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Country |
Description |
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|---|---|---|
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1. |
2,238,480 (1999) |
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2. |
535,461 (2000) |
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3. |
450,865 (2000) |
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4. |
255,179 (2000) |
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5. |
236,313 (1999) |
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6. |
233,517 (2000) |
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7. |
141,124 (2000) |
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8. |
116,912 (2000) |
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|
9. |
106,484 (2000) |
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10. |
93,062 (2000) |
Source:
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6th November 2004 London meeting
A bumper attendance for the November London Globetrotter’s meeting, with not a chair, table or bit of floor space left. The audience included Globies from overseas including Brie Kelly from Colorado. The crowds had come to hear Globies President Janet Street-Porter’s talk on the Larapinta Trail that starts from Alice Springs and the Bay of Fires walk in Tasmania. Special mention due to Paul Robert’s who burned the midnight oil to scan Janet’s photos so that we could see them digitally. Janet did this 8 day -walk with a group and they were supported by a vehicle carrying their camping, cooking and other equipment, which left them free to enjoy the scenery and swat flies. We saw Janet in a full nylon head net to stop these annoying critters and later she explained a new use for toilet roll to stop the flies entering every orifice! It was all worth it for the great Aussie scenery, the reds and pinks of the rocks and greenery you wouldn’t normally think exists. The Bay of Fires walk in Tasmania is mainly on sand and again we saw some great pictures of her walk. Janet added on some pictures of a walk she recently did near Christchurch in New Zealand, where she stayed in some quirky buildings, one of which enjoyed an outdoor bathtub, where the water was heated by lighting a fire under the tub! The forty minutes went way too fast as we listened to Janet’s commentary.
After the break it was over to Christian Tyler who gave us another interesting talk this time on the Taklamakan Desert and Xinjiang Province in China. His five-week trip began in Dunhuang, famous for its cave paintings. Christian’s group travelled in the ubiquitous Toyota Landcruiser and trekked by camel, supported by a Chinese army lorry. Christian’s journey took him to Miran and to abandoned cities in the desert. Some of these towns have been dug out of their sand tombs, we saw parts of wooden structures which had once been homes and shops. Christian explained that the cities had been abandoned as the underground rivers had either dried up or changed course. We saw other examples such as forests that were now just tree trunks. Christian’s talk gave us a rare insight to an area well off the beaten track.
Mark your diary for forthcoming meetings:
Sat. 4 December
Amar Grover – North Pakistan – Kailash Valleys of Chitral to Gilgit via Shandur Pass
Matthew Leeming -Afghanistan OR Iraqi Marsh Arabs
Sat. 8th January – Four Mini-talks and New Year Party
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 Admission: Members £2.00 Non-members £4.00.
Find the answers
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1. Argentina |
2. Bosnia- Herzegovina |
3. Cook Islands |
4. Estonia |
5. Honduras |
Here’s a little Beetle quiz based on capital cities. See how many you get right! Go on, have a guess!
What is the capital city of the following countries:
For the answers, see at the end of the e-newsletter.
New York meetings will resume in January – subject will be TBD.
Please contact me (Laurie) if you’re interesting in speaking or know of someone who is! 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. Admission: $8.00 for members and $10.00 for non-members.
Fly Ryanair and gamble
Ryanair’s latest potential cash generating scheme is to provide in-flight gambling. No fills Ryanair already charge for the ‘frills’ such as food, luggage and movies, and, more famously ice if they could get away with it, are now considering providing gambling on board its planes. News reports say that gambling operators have expressed interest, although there are no formal talks underway.
Ryanair’s Chief Exec warns of reduction in low cost operators
Ryanair and easyJet are widely credited to have helped transform Europe’s low cost airline industry. Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O'Leary recently warned the World Low Cost Airlines Congress that “there will a bloodbath in Europe this winter” in the budget air sector. “The bloodbath will reach all the companies,” said O'Leary, who has previously predicted that only one or two large low-fares airlines will be left flying the skies of Europe in the medium term. Competition in the low cost, no frills airline industry is intensifying. In 2000 there were just five low-cost airlines in Europe, now there are 49, according to Wolfgang Kurth, president of the European Low Fares Airline Association and chief executive of TUI's no-frills carrier Hapag-Lloyd Express. Webster told the conference that low-cost airlines could take advantage of short-haul routes likely to be neglected by the larger, established carriers.
Ryanair adopts a school
Cause related marketing is a live and well. Ryanair’s Head of Communications Paul Fitzsimmons recently said: “It’s back to school time for parents everywhere, and we’re giving people an opportunity to grab a back to school bargain with flights for ONLY 10p on many of our routes from Stansted and at the same time help our adopted school Mountfitchet High School. We will sell 200,000 seats at this fare, which means we can donate £20,000.00 to the school. It is fitting that as http://www.ryanair.com is Europe’s biggest travel website, that Mountfitchet High School is to use our donation to further upgrade their IT facilities for pupils. We would urge passengers to book quickly as demand will be huge and to remember that not only will they fly with Europe’s No.1 low fares airline, but they will also be helping school children further their computer education.”
Announcing the support for Mountfitchet High School at a photo call in the school, Mountfitchet High School Headmistress, Jo Mullis said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by Ryanair as their adopted school. Ryanair’s support comes at an important time, because with this help we can buy computer equipment for our pupils, which will help us to achieve our goal of becoming an IT merited school. We hope lots of people will buy their Ryanair flight knowing that Ryanair are donating the entire fare to our school project.” Pass the sick bag, somebody.
Ryanair told to pay back EU subsidy
No-frills Irish airline Ryanair has said that it would repay EUR4 million in subsidies it received to operate from Belgium's Charleroi Airport, pending an appeal to the European Court of Justice. In February, European Union regulators told Ryanair to repay EUR3.9 million (USD$4.97 million) to the regional government of Wallonia in southern Belgium, which had offered Ryanair cheap rates at the region's Charleroi Airport. “(Ryanair) agreed to repay EUR4 million in an escrow account until Ryanair's appeal is heard,” the airline said in a statement. The money will go into a blocked account, to which Ryanair will regain access if it wins its appeal. “We remain very confident that we will win,” Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary told a news conference in Brussels. O'Leary said the airline reserved the right to quit Charleroi if an adverse ruling raised costs, but said he intended to keep operations at their current level until then.
If you have a travellers tale that your aching to tell. Then why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites” section of the Website and share it with the world. Travel Sized Bites
Meeting news from our branches around the world.
Where is it likely to happen: scorpions can be found in the wild in South, West and North Africa; North, Central and South America; India; and the Caribbean. Among the scorpions in North America, the 'nasty’ ones can typically be found in Arizona, New Mexico and on the Californian side of the Colorado River, whereas the other North American species are fairly harmless. In Mexico each year between 1000-2000 deaths arise as a result of scorpion bites. Because of their size scorpions can easily travel anywhere in the world as stowaways with cargo and they have been found in many large ports. Scorpions sting with a poisoned hook on their tail, which is typically raised prior to an attack.
What happens if I get bitten: the majority of scorpions are harmless to humans, although the sting can be extremely painful and will require painkilling treatment. The following symptoms can be observed in cases of moderate to more serious poisoning:
What should I do if I get stung: pain at the site of the sting can sometimes be limited with an ice cube. Painkilling injections (morphine-based painkiller) may be required and a doctor should therefore be consulted. In the case of more marked symptoms, treatment must be given as for snake bites, and the patient must receive medical treatment as quickly as possible. There is antiserum for scorpion venom. Treatment must be overseen by a doctor.
How can I avoid being stung by a scorpion: scorpions are nocturnal animals and often hide in dark cracks and vegetation. Ideally, accommodation should have a ledge that is at least 20cm high to prevent entry of scorpions. Places to look out for scorpions include cupboards, under the duvet and bed, or in shoes (look under the duvet/bed and shake your shoes thoroughly before putting them on).
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Scientists have warned that Mount St Helens volcano in Washington state is likely to erupt again very soon. Federal authorities are evacuating everyone from a five-mile radius around the mountain. In 1980, 57 people were killed in an eruption.
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Our first speaker was Simon Casson, who took us on a journey in the footsteps of his hero Butch Cassidy, riding the Outlaw Trail. Simon’s pictures portrayed the barren deserts through which the outlaws managed to stay one step ahead of the law. It was not an easy journey, made more challenging when Simon managed to buy a horse that was blind! Over the course of his trip Simon and his two companions got through a number of horses and also lost a couple. Simon finally managed to reach Canada some months later than planned.
Our second speaker was Calum Macleod, who took us Uzbekistan. The country only gained its independence from the USSR in 1991. We saw the beautiful cities of Khiva and Samarkand with their minarets and spires and wonderful blue tiles. Simon explained that the country is allegedly becoming easier to visit, so hopefully more of us will get the opportunity to visit these cities.
Mark your diary for forthcoming meetings:
Sat. 6th November
Sat. 4 December
Sat. 8th January 2005 (the second Saturday)
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 Admission: Members £2.00 Non-members £4.00.
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Interesting country facts.
Source:
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Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson has signed a £14m agreement which will allow passengers to travel into space. Branson has commissioned five “spaceliners” built in the US by the team behind the SpaceShipOne vehicle. The rocket plane will became the first privately developed carrier to go above 100km in June 2005. It will cost around £100,000 to go on a “Virgin Galactic” spaceliner, and the first flights should begin in about three years' time.
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There was no New York meeting in October, but we will resume in November – Subject will be Tibet by Ken Axen!
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. Admission: $8.00 for members and $10.00 for non-members.
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We are sorry to say that Mac is not very well,
but he is still e-mailing strong and recently sent the Beetle
a collection of Mac reminiscences about some of his travels
in 1992. Here we have thoughts and experiences on
India.
I am enjoying reading a book called Eating The Indian Air by John Morris, published by Atheneun 1969 New York. Eating the Indian Air is an Indian expression meaning to take a walk. Morris was in British Army in India and returned around 1969 to see changes. He had been on Mt Everest expeditions of 1922 and 1936 so his visit to see Tensing at the Himalayan Mountaineering School, Darjeeling, India was interesting.
Quote: “After breakfast I set off to visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. The world famous Tensing is the chief instructor at the Himalayan Institute. I had purposely not telephoned to let him know of my visit because I wished to give him a surprise. In 1936 as a young and inexperienced Sherpa porter he had been my personal servant on Everest and although I had seen him in England after the successful climb in 1953. By local standards he has become a wealthy man but he is quite unspoilt and still lives in a simple but comfortable manner. His appearance reminded me of the best of the Swiss guides with whom in more affluent days many of us used to climb. And he was dressed for the part, thick woollen knickerbockers, hand knitted stockings, a peacock blue sweater, Homburg hat (favourite of all men of Tibetan origin and the heaviest of climbing boots I have ever seen. I could not resist pulling his leg about his appearance but this he said with a laugh was the outfit in which American tourists expected to find him; they were disappointed if they found him more soberly dressed”.
Me, Mac speaking now. I visited this Himalayan School outside Darjeeling when I was maybe 69. There was a slight hill to get to it and I came puffing in the door and asked if I could enrol in the school. They laughed and said they did not take anyone over 18 years of age. I was sorry Tensing did not get to meet me but he was either not in that day or away climbing a mountain. They had a gift shop and I brought several kinds of key rings with picture of Mr Everest and I think some saying. They proved to be the gift the recipients enjoyed getting the most and they did not take up much room in my pack.
I stayed in a budget place and I thought they said I could see Mr Kangchenjunga, the third largest mountain in the world from my window. They suggested I get up at 5am before the clouds came in or something. What they said was that I could see this Mt perhaps at this time from the hotel but from the other side of hotel. I did later see it.
They brought hot water in something like a milk bucket at the time I told them I wanted to take a bath. The woodwork in hotel was beautiful although a budget place. They did not service meals but they told me how to get to a place friends owned and it was good. I really enjoyed Darjeeling and the little toy train to get up there. I also visited a Tibetan refugee place.
From book The Whole World Stranger by Virginia Moore, The McMillan Company New York 1957 Page 144: “In the big bazaar of Calcutta (India) amid merchandise common and exotic we saw up for sale boxes of food from America marked “Do not sell, this is a gift” and heard that many recipients mistaking cheese for soap had washed their clothes with it” (Me. The night before we were to get on troop ship at Bremerhaven, Germany (WWII) to return to the states a German POW doing kitchen duty mistook a bar of brown GI soap for butter and put it in the soup, (or so the story goes.) At three in the morning troops were wandering around with dysentery trying to find a dispensary. What a mess. I decided I was going to get on that ship in the morning even if I had to crawl up the gang plank on my hands and knees lugging my duffel bag. I did manage to stand up but had a movement on the way up the gang plank. What an exit from war torn Europe. (I think it was an honest mistake on the part of the German POW and don’t think it was sabotage. Ha!) When we got to New York there was a harbour captain that came out to guide our ship on in. I was at the side of ship watching this. He came on board and shook my hand and said “Welcome home son.” (I had cleaned my self up by then.) I get tears in my eyes just remembering him saying this.
Back to the book. “At Jjama Masjid (noble Moslem mosque) in Delhi, the guide showed them three world sights. Mohammed’s sandal, his footprint, and from his beard a long red hair.” The sandals were two inches shorter than his footprint. They had one guide that they joked needed a guide as he didn’t know what some well known sites were.
Me: I found the guides on the government sponsored tours were very good and tours were reasonable. I also found the government sponsored hotels were reasonable, clean and met my needs. You find out about them from the National Tourist offices. While I did not use them all the time it was nice to know they were there.
I am reading an article about Oil Rich Brunei a feast for eyes by Sandra Scott in today’s Washington Times Travel section. She writes: On the Royal Brunei airplane from Thailand to Bandar the capital of Brunei just before landing a flight attendant advised “The importation of drugs into Brunei is illegal and punishable by death. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may caused.”.
The sultan’s new 1,800 room palace is the largest in the world and is managed by Hyatt Corp. For three days following Ramadan the palace is open to the public, a buffet is served and the sultan and his wives- he has two greet the people.”.
I met in Rio De Janeiro one time the son of one of the Royalty of Saudi Arabia, or he said he was. He said his father had seven wives and he was the son of the youngest one. He may have been a fake as he was staying in same budget pension I was. I know he did give Varig or whatever Brazils airline a bribe to get on flight out when it was difficult to get out and they took it. I was surprised at this little transaction.
If you would like to contact Mac, he is happy to answer e-mails: macsan400@yahoo.com
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Work on a tunnel and rail system under the Bosporus Strait connecting Europe and Asia in has just started in Istanbul. The tunnel will be 13.7 kilometres long, (8.5 mile) tunnel and 1,400 meters of the tunnel will be underwater. The Bosporus Strait, a 32 km waterway connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, separating European Turkey from Asian Turkey. It bisects Istanbul as it flows by historic Ottoman castles, mosques and parkland. The tunnel will become the third link between the city's European and Asian sides.
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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.
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Answers to Flag Quiz
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| 1 Bahamas | 2 Brazil | 3 Croatia | 4 Germany | 5 Iceland |
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Paperless and ticketless bookings made more attractive by incentives, discounts and offers of air miles are fast becoming the way to travel. Airlines are planning to stop issuing paper tickets in the next three years, a move that could save the industry up to $3 billion a year in running costs, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Some carriers are already ahead of the game: In the past year, more than 18 million customers have used e-ticketing services on Continental Airlines. The move isn’t limited to airlines, hotel chains such as the Hilton, InterContinental, Sheraton, and Hyatt, are starting to automate processes too. In Malaysia, you can make air ticket enquiries by SMS to a travel agent and in the case of budget carrier AirAsia you can book tickets by SMS.
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