Category Archives: archive

Burma Revisited

Derek, a retired UK diplomat, contacted the Beetle to say that all too often the controversy over whether or not to visit Burma tends to overlook the very important issue of whether the people of Burma themselves are happy to see and meet foreign tourists. Derek, who is to visit Burma again next month, has made a study of anecdotal reports of Burmese attitudes over the last five years – alas the sole source of information in the absence of credible opinion polls – and his conclusion is that the Burmese people themselves very much favour visits by tourists and travellers to their country by a margin of at least 10 to 1. We have reproduced a cut down version of his survey.

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Some travel correspondents say that on their visits they found it difficult, if not impossible to find any Burmese, even rank and file members of Daw Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, who were against tourism to their country, despite Daw Suu Kyi’s strictures. A “search” on Alta Vista for “Burma Travel Boycott” any evening will produce over 3,000 “hits”. A sample selection of reported Burmese views from these “hits” confirms my conclusion that the Burmese people generally really do want tourists and travellers to visit.

It is for many their main source of income, protection against the excesses of the military and an assurance that their plight may at least be witnessed by those who are sensitive observers. Travel and tourism indeed advance the cause of democracy.

My simple conclusion is that we should primarily be guided by the wishes and advice of the Burmese people , and not that of the UK Government whose policy is to “strongly discourage tourism to Burma” – FCO Minister Bill Rammell, 25 November 2003, speech on “Why Human Rights Matter” to the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Tourism is admittedly a source, but not, as another FCO Minister, Mike O’Brien stated in a letter on 14 July 2003 to the Chief Executive of ABTA, Ian Reynolds, “an important source” of hard currency for the SPDC. Net profits pale into insignificance against the US$ 2-3 billion purchases in recent years, mostly from China, of arms and military equipment. Most hotels are barely covering their operating costs. Remittances by tourist enterprises out of Burma of some US$ 25 million annually [IMF estimates] for essential payments punch quote a hole in US$ 100 million annual revenue. Local costs swallow up much of the balance. It is not credible to argue that tourism is in any serious sense helping to prop up the regime. It would do so if numbers increased tenfold, but this isn’t likely to happen for a very long time.

There is no doubt that Daw Suu Kyi would prefer tourists to delay visiting Burma. Over the years, she has advanced numerous reasons for not visiting Burma, some of which are not all that convincing, notably arguments about giving the regime “legitimacy” (while the UK accepts Burma as Myanmar at the UN and maintains full diplomatic relations, with an Ambassador in post), about “it’s better to stay at home and read some of the many human rights reports there are” (which is not perhaps the best way to experience and witness what is going on in Burma), about “the bulk of the money goes straight into the pockets of the Generals” (when revenue clearly goes to meeting operating expenses, debt, depreciation, transfer to reserves etc.), about “Burma will still be there when the time is ripe” (but not for octogenarian veterans of the Burma Campaign, while for scholars, linguists, ethnologists, Buddhist scholars and many others with specialist interests Burma has been a hermit kingdom ever since the military took over in 1962), about “we haven’t had time to discuss it [tourism policy] properly” at a news conference in May 2002 (which might leave some of us still wondering what NLD policy really is).

The tourist trade has been hard hit by the latest indiscriminate US sanctions which have led to the suspension of all credit card transactions in Burma and restrictions on the utilisation of the US Dollar. Quite soon, thousands of postcard sellers and stall holders, tourist guides, hotel staff and drivers will be joining the 80,000 or so textile workers who have been made unemployed.

No-one in Burma is making any serious money out of tourism at present, and what is the point of allocating beach land to cronies of the regime when there is no investment capital available to develop projects? Occasionally critics point to the Shangri-La Traders Hotel as an example of a Joint Venture which must be making money for the SPDC. They might be surprised to know that Traders Hotel has been in liquidation since 1999.

Tourism is about meeting people, and in the case of Burma letting the Burmese know that the outside world has not forgotten them.

Derek Tonkin

If you would like to contact Derek, he can be reached by e-mail as follows: d.tonkin@btopenworld.com


'MWENGE' by Jean Milnes

‘Mwenge’ is the Kiswahili word for torch but it also represents a major national event in Tanzania, which is also known in English as the National Torch Run. If you can imagine an African version of the carrying of the Olympic Flame, restrict it to one country but take it all over that country, and make it an annual event which has a ‘message’ to pass to the people – that is ‘Mwenge’.

‘Mwenge’ began as a single event in 1961, as part of Tanzania’s Independence celebrations, when a burning torch was carried to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. A few years later, the nation-wide runs began and it is now an annual event. In the technologically advanced countries awareness of major issues is spread through newspapers, television and radio. Tanzania, although now trying hard to catch up, has not had these advantages, and so the ‘Mwenge’ is run with the purpose of spreading a message – a different message each year. The original Mt Kilimanjaro torch was to celebrate President Nyerere’s independence slogan ‘Umoja na Kazi’ ‘Unity and Labour’ – there have been issues such as encouraging parents to send their children to school and this year it was HIV/AIDS awareness.

One Tuesday evening 2 ladies from Mtwara Town Council appeared and asked if we would be prepared to ‘host’ the ‘Mwenge’ breakfast on the following Thursday – 2 days later – for the runners and officials – a total of 40 people. It was to consist of a cup of tea, a hard-boiled egg and a bread roll. They would only stay for about 15 minutes and then move on to the next place. This seemed a simple request and despite their pitiful budget we decided that this was a reasonable public relations exercise. I am not sure that we could have refused – it would not have been a diplomatic move to turn down the opportunity to be involved in this event.

We had been advised to expect the runners and their entourage at 10.00am but would be ready for an earlier arrival. So, at 9.45 we were ready and, together with several other members of staff, I climbed up the Boma tower from where we had a spectacular view of the bridge at the far end of Mikindani. Below us in the village we could hear singing and drums as the party atmosphere got underway. Already on the bridge was a convoy of cars, pickup trucks, motor bicycles and people. It seemed a long time before they slowly moved off but eventually they started moving, and we watched this motorised cavalcade wend its way though Mikindani. The convoy was accompanied, as always, by crowds of people, and along the route there were groups of people dancing, playing drums and singing all adding to a real celebration and party atmosphere. The convoy stopped when it reached the Clinic by the Friday Mosque, and message-carrying speeches were made to the Mikindani people. Then they all moved to the open area by Livingstone House, where the runners and officials left the crowd and walked up to the Boma for their breakfast. The crowd remained down by the official cars parked outside Samaki and Livingstone – it appeared that most of the people of Mikindani had taken a ½ day off to celebrate ‘Mwenge’.

The District Commissioner and other Mtwara officials enjoying their breakfast by the Boma swimming pool were joined by 5 of the 6 runners – unfortunately the only girl in the group was unwell, and remained sleeping in the car. After the food had been consumed, the District Commissioner stood up and made a short speech on the importance of ‘Mwenge’, and what it stands for, together with the honour of being chosen to run throughout Tanzania for this cause. Almost as quickly as they had arrived, they all left. They had arrived half an hour late, but by 11.00 they had gone. The 40 breakfasts had grown to 42, and they had also bought some bottles of water. We certainly did not make any cash profit, but we had participated in a national event and hopefully shown a little goodwill, and were proud to have done so. We were left clearing up, knowing that the next village to receive them would have to provide lunch – a much more extravagant meal!

For more information about Trade Aid, see: www.mikindani.com


Traveller's Diseases: Lassa Fever

What is it: Lassa fever is an acute viral illness that occurs in West Africa. It is highly contagious and occurs mainly in the dry season in West Africa, particularly Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the DRC.

How do I get it: Rodents shed the virus in urine and droppings which means that the virus can be transmitted through direct contact with these materials, through touching objects or eating food contaminated with these materials, or through cuts or sores.

What happens if I get it: Symptoms of Lassa Fever typically occur 1-3 weeks after the patient comes into contact with the virus. These include: fever, pain behind the chest wall, sore throat, back pain, cough, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and a rash. After four weeks occur: bleeding, ascites and shock. Death occurs in 50 % of patients.

Diagnose and treatment: the virus can be detected in blood and urine. The anti-viral agent Ribavarin can be used, otherwise it is a question of symptom control and intensive care.

How can I avoid contracting Lassa fever: avoid contact with rodents.


Siem Reap by Judy

Judy from the US write in to tell the Beetle about her recent visit to Siem Reap. This is what she says:

My husband and I were in Siem Reap for the full moon 8 Nov 03. Candles were set floating in the Siem Reap River which flows through the village. It was an awesome night scene. Boat races were also held at this time with competing teams from all over Cambodia.

One Swiss couple told us of an encounter they had upon entering the country. The left Bangkok by train to the border, then transferred to a tuk-tuk to cross over to a waiting truck. While taking the truck ride to SR they had their money and cell phone taken. Some American girls said they had taken the boat ride from Phnom Penh and had a good experience, including sightings of the Vietnamese boat people.

Siem Reap is a very safe place in the evenings by our experiences. The temples are a sight to behold…still in an unspoiled state. Take an extra passport photo to put on your temple permit as the photo queue can be long. The helium balloon ride is a great bargain $11.00 US to get a wonderful view of the Angkor Wat and nearby temples.

Sunrise and sunset are times to get pictures with the Angkor Wat reflecting in the moat waters. The guides suggest you take a hike up a very steep hill and then upon a temple to get a view of the sunset over the countryside; not the Angkor Wat. We rode by tuk-tuk to Chong Khneas and took a boat ride to see the Vietnamese floating village which was quite interesting and photographic.

The food was excellent and varied, especially like the Cambodian noodles. This was just the unspoiled area that we wanted to visit. Being from the Midwest US we had arranged a guide for 1 1/2 days and spent two days on our own. I think you need time just to sit and reflect on what a sight you are witnessing, Ta Prohm with the trees growing out of the stones and Angkor Thom were impressive.


February 2001 – Sicily by David Siracusa

The latter part of the flight over was terrific, with snow on the Gran Sasso first and then, towards the end, there was the fabulous spectacle of the Aeolian Islands with Stromboli puffing away. Etna, on Sicily itself, was puffing a bit but nothing to suggest the major eruption it had the next winter. We flew past it and into Catania.

I was pleased to find that I could get a bus direct from the airport to Siracusa without going into Catania and only had about fifty minutes to wait with a view of Etna to while away the time. More of the Sicilian coast than I had expected was spoilt by industry and far less by tourism and to be honest I did not particularly enjoy the bus journey to Siracusa. Fortunately it was only about an hour. I had booked for the first two nights at the Bel-Sit and I had seen where it was on the small map in the Rough Guide. Would I be able to recognise it on the ground though and save time going to the terminus and back? I was quite proud of myself as I alighted from the coach, got out my case, helped an attractive woman out with hers and watched the bus leave. My pride lasted all of twenty-three seconds until I discovered that the case was not mine! Somehow my Italian came up to telling the woman I had helped what had happened and I was given a lift in the car picking her up to pursue the bus. Strangely the conversation with the woman driver was in the neutral language of Spanish! There at its terminus was the bus and there, outside it were my case, some very crestfallen passengers who had of course lost theirs, the driver who looked as though he would rather be somewhere else – anywhere else in fact – and the inevitable police inspector. Great was the jubilation, as G.F. Handel said! This ended very well for me with a lift back up the hill and the first woman escorting me – and carrying my case – to the Bel-Sit; a bit more than I had deserved perhaps!

Two areas demand to be visited. These are the old part of the city at Ortygia, where the bus terminus was, and the Parco Archeológico. I went down to Ortygia that same evening, just too late for the tourist office opening times, and enjoyed a brief stroll round and a good pizza. It was quite good enough to call me back the next morning but, other than getting the map and literature I wanted from the tourist office, I was just a shade disappointed. Ortygia is near enough an island and not a very big one; I had not realised that the point, which should have given a good sea view, was out of bounds to visitors because of the requirements of the army. In general the area should probably be regarded as a must see by anyone who has not been to any of the beautiful old towns on the Italian mainland but, unusually, I was as much struck by the displayed poverty of some areas as anything. The cathedral is very interesting, though scarcely beautiful, from the outside with bits being part of an earlier Greek temple. However, contrary to my usual view in southern Europe, the interior, which contains some strikingly beautiful columns, provides a better spectacle. Taken as a whole I preferred Ortygia at night and the jury was still out on Siracusa as I took a bus and then a walk to the entrance to the Parco Archeológico.

The jury did not stay out long, however. This is terrific and, for a person like me who has never been to Greece, it was truly magic. I do not mean to belittle the sights in Sicily by saying this. The Greek remains in Sicily are regarded by experts as being of top order. I did classics in the sixth form and I well remember the campaigns of Athens and Sparta and the importance of Sicily in general and Siracusa in particular, in the Peloponnesian War. The splendid and vast Greek theatre here dates back to the fifth century BC and I found it quite spellbinding. Near it were the old Latomie del Paradiso, quarries and later the prison for Athenian prisoners of war. Paradise indeed? Even in February the heat would have suggested a very different theological area, particularly for those who had to work in the quarries. Particularly outstanding in the view is the Orecchio di Dionissio [ear of Dionysus,] a large cavern well up the cliff. Not far away is the Roman Amphitheatre, which became so much used for blood sports that another smaller one had to be built back in the town for drama.

Siracusa would have repaid a longer visit.

David Cross was a keen walker, particularly on mountains before he developed serious heart problems in 1995. He has now adapted his holidays to what he is able to do and we are presenting his account of 12 days in Sicily over this and the coming months. Next episode – Agrigento


Volunteer Corner Vacancies For Volunteer Doctors/Nurses For Hill Farmer Clinic Project, N E India

Can you spare 2 weeks + ? Would you like a working
holiday in a fantastic place?

We are currently looking for volunteer medical staff for
our clinic in India.

Agricultural Work with Planet
Drum Foundation in Bahia de Caraquez, Manabi, Ecuador

Planet Drum Foundation is a non-profit, grass roots
environmental organisation based in San Francisco,
California, USA. Planet Drum supports projects that address
environmental and sustainability issues. Their projects are
carried out by an international staff, volunteers, and
local citizens. Specific projects in Ecuador include:
replanting an urban park on the site of a large landslide,
establishing model community composting centres, seeding
steep slopes to prevent landslides, creating wildlife and
vegetation corridors, growing native plants and trees. They
are also starting up an environmental education program in
a local elementary school. No costs to volunteers,
dorm-style lodging in a large apartment. This area is
located on the coast where most amenities are available.

Madre de Selva

Madre Selva is a 5 hectare centre for research,
demonstration and education about tropical permaculture. It
is a grassroots project developed over 10 years. The
Institute is in a barrio on the edge of the buzzing
mangrove town of San Lorenzo in the North Western province
of Esmeraldas. It employs local staff and works with local
communities. The organisation is looking for someone to
help integrate and improve the current financial management
system, liaise with staff to research existing system and
plans, streamline operations, develop plans to generate
income and develop a business plan for Madre Selva.


MEETING NEWS

Meeting news from our branches around the world.


The World’s Richest Countries

Rank Country (GDP per capita)

  1. Luxembourg ($36,400)
  2. United States ($36,200)
  3. Bermuda ($33,000)
  4. San Marino ($32,000)
  5. Switzerland ($28,600)
  6. Aruba ($28,000)
  7. Norway ($27,700)
  8. Monaco ($27,000)
  9. Singapore ($26,500)
  10. Denmark ($25,500)

Faliraki Club Reps

Club Reps, a bawdy real life UK TV documentary on the goings on in the town of Faliraki on the Greek island of Rhodes is blamed for an increase in drunken behaviour. A British policeman from Blackpool, (another delightful part in North-West UK), with similar issues has been dispatched to Faliraki to liaise with the Chief of Faliraki police after a British man was stabbed to death in a bar brawl and a woman jailed for baring her breasts.

Based on a successful model used in Blackpool, the UK police said the key to tackling problems is stopping the “aggressive marketing of drinks promotions” and bar crawls. Independent tour operators have sprung up which were taking 400 or 500 people on bar crawls. Suggestions have been made to install CCTV cameras on the streets, improve lighting, and increase police presence and officers are “firm but fair” early in the evening, to nip problems in the bud.


Meeting News from London by Padmassana

1st November 2003 London meeting

On November 1st, we had two very different talks this month. The first was by Amar Grover, entitled “The Hindustan Tibet road”, an old trading route used by pilgrims on their way to Mt Kailash. The area is very mountainous and picturesque, Amar showed us villages and 800 year old temples perched high on cliff tops, some only reachable by use of “Flying fox” pulley systems across the valleys, not for use by those with a nervous disposition. In this Buddhist region we saw monks who perform dances depicting parts of the Buddha’s life. We also saw how hard daily life is with yaks being used for farming. But it was the stunning scenery, which stole the show.

Our second speaker was the ever-popular Tom Freemantle, who delighted us with his talk “Mexico to Manhattan with a mule”. Tom was following once again in the footsteps of a relation who did this journey during the American civil war. Tom met “Brownie” the mule at the Mexican border and after a few tips from the owner set off in temperatures of 100 degrees. Tom’s epic journey of 2700 miles took seven months, Brownie going through seven sets of shoes. Along the way Tom showed us some of the great sights including the Alamo. But it was the hospitality of the American people that shone through. During Tom’s trip September 11th had happened and it was fitting that the last shots we saw were Tom’s photos of “Ground Zero”.

Next month, on Saturday 6th December, Paul Goldstein will talk about Africa: An Adventurous Wilderness/The Hunters and the Hunted. Paul has travelled to sub-Saharan Africa over fifty-five times guiding safaris and tours, and photographing. He has climbed Africa’s highest peaks, rafted the wildest rivers and stood toe-to-toe with charging rhino. His passion, for “conservation” for the people and wild-life, is supported by award-winning photography in both BBC and Royal Geographic Photographic competitions.

After the break, John Pilkington will give a talk entitled: Up the Mekong to Tibet about a journey up one of Asia’s longest rivers from the South China Sea to Tibet and beyond. Starting from the rice paddies of Vietnam, John follows its course through the gorges of China’s Yunnan province to where it rises at over 16,000 feet, meeting river people of six nationalities along the way.

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. 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


Our Friends Ryanair

Plenty of news about our friends Ryanair.

Despite their difficulties with court cases with the European Union about state aid, (whether Ryanair received unfair state subsidies at its Belgian hub of Charleroi) Ryanair has announced two new European bases in Rome and Barcelona. The new bases would start from January 28 and February 5 2004 respectively, adding 12 routes to its rapidly expanding network.

And the bad news: Ryanair is to close all its recently-opened intra-Nordic routes due to weak demand and switch capacity to destinations outside the region. They plan to end flights from Sweden’s Skavsta to Oslo in Norway, Tampere in Finland and Arhus in Denmark from January 14 2004. Ryanair added in a statement it was also shutting its flights from London to Ostend in Belgium, Maastricht in the Netherlands and to the French destinations of Reims and Clermont.

The good news: new routes will be from London Stansted to Linz in Austria, Bari in Italy, Erfurt in Germany, Jerez in Spain, and from France’s Charleroi to Calladolid in Spain.

You really wanted to know this, didn’t you: you can now buy Ryanair gift vouchers: for more info, see: http://www.ryanairvouchers.com/They say you can choose from 135 routes across 16 different countries (does that include flying into the wrong country – Beetle?) and that for every voucher bought Ryanair will make a £1/€1 donation to charity


Fave Website: Travel Tips

Mac spotted a website www.walkabouttravelgear.com that has a lot of good travel tips. He says: they include using empty gatoraide bottles for water instead of water bottles as the gatorade bottles are more leak proof. Another suggestion was to put duct tape around a pencil to carry duct tape that way and use less space. Someone suggested for both men and women to wear silk pantyhose (maybe they did not have to be silk) for warmth. Someone suggested silk clothes for warmth. Another person suggested taking vitamin B pills or chewing garlic pills to ward off mosquitoes bites. They don’t like the smell. Don’t use perfumes on your hair etc to avoid mosquitoes. Someone suggested an all purpose gel (for washing etc)


Meeting News from New York

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

Hi Globies – hope you all had a good Happy Thanksgiving! We have another great slide shows coming up for January 10th!

Michael Luongo will be talking about Rebuilding the Ruins of Afghanistan – from women who work at re-opened museums to hunky gym rats who worship Arnold Schwarzenegger. Afghanistan has changed in the 2 years since the ousting of the Taliban. A lot more work needs to be done, but new buildings rise from the rubble to punctuate the Kabul skyline, archeological initiatives are helping tourism, and wheelchair programs are giving mine victims a new chance in life. See the Afghanistan you never read about in the papers. We'll look at what there is to see as a tourist in Kabul and we'll also touch on travel to other Islamic hotspots like Jordan, Turkey and Morocco

Venue: as always 4:00-5:30 The Wings Theater 154 Christopher Street. $10.00 for non-members and $8.00 for members.

The NY Globetrotters website: www.globetrottersnyc.com

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.


Iris’s Diary of An Overland Trip Through South America

After her memorable barbecue in Itaunas, Brazil, Iris and her overland group make their way to Caravelas.

We moved on to a place called Caravelas which was right by the sea, a nice little Pousada (hotel) as they call them in Brazil, with a little dip pool and nice little rooms, with the sea just seconds away. It was here that I decided to get rid of a load of outstanding postcards and so took a trip into the little town to find a post office and send them off. I do hope they all arrived safely because I was advised it might be better to wait until Salvador as rural post offices are notoriously sleepy places, but when I got to the post office, I found it very efficient and the staff of two extremely helpful, and I was able to get directions to a stationery shop so that I could buy more envelopes to post off the rest of my postcards at a later date.

I dare say recipients who receive the postcards initially noticed that the envelopes were stuck down with sellotape in a very haphazard fashion! Well, it was only after I had bought the envelopes and came to stick them down that I realized there was no sticky on them! Apparently this is the norm in Brazil and one has to either buy a glue stick to stick them down or use the facilities at the post office! We have decided that this is probably because it is so humid in Brazil that any sticky on the envelopes would soon deteriorate and stick themselves down before they were used, if you see what I mean.

We stayed in Caravelas for just two nights and then moved on to Caraiva, which is a small island just the most incredibly small boat journey from the shore, it took the boatsmen all of two minutes, I would think to row us across. And this again was an unspoilt place with no built up roads, and the island itself was on a coast line which was reached only by a very basic mud track road which sent us all lurching and bumping around inside the truck as it negotiated potholes, ruts and ridges in the road and at times had difficulty getting through narrow openings and sharp bends and some bridges that looked as if they wouldn't take a horse and cart, let alone an enormous truck!

Anyway, we spent an enjoyable three nights there. I wasn't prepared to enjoy it to begin with because we had such a trek round the island to find our accommodation only to find the place we were supposed to stay at was inexplicably closed, and so it was a race to find the best accommodation available and as usual, Judith and I got left behind in the crush and rush by the younger members of the group to get themselves sorted (there’s no concession on this trip for the aged among them) and so in the end it meant that we were housed in a small Pousada across the road from the rest of the group, but we did pay Reais 5 less than they did per night and got a really nice two-bedded (one double bed and one single bed) room and it took us quite some time to assure our landlord that Martin, who had come to act as interpreter for us, didn't want to share the double bed with one or both of us!)

We also found our landlord had donkeys who came by to spend the night just outside the grounds of the Pousada in a square area formed between two buildings. During the evening, we went to the landlord’s restaurant for a meal and noticed the gate to the Pousada and its grounds had been shut, so we carefully closed it behind us. We met a Brazilian lady at the restaurant, who seeing our difficulty with the menu, came to assist us. It turned out she had spent time in USA and spoke really good English and she turned out to be an artist of sorts, her speciality being designing patterns for materials, and her husband’s speciality was making jewellery and they travelled around on public transport selling their wares. We spent a pleasant evening with them before going back to bed, and then as I looked out over the grounds, once we had got to our room, I noticed we had inadvertently left the gate open and the donkeys, who had arrived to spend the night in the lee of the buildings, had entered the garden and were about to feed off the plants! Well, some of my friends and family know I am not too happy dealing with large animals, but without thinking I went straight down and shooed these three big animals out of the garden and they obeyed me so willingly, I felt quite proud of myself as I closed the gate behind them. (I didn't want to have to pay for all the plants they might have eaten and that spurred me on, I think)

We spent a pleasant couple of days in Caraiva, exploring the beaches and finding everyone so friendly and helpful. Most of the group descended on a particular restaurant for breakfast and to spend the day there while they frolicked on the beach and in the sea, and I just wandered from place to place, studying my Spanish and just contemplating the ocean. There were plenty of places to eat in the evening, mostly serving fish, and we met our Brazilian friends each evening and spent some pleasant times with them. They were in Caraiva to display their wares, and weren't too hopeful of selling much as they were relatively expensive compared to the normal tourist junk, but the lady was just pleased to practice her English and we were relieved because we weren't too keen to learn Portuguese. I had studied it a year or so ago, but I had then decided to concentrate on Spanish and so forgot most of what I had tried to learn!

We then went on to a place called Porto Seguro, which is in the middle of the mining area of Brazil where many precious stones and metals are found and whilst there visited their museum with exhibits from all over the world depicting stones in their raw state and in their polished state, and showing all the various minerals and metals extracted in the region together with the machinery etc to do it with and it truly was a very fascinating exhibition and I spent a couple of hours there. Porto Seguro is an unspoilt town with narrow streets and colonial buildings, unfortunately many of them in bad need of renovation, but it also made a pleasant stopping point for us on the way to Salvador.


BBC Programme Needs Travellers

The Globetrotters Club has been approached by the BBC about a programme they are working on about young gap year travellers. They are looking for UK based people aged 18-25 who’s either already out on their travels around the world or about to go out to potentially go out and film for a week in January. If you’d like more information, contact Karina on karina.griffin@bbc.co.uk


Meeting News from Ontario

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

Meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.


Traveller’s Diseases: Rabies

What is it: rabies is an acute, and occasionally fatal virus almost always transmitted by dogs, jackals, foxes, skunks, cats, bats, mongooses, and farm animals. Rabies is found on all continents, except Antarctica and Australasia. Doctors have estimated that 2% of dogs in Bangkok are rabid – no, the Beetle did not know that either.

How do I get it: the rabies virus is transmitted in the saliva of an infected animal by biting or licking an open wound. The virus is usually carried by Half of all people bitten by an infected animal will develop rabies.

What happens if I get it: it can take weeks, months and sometimes years to develop, although the usual incubation time is 2 to 8 weeks. Symptoms can include loss of appetite, muscle aches, sore throat, headache, paralysis, spasms of swallowing muscles, delirium, convulsion, and, in worse cases, coma and death. Sometimes, odd behaviours manifest themselves in the form of aggression, agitation or anxiety

Diagnose and treatment: samples of saliva and blood will determine rabies. A course of rabies vaccinations will cure you. A pre-exposure vaccine is available for travelers visiting high risk countries. Seek medical help as soon as you have been bitten. The earlier you can receive rabies injections, the better, even if you have received a pre-exposure course of injections.

How can I avoid contracting rabies: if you are visiting a high risk area, arrange to have rabies vaccinations. In any case, avoid contact with all animals, whether domestic or wild. If you are bitten, wash the bite with soap and water and then with alcohol or iodine to reduce the chances of becoming infected.


Campervan Swap

We are a semi-retired couple in our late 50’s from Adelaide, South Australia who will be visiting UK from May 21st 2004 – sometime in August 2004. We are experienced campervan grey nomads, looking to swap campervans either simultaneously or if you wish to travel to OZ at some other time, we could work out some other dates.

Our van is a 1990 Toyota Hi -Ace, LWB, Hi-top. We can help with any extra camping equipment needed. Our vehicle is in excellent condition as our hobby is vintage cars, particularly Austin 7’s which we restore.

We only wish to travel in U.K., not take a van on to Europe.

Looking forward to hearing from any UK adventurers with a campervan of similar size to ours. Contact Nadia & Arthur, nadiak@picknowl.com.au


Meeting News from Texas Globetrotters meeting on January 10th 2004

The Texas Branch of the Globetrotters will hold its next meeting January 10th at the New Braunfels library, 600 Common St New Braunfels Texas.

Christina (with Wiggling Wanda – the club’s travelling mascot!) is out of the country on a “Santa Mission Trip” in Tokyo and Bangkok, and will have a lot to share about this heartfelt adventure.

If you like independent, adventuresome, fun, daring, exciting, “off the beaten path” travel, this club is for you. Our meeting begins at 2 P.M. Come early so you won't be late! Enjoy handouts, travel talk time, and door prizes!

For more information about the Texas Branch: please contact texas@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates at our website (click here) or call Christina at 830-620-5482

If anybody would like to enquire about meetings or help Christina, please contact her on: texas@globetrotters.co.uk


Mac’s Jottings: India

U. S. Soldiers Home, Washington: during a century of travel (well 78 years!) both in and out of service I have travelled to over 150 countries (I count both North and South Dakota as countries) and for some reason have jotted signs and happenings that I thought funny at the time (and now wonder why). So here is the perfect opportunity to share some of my anecdotes.

In the India train schedule they have all these comments on leprosy.

1. Deformity does not mean infectivity.

2. Leprosy affects all faiths (Me. Surely not Catholics)

3. Any doctor can treat leprosy

(I have three suitcases full of notes I have taken about travel, military, yes, three suitcases. I have to get rid of some of the notes. Guess where I am sending them? Ha!

One Sign in restaurant: do not spit

Do not make nuisance

(Indians use this word nuisance often in their signs. Always reminding you to not make a nuisance of yourself (bad form)

One sign reads Deshi chicken eggs 20 rupees

English eggs 12 rupees

I was told English eggs mean the chickens were imported from England. Perhaps the eggs are smaller than Indian chickens.

They have a neat way of presenting your bill in Indian restaurants (even budget ones.) It is put in a folder that looks like a leather stationary folder which you open to look at the bill and no one else can see the amount of your bill. You then put the money in the stationary folder and close it. If you are host no one sees the bill and also they don’t see how little you leave as a tip inside the folder. I, of course like the system.

Sign in store: Vacancy for peon.

The different color turbans the Sikhs wear have no religious significance or other meaning. They can wear whatever color they wish. The man telling me this said he was wearing a black one because he was wearing a black suit.

Next month, Mac discusses Kenya. If you would like to contact Mac, he can be e-mailed on: macsan400@yahoo.com