One of the best ways to discover some of the many views of and from this well known corner of north London can be located by heading up Highgate Hill, at the Archway junction of the A1. Since living in the area, I've completed this route many times and found whether I travel by foot, bus, car or wearily push my cycle up the steep incline that l always seem to see something different on my journey. A bonus to this journey is if it can be made at the beginning of an August's summer day…

My first thought is that I am crossing a boundary – in that I am leaving behind the modern and the utilitarian accommodation of transient London and heading off into a very slowly changing but more permanently rooted era. An initial signpost of this change may well be the tall gothic spires and high roofs of the now renamed Archway Campus, which still seems rooted in its original purpose of providing medical care. Or take the caged Whittington Stone, complete with perched cat on the pavement just before the modern Whittington Hospital, as a signpost. The statue itself is but a small 1935 tribute to commemorate the mayoral achievements of one Richard Whittington, but it talks of a shared history for London.

At the junction with Dartmouth Road, it could be said that apart from the volume and nature of road traffic nowadays, much of the surroundings are as they were at the turn of the 20th century, when London swallowed up villages like Highgate during its' suburban expansion. St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church and Retreat proudly stands on its 1888 roots and marks a good point to catch your breath and look back across London down towards the Millennium Dome and the southern cityscape. Cathedral in posture, its copper domes tower above the nearby Old Crown and the now defunct Presbyterian Church on Cromwell Avenue. From neighbours who have a longer association with the area I have heard stories of horses, their carriages and their drivers heading down the hill in unconventional styles, as their wheels and legs attempt to work their way across this busy crossing during snow and ice.

Along from St Joseph's is another landmark from that different era, Lauderdale House, which was renovated in 1893 to become a council operated venue. Nowadays it is a popular location for well attended weddings, craft fairs and views out across Waterlow Park – whilst the coffee could be better its' less busy nature is a welcome contrast. Facing Lauderdale is the imposing Northgate House with is walls struggling to support a large number of windows and the Ghana High Commission with its roof top cupola, arching lines and gated entrance.

The Channing Schools and the art deco Cholmeley Lodge welcome visitors into Highgate village proper and the high street. Local shops and businesses seem to stand their own corner against the undeservedly well located chain restaurants and ubiquitous estate agents !

Highgate becomes one of those weekend destinations that creaks at the seams during the Kenwood season or as people enjoy a summer day. One of my favourite aspects is that the 210 allows me to alight from the bus and almost walk directly through the front door of The Prince of Wales and to a very good pint, whatever the choice ! Other local recommendations include the frustratingly organised Highgate Bookshop, the Village Bistro and the precariously perched stall of Village Flowers.

To extend the search for views turn left into Hampstead Lane and proceed past the always green playing field of Highgate School and its' numerous red brick buildings. Once passed the faded blue sign of the mysterious Highgate Golf Club, you find yourself walking along under broad leaf trees to the entrances of The Iveagh Bequest at Kenwood – however rather than enter through the popular stables entrance, head towards the main gate. I found the simple pleasure of walking down the sweeping drive, towards the front of Kenwood House immensely appealing. This neo-classical house, remodelled during the 1760s to include an archetypal, stately frontage, was home to the 1st Earl of Mansfield…however it his heir, the 2nd Earl, that is to be thanked for commissioning Humphrey Repton's widely enjoyed landscaped garden. This pleasant perimeter of Hampstead Heath makes for a perfect spot from which to explore the 37 odd ponds, Parliament Hill and many superb vistas of the cities of London and Westminster. Depending on the day's clarity, attempt to locate Canary Wharf, the ever majestic St Paul's, the London Eye and the Telecomm Tower at the very least ! And remember that in spite of busy periods, the main Kenwood House makes itself available for excellent afternoon teas…

To prolong your pleasure, avoid the exclusive, brash wealth of the gated Compton, Courtenay and Bishops' avenues and follow Hampstead Lane further round the heath towards the still splendid Spaniards Inn and beyond towards Hampstead itself. For those that wish to return down back down the hill, the 210 can be caught from almost outside the main house and a pleasant journey can be drawn to a close in an unhurried manner !

Matthew is happy to be contacted by email chair@globetrotters.co.uk or at the monthly London meetings.

British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, is located on the Pacific Coast. It is Canada's third largest province comprising 9.5 percent of the country's total land area. The province is nearly four times the size of Great Britain and larger than any American state except Alaska.

Geography

British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, is located on the Pacific Coast. It is Canada's third largest province comprising 9.5 percent of the country's total land area. The province is nearly four times the size of Great Britain and larger than any American state except Alaska. The population in 2001 was 4.1 million people with well over half living in the Vancouver/Victoria metropolitan area. From south to north, B.C. stretches 1,200 kilometres and as much as 1,050 kilometres east to west. It's glaciated fjord and island-dotted coastline extends some 7,000 kilometres.

British Columbia, renown for it's spectacular mountains landscapes, has four distinct regions: the Coast Mountain Granite Complex in the west, the Rocky, Percell, Selkirk, Monashee and other sedimentary and volcanic ranges from the eastern border, an extensive Interior Plateau and a lowland segment of the continent's Great Plains in the northeast.

The province is blessed with 1.8 million hectares of clean waterways in the form of rivers, lakes and streams. The combination of mountains and plentiful precipitation provides the province with abundant clean hydroelectricity for its homes and factories.

Climate

The highly varied terrain produces a full range of climate from regional temperate and coastal rainforests to alpine and desert climates. The southern interior has the province's driest and warmest climate with Canada's only defined desert with the area around Osoyoos receiving less the 10 inches of rain annually. Microclimates, rainshadows in the lee of some mountain ranges, permanent snowcap regions all result from the unique topography.

Environment

British Columbia has the richest variety of habitats in Canada including forests, grasslands, meadows, wetlands, rivers and inter-tidal and sub-tidal zones. They support the greatest diversity of plants and mammals found anywhere in Canada. In addition to their diversity, the populations of some species in B.C. have global significance. The province has 75 percent of the world's stone sheep, 60 percent of the mountain goats, 50 percent of the blue grouse, at least half of the trumpeter swans and 40 percent of the grizzly bears and the most bald eagles.

Services

The province hosts world class services ranging from the urban center of Vancouver and Victoria where over half the province's population live. Vancouverites enjoy one of the healthiest lifestyles in the world with outdoor activities ranging from year round sea kayaking, running, golf, tennis and even gardening. Skiing at the nearby world famous Whistler Resort or 4 local mountain resorts is a part of an active winter scene. The city has world class dining, shopping, nightlife and tours.

The interior hinterland of the province includes a full range of outstanding outdoor activity that the varied landscape can provide. Hunting, fishing, downhill and ski touring, hiking, riding..there is hardly and activity that can't be found in some terrain in the province. The medium sized centers such as Kelowna, Prince George and Prince Rupert carry many of the services of Vancouver including universities, hospitals and many other urban businesses.

Tourism

British Columbia's scenic attractions, combined with its clean, safe image, serve to make it an attractive destination for Canadian as well as international tourists. In addition, there are a wide variety of urban and cultural attractions, ranging from the performing and visual arts, to professional sports, amusement parks and shopping. Tourism is a major part of the provincial economy. During 2001, $9.2 billion was spent by 22 million overnight visitors.

British Columbia's national, provincial, regional and local parks provide a spectrum of natural beauty, breathtaking scenery and opportunities for outdoor enjoyment and recreation. The 807 protected areas (provincial parks, ecological reserves, recreation areas and other protected areas), covering 11.4 million hectares, are diverse in their features and facilities. There are 13,302 campsites, 487 day-use areas, 136 boat launch areas and 3,000 km of hiking trails within Provincial parks, that serve approximately 24 million park visitors each year. Nearly one-tenth of the province's parks are wilderness, largely untouched and accessed by back-packers and mountaineers. Inland and coastal waters are dotted with marine parks intended primarily for water-borne users.

The abundance and variety of wildlife in British Columbia reflect the great diversity of the province's environment. There are more species in total and more unique species of birds and mammals than in any other Canadian province. In British Columbia, the salt and fresh water

resources of the province provide both recreational and tourism opportunities for such activities as sport fishing, boating and sailing.

Imagine a holiday in a province where, no matter what your recreation passion, be it skiing in the summer, rock climbing, horseback riding, ocean fishing or reading a good book on the porch of a mountain cabin by a lake, British Columbia has it all…and more

Steve is a former corporate geologist with an extensive background in international remote terrain exploration. He is the President of GeoQwest, a company he started to provide informed travel through the spectacular wilderness landscapes of British Columbia. For more information about travel in British Colombia, contactSteve on: snoakes@okanagan.net or visit his website: www.geoqwestexcursions.com

In the first article I talked about the best ways to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes and consequently how to avoid catching some of the many diseases they carry. Here we will look at a few of the most common and well known of those diseases and the consequences of not using your DEET based insect repellents and mossie nets properly.

Malaria

This is the one mosquito borne disease that eclipses all others. With up to 300 million cases of malaria reported each year it kills more people worldwide than any other disease. It is actually caused by a parasite that is injected into an individual along with some of the mosquito saliva, and from this initial point of invasion within minutes heads to the liver and sets up home where it develops over a period 7 days – 1 year. When its ready to leave the liver it may have reproduced into 40,000 parasites all ready to cause fever, illness and possibly death within a few days. Every year about a thousand travellers from the UK will get malaria, unfortunately a handful of who will become seriously ill or die. The initial effects of the disease are very similar to a mild viral infection, headache and general malaise, but it will rapidly move onto severe fever and chills, profuse sweating, diarrhoea, stomach pain and cough. At this point if it is not treated correctly it starts to get nasty. Many people are reluctant to take medications that can prevent malaria because of stories they have read about in the media, or something that happened to a friend of a friend. Those that have had malaria and recovered (which most people do) have described it to me as the worst case of flu that they have ever had and definitely not something that they would want to experience again, these people invariably take their tablets wholeheartedly and come back for more!

Dengue Fever

Whereas malaria is carried by a night time biting mosquito, dengue fever is transmitted by a daytime biting cousin. It is present in Asia, Africa and Central/South America. It frequently causes outbreaks in various countries but a fairly recent outbreak in Brazil was massive and present all along the Eastern coast, it resulted in thousands of cases including professional footballers and plenty of tourists and travellers. In otherwise healthy westerners it is rarely fatal but can be very serious and even the milder cases can be a very unpleasant experience. It is known in many places as ‘breakbone fever' because of the severe pain felt by sufferers, after about 4 days or so you often get a very fine rash followed shortly by a full recovery. If you happen to be a child, elderly, immunocompromised or just unlucky, the disease can move on to what is known as ‘dengue haemorrhagic fever' (DHF for short), this will generally happen if you have had dengue before and been careless enough to get it again. There is no vaccine against dengue fever at the moment although we are hopeful that there will be a good vaccine on the market very shortly. It is therefore important for an individual to reduce the number of mosquito bites received during the day as well as during the evening.

Note: Insect repellents should always be applied after sunscreens, and it's worth bearing in mind that DEET based insect repellents may reduce the effectiveness of your sunscreen.

Yellow Fever

This virus is carried by another type of daytime biting mosquito and is present across all of Sub Saharan Africa and a majority of South America. It is not currently found in any parts of Asia though the conditions are right, and therefore all Asian countries are doing their best to prevent its introduction. Unlike malaria, it is found in even the largest urban populations and apart from bite avoidance the best way to prevent catching yellow fever is to have the vaccine before exposure. The vaccine takes 10 days to become fully effective, but following this short period virtually 100% cover is achieved. When you are vaccinated you are given a little certificate that becomes your ‘yellow fever passport'. It is the presentation of this document that allows travel across borders in Africa, South America or travel to an area such as Asia when travelling from an infected country. The disease manifests itself initially as fever and jaundice (hence yellow fever), but again can move on to become haemorrhagic yellow fever for which there is no specific treatment except fluids to treat the shock and internal blood loss. Yellow fever can be fatal in almost 50% of non-vaccinated individuals during an outbreak, so that vaccine is well worth getting.

Japanese B Encephalitis

Although very rare amongst travellers it a potentially very serious disease present throughout Asia, although it occurs only very, very rarely in Japan. It is caused by a virus spread via the bite of an infected night time biting mosquito that breeds mainly in paddy fields. The most commonly infected animals are pigs and fowl – wading birds etc so in order to be in an area of risk you need paddy fields just around the corner and pigs at your feet. Actually quite a common sight in Asia but it also tends to have seasonal outbreaks especially at the end of the rainy season, for example around May in the southern areas of Nepal. If you think that you may be in these risk areas at high risk times there is a vaccination course available of two or three shots but you really should start this course a minimum of 38-40 days prior to travel.

For more information, visit the Nomad Travel web site: Nomad Travel or call the Travel Health Line: 0906 8633414 (calls cost 60p per min) to discuss your travel health queries with a medical.

Having decided that my hair was in desperate need of some care and attention, I decided to be brave and try to get my hair done. The word for hairdresser in Portuguese is Cabeleleiro (and no, I still can't pronounce it properly) and because of that I decided to do the coward's way and go to El Cortes Ingles where I thought I could wing it. Well after prowling ladies underwear twice (very glamorous and quite a lot of men wandering around!), I approached an assistant and managed to make myself understood and she directed me to a very smart hairdressing salon.

Well the interesting thing was that not one of them spoke English so I found one who spoke French and the rest was down to sign language and pointing at pictures in magazines (I knew that word at least but as for tint, cut etc forget it). There is no appointment system apparently in this country, you turn up and just wait. I got there around 4.00 and left at 8.00!

I decided I was sick of being my wonderful three shades of red as it had gone a very strange colour in the sun so thought I would go back to blonde. This was indicated to the staff by pointing at an assistant with what I thought was a nice shade of blonde streak! You are given the usual gown but you have a pocket on the arm into which they put what treatment you are having i.e. cut, colour, manicure, pedicure etc.

The backwash is very high tech; the chair has a series of buttons on the inside of the chair arm which allows you to raise the lower part of the chair so you are practically lying down. All the women are beautifully turned out as you would expect and as it was all a bit of an adventure, I decided to go the whole hog and had a pedicure and manicure as well. This is quite entertaining as the manicurist follows you around whilst you are having your hair washed, cut, coloured etc. All in all it was a great experience and my hair looked brilliant as well as my nails. Cost-wise it was on a par with where I used to go in Bath, but it was a high class department store.

Some other interesting things about the city are the fact that the metro system is small and very efficient. It is also amazingly clean and considering the seven months of hell I had using the District Line, someone from LT should take a look. You never seem to wait more than five minutes for one either. The trams are good fun. The No.28 is one that does a circular trip and is very handy if you are down in town with a heavy bag – Lisbon is made up of seven hills and I live on one of them! The fare is 1 Euro! I got stuck in a tram jam the other week which as amusing as it means that no cars can get by as trams have right of way. There were four No.28s in a row. Before I got on it, I heard one of the old dears waiting at the bus stop saying that she had seen four No. 28s go the other way and none hers – reminiscent of the London bus problem.

I never fail to be amazed as how silly some of the tourists are over their personal safety here. When I was wandering around Feira da Ladra (Thieves Market held every Saturday and Tuesday), you spot them with rucksacks or big bags on their backs and it is so easy for pickpockets to lift wallets and purses from them in crowds. Women in particular seem to lose all common sense – they wear totally inappropriate outfits and cause great amusement when you see them bright red and staggering around in shoes suitable for premieres rather than sightseeing. There again men who are follically challenged really ought to wear hats!

We went to the outskirts of Sintra (Lord Byron thought it was wonderful – gardens, palaces etc etc) with a friend who has a car and investigated a garden centre. Now this was interesting. There were the usual pots etc but the plants were fascinating. Large bougainvilleas, lemon trees, lime trees, climbing roses, herbs etc. Some plants were the same as in the UK and others were new to me. I settled for pots (60p for terracotta 23″ ones!), some herbs, a climbing rose, something called a plumbago and an amazing large lavender. Inside it has the usual candles, pot pourri, plastic flowers etc – it's run by an Englishman apparently. After we had finished there, my friend took us to Sintra to try a tearoom. Everything in the tearoom was for sale, from the plates to the pictures. It was a very eclectic mix and had that “I think we should whisper” atmosphere that you find in posh tearooms like Castle Combe! Anyway they do a mean cream tea, which consists of three scones (warm), jam and cream, a piece of cake and a tea of your choice – excellent! Afterwards, to walk it all off, we wandered around Sintra.

Sintra was where the Portuguese Royal Family used to escape to in height of the summer heat. There are some amazing houses/villas as well as palaces on the top of mountains and in the main square. One of the palaces, the Pena, you sometimes see on tourist posters – it looks like something mad King Ludwig of Bavaria would have built. It's all different designs and colours and quite spectacular to get to.

I have got involved with a local theatre group – The Lisbon Players – via my Portuguese teacher. She invited Derek and I to go to a workshop on Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. It was a very entertaining evening and by the time we left, I had been asked if I would like to get more involved with them. I have now been made Stage Manager for the production as well as Task Force Director to help them raise funds and gain a higher profile.

They operate out of a lovely old theatre – Estrela Hall – that originally used to belong to the British Hospital. It has a certain faded glamour (dust) and does quite a few productions each year. We start work on the production in the next two weeks and then I shall be thoroughly occupied most Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday evenings with rehearsals all the way through to Christmas. Obviously it is unpaid but it means you meet new people, which is great. Shakespeare is very popular with the Portuguese and is on their education programmes so you get a good mix of audience.

Sally can be contacted by e-mail on: Sallypethybridge@aol.com should you wish to ask her any questions about Lisbon or Portugal in general.

Ask most of the people around you: “where is Mauritius?” and they probably could not tell you. And yet the famous writer Mark Twain said: God created Paradise, and copied Mauritius. I am a Moroccan citizen lady, and by recent marriage to a Mauritian citizen, and I am now in Mauritius.

MY WAY is a famous song.

MY WAY OF SEEING MAURITIUS, is another story.

Mauritius is really indeed a beautiful island in the Indian ocean, near the east coast of Madagascar and South Africa. The main industry of the country is tourism, and tourists come from everywhere in the world, and all throughout the year, as there is really no winter here, and the weather is always temperate.

The tourism sector is well boosted and organized, and whatever type of tourist you are, you always have what you want in terms of accommodation and rates. It is very easy to get a good accommodation at even 4 Euros per day per person, in an apartment, studio, bungalow and you can also be accommodated in 5 stars hotels and suites.

If you browse any search engine over the internet and put “Mauritius” in your search box, you will be surprised to the number of information available and to see the number of companies, selling and servicing the Mauritius tourist business.

Unlike other places, Mauritius has lots of activities and places to interest tourists, for example, you get the best of many lovely beaches, interesting sightseeing tours that will lead you for example to the unique spot of 7 coloured earth in the world, situated at Chamarel, beautiful nature forests and waterfalls.

Mauritius is a cosmopolitan island where there is harmony of race. On the island, white people, Creole, Hindus, Muslims and Chinese live peacefully. Each race has its own culture, and it is very visible while going from one place to another, seeing the temples, churches, mosques. People in Mauritius attach great importance to religion.

For the short time that I have been on this island, I have seen the following:

You should always bargain and never accept the first price that is quoted to you. Whether it is for the airport taxi, or whatever goods you purchase, and you will see after the transaction that it was really worth bargaining.

Lots of native people are attracted to tourists and never miss an opportunity to make friends with you. It depends of what you want, but they already know what they want from you! Many Mauritians are proud to be in the company of blondes! (Beetle watch out!) Mauritians are very helpful – ask anything and they will try and help you.

There is also another side of Mauritius, which most of the tourists do not see: there is another way of seeing Mauritius, to live as a Mauritian with a Mauritian. You will see his difficulty for struggling to get his living. The salaries are low and prices have gone up. The gap between the rich and the poor has never been as wide as it is now.

Anyway, I am in Mauritius now, and one thing I want to recommend to you, is that you must not forget to do is to taste the dhull purri and farata, which is in a sense the national food, served on the street as a kind of fast food.

Yours from Mauritius

Fatiha Mray.

If you would like to contact Fatiha for information on Mauritius, please e-mail her on: cbspride@intnet.mu

I am an artist and one who, not surprisingly, is drawn (no pun intended) to the sun, the sea and a beautiful landscape. Now, obviously, you don't need to be an artist to appreciate those sorts of things. I, on the other hand, do like to make paintings of them and it is because of that I would like to speak of a group of islands that lie off the north coast of Sicily. They are called the Aeolian islands and there are seven of them, steeped in history and wound into the fabric of myth. That, as they say, is another story, for now I would like to explore briefly only two of the seven islands and the first of those is called Stomboli.

Arriving at a small jetty, a long beach of black volcanic sand stretches away to your right and the tangle of tiny streets of Stromboli village lie ahead. Jasmine and bougainvillaea ramble over the garden walls, the narrow lanes are lively with scooters and “ape” a type of tiny three wheeled truck. Walkers are there, kited out for the rocky paths to the volcano summit. Behind you the spiky outline of islets break the blue water.

It takes about an hour, walking along a pleasant road through fields, from the square in front of a pretty church, at the top of the village, to the lower slopes of the mountain. Another couple of hours on a steep but well-marked path brings you to the peak, 918 meters up and as you arrive the craters explode dramatically, shooting stones and hot ash high into the air. This happens every twenty minuets or so and it's quite safe as long as you stay on the paths, strong shoes are a good idea, the ground is hot. These regular explosions give rise to the term ” strombolic action ” which prevents pressure building up to a major eruption.

By day the view of the other islands is stunning. Particularly from the high ridge on the southern side. Night hikes with a guide, or a night boat trip to the north-eastern side of the island offer spectacular views of the red hot lava flows and fiery explosions.

From there you board the ferry and eventually arrive at Alicudi. On the map, if you've got one to hand, it is on the other end of the group, the most isolated and the next island that I would like to speak of. Uniquely car free, Alicudi is a near perfect cone, over six hundred meters high and only 2.5 kilometres across. The rugged slopes are covered with huge prickly pear cactus, gorse, carob, olive and wild apricot trees. Surprisingly, in times not long past, over a thousand people lived on this tiny island supporting themselves by growing their crops on narrow terraced fields.

Over the years that number has dwindled and the population is now only about one hundred and life is quiet. Mains electricity arrived no more than a decade ago and the major water supply is still rainfall, caught off roofs and collected in wells on the terrace of each house. It is charming and quaint.

Hawks and ravens wheel high above and bright green lizards dash away as you explore. The sea is very clean and rich with fish, shrimp and shellfish, and, so the locals tell me, ideal for snorkelling although I've never done it but, from the look of it, I could well imagine.

At night you can see the lights off Sicily's north coast, 20 kilometres away and on days when the haze has evaporated, about this time of year, the snow covered slopes of Mount Etna are visible, the black summit streaked with red lava. Colour seems to be the theme of these islands, it really is a painters paradise, so much so that you don't need to be a painter or an artist at all to appreciate it. The imagery around you is just so strong and peaceful at the same time, the countryside so unspoiled. It is just one of those places. I have painted in country that is beautiful to the eye but putting it down on paper can be very difficult. One finds ones self inventing, a bit of red here, a bit of yellow there, not because it's in front of your eyes but because the painting needs it and so you make it up. Alicudi and the other islands are not like that in the least, the place is there to paint. The hand runs riot along with the eye. To my mind, not only an easy place to paint but a pleasure and pure joy, if for nothing else but to just sit and look. A tiny little haven almost at the end of Europe.

Murray Hubick is Canadian, now living in Kent in the U.K. As an artist his time is divided between work in the studio, teaching art and as much travelling as possible. He is currently in the process of organising an art excursion to the islands for the coming Christmas/New year and would welcome anyone interested to join him in having an espresso overlooking the sea in the sun on New Years morning.

Murray is happy to answer any questions on Sicily, so please e-mail him on: murrayr@onetel.net.uk

Muir's Tours is committed to travel with concern for the environment, the indigenous people and of course our clients. Our name was inspired by John Muir, the “Father of Ecology”. We are a non-profit organisation with proceeds going to various charities. Your custom will provide us with funds that are passed on to various charities and projects.

We are looking for any help we can get, but most volunteers fall into one of two categories. The Casual Volunteer (CV) who will commit for at least a month and the Long Termer who will stay at least 1 year. We offer the casual volunteer on most of our projects food and accommodation at low cost and practical / logistical assistance with travel. All CVs must pay their own costs – these are minimal (e.g. in India US$6 / £4 per day for food and basic accom, US$21 / £15 train – Delhi / Dehradun / Delhi) together with a registration fee of US$75 / £50 to help with our admin costs.

The options are quite varied and the more popular locations are detailed below.

North India – In Dehradun and Dharamsala we are developing ways to help the Tibetan people help themselves. In Dharamsala there is a well established craft workshop and guest house and we are planning to set up others. We also need people to help promote the sale of crafts back in their home country. We want to establish homestays – a short holiday living with local people – in the areas around Dharamsala and Dehradun. Research work is needed to identify additional suitable families / homes.

Near Dehradun in the small village of Rajpur is a home for Tibetan children (mostly orphans) that have escaped by foot over the Himalaya from Tibet – we want to support this establishment by sponsoring individual children for their education. You can help immediately by suggesting to friends and relatives that they sponsor a Tibetan child, most of whom are orphans. If you know someone who is willing to pay $ 21 / £15 per month to educate, house, feed and clothe a young Tibetan, please let us know.

North central Nepal – near the Tibetan border in and around the village of Panglang. There is accommodation available in a local home and in the tourist periods of March / May and Sept / Dec there is the luxury of a riverside camp at additional cost. The camp is a permanent set up which is a base for rafting and kayaking. Some prior study of the language would be required as there are interpreters available some of the time only, but a limited vocabulary would not be too great a problem.

Mid central Nepal – near the town of Pokhara in a Tibetan Refugee Camp. There is accommodation available in a local home or in the community owned guest house. The camp was set up in 1962 following the Chinese invasion of Tibet and is now well established with brick homes, a fine monastery, a school and a carpet factory. The NKF has English speaking Tibetan staff permanently in the camp, so Tibetan language study is not necessary.

Mongolia – famous for it's horsemanship and yet it nearly lost its most precious horse breed. They are probably the last remaining wild horse species in the world. Przewalski horses almost become extinct with some horses surviving is zoo's. After careful breeding they were reintroduced in several Mongolian nature reserves. Only the group in Hustain Nuruu Reserve was successful. We need to monitor the horses to make sure they are adjusting to their new environment and to gain a better insight into their behaviour. You need to be able to work without assistance in tracking down the harems on horse-back and compiling data on their whereabouts and behaviour. You will need to help us encourage conservation awareness in the local communities.

Eastern Nepal – The Makalu – Barun area. We have a number of projects in this area in conjunction with The Mountain Institute (TMI) and the accommodation would be in local homes or lodges normally. Some prior study of the language would be required as there are interpreters available some of the time only, but a limited vocabulary would not be too great a problem.

To find out more, visit Muir's Tours website on: www.nkf-mt.org.uk or contact info@nkf-mt.org.uk