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Carlwelsby

Profile for Carlwelsby

Member Since:
Friday, 22nd June 2007
Sex:
Male
Lives in:
Wales
Languages Spoken:
Struggling with Welsh...
Status:
Offline

Introduction

Hi, My name is Carl and i'm one of the team here at addictedtotravel.com. I started travelling back in 1986 when a 10 week stay on a kibbutz turned into a 15 month jaunt around the Middle East.

A long overland journey from Australia back to the UK followed though had to skip Iran as they wouldn't give me a visa; flew to Istanbul from Karachi and took the train back east to Dogubeyazit and continued back home from there.

Several years as a tour leader for one of the UK's largest adventure holiday tour operators followed, then into the office of a brand new adventure holiday operator where I was Product Manager for the Middle East and Asia for several years. I returned to the company where I worked as a leader as Product Manager for the Middle East for a couple of years before joining some old friends here in February.

I live on a smallholding in Wales now having had a dream for a while to downshift. My wife and I have a few sheep, pigs and chooks - and Jasper, a Patterdale terrier.

Travel remains a passion and i'm doing more now than I have for a while; I love the great outdoors (we live in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park so are spoiled) and we walk whenever time allows.

Areas of Interest

In my opinion you can't beat Asia - it's got everything the traveller wants from remote, well off the beaten track backroads brimming with tribal interest, great World Heritage sites like the Taj, Petra and Angkor, fabulous wildlife opportunities. Most remarkable trip for me was probably the Mentawi Island of Siberut back in 1988. 12 hrs west of Sumatra it was untouched by the west to any degree at all: think Bruce Parry's 'Tribe'. We trekked for days through calf-deep mud and slept in longhouses - what an experience. I met my wife in Oman and love the Middle East too. The Pyramids (is that Africa?) are just astounding and the Syrian people so warm and friendly.

Countries I've Visited

AustraliaBulgariaChinaCyprusEcuadorEgypt • England • France • Greece • Hong Kong • Iceland • IndiaIndonesia • Isle of Man • Israel • Italy • Jersey • Jordan • Lebanon • Malta • MongoliaNepalNorth CyprusOman • Pakistan • Poland • Singapore • Spain • Sri Lanka • SyriaThailandTurkeyVietnam • Wales • ZambiaZimbabweUnited Arab Emirates • Germany • Netherlands • Palestine • Scotland • Republic of Ireland

Latest Blogs Posts

Travellers to Jordan take note!

Posted on:
Wednesday, 1st October 2008

I've just had a very interesting conversation with Wendy Botham of Petra Moon Tours, one of our Travel Specialsts in Jordan... Back in April I reported how things were busy down in Egypt, with hotels in short supply and people being encouraged to ...

Posted at:
09:11
Comments:
0
Photos:
0
Tags:
Amman Aqaba camping Explore Intrepid Jordan Petra small-group
Discover Thailand's underwater wonders off Ko Tao with Black Tip Diving

Adventures in Asia - Diving in Ko Tao and Biking in China (and Mongolia and Japan and...)

Posted on:
Thursday, 25th September 2008

Back in 1994 I spent a few weeks on the idyllic Thai island of Ko Tao. Ko Tao translates as Turtle Island and its stunning waters really do lap agaainst some of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand. It was here that I learned to dive and so it is w...

Posted at:
17:31
Comments:
0
Photos:
4
Tags:
Activities Adventure beach biking China Diving holiday Japan Mongolia small-group tailor-made Thailand Yangshuo
The felucca saitrek was one of Explore's first ever trips - and remains as popular today as it wa when it was created over 25 years ago.

Discover the world – with Explore!

Posted on:
Wednesday, 10th September 2008

Explore are one of the UK’s foremost small group adventure travel tour operators, operating in over 130 countries around the world they offer around 500 trips! With a range of adventure holidays for both families and adults Explore! are sure to have ...

Posted at:
17:51
Comments:
0
Photos:
1
Tags:
Adventure Culture discovery Egypt Experience Explore family felucca groups holidays Shortbreaks Trekking walking wildlife
Classic Japanese garden.

Japan Travel Specialist Oxalis Holidays joins adddictedtotravel.com

Posted on:
Tuesday, 2nd September 2008

As our Travel Guide to Japan continues to expand with a whole host of great places to see in Japan and attractions in Japan we are pleased to welcome aboard Matt and the guys at Oxalis Holidays. Oxalis are that rare thing – a real expert in Japan ...

Posted at:
17:52
Comments:
0
Photos:
5
Tags:
Japan Kyoto Monkeys Nakasendo off-the-beaten-track small-group Snow tailor-made Tokyo Trail travel walking

Amazing finds in Turkey

Posted on:
Tuesday, 26th August 2008

I’ve always enjoyed Turkey. Ever since arriving on a first visit in the winter of 1987 when Istanbul was covered in a layer of snow I was amazed how many archaeological sites there were just, well, sitting there. At that time I enjoyed minus-zero tem...

Posted at:
16:22
Comments:
0
Photos:
0
Tags:
Adventure archaeologicals Dalyan Ephesus Greek Istanbul Kas sites travel Turkey

Latest Reviews

Cairo: What a city!

Travellers at the Pyramids
Posted on:
Friday, 12th September 2008
Rating

Dusty and crowded, polluted and tired, there's no doubting Cairo has its downside, but you have to take things in the round.

The Nile is a wonderful river and divides the city in two, with the west bank being predominantly residential. From Tahrir Square you can head to the Egyptian Museum for Tu...

Posted by:
Carlwelsby
Posted at:
17:54

Bangkok: Unmissable capital of Thailand

Bangkok Wat Arun
Posted on:
Friday, 29th August 2008
Rating

Bangkok has long been tarnished with a reputation for bad traffic and pollution and sure, these are a feature of the city (you should have visited BEFORE the Skytrain!), however to judge it only on these to aspects is to miss the point.

Bangkok is a capital city but with a little looking you can ...

Posted by:
Carlwelsby
Posted at:
17:20

Khajuraho: Well worth the journey

Khajuraho temple gardens
Posted on:
Friday, 29th August 2008
Rating

A visit to Khajuraho has for some time meant a long journey by road from Jhansi, just south of Agra, however it is worthwhile.

If you don't want to do it in one hit then break the trip in Orccha - fantastic capital of the Bundela Rajas. Khajuraho itself is famous for its erotic temples, an incred...

Posted by:
Carlwelsby
Posted at:
17:14

Comments

Barracuda's Photo

Aqaba sunshine

Posted on:
Friday, 9th November 2007



greeting from aqaba and thank you for your email

Warm regards
ahmed

Posted by:
Barracuda
Posted at:
12:43

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