All posts by The Beetle

Meeting News from London

Our first speaker was Denise Heywood, who stepped in at short notice, and gave a talk titled Bombay to Borobudur. Denise took us on a journey from Bollywood in India to Raffles hotel in Singapore, we saw pictures of saris, flowers, markets and Christian cathedrals. Denise finished with the tale of Mr Raffles who the hotel is named after and who discovered the Borobudur temple lost in the jungle

After the break Tim Burford gave a talk on Alaska, a journey of 2300 miles along the Alaska Highway. Tim took us from Vancouver, at the start of the Canadian Pacific railway and then across the White Pass, visiting gold rush towns on steam engines over trestle bridges and glaciers and old mines.

Forthcoming London meetings:

Saturday 2nd July – 3.00 pm – Concert Artistes Association,20 Bedford Street,Covent Garden, London WC2

NB – change of meeting place and time for July and September.

This is the last meeting before the August break, when we'll be back in September. There will be an examination of Members Slides comprising eight mini-presentations from Globetrotters members.

There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk

Meeting News from New York

We are sorry to say that for the time being, New York meetings are suspended as Laurie really needs a helper. If you have some time to spare and are based in or near NYC, please contact Laurie on the e-mail address below.

For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates, click here at our website.

New York meetings are held at The Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher Street (btw Greenwich St and Washington St), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm.

New Tehran Airport

Flying into Iran? Iran opened its new international airport, the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran at the end of April 2005, despite warnings from Britain and Canada who fear that the runway may be unsafe. Neither Britain nor Canada said exactly why they were concerned about the safety of the runway. “We are aware of reports that the runway at the new Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran may not yet be suitable for use,” the British Foreign Office said in a travel advisory. We are in contact with the Iranian authorities about this. Until the situation has been clarified, we advise British travellers to travel by flights using the existing airport.”

Banana Trees on the Road

Be careful driving in Uganda's capital, Kampala. The pot holes in Kampala's roads are said to be so bad that protesters have started to plant banana trees in the middle of the potholes. One campaigner says he saw a fish caught in one of the bigger potholes that had filled with water.

Iris Recognition at LHR

Project IRIS is being introduced at Heathrow's Terminals 2 and 4 at the end of April 2005 before being rolled out to other UK airports, and is aimed at anyone not holding an EU passport who regularly travels through Heathrow. They will be invited to have their iris patterns photographed and stored in a database upon departure. Those passengers can then use special automated security check-points which scan their eyes, avoiding long lines for non-EU passport holders when they return to the country. The new security system aims to replace face-to-face passport control interviews and reducing long queues at the immigration counters.

Volunteer in Africa

Volunteer in Africa is an organization dedicated to disseminating information on voluntary work programs in Africa. We also organize volunteer programs and other programs including group tours in Ghana.

We place volunteers from worldwide on our own projects and on the projects of other organizations in Ghana for a period of 1 to 12 weeks. The volunteers stay with carefully selected, respectable, well screened, dedicated host families.

Our work is aimed at promoting environmental preservation, sustainable social and economic development, literacy, health care, international friendship and cultural exchange. For more information, see: http://www.volunteeringinafrica.org

Whale Spotted In Tokyo Bay

A grey 10m long whale swam into an industrial part of Tokyo Bay in early May, causing much surprise. Only 12 sightings of the mammal have been confirmed around Japan since the 1960s. It is rare for grey whales to be sighted in Japan, much less in the capital's congested waterways a spokesman said. Grey whales travel about 20,000 km during their annual migrations between the sea off the coast of Vietnam to Russia's far eastern Sakhalin Island.

Diaspora Event, London

A celebration of musical excellence from London's diaspora communities!

The weekend will feature a selection of world-class performers, all now based in the capital of the UK from all around the world. For more information, see: www.culturalco-operation.org

Admission is free by downloadable voucher from the internet site. The music weekend will take place at KewGardens, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June.

Volunteering Ecuador

I am writing on behalf of an NGO out in Ecuador with whom I volunteered last year. This organisation is trying to find other volunteers. The organisation has experience of placing volunteers previously and is a registered NGO with the Ecuadorian government. I can be contacted on: andy_blake31@yahoo.co.uk

NZ Guides

South Island Guides, www.southislandguides.com is a collective of professionally trained NZ guides, specializing in creating exceptional guided experiences. Based in Queenstown New Zealand, our guides have extensive experience and qualifications in all areas of the hospitality and adventure tourism industries. All our activities are tried and true, ensuring a high level of professionalism and client satisfaction. A unique and safe adventure is assured for you, your partner, friends and family.

If you would like more information on our 2005 winter products/services or our summer products/services 2005/06 please get in contact with us at info@southislandguides.com

Metal Knives and Forks are Back

Lighters and matches are now banned in airline cabins, but passengers on British aircraft will be able to eat a meal with metal cutlery and to take knitting needles and scissors with blades less than 3 centimetres, or 1.2 inches, long in hand baggage. Longer blades, corkscrews, and penknives will still not be allowed, according to the British Department of Transport. “Airline security is an issue under constant review,” a spokesman says. “There are now enough security measures in place to allow passengers to bring these items back on to planes.”

India Resource

India Tourist! Is a CD guide to India – see www.india-tourist.com The cd covers over 150 destinations and over 500 sub-destinations of India. It includes a hotel directory with over 1200 hotels across India affiliated to Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India, a listing of major travel agents across the country, details of the 4 Luxury trains with routes, itineraries etc.

Disney Parks

Disney's theme parks were launched 50 years ago this year. It is believed that 4% of all amateur photographs in the US are taken in a Disney park. Walt Disney was not impressed by American amusement parks, finding them “awful, smelly, dirty, and not particularly safe” so he decided to open his own. The Disneyworld resort in Florida opened in 1971, five years after Walt Disney died. The first Japanese park opened in 1983 and Hong Kong's park opens in September 205 and there are rumours, though denied by the company, that India could be next.

Travel Writing Workshop

When: Saturday 18th June, 10.30am-4.00pm
Where: The Newsroom, The Guardian 60 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3GA
Cost: £85.00
A day of two intensive workshops:

Travel Writing – How to do it and how not to with Dea Birkett, the Guardian's Travelling with Kids columnist and author of Serpent in Paradise and Off the Beaten Track

Fact, Fiction and Creating a Traveller's Tale with Rory Maclean, author of Falling for Icarus and Stalin's Nose

The workshops are followed by practical writing sessions. Participants should bring pen and paper – they will be expected to write! The emphasis is – whether you are a beginner or already have some writing experience – on developing skills which can be applied to both articles and books. Our aim is that, by the end of the day, each of you will have the tools to produce a publishable piece of travel writing.

For further details and application form contact: travelworkshops@deabirkett.com

For further information:

Move over Dubai, Here Comes Abu Dhabi

Dubai has always been the jewel in the United Arab Emirates crown, and Abu Dhabi considered a little quieter, more traditional and more conservative. Well, plans are afoot that may change all this. The United Arab Emirates is planning a 21 billion dirham (USD$5.7 billion) expansion of Abu Dhabi Airport in an effort to revamp the city's profile and attract millions of tourists. The new Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority said the emirate wants to attract over 3 million tourists a year by 2015, compared to 830,000 in 2003. Abu Dhabi has even tried to match Dubai's famed Burj al-Arab hotel, with its distinctive sail shape with its own Emirates Palace, where some suites cost USD$16,000 per night.

Ukraine Changes Visa Rules

The Ukraine has announced the temporary implementation of the visa-free entrance regime for EU and Swiss citizens.

This means that from 1st May 2005 till the 1st September 2005 EU and Swiss passport holders will be able to enter the Ukraine without visas for the period up to 90 days. For more information, see:Ukraine Visa