The last meeting was on January 18th: Ann Dohler talked about her recent trip to Peru, the Galapagos and the Amazon. The next meeting is on Friday, March 15th at 8 p.m. Bruce Weber will be giving a “SAMPLER OF YUCATAN”.

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.

Toronto GT 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. (Wilton St is a very short E-W street south of and parallel to Esplanade, east of Jarvis – just around the corner from St.Lawrence Market)

It was a marvelous meeting: Chris from Austin did a first class slide show of the Greek Isles and provided a map for each of us so we would know where we were for each slide. We exchanged travel advice, ideas and materials. A bunch went to the Hoity Toit afterwards for a great time. 21 people attended the February meeting, 5 of whom were new. Once again, thanks to Pauline and Frommer for helping to publicise the Texas meetings – except, now Christina says she really needs a secretary!

In the March Globies, Chris will give a slide show of Turkey and tabletop discussion of 2/3 night great get-aways. After the meeting, for anyone who'd like to continue the discussions, we will adjourn to a local hostelry, to be advised at the meeting.

Meetings are held at 3pm at the New Braunfels Public Library, 700 E. Common Street in New Braunfels, Texas. The meeting ends at 5 p.m. If you would like to continue travel talk on a more informal basis, we plan to adjourn to the Hoity-Toit, a local New Braunfels establishment. If anybody would like to enquire about meetings or help Christina, please contact her on: texas@globetrotters.co.uk

Borough Market is the Beetle's second favourite London market.

It is a farmers market in south east London and opens noon- 6pm on Fridays and 9am-4pm on Saturdays – it is closed from Sunday to Thursday. It has a great atmosphere, the vendors are really friendly and you'll meet many local Londoners who live near by. You can easily spend an hour or two wandering around, even if you really don't want to buy anything! Parts of Bridget Jones Diary were filmed here.

You can browse amongst colourful and fragrant stalls selling flowers of all descriptions, coffees, fruit, organic raspberries, cognac chocolate truffles, piquant mango chutneys, obscure breads and cheeses, veg and meat. It's quite common to ask for free tasting samples! There are quite a few traders who specialise in organic produce. There are stalls selling non food products such as good quality home made candles and bric a brac.

If you are peckish (hungry), you can buy food at the market and there are a number of excellent pubs close by. It is situated between Borough High Street, Bedale Street, Winchester Walk & Stoney Street, Borough SE10 or for info on the web, check out (http://www.londonslarder.org.uk). The closest tube and British Rail station is London Bridge.

Visiting Borough Market could be part of a Saturday stroll around southeast London, taking in maybe the Clink – an old jail, Vinopolis, a wine tasting experience and there are some very old pubs en route!

Want to tell us about your local market? Contact the Beetle

Next month: Colombia Road Flower Market

La Paz seems like a long time a go but it was only a few short weeks.

Three days at high altitude and then we were off to even higher planes. Potosi was the first where we stayed in the town which claims to be the highest in South America and at 4900m, who am I to argue? Walking up the streets was hard work but the locals made it look easy as old ladies with loads on their back over took and disappeared from view before I had gone a quarter the distance. Galling! It is also a town known for its mountain of silver. The Spanish found this great wealth irresistible even to the point that they revoked a papal proclamation decrying the use of coca leaves by the indigenous peoples when they discovered that the use of said leaf meant the miners could work for long periods without food or sleep and did not complain about much.

Coca leaf is endemic in Bolivia and parts of Peru as a substance to chew or tea to drink. It staves off hunger, helps with the altitude, and generally makes a hard life seem more bearable. It was originally in Coca Cola and as a close cousin to cocaine has been extensively researched. I had some tea and all it did was make me pee but others chewed it and their mouths went numb. It is definitely an acquired taste!

Potosi is very grey but the people were friendly and the air was clean. Unlike the rivers which are polluted by the mining that continues today. Now, it is run as a co-operative and the working conditions leave everything to be desired. I did not go down the mines as I am a bit claustrophobic but those who did said it was amazing. After the loveliest days drive through multicoloured hills and valleys we got to Sucre. This is a Spanish colonial town that has the prettiest square and a nice feel about the place.

According to our drivers it was also the nicest hotel we will stay in. Very plush and friendly. Having had a birthday in Puno and another in La Paz we had a third in Sucre. Given our driver, Simon's, aversion to such things, we surprised him with a breakfast party complete with cake, champagne, balloons, presents and a full English breakfast. A good time was had by all – even the birthday boy! The trucks left us the next day and two drivers took them the long way round to meet us in Chile as we were off to cross the salt flats and the trucks would not have made it through the mud flats that lead into Chile.

A bus trip to Uyuni which took all day and we got up the next day to head off to Chile. First stop was to see the salt being shovelled off the flat and into tip-trucks. Due to the rains there was a shallow layer of water on the flat but that did not bother anyone as we got out and paddled around. It took three hours to drive out to a rocky island called Fish Island. This reflects its shape rather than the presence of any animal in the water. It is also covered in cacti, the oldest of which are 1200 – 1500 years old. Beautiful white blooms decorated some and they all grew up in strange and wonderful shapes.

By five in the afternoon our jeep had reached the shore nearest to San Juan, and we were hooning along to try and get there by dark. The reason for the rush was that we seemed to have gotten the most patient driver and the dodgiest jeep. It must have broken down six times and all of us had visions of being stuck there for hours. Nelson fixed it every time though, so no complaints. San Juan was a bit of a non-event. The lights go out at 10pm and although we heard after that there had been a disco, it's hard to give the notion credence. Beautiful stars though.

Next day was through dry country, and barren, but incredibly beautiful with it. Most is a protected area but it would be impossible to make a living there as nothing much grows. There were vicuñas and vizcachas (relatives of llamas and rabbits respectively) but not much else. We saw flamingos in coloured lakes and I took far too many photos. We had lunch in a snow storm at 5000m, and got to our nights accommodation in time for a hail storm. Excellent! Up at 4.30am the next morning to go see a geyser but I suspect the real reason is to make sure you have plenty of time to clear Chilean customs when you got there. In between we saw more coloured lakes and flamingos, mud pools and hot thermal springs for soaking feet in. All very good.

Crossing into Chile was not a problem despite the time factor and we were installed into our Christmas campsite by 2pm. That was December 23rd, and the next two days were spent cooking, eating, singing, sleeping, drinking and generally having a good time. On Dec. 26th I went down to Santiago on an overnight bus (whole journey took 24 hours) to get my visa sorted out for Brazil and then went back to meet the group for New Year at a place called La Serena. A good time was had by all and suddenly it was 2002.

Since then we have been to Santiago to collect new group members (our passenger group rose to 18 in number) and collect mail. Thank you to all my friends who wrote, it was much appreciated. Our group is now in Pucon, centre of the Chilean lake district, and watched over by the Osorno volcano which is happily puffing out smoke as I type. From here it is on to points south and Tierra del Fuego mid – January. While things in Argentina have been volatile, we are hoping that they will have calmed down before we get to Buenos Aires, and in order to spend more time in Chile, we will NOT be going to Paraguay. Rio in Carnival and I shall be there on February 9th.

That about brings you up to date. Life is never dull when travelling overland and I am looking forward to the challenges and adventures of the next few weeks

Thanks Jacqui and keep us posted! If anyone would like to contact Jacqui, her e-mail is: jacquitrotter@yahoo.com

What have you seen on your travels? Drop a line to the Beetle!

If you already live in the UK, or know that you will be in the UK in April, why not zip over to France? The low cost airline, Buzz is offering discounts on 15 routes from the UK to France.

You have to book by March 5th and the journey must be taken between 3 and 30 April 2002. Below are the (one way) prices they quote – the cost of the return is about the same!

From just £19 one way you can buzz off to Brest – Brittany, Caen – Normandy, Rouen – Normandy or Paris (CDG).

From just £24 one way you can discover the delights of Dijon – Burgundy, La Rochelle, Tours – Loire Valley, Limoges, Poitiers or Grenoble – Lyon.

From just £29 one way you can explore Bergerac – Dordogne, Bordeaux, Marseilles Provence, Toulon – St Tropez or Toulouse.

For full terms and conditions, or to book, visit www.buzzaway.com

Where is it and why go? The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a collection of small states about 7 hours away from London. They have gained wealth from their oil reserves and are often associated with ex-pat oil workers. The UAE often hosts world class sporting events, such as the Desert Classic (golf), the Dubai Open (tennis), horse racing and rugby, to name but a few.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates or UAE. It is the largest and richest state and widely known as the Garden City of the Gulf. Abu Dhabi began as a fishing and pearl diving centre, but is now one of the world's cleanest and most modern cities.

Dubai has always been known for its cheap duty free and the luxury cars it raffles off in the pink marble lined foyer of the duty free. It's now also a very popular holiday destination in its own right, boasting the world's first 6 star hotel, many other top notch hotels, golf courses, trips into the desert, a souk etc. You can still the old, traditional style of dhow plying up and down the creek that separates the city into two. Incidentally, Dubai's annual shopping festival takes place between 1^st and 31^st March when most stores offer significant discounts and savings!

Ras al Khaimah is on the northern tip of the UAE, only one hour away from Dubai. Here you can escape the busy crowds and commercialized shopping centres. Her you can find old forts and watchtowers, old villages and mountains.

Ajman is the smallest of the states and is some 25 minutes north of Dubai. It does not have any oil reserves, so it retains its traditional fishing culture.

A good tour of the UAE and Muscat and Oman would be to initially use Dubai as a base and explore: Day 1, spend time in Dubai, visit the Jumeirah mosque, the Dubai museum, take a trip along the creek and visit the souk. Day 2, take a day trip to Sharjah and wander around the restored old town and the new souk. Continue to Ajman and visit the museum that describes life in the UAE before the discovery of oil. Day 3, take another day trip to the east coast and the state of Fujeira. You can see mountains and gorges, oases and desert. Day 4, take another day trip to Abu Dhabi, see the skyscrapers and palaces and visit the islands offshore. Day 5, take a trip into the desert, climb up/roll down some sand dunes and visit the Haja Mountains. You could stay over night in a camp and be entertained by the inevitable belly dancer and cabaret – it's how it's done over there!

To extend the trip, you should continue down the east coast from Fujeirah to Sohar in Oman. Here you can see the pre-Islamic Nakhal fort, the Sohar fort and various souks. Stay overnight and on Day 6, continue south in Muscat and visit the fish souk, the Muttrah souk, Al Alam Palace and the museums. Stay overnight in Muscat and on Day 7, head south west to Nizwa and see the fort and souk and various (Jabel Shams Wadi Ghul, Al Hamra, Tanuf, Misfah, Bahla etc. Stay the night in Nizwa and on Day 8, head for Sur and see Izki, Sinaw, Wahiba Sands Wadi Bani Khalid. Stay overnight in Sur and on Day 9 return to Muscat.

The first two months of each year are a busy time for anyone interested in travel shows in London. In early January, we had the Daily Telegraph Travel Show that was held at Olympia. It was huge and included attractions such as a revolving climbing wall and a large inflatable pool for would-be scuba divers to try out their under water skills. The Globetrotters Club was well represented, as always – thanks to Dick for organizing the stand. A large number of Globetrotter members turned out on Saturday and Sunday to offer free travel advice to members of the public who were thinking of travelling; Central and South America seemed to be extremely popular planned travel destinations. All the usual adventure and overland companies were represented.

A couple of weeks after the Daily Telegraph Show, there was the Destinations travel show, also held at Olympia. This is more an opportunity for tourist offices to offer brochures and advice to help people plan their trips to specific countries rather than longer term round the world trips.

The final show, the Independent Travellers World show is usually in late February. It was again held at the much smaller venue, the Business Design Centre in Islington. Compared to last year's effort, (and previous years, which, quite frankly were awful!) this show was far, far better. The emphasis was mostly on independent and backpacker travel with fewer tourist offices being represented – more overland truck companies, gap year organizations etc. There were loads of freebies – these included baseball hats, key rings, free T-shirts, lots of sweeties (candies) and mugs from shipping insurance companies!

Thanks go to Frank in the US for the following:

At a Budapest zoo: PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY.

Doctor's office, Rome: SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES. Hotel, Acapulco: THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE.

Car rental brochure, Tokyo: WHEN PASSENGER OF FOOT HEAVE IN SIGHT, TOOTLE THE HORN. TRUMPET HIM MELODIOUSLY AT FIRST, BUT IF HE STILL OBSTACLES YOUR PASSAGE THEN TOOTLE HIM WITH VIGOUR.

Write in and tell us your funny sign! Drop a line to the Beetle!

When he's not tying his body into knots, Padmassana is a bit of a globetrotter on the quiet. Here are his nominations for best and worst airports:

Best:

1 Dubai: great facilities, clean, everything is so cheap and it is the only airport where you see Rolls Royce's and Ferraris inside!

2 Hong Kong: well organised, lots to do if your plane is delayed

3 Zurich: the escalators are constructed in such a way that you can wheel your trolley onto them and the wheels lock into place!

4 Tokyo: clean, well organised, the conveyor belt has traffic lights so not too much luggage is loaded on to it at any one time, so that bags don't fall off!

5 Moscow: the best for entertainment value – you have to guess which gate your plane leaves from and race there! (The Beetle would like to add this also happened to her at San Jose in Costa Rica airport too!)

Padmassana's worst airports included Luxor for bribery (the Beetle also experienced this after a diving holiday in the Red Sea. At Hurgahada the man who x-rayed luggage wanted a tip/bribe, as did the man who checked you in, as did the man who lifted your bags on to the conveyor belt to the storage place prior to the plane arriving), Goa where the conveyor belt chews your luggage, Islamabad where the customs official ate Padmassana's Milka bars, Guilin, in China, where the runway lights were switched off on final approach. Scary!!

Write in and tell us your best airport nominations! Contact the Beetle!