Our first speaker was Mark Honigsbaum, whose talk was entitled The Fever Trail, after his book of the same name, which documents the discovery of the Cinchone tree (Cascarilla), which was found between 4,000 & 10,000 ft up in Ecuador. This tree provided the cure for malaria and was brought back to Europe and then planted in other malarial regions of the world such as India and Indonesia.

Mark’s slides however showed us a trip he made to Ecuador in April this year. He travelled into the mountains with a guide following an old treasure hunter’s trail for seven days and a distance of around 30 km’s. His scenic photo’s reflected this stark area that the sun hardly seems ever to penetrate, the mountains seemed to always be covered in cloud. As well as the scenery he showed us the revered grave of an old treasure hunter, where today’s treasure hunters leave an offering.

Our second speaker was Toby Green whose talk was entitled Travels in West Africa to Senegal, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. Toby’s mission had been to find the Marabout, who are shamens and charm makers who can reputedly make you invisible with their ju-ju magic! Toby’s slides were not for the squeamish as they depicted what goes into the making of the charms, such as parts of black cats and used funeral shrouds.

Toby heard of cases where these charms were used to cure snakebites, but this did not stop him coming down with malaria! His pictures showed us the regions green valleys, volcanic cones and waterfalls and scenes of village life including millet pounding and tea making. We saw a photo of a “Magic stone” these stones miraculously come back to the same place even if removed; this has resulted in dead straight roads taking diversions around them.

Toby did finally meet a Marabout who for a price would make him invisible, but he wouldn’t divulge whether he managed it, we’ll all have to read his book, “Meeting the invisible man” to find out.

The next London meeting will be on the June 8th (the second Saturday due to the golden jubilee bank holiday weekend). Speaking will be Peter Eltringham — Travelling in the Maya World and Mary Russell — Travelling around Syria, digressing to Baghdad.

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the ussualy onfirst Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back on Saturday 1st September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotter Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk

“We must make people everywhere understand that the AIDS crisis is not over; that this is not about a few foreign countries, far away. This is a threat to an entire generation, that it is a threat to an entire civilization….” United Nations Secretary, General Kofi Annan

On May 19th, 2002, thousands of individuals in over 500 communities in 75 countries will participate in the world's largest and oldest annual grassroots HIV/AIDS event. The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is designed to honour the memory of those lost to HIV/AIDS, show support for those living with HIV/AIDS, raise awareness of HIV/AIDS, and mobilize community involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS. There are at least three ways you can become involved in the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial. We invite you to consider participating in one or more of the following ways:

• Organize a Candlelight Memorial
• Become a Sponsor or Partner
• Attend a Candlelight Memorial

Hello Globies!

June 1st is our next meeting. A timely and interesting topic; Afghanistan. We will NOT have a July meeting due to all of our summer travel plans and the July 4th holiday. Hope to see you June 1st.

See below for a glimpse into Jason's adventure in Afghanistan.

Travels in Afghanistan August 2000 and August 2001 by Jason Florio When I journeyed to the Taliban controlled region of Afghanistan in August 2000 it was by default. I was on my way to Kashmir when I got a call to join a journalist colleague who said, “This [Afghanistan] is where it is happening”. In August 2001 my Afghan journey to the North eastern region was fuelled by a need to complete a picture of a divided country. The North eastern area of the country under the control of the Northern Alliance (who opposed the Taliban,) was a Shangri-la compared to the Taliban held region where I constantly felt a great sense of general and personal paranoia (I was arrested by the Taliban Vice and Virtue police for taking pictures of a football match, and then being accused of spying by their military). I wanted to experience Afghan life without the confines of the extreme Deoband form of Islam practiced by the Taliban.

My first attempt to cross into the Northern Alliance region (2001) from Pakistan by horseback, disguised as an Afghan woman in a head to toe burqa failed. After subsequent weeks of waiting. I finally made it in after landing a flight on an Russian made Northern Alliance helicopter crossing from Tajikistan into the Panjshir valley, the lair of the legendary “Lion of the Panjshir”, Commander Massoud. This idyllic valley is the gateway to the north, and who ever controls it controls the region. Being allowed to roam freely and shoot photographs without the constant monitoring of the Taliban was liberating. Working closely with the Afghan Ministry of Foreign affairs, I was granted permission to photograph on the front line at Bagram as well as deep in the Panjshir valley where multi-national Taliban POW's were held. In addition, I also photographed girls' schools (non-existent in Taliban territory) and fighters en route to the front line.

While waiting for the Massoud interview I was promised by the Ministry upon my arrival, I headed deep into the mountains with five Kalashnikov carrying mujahideen fighters to find the Kuchi nomads. After twenty-two years of fighting in the country, their life style had changed very little. They were still camel-riding transients who showed they were virtually immune to the effects of the war by crossing through the frontline without hindrance from either side. The Kuchi we encountered greeted us with open arms, until one of them thought I was trying to photograph his wife. We were then asked politely to leave in the form of a group of young nomads palming rocks at us. Before heading to the sandy wastelands of the northwest and eventually onto our UN flight back to Islamabad, we finally were granted audience with Massoud, “The Lion of the Panjshir” met us in his fortified bunker office and gave us forty -five minutes to interview and photograph him.

Within a week of returning to NYC on Sept the 5th, commander Massound would be assassinated by Al Qaeda operatives posing as journalist, and the attacks in the US would indelibly link the US and Afghanistan, finally giving the Afghan “Silent Majority” a world voice.

New York meetings are held at The Wings Theater, 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. Meetings start promptly at 4:00pm and end at 5:30pm. $10.00 for non-members, $8.00 for members.

There were five low cost airline carriers in the UK: Easyjet, Go, Buzz (owned by KLM), Ryan Air and BMIBaby. Easyjet has just announced that it is paying £374m ($524m) for its rival, Go, (which used to belong to British Airways before they sold it to a Venture Capital fund).

The consolidated airline will still be called Easyjet and all Go planes will be resprayed with the orange Easyjet livery and logo. The Chief Executive says that prices will not rise and they expect to face more intense competition from traditional airlines such as British Airways and Air France.

Both companies are still operating exactly as they did before the deal was announced. They will continue to accept bookings over the phone and via their websites. Go and Easyjet will probably continue with their separate bookings systems until at least the end of October 2002. Between them they fly 78 routes. Easyjet says there is little overlap and they have no intention of dropping any of the destinations. They will also continue to operate from their all their existing UK bases.

The last Ontario/Toronto GT meeting was held on Friday, May 24th; members Ray & Inge Bates spoke on “Six Months in Asia Following 911” and Dan Ramrose spoke about “Five Months' South American Adventure” and Paul Webb gave a talk on “Eight Weeks in Ghana”.

We are planning our annual GT picnic this summer. Proposed dates include one weekend in July or the beginning of August. The location could be at Meaford (on Georgian Bay,) at Vera Blowers' place or Toronto Island. To be advised when arranged, so stay tuned – we just hope the weather improves a little bit.

Bruce Weber has just left for a month-long trip to Vietnam and the Philippines and he is planning to tell us all about it in September.

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.

In early April I took a Eurail/backpacking trip solo through Western Europe. I had the opportunity to travel throughout Switzerland. I gained a great deal of knowledge about Swiss bank accounts and procedures for securing greater financial privacy. I also passed through the tiny independent Principality of Monaco on the French coast near the Italian border.

While in Spain I visited the Andorra Tourist Office in Barcelona. It is located in the mall area of a prominent office complex at the Port of Barcelona. Andorra is located at the very top of the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. It recently won its independence from France and Spain and has since become a tax haven for many Spaniards and other Europeans. Tourists often make a trek to Andorra, 2 hours by train from Barcelona, to purchase duty free goods.

But it was the discovery of yet another tiny tax haven on the Swiss/Italian border that really caught my attention.

Anyone who has ever flown into the Airport at Omaha, Nebraska has had the experience of having to pass through a tiny strip of Iowa after they leave the airport, to get to the city of Omaha. Carter Lakes, Iowa is a geographic anomaly. The town is completely isolated from the rest of the State of Iowa, surrounded by a lake on one side and Nebraska on the other.

Like Iowa, Italy has its own Carter Lakes anomaly in the Alps. Campione D'Italia is completely surrounded by the Lake of Lugano on one side, and the Italian-speaking Swiss Canton of Ticino on the other. The closest point on the Italian border is 11 kilometres away. But the Village has been a part of the Italian State of Lombardy (also home to nearby Milan), for over 7 Centuries.

It is relatively easy to get to Campione. Just take one of the wonderful Swiss trains from Geneva, Basel, or Zurich to Lugano. From Lugano it's just a ten minute ride in a taxi or a rent-a-car to Campione. Or, it's a 45 minute ride – all highway – from Milan.

Its isolation from Italy has given it a very unique status. It is almost like being in another country. It is similar to Monaco in that the town sits on a very narrow strip of coastline surrounded by cliffs. It even looks like Monaco with a Casino, boat docks, and a small palm-lined beach. The population of the town is just over 3,000. The total area is 1.7 square kilometres. Italy administers local governmental functions. However, Campione uses the Swiss banking system, currency, and post office.

It is their system of taxation that outsiders, particularly for those who are interested in financial privacy, may find of greatest interest. Basically, there are no taxes. Campione's only Casino makes enough revenue to support the town. Residents do not pay local municipal taxes, Italian income or VAT (Value Added) taxes, nor are they subject to the onerous taxation from Switzerland.

What's the catch?

Establishing residency in Campione is a little difficult. I speak fluent Italian. So, I was able to converse with some of the locals. They are a little suspicious of outsiders, with the exception of visitors to the Casino. They even seem to be a bit secretive about Campione and it's unique status. They have a good deal and they want to keep it that way. For example, it is not easy to purchase land in Campione or even an apartment, which is the only way to gain residency. Real estate is quite expensive. Though, if you are able to purchase a little land you will receive automatic residency. They say that about 1,000 foreigners now live in Campione taking advantage of its unique opportunities for avoiding taxes and corporate protections.

Libertarians and other financial privacy seekers have searched the world for attractive havens such as Campione. Purchasing a plot of land in the town could prove quite pricey. But this could be a very attractive option for a joint venture?

Note – Eric Dondero R. is the author of the “Worldwide Multilingual Phrase Book” – www.portsidelanguages.com. He is an interpreter in Houston and speaks over 20 languages. He is also active in libertarian politics and is an avid proponent of global freedom.