Category Archives: archive

Iris’s Diary of An Overland Trip Through South America

On the way to Buenos Aires

We only did two visits during the five days it took to drive from Tierra del Fuego to Buenos Aires (BA) and so we arrived in that capital city ready for a rest and some comfortable beds! The only problem was, although our hotel was situated right bang in the centre of BA, we were not only on a street that was a regular bus route, but arrived at a time when major road works were going on all over BA and one set of which were right outside our hotel, so what with traffic all around us, pneumatic drills and revelers in the early hours, it was difficult to get any sleep! And of course it was very hot, but not as hot as it had been apparently, when temperatures had reached 40+. At least our temperatures were more in the high 20s/early 30s.

But BA was an incredible place, with long, extremely wide, roads cutting across it, all with their names reflecting history – names of specific dates such as “Avenida de 9 Julio” reflecting I believe their independence day; others after names of presidents such as “Avenida de Mayo” etc. We were only there for 5 nights, 4 days, and so spent most of it trying to get in as much catching up on emails and see as much of the sights as possible, including a trip to Uruguay for the day.

Of course, we all did our separate things, Judith and I sharing a room and our experiences and in the end we saw a great deal of the capital but not enough as it turned out as a lot of the museums were closed on a Monday (we arrived on a Thursday evening, and were leaving again early on the Tuesday) so our time was rather limited.

Friday was spent recovering from our epic five day journey and just looking around the immediate locality, getting laundry done and catching up on bits and pieces of shopping; Saturday it poured down all day long, but undaunted Judith and I went to see Eva Perón’s tomb (which was very low key, tucked away nondescriptly in one of a great number of rows of mausoleums in a cemetery just off the main central part of BA). But Judith was enthralled by it and had to have her photo taken in front of it, which I obligingly did on my camera as she had forgotten hers and it had been put in the hotel safe as a security precaution!

We also visited a famous part of BA called La Bocca which is really the slum area of BA but which has been renovated in parts and houses a thriving arts community. Many of the walls have murals depicting the history of the area but there are also many art shops and displays to wander around, besides street musicians and wandering artists, and of course the obligatory touristy shops! It had a lot of character and we spent the evening there, having a meal in one of the restaurants and enjoying the experience. To get there we had travelled on the bus and metro and that was quite an experience, especially travelling on the bus as although they do stop at designated bus stops, they will also open their doors and wait for you if you just signal them, but invariably this has to be when they are caught in a traffic jam because very often the public buses seem to be in a great hurry to get somewhere and very often drive straight past bus stops even when people are queuing there.

On the Sunday we went across to Uruguay for the day – taking the local ferry across the River Uruguay that took just under 3 hours. We left our hotel at 8am and took a taxi to the local ferry port, which was teeming with life. First of all we had to purchase a ticket, and went to one of the local ferry operators for this and that took some 40 minutes to be processed and then we had to queue for embarkation and get a stamp exiting Argentina and another stamp for entering Uruguay, and, of course, on the way back we had to then exit Uruguay and reenter Argentina.

But the day was brilliantly sunny and so we sat on deck for the entire outward crossing to Uruguay although on the return journey at 1845 it was too chilly to do this and so we spent almost the entire journey in one of the very crowded saloons, jam-packed with the day trippers, locals as well as tourists.

We went to a place called Colonia. We could have gone to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay but it would have been going from one big city to another, and so chose a “luxury” day trip fare to Colonia, (much nicer than Montevideo, Iris – Beetle) which is an ancient town some 150 km down the coast from Montevideo, which is a World Heritage site because of its old town with some of the original town wall surviving and lots of its old original houses from the 17th and 18th centuries not only still standing but still being used as homes and businesses by the local population, with the proviso they do not alter the structures noticeably.

Our package included a two-course lunch, a guided tour of the new and old towns of Colonia, and of course the return ferry fare. It proved a really rewarding day out, as although it was visited by so many, it was well organized and even the old town did not seem that overcrowded with tourists and one was able to walk around, admire the old architecture and the views along the river and learn something of the history of the place, which was originally settled by the Spanish and then taken over by the Portuguese and became part of Brazil until it got its independence in the 19th century.

Monday was spent in BA, catching up on emails, and visiting the opera house and the presidential palace. Of the opera house, we only got a very brief inside glimpse as it is closed on a Monday for cleaning and normally groups are not allowed in. However, Judith is a very persuasive lady and with her “pretty please” approach, swung us a brief glance inside the auditorium with its plush furnishings etc. Then we moved on to the presidential palace, first of all to look at the archives and catacombs and later to go on a guided tour of the palace itself. Unfortunately, the guided tour was in Spanish only and so most of the time we had to be content to just admire the magnificent architecture and furnishings rather than learn much about its history and unfortunately books in English on the palace weren’t to be had, but of course, we associated it with Eva Peron and looked at it all with her image well in mind!

Next month, Iris tells us of her visit to the Iguaçu Falls.

If you’d like to contact Iris, whether to wish her luck with her trip or to ask questions about her itinerary and places visited, I am sure she would like to hear from you. She can be contacted on: irisej2002@yahoo.co.uk


Airline News: August 2003

In a bid to step up flight security, China plans to
use policemen disguised as crew members. The undercover police, who may
be armed, are undergoing training and are likely to be deployed in October
this year.

British Airways has suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia after receiving evidence of a planned attack on a UK jet at Riyadh airport.

Expect to get some good fares between New Zealand and
Tasmania: Air New Zealand (ANZ) is to launch a low cost service
Tasman Express on October 29th on its trans Tasman route. There is already
an Emirates service across the Tasman Sea and Virgin Blue has said
it intends to start flights between the two countries later this year.

ANZ also plans to cut the price of fares from
Auckland to Sydney by 45 percent to NZD$189 (USD$111) one way, while the
total reductions would average about 20 percent.

India’s first budget airline, Air Deccan
has just started with flights from the southern city of Bangalore. Air
Deccan aims to undercut other carriers’ fares by 50 percent, will
start with one daily service to Hubli and Mangalore, but plans to expand
quickly to 20 flights per day to destinations in the south of the country.
India’s civil aviation minister, Rajav Prat Rudy said: “The days
of flying being a symbol of only maharajas or the rich are over.”

Pilots in the US are pressing the government to train
more cockpit crews in the use of guns after new warnings about possible
terrorist hijack attempts.

The US government has put out a worldwide alert that
terrorists may be plotting more hijack attempts on commercial airliners
this summer. According to a report from CNN the targets could include
Australia, Italy, the UK or the eastern United States. However, the intelligence
is still being evaluated and some doubts have been cast on its reliability.


MEETING NEWS

Meeting news from our branches around the world.


Travelling Medical Hints and Tips

The Beetle received this e-mail from a Globetrotters who thought it might be useful to pass on to other travellers. If you find yourself under the weather, there is almost always an alternative remedy to finding the local doctor – but if in doubt, seek proper medical advice.

Easy eyeglass protection: to prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of clear nail polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.

Tomato puree boil cure: cover the boil with tomato puree as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head. (Beetle: applying a piece of tomato against bee or wasp stings can help soothe the sting.)

Vinegar to heal bruises: soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process. (Beetle: vinegar can also be used to take the soreness away from sunburn.)

If you have any handy hints and tips for medical problems whilst travelling, write in and let the Beetle know.


The Hospitality Club

Ben Sessions from Houston, Texas wrote in to recommend: “a wonderful travel-accommodations club. My wife and I often travel in the US and Europe researching our ancestors and visiting relatives, old friends and new friends. We belong to a travel group The Hospitality Club, which has members worldwide offering free accommodations for travellers. It is free to join and all the members are listed on the internet by country and city. We spent June in Germany and met and overnighted with several members. They were wonderful and quite accommodating. Frugal folks who like and/or need to travel will benefit greatly from this organization, (members have the option of being a host/hostess or not.)


Meeting News from London

After our usual gap of one month, London Globetrotters meetings are back at 2.30pm on Saturday 6th September.

John Gimilette will talk about Paraguay – The Island surrounded by Land. Award-winning writer, John, takes us round a country that has emerged from centuries of isolation. As one of the most beguiling and eccentric places there is, we visit a vast lost ocean, the battlefields of the bloodiest war man has known, picked Victorian warships, cannibals, a highland ball and plenty more. John's book “At the Tomb of the inflatable Pig.”

Richard Snailham, Globetrotters Vice President will give a talk: On Reed Boats down rivers in Bolivia and Paraguay. Following a hunch that cocaine and nicotine might have reached the Old World from the New in very early times, John Blashford-Snell had three reed boats built on Lake Titicaca and tested them out on the Desaquadero river and subsequently reaching Buenos Aires and Belem in similar craft.

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


Mac’s Jottings: Hong Kong

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.

When I was in Hong Kong a Sir Run Run Shaw (his actual name) had donated a wing to the Hong Kong Arts Centre (he had a dysentery problem)

The Jardine Center in Hong Kong has a tourist bureau in its basement. The buildings walls have thousands of round windows. The Chinese refer to it as the house of 1000 assholes.

Hong Kong Chunk King Mansions (anything but a mansion) (has hundreds of cheap budget accommodation.) In the Garden Hotel in it (anything but a garden) the Mama san told a married couple that asked for two towels “one room, one towel.” My towel and room had not been cleaned for a week. Each day she would say washee, washee tomorrow but tomorrow never came. Finally one of my visitors grabbed the towel and took it out in the lobby to show the other guests how dirty it was. The mama san did sleep outside my door each night. I don’t know if this was go guard me or to see that I did not escape.

At the Palace Casino (one of the gambling ships tied to the dock in Macao) when the dealer found out I was an American asked me if I thought the CIA had killed Indiri Ghandi in India.

We were not attacked by pirates on ship from Hong Kong to Macau and the trip was uneventful except while still tied to the dock the Chinese lady behind me got sick and vomited on me.

In Hong Kong Haw Paw Villa Dragon Amusement Park they have a sign “Students in uniform (the students wear uniforms) are not allowed to play video games. (Let’s not disgrace the uniform.)

In Hong Kong I went out to Stanley Military Cemetery. It was just outside the regular prison (still being used) where Japanese kept British and other allied prisoners during World War II. The view of the harbour etc from that site is so beautiful from the prison that it must have been an extra thorn in the side of the prisoners. The sign at their cemetery reads “Here lie men from many countries who gave their lives for freedom. Visitors are asked to behave quietly with respect for those buried here. In particular games may not be played or food cooked”. 69l are buried here including many women and children (98 interned civilians.) One grave reads Unknown Soldier Age 38 years. May he rest in peace. (I wonder how they then determined his age if unknown.)

I met a man in Hong Kong who had been travelling for twenty years. He sometimes takes a Holiday within a Holiday in which he does nothing but rest and then is on the road again. I met him in McDonalds that is behind the famous Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong at five o clock in the morning. It is open 24 hours a day. He gave me tips on budget places to stay around the world. Some of the places: Lucky Hotel in Bangkok, Private Toilet. Malacca Malaysia: Robins Nest Hotel $4.80 a night. If you know a robin looking for a place to stay.

The abandon ship instructions on the ferryboat to Macao from Hong Kong instructed you to not take your umbrella with you if you have to abandon ship. What if it is raining?

And finally, the time when I was victim to a scam: I was on an organized trip and staying at Golden Gate Hotel in Hong Kong. We were told to have our luggage outside our door at six AM to have it transported for us to the airport. We then got a second call and were told to have out luggage out at five AM instead of six and it would be picked up. It was – con artists made the second call and we never saw our luggage again.

Next month, Mac discusses general travel tips.

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


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.

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.


Being Careful: Dengue Fever in Tonga

The Australian High Commission currently advises that there is currently an epidemic of the mosquito-borne disease Dengue Fever in Tonga on the main island of Tongatapu. Anyone visiting Tonga is strongly advised to protect themselves from mosquito bites at all times.

You do not want to catch Dengue Fever – see Ingrid Style’s article in this e-newsletter about her Dengue Fever in Thailand.


Mutual Aid

Can you help David and his wife and two young children who are planning to travel to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the US, Canada and Africa. Can anyone give him some advice on work permits? David's wife is an occupational therapist. Also can anyone give David some advice on travelling with young children? If you can help, please contact David on: david.flower3@ntlworld.com

The Beetle would like to hear from anyone who has dived at Madang, Tufi or Walinde as she is planning a trip there at Christmas. Please e-mail the Beetle: beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

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


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.


I Want That Holiday – TV Show

Are you a UK resident, going on holiday in October or November, but haven't decided where? Do you fancy letting us plan it for you?

If you want a holiday with a difference then call us on 023 80 712568 or email us at iwthol@granadamedia.com for an application form.


Meeting News from Texas

Globetrotters meeting on Saturday 13th September at 2pm

The Texas Branch of the Globetrotters Club will meet Saturday Sept 13th, 2003, 2pm at the New Braunfels Public Library 700 E. Common Street, New Braunfels, Texas 830-620-5482

The September meeting will Feature a speaker from “Friendship Force International” for more information, see their website: http://www.friendshipforce.org/

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!

Dates of future meetings: October 11th, November 8th – Mark your calendars.

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


Free London Museums: Theatre Museum

Five galleries illustrate the history of the performing arts in the UK. The collection includes displays on theatre, ballet, dance, circus, puppetry, opera, musicals, rock and pop. There's usually a daily workshop on performing arts subjects, such as pantomime and making a play.

The museum is found in Russell Street, Covent Garden.
Open: Tue-Sun, 10:00-18:00.
Tube: Covent Garden
Enquiries: 020 7943 4700
Entrance: FREE admission for individuals.


Berlin National Holocaust Memorial

Building work on a national Holocaust memorial in the German capital, Berlin, has begun. The memorial is being built in the centre of the city, close to the Brandenburg Gate and near the bunker where Adolf Hitler committed suicide in 1945. The monument should be completed by May 2005 – in time for the 60th anniversary of the end of the World War Two.


Write for the Globetrotters monthly e-newsletter

If you enjoy writing, enjoy travelling, why not write for the free monthly Globetrotters e-newsletter! The Beetle would love to hear from you: your travel stories, anecdotes, jokes, questions, hints and tips, or your hometown or somewhere of special interest to you. Over 7,500 people subscribe to the Globetrotters e-news.

To see your story in cyber print, e-mail the Beetle with your travel experiences, hints and tips or questions up to 750 words, together with a couple of sentences about yourself and a contact e-mail address to Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk


Say No to Flying Fox

The Pacific island of Guam is known for very high rates of a degenerative disease that looks like motor neuron, Parkinson's and dementia, but cannot be firmly identified as any of them. Researchers believe that this higher than average incidence could be due to eating a bat, also known as a flying fox. The flying foxes feed on seed containing a chemical highly toxic to human brain cells. When humans eat the animals, high levels of the chemical, which had accumulated in the bat tissues, was passed on. Flying fox is a delicacy in many parts of the Pacific, including Tonga, Vanuatu, New Caledonia.