All posts by The Beetle

BBC ONE’s Holiday Swaps Is Back!

Imagine swapping your normal holiday for a surprise trip that could take you anywhere in the world doing almost anything.

Holiday Swaps offers you the chance to make this year’s holiday an unforgettable experience.

Are you a UK based group of friends or a family planning an adventurous holiday this year? Holiday Swaps are especially looking for you if you are planning a safari, trekking or conservation holiday.

If you have a good sense of humour, enjoy a challenge and would be prepared to give up your planned holiday for something completely different, then we’d like to hear from you.

Email: holiday.swaps@bbc.co.uk

Tel: (+44) 0117 974 7840 (24 hrs)

Address: Holiday Swaps, PO Box 791, Bristol, BS99 1DD, United Kingdom.

A Cautionary Tale

Easter would not be Easter without a quick diving trip. Last year the Beetle went to the Red Sea on a live aboard, and this year, the Beetle was at a loss to work out where to go. A Muslim country seemed like a good idea because there would be fewer tourists going home to celebrate Easter, but it had to be somewhere with good diving.

Oman came to mind as being an unusual destination with hopefully some good diving opportunities. The Beetle contacted Trailfinders in the City, in London, to enquire about availability, cost and timings of flights to Oman. It seemed that there was quite a bit of availability, and the price was not too bad, considering it was Easter. The next step was to find a dive operation and a hotel.

A quick trawl on the net found a promising looking dive school that also had accommodation, so the Beetle went back to Trailfinders to say that she’d already be told of an Alitalia flight and read out the day and time. The puzzled operative said, no, there are no Alitalia flights going to Oman and quite honestly, it is all looking very busy, I can’t see the flight you are referring to and I’m not sure we can get you there now.

The Beetle has been using Trailfinders for over 10 years and thought this a little odd. Hang on a minute, just let me check something, the operative said. He came back triumphant. Yes, we’ve got you going on a flight to Amman, in Jordan! If the Beetle had booked the first time on enquiring, she would have ended up in Amman and not Oman – a very sobering thought!

The moral of the story is: no matter how experienced you think your travel agent is, they are not mind readers, always state the name of the country, even if you think it is obvious, like Paris, Texas, or Paris France, others may not know!

Van Exchanges Are Better Than House Trades

Says Peter from California who wrote in to tell us about how he and his partner, Leslie, traded vans and reaped the benefits of cheap travel. “And we”d love to do it again! We put a letter to the Editor in a caravan-owner”s magazine in England, saying we wanted to trade our California van for theirs.

Four weeks before our 2-month trip, a nice gent from Norwich called to say he”d consider it. After we traded references and information about our vans and how they were outfitted, he welcomed us. We spent a heavenly holiday travelling Britain, and then he and his wife came to use our van to visit the great parks of the American west!

We saved thousands of dollars/pounds. Van trades are better than house trades, because transportation is included and you”re not locked in at one location! Campgrounds are very inexpensive and have nice showers and laundry facilities.

We will soon have a new advertisement appearing in the Caravan Club Magazine–we”d love to visit France for 2 months! Insurance is not a problem, as each borrower gets their own to cover liability and collision.

In fact, if any of you fellow Globetrotters out there has a VW or other van (fancy factory-outfitted vans are not necessary–we can sleep in a bare tradesman”s van just fine), we”d love to trade with you.

Give me a call or an email: Peter Reimuller, Box 4, Point Arena, California, 95468; phone 1-(707)-882-2001; reimuller@mcn.org. And pack your bag–you”re going to be in some wonderful places!

Sorry–April not available as we are taking our van to Indian Country to visit the red-rock mesas and desert wildflowers.”

London Underground Travel – the low down

This is not for the faint hearted: if you are a regular traveller on the London Underground, here are some facts that you are going to wish you hadn”t read.

During Autumn of 2000, a team of scientists at the Department of Forensics at University College London removed a row of passenger seats from a Central Line tube carriage for analysis into cleanliness. Despite London Underground”s claim that the interior of their trains are cleaned on a regular basis, the scientists made some alarming discoveries.

The analysis was broken down. This is what was found on the surface of the seats: 4 types of hair sample (human, mouse, rat, dog) 7 types of insect mostly fleas, mostly alive) vomit originating from at least 9 separate people human urine originating from at least 4 separate people human excrement rodent excrement human semen

When the seats were taken apart, they found: the remains of 6 mice the remains of 2 large rats 1 previously unheard of fungus It is estimated that by holding one of the armrests, you are transferring, to your body, the natural oils and sweat from as many as 400 different people. It is estimated that it is generally healthier to smoke five cigarettes a day than to travel for one hour a day on the London Underground.

It is far more hygienic to wipe your hand on the inside of a recently flushed toilet bowl before eating, than to wipe your hand on a London Underground seat before eating. It is estimated that, within London, more work sick-days are taken because of bugs picked up whilst travelling on the London Underground than for any other reason (including alcohol).

More Funny Signs

In a Nairobi restaurant: CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.

On the grounds of a private school: NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION.

On an Athi River highway: TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.

On a poster at Kencom: ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO,WE CAN HELP.

Write in and tell us your funny sign! Drop a line to the Beetle!Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

Readers comments: best airport nominations – from the Travelling Stoat

Changi, Singapore: large, efficient, clean (good duty free) and looks great, what with the orchids and the waterfalls inside the airport

Aruba: clean, quiet and uncrowded

Denver: looks nice but crap shops

Landing strip at Kavak, Venezuela: a charming field – minimal environmental impact!

Heathrow: good shops for last minute forgotten item purchasing, can fly almost anywhere from it – downside it is horrible to get to and from, especially for early morning flights

The Stoat’s worst airports include:

Dar es Salaam – dirty, not many shops, expensive, sells 6 month old copies of the Economist

Local airport at Honiara: fly ridden, filthy and decidedly dodgy

Local airport at Vanuatu: same as Honiara

Write in and tell us your best airport nominations!Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

Buddha"s Finger in Taiwan

Tens of thousands of Buddhists have turned out in Taiwan to welcome what is purported to be a finger of Buddha (who died 2,000 years ago) on its arrival for a month-long stay on the island. The relic, housed in a jewelled casket, was flown in to Taipei from China, where it is normally on display at a temple in Xian. It was then driven amid tight security through chanting crowds to be displayed at a stadium in the Taiwanese capital.

Several other relics believed to be parts of his body – including a number of teeth – are preserved in various monasteries in Asia. Buddhists waving yellow flags lined the streets to welcome the finger. Later, thousands attended a ceremony at a Taipei stadium where the finger was placed on an orchid-decorated platform for worship.

“Looking at the bone is like seeing the Buddha himself,” Chinese monk I Kong said. “We hope Buddha”s finger could inspire friendly love and peace across the Taiwan Strait,” he said. Taiwan and China separated amid civil war in 1949. In recent years, many Taiwanese have visited Chinese temples to worship and to view their rich collections of Buddhist scriptures and relics.

Book Review

Review of Lonely Planet book:

Buddhist Stupas in Asia – the shape of perfection by Padmassana

This hardback pictorial book explains the origins of Stupas, the living embodiment of Buddhist teachings.

Its 170 pages contain beautiful colour photographs of the many types of Stupa found in Asia. From the bell shaped ones in India and Sri Lanka, to the Chortens of Nepal and Tibet to the Pagoda styles of China and Japan.

At £24.99 ( $34.99) it is not cheap, but to anyone with an interest in these wonderful structures it is a must have on the bookshelf.

Not to be Seen Dead In?

Madagascar travel advice by the FCO: we advise against all holiday and other non-essential travel to Madagascar for the time being. The demonstrations and strike, which followed the presidential elections on 16 December 2001, have stopped.

However, there are still outbreaks of violence around the country. Martial law was declared in Antananarivo on 28 February, and a curfew was imposed from 2100-0500.

Curfews have also been imposed in other cities around the country. Barricades are still in place at points around the capital and those situated on the main roads linking Antananarivo to the provinces have been strengthened. This has made road travel around the country dangerous and difficult.

Air Madagascar is not offering flights to Europe and Asia at the moment. Air France is providing one flight per week. Flights to and from South Africa are severely disrupted. Flights around the country are also subject to disruption. There is no aviation fuel for commercial use at Ivato, the main airport in the capital.

There have been cases of armed robbery in some National Parks. All independent travellers intending to visit National Parks should seek advice from a tour operator, or from the park administration.

There has been an increase in the number of travellers being pick-pocketed at the airport. Visitors should exercise caution on arrival and departure and should not leave bags unattended. Keep money and passports separate.

There is a danger of mugging in urban areas. Do not carry excessive money or wear prominent jewellery. Take sensible precautions in crowded areas such as markets. It is wise to avoid walking at night in city centres. Visitors are advised to carry a copy of their passport and to keep the original safe (e.g. a hotel deposit box).

Avoid travelling outside urban areas at night, if at all possible.

Visitors are advised not to wear military style clothing. It is disapproved of locally and could lead to detention.

Medical supplies are becoming increasingly scarce in Antananarivo and around the country. The shortage of medical supplies together with lack of fuel is limiting the medical evacuation services available.

www.fco.gov.uk/

Tibetan Women's Uprising

If you were in London on March 12th, you may have joined the Tibet Vigil for prayers and speeches from 5pm to 7pm opposite the Chinese Embassy in Portland Place.

This special vigil was in memory of 3,000 women who met in Lhasa in 1959 and the many thousands of women including nuns who are still suffering or in prison for declaring that Tibet should be free and refusing to denounce the Dalai Lama.

There are regular weekly meetings in London to protest on behalf of Tibetans. For details, call +44 (0) 208 771 1822 ore-mail or see the web site:www.tibet-vigil.org.uk

Kenyan Proverb

“The Earth was not give to us by our parents, it was lent to us by our children.”

Five Things You Didn't Know About Tourism

(From Tourism Concern)

1. According to the UN, 13-19 million children are working in the tourism sector all over the world. More than 1 million are forced into tourism’s sex industry.

2. 5,200 people were given 12 days’ notice and then forcibly removed from their homes in Pagan, Burma to make way for a tourism development. The military junta said they were an eyesore to tourists.

3. Spain’s 12 million visitors a year leave behind 100,000 tonnes of rubbish.

4. In destinations with beautiful beaches, especially the Caribbean, local people are often barred from beaches by hotel security and prevented from carrying on their livelihoods, such as fishing.

5. The UN calculates that a tourist uses as much water in 24 hours as a Third World villager would use to produce rice in 100 days.

Tourism Concern is a charity that works to ensure that local communities get a fair deal. Seetourismconcern.org.uk

Iceberg in Antartica

Did you know that icebergs are given names, and that these names relate to the section of Antartica where they are first sited?

US scientists recently reported that an iceberg more over nine times the size of Singapore had broken off Antarctica. It is over 64 kilometers (40 miles) wide and 85 kilometers (53 miles) long, and covers an area of about 5,500 square kilometers.

The National Ice Center said the berg, named B-22, broke free from an ice tongue in the Amundson Sea, an area of Antarctica south of the Pacific Ocean.

The B designation covers the Amundson and eastern Ross seas and the 22 indicates it is the 22nd iceberg sighted there by the US National Ice Center.

The iceberg broke off as a result of climate warming. One UK glaciologist at the Bas in Cambridge said “[It is hard] to believe that 500 million billion tons of ice sheet has disintegrated in less than a month.”

Free London Museums: The Museum of London

Last year, the British government announced that it would drop the entrance fee to many of the larger museums in London.

The Beetle’s favourite London museum is funnily enough called the Museum of London. It is about 15 minutes walk from St Paul’s Cathedral and the closest tube is the Barbican.

You could combine a visit starting at the Barbican, visit an art exhibition, grab a bite to eat or a coffee or wander around the Barbican complex, which is interesting in itself. Then walk down Aldersgate (about 5 minutes) towards St Paul’s to the large roundabout road where the Museum of London is situated.

It’s a great museum which looks at the early Roman remains in London, all through the ages to the modern skyline of the City. And it’s free!

Weekends are the busiest time since the admission fee has been scrapped, so try and visit during the week, if you can. Take a look atMuseum of London or tel: 020 7600 3699

Globetrotter Travel Award to the under 30s!

Under 30? Been a member of the Globetrotters Club for 2 years – or want to take out a 3 year subscription? Interested in a £1,000 travel award? Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested? We have just made the first award to Mike Dodd, a 22 year old mechanical engineering student at Warwick University, to help him with his trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Seeour legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we”ll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!

Travel Tips

Compression bags are amazing things. They can compress bulky items such as sleeping bags and fleeces into small and manageable packages. So take that fleece with you for cooler evenings but compress it!

Got any travel tips for the Beetle? Then e-mail them to: the Beetle!

Varig Brazil Air Pass

The pass is available to Brazilians and non Brazilians living outside Brazil when you buy an international ticket. It costs the same amount no matter what time of year you travel. It is valid for 21 days starting on the day of the first flight and can be used for flights in up to 9 cities throughout Brazil. Packages vary from US $530 to US $930.

Mutual Aid

Need help? Want a travelling buddy or advice about a place or country – want to share something with us – why not visit our Mutual Aid section of the Website:Mutual Aid