite a lot over that time? It’s good to find new discoveries on your doorstep though isn’t it and I hope that I will never stop being surprised by travel!

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      1. I see some of your readers mention Michael Palin. My favourite is Simon Reeves because he looks under the surface of the countries he visits, he’s sympathetic and empathetic and he doesn’t flinch at calling out wrong-doers. In short, he speaks truth to power, something which our politicians have given up doing.

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      1. I didn’t have time to scroll around enough yet, but I’ll be back for sure… And from what I’ve seen and read, your blog is lovely! I love traveling, and I am sure I’ll enjoy your flip flops’ tales!! 🙂

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  6. Looking forward to exploring your blog, the places I’ve been and the places I plan/ hope to visit one day too. Michael Palling “Around the World in 80 Days” was great series. Yes and thongs/ flip flops are handy for warm places, beaches and showers. Louise

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    1. Hello and lovely to meet you! Thanks so very much for checking it out 🙂 I love your blog name! I have just had a quick look and wow, I am looking forward to reading more of your story!!

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