Still in Argentina, after El Chalten, we journeyed on to another place
called El Calafate where again we spent three nights and it was here that
we saw our most spectacular glacier ever, the Perito Moreno glacier which
is enormous, rising many metres in the air and looking like a massive
landlocked iceberg but much more spectacular than any other iceberg.
We took a trip on a catamaran to go right up to the face of the glacier
and the catamaran stayed an hour, just circling so that we saw the glacier
from every angle and were able to photograph it ad infinitum. Some people
used up an entire film or more just on this incredible natural phenomenon,
as following the boat trip we were taken to a viewpoint on land where
we could carry on gazing at the glacier from different levels. Many of
our group refused to leave at the stated time as they were convinced they
were going to see great chunks of ice break off. One chunk did fall off,
which I didn’t see.
Then we moved on from El Calafate to the Torres El Paine National Park
in Chile. Judith and I weren’t too impressed with the actual walks
we went on there as they just did not match up to the 12 hour one we had
done before and the glaciers we had seen then, as the weather was not
good in the park, very misty and although we managed the walk (8 hours
again but we did it in 7 hours), we considered it mediocre, and a lot
of hard work climbing for very little reward. However, the camp site where
we stayed, on Lake Pehoe was superb with the most magnificent view of
the mountains with their snowcaps and this marvelous lake beneath them.
The actual facilities at the camp were atrocious, as the camp site was
large and well used by an incredible number of people but there were only
two loos for the women with one sink to wash at, and similar for the men,
and only four communal showers in a different location which only produced
out hot water from 8 to 11 in the morning and from 1900 to 2200 in the
evening and very often we had to leave to go on our excursions before
the showers were hot in the mornings and often arrived back too late to
take advantage of the evening sessions!
The only good aspect of the camp was the tiny shop which was hardly
bigger than a garden shed but sold the most amazing range of wines, beers,
biscuits, snacks, cigarettes etc to suit just about every taste and did
not rip us off as other places appeared to be doing. While there, we also
went on a bus ride to a glacier (yes, this particular area both on the
Argentine side and the Chile side is renowned for its glaciers) and although
we could only see the end of the glacier at a distance we were able to
walk around a beautiful lake with the most fantastically shaped and coloured
blue icebergs which obviously had broken away from the glacier at some
point. And this little place in the middle of nowhere had the most beautiful
toilets we had seen in a long time as it had obviously just been built,
was brand spanking new and had toilet paper as well as soap and hand driers
and doors that actually locked and believe me that really is luxury in
the public loos here!
And now I am in Ushaia, the city at the end of the world, on the little
island at the base of South America called Tierra del Fuego and we discovered,
Judith and I, with a visit to the little well run and very informative
museum here that it was so called because when the first white men arrived
they saw all these fires burning on the hills that the natives had lit,
but whether this was to welcome or frighten away the intruders or just
to keep the natives warm, is not known!!
It is extremely cold here all year round and 15 degrees is considered
hot! The sun does shine but there is always a cold wind blowing and that
gets worse in winter and spring apparently! We took a boat trip up the
beagle channel yesterday and saw a colony of cormorants and a colony of
sea lions and circled the lighthouse at the end of the world and yes,
we took dozens of superfluous shots of everything in sight! But the boat
was also a luxury as it was the first boat trip we had been on which actually
served food on board and hot drinks and alcoholic drinks and for the men
provided these two very attractive young ladies to serve it! And these
young ladies would dress up in their navy blue topcoats with brass buttons
to come out on deck and tell us all about the sights and scenes we were
seeing, and informed the more ignorant of us that no, that wasn’t
a colony of penguins we were viewing but cormorants! (They looked very
similar with black backs and white chests and from a distance and even
close to looked very penguin like).
Next month: en route to Buenos Aires and real penguins.
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
The Globetrotters Club has just teamed up with Oanda.com
to provide people with information about currency conversions and cheat
sheets. To translate currency or make a cheat sheet, visit:
For details of forthcoming meetings e-mail newyork@globetrotters.co.uk
or register for e-mail 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.
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.
Ø Drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain
almost immediately – without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional
pain relievers.
Ø Did you know that toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns?
Ø Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 tablespoon of horseradish
in 1/2 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply
it as a massage oil, for instant relief for aching muscles.
Ø The Beetle’s own remedy for back pain is to put some
powdered ginger and some water in a pan and heat until very hot; stir
it all around. When the water is cool enough to handle, soak a tea towel
in the water and ginger mixture, wring it out and place it over the sore
area – bliss!
Can anyone give Sue some itinerary advice about 3 weeks
in Australia in July 2004 and also the Bungle Bungles? Please contact
her on : sue.learoyd@btinternet.com
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
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.
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.
In the Bangkok post office two Scandinavian girls came in with backpacks
the size of a Volvo Auto on their backs. They were wearing dresses and
proceeded to take them off in the middle of post office and stood there
in their panties while they looked in their backpacks for jeans and blouse.
Naturally, I volunteered my help. Patrons were dropping their mail at
the sight of this goings on. You don’t have to go to the strip shows.
You can just go to the Post Office.
Elephant School Chiang Mai, Thailand: Elephants go to school for seven
years and live to be around 80. An American military retired man living
in Chiang Mai, with his Thai wife told me that the elephant’s pregnancy
lasts 2 years and he compared it to a U.S. Senator’s two year term
of office. It is high level, there is lots of noise and it takes two years
to get any results. Someone has asked me what elephants learn in their
school. They learn potty training, basket weaving and how to pick up logs.
I was given some bananas to feed the elephants at the elephant training
school. I gave my elephant one and ate the rest myself. He has never forgotten
this. I rode this elephant for an hour over mountainous hills sometimes
so steep that I feared I might fall off and down he cliff with the elephant
on top of me. The ride costs 480 bahts ($16.00) I kind of got roped into
taking the elephant trip. A Thai girl told me that she and her husband
would get a free ride on the elephant if they got eleven other people
to sign up for the trip. They had just gotten married and the elephant
trip was their honeymoon. (Don’t ask!) Elephants don’t eat
after midday and monks don’t either. However, the elephant I was
on ate everything his trunk could pull up along the road and it was about
1230 noon. Monks smoke but do not touch alcohol. If I understand correctly,
Buddhism does not tell others how to live but it is within oneself to
better yourself, treat others how to live and don’t steal bananas
from elephants.
I met a British retired military that spends his time living in monastery
guest houses in Thailand. He gives them a donation of $80 a month, which
pleases them. He married a Japanese girl while in India (I don’t
know what she was doing there) but she got homesick so left Thailand to
return to Japan. He believes in reincarnation. He thinks it is the only
way to handle the thousands of people that have died before us. He unfortunately
had a stroke while revisiting England but returned here to spend out the
last days of his life. He reads a book a day he rents from library in
Chiang Mai, sees the sites and eats tomatoes.
A lady in a tailor shop (“our materials are the sheapest”)
in Banglampor (the budget hotel section) of Bangkok claimed she knew me
from when I was stationed there and said I should buy a suit from her
for old times sake and the wonderful times we had together. I was never
stationed in Thailand.
Next month, Mac discusses clothing.
If you would like to contact Mac, he can be e-mailed on: macsan400@yahoo.com
According to figures from the UK’s Government’s
Office for National Statistics, Spain was the most popular destination
for residents of the UK in 2002.
British people made 12.6m visits to Spain, up 7% on
2001, compared with the 11.7m (down 2%) people who visited France –
in second place. Third most visited country by the British was the Republic
of Ireland with 4m UK visitors, followed by the US with 3.7m.
Receiving visitors, the UK received most visitors from
the US with 3.7m visits to the UK, followed by France with 3m; Germany,
2.5m; the Republic of Ireland, 2.3m and the Netherlands with 1.4m.
The survey also showed that tourist numbers in the last
quarter of 2002 have returned to similar levels in the same period of
2000.
The Texas branch will celebrate their 2 year anniversary – 24 months
of meetings – in July! Their monthly meeting participation averages around
20. People come and go. Since their first meeting in 2001, close to 200
people have attended. Thanks to Christina for keeping the meetings on
track and Mary Jane for spreading the information about the meetings,
the Texas branch is a definite success.
The Texas Branch of the Globetrotters Club will meet July 12th 2003
at the New Braunfels Public Library – note back to old location.
Dan and Jensie will present the July program. The topic is China. As always,
there will be time for sharing and networking.
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: August 9th and September 13
For more information about the Texas Branch or if you would like to
help Christina, please contact texas@globetrotters.co.uk
or register for e-mail updates at our website (click
here) or call Christina at 830-620-5482.
Due to popular demand, we have included the answers to last month’s
Travel Quiz. We are inundated each month by people entering the quiz,
and receive many correct submission answers. Our webmaster collates all
of the correct answers into a draw, and the Beetle selects a number. We
notice that some people are sending multiple entries – if we notice
this happening, we will restrict their entry to one.
1. How many states are there in Australia? Answer: 6: New South Wales,
Queensland, Victoria, Southern Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
2. In which valley in New South Wales can you visit famous vineyards?
Answer: The Hunter Valley.
3. Which gorge named after a woman’s name is found in the Top
End? Answer: the Katharine Gorge
4. The Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 2,000 kms (1,240 miles)
along Queens land’s coast and ends at which place 384km (238 miles)
north of Brisbane? Answer: Bundaberg
5. By which alternative name is Ayers Rock also known? Answer: Uluru.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) has named
Dubai as the world's favorite airport in a new passenger survey. This
is the second year in succession that it has been rated top in overall
passenger satisfaction. Singapore's Changi airport was in second place.
The world's busiest airports did not rate well with passengers. Atlanta
Hartsfield. and Chicago O'Hare in the US; London Heathrow and Haneda
in Tokyo all failed to make the leading group. Canada's Vancouver
International scored best in North America while Copenhagen was the European
leader.
Tokyo Haneda airport is the largest and the busiest airport in Japan
– over 300 flights take off and same number of flights land each
day and around half are Japanese domestic flights.
There are two railways connecting the airport terminal building (Haneda
Kuko station) and Tokyo city center. The Tokyo Monorail line from Hamamatsu-cho
on the JR Yamanote line is a circular line connecting to major places
in Tokyo. The monorail runs every 4 or 5 minutes and takes 24 minutes
journey from Hamamatsu-cho into the town centre, costing 470yen (US$4
or £3).
The other train is the Keihin Kyuko (Keikyu) line from Shinagawa also
on the Yamanote line. There is a direct service every 10 minutes, although
you must change train at Kamata station in the early mornings and late
at night. The journey takes between 30 and 35 minutes from Shinagawa,
and costs 400yen (US$3.50 or £2.50).
There is also a direct train to and from Narita every 80 minutes, taking
105 minutes journey. There is also a bus service between the terminal
building and major places and hotels in the Tokyo area.
The Canada Dept. of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued
a statement dated 21st June 2003:
Canadians should not travel to the islands off the southeast
coast of Sabah, including Sipadan and Pandanan. The Abu Sayyaf Group from
the Philippines kidnapped foreigners from a diving resort in Sipadan and
Pandanan in April and September 2000, and from the resort island of Palawan
in the southern Philippines in May 2001. Malaysian authorities have increased
security in the southeastern part of Sabah in response to these incidents.
Canadians should exercise caution in areas around Semporna and Tawau on
the Sabah mainland.
Heightened tensions throughout the region, together
with increased threats globally from terrorism, put Canadians at greater
risk. Canadians should maintain a high level of personal security awareness
at all times, as the security situation could deteriorate rapidly without
notice. Exercise appropriate caution in large gatherings and crowded places,
including pedestrian promenades, shopping malls, open markets, and restaurants.
Canadians should monitor local developments and register and remain in
regular contact with the Canadian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur or the
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Experts have found 80 hairline cracks in China's
Three Gorges Dam, amid reports of poor workmanship on the world's
largest water project, expected to take 17 years – completion expected
in 2009. An estimated 250,000 workers are involved in the project and
the reservoir will cover 632 square kilometres (395 square miles) of land.
Government officials estimate that the dam will resettle 1.2 million people.
Critics complain about substandard construction work, corruption and negligence
in resettlement work. The project is expected to produce up to one-ninth
of China's total output of electricity.
How many places on earth have you been to that offer so
many interesting surprises? Papua New Guinea (PNG in
short,) situated north of Australia and east of Indonesia
on the island of New Guinea offers a myriad of surprises
which come as culture shock for the cultural and adventure
tourists.
The Highlands of Papua New Guinea, which is made up of
five of the country’s 19 provinces, is the rugged
interior, whose people of short, stocky warrior farmers,
make up a third of the country’s 5 million people of
Melanesian and Polynesian stocks.
The Highlands of PNG is truly “last frontier
territory.” The first white men set foot on this part
of the world in the 1960s. The Highlands has been referred
to by many travellers as wild, rugged and isolated, making
it a truly amazing place for its sheer natural beauty and
pristine wilderness. It’s a natural wonderland and
perhaps, the very place in the world that should rightfully
be given the title of “last frontier”. With its
towering, cool, cloud-covered mountain peaks, deep gorges,
evergreen valleys and fast-flowing rivers, it is the region
in PNG that is still very much untouched and unexplored.
Its people are colourful and you only have to visit one of
the major cultural shows such as the Goroka or Mt Hagen
Shows to see why. In one big gathering, you will be
confronted with loud pulsating sounds of “kundu
drums” made from hollowed logs, which are covered
with lizard and snake skin and confronted with thousands of
colourfully-painted faces and bodies that glisten in the
Highlands sunlight. Their birds of paradise, lorikeet,
parrot, cassowary and cockatoo feathers are just as amazing
as they sway to the rhythmic movements of the body.
Highlands people are also industrious, most of whom
still live in villages and are predominantly
agriculturalists whose very livelihood very depends on
their relationship with each other and the land that they
have inherited. There are 5 Highlands Provinces in the
Southern Highlands, Enga, Western Highlands, Simbu and
Eastern Highlands. When you take the scenic Highlands
Highway from the coastal port and city of Lae, you reach
the Eastern Highlands first, whose capital Goroka enjoys an
all year around cool, almost eternal spring-like climate.
Goroka is famous for the Asaro mud men of the fertile
valley of the same name and the world famous Goroka Show,
held in September every year to coincide with PNG’s
Independence anniversary on September 16th.
About two hours up the Daulo Pass is the rugged Simbu
Province, known for its rough terrain and jazzed limestone
mountain tops whose people, stocky warrior farmers, can be
seen manoeuvring mountainsides with relative ease on bare
foot. Simbu is perhaps best known for the highest mountain
on the land in Mt Wilhelm, which at 4509 meters has
attracted bush walkers, trekkers and mountaineers from far
and wide. You only have to view the guest book at
Betty’s Lodge and trout farm, situated at the foot of
the mountain, to see where climbers have come from. There
are entries from should read from as far away as Israel,
Germany, France, Switzerland, Holland, Poland, and the
United States of America.
Further up the highway is the vibrant city of Mt Hagen
and capital of Western Highlands, a predominantly coffee
growing region. Mt Hagen is best known as home to the
equally famous Mt Hagen Show, which is held in August every
year. Like the Goroka Show, this show is one of PNG’s
icon cultural spectacles and it brings together colourful
and diverse tribes who partake in a weekend of cultural
performances called “singsings.”
The author, Steven Mago is a journalist, travel writer
and tourism promoter. He was born in Papua New Guinea but
for the time being is living in Sydney. Steven can be
contacted on: stevenmago@hotmail.com
An exhibition of objects recovered from
the wreck of the Titanic, including a chunk of the ship
itself is on show at the Science Museum in London.
Visitors can see crockery from the ship,
papers, money and personal effects preserved for decades in
baggage, and one of the liner's bells.
The display also includes mock-ups of
Titanic's first and third class cabins and an exhibit
which demonstrates the terrible cold encountered by those
trying to escape the ship after it hit an iceberg and began
to sink.
Each visitor receives a boarding pass
bearing the name of one of the passengers. At the end of
the exhibition you discover whether the holder of their
ticket survived.
The Globetrotters Club has just teamed
up with Oanda.com to provide people with information about
currency conversions and cheat sheets. To translate
currency or make a cheat sheet, visit:
The Mälar Valley in Sweden has some of Europe’s
most beautiful scenery, with unspoilt forests, lakes and
rivers where you can get away from crowds, traffic and all
the other pressures of the modern world. Lake Mälaren is
the third biggest lake in Sweden and stretches from the
capital, Stockholm to around 150 kilometres to the West.
The total population in the Mälar Valley is around 1.5
million.
Have you ever been in the Mälar Valley? I suppose not!
For most people outside Sweden, the Mälar Valley is still
an undiscovered place – it’s one of
Sweden’s best-kept secrets. So read and be inspired
and then come to the Mälar Valley and experience the real
thing!
History: once this area was the power base for
the Swedes, from which wealth and power arose. Where Lake
Mälaren flows into salt waters, people built a castle as
protection from pirates. Birger Jarl decided that a town
should surround the castle. The town that was built was
named Stockholm. It later became the capital of Sweden
until today. Iron production, boat building and farming
were the three most important industries. Each of these
technologies thrived in central Sweden due to the
availability of the resources they were dependent on.
Later, these became contributing factors to the Viking
expeditions. Based on the archaeological remains of
farmsteads, it is thought that there was a great increase
in the population in the Mälar valley during the Viking
era.
History’s legacy: the long history of the
region naturally contributes to its rich cultural
environment. To travel in the Mälar Valley is to travel
through Swedish history: castles and manors on the shores
of Lake Mälaren, rock carvings from the Bronze Age, rune
stones from Viking times, medieval churches with beautiful
frescoes and much more. The north of the valley is an old
mining area, and the history of metal manufacturing can be
studied at old works and mines. The cultural heritage of
the region is thus both rich in content, and easily
accessible. The region has since the Viking Age been a
center for trading and transport.
The Connecting Bond: Lake Mälaren was once the
natural way to and from the capital, Stockholm, between
different parts of the region and between the region and
the rest of the world. It still is for the thousands of
leisure boats that pass through the Stockholm lock each
year. Today the Mälar Valley is well connected: the
national roads are many and excellent and there are two
airports in the region, Arlanda, the largest, and Västerås,
right in the middle of the Mälar Valley.
The Castles in the Mälar Valley: when you come to
the Mälar Valley I strongly recommend you to visit some of
the castles around Lake Mälaren. All of them are
historically interesting and have their own anecdotes. For
example Tidö Castle is a real toy palace with its grand toy
museum with collections dating back to the 1700s. Also, a
young boy Dohna disappeared in the castle at the end of the
1700s aged only four years old. He was never found, but you
can still hear him calling….
18 of the castles and manors around Lake Mälaren are
members of an association called Mälarslott, the Mälar
Castles and all are accessible by land and sea; some of the
castles are also hotels. One of these, Sundbyholm’s
Castle is in easy reach, on the seaside right in the
middle of the Mälar Valley. Skokloster dates from 1654 and
is the largest castle with 77 rooms covering almost 2,139
sq.m. It houses a fantastic collection of art, textiles,
furniture, weapons, tools and books. The Skokloster
Pageant, a folk festival of Swedish history takes place
from July 23-27, 2003. Close to the castle is Skokloster Inn & Hotel,
one of the hotels we use.
Other activities: the environs of the Mälar Valley offer
a range of outdoor activities: it has Europe’s
northernmost beech forest, attractive country walks in the
woods and by the water. For those seeking a more structured
program of activities, there is plenty to choose from
– you can play golf – there are 41 golf courses,
hike, ride, fish, canoe, bicycle and more.
Peace and Quiet Travel is family-run business located in
the Mälar Valley. We specialise in creating tailor made
holidays. We use the kind of hotels that we ourselves would
want to stay in for a relaxing and refreshing break. Right
now we have a special summer 2003 offer. For more details,
see our website http://www.peaceandquiet.co.uk
or e-mail us at info@peaceandquiet.co.uk.
Under 30? A member of Globetrotters
Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?
Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to
award each year for five years for the best submitted
independent travel plan. Interested?
Then see our legacy
page on our Website, where you can apply with your
plans for a totally independent travel trip and we'll
take a look at it. Get those plans in!!
In last month’s Globetrotter
e-news, we spoke of 31 tourists being abducted and held in
the Sahara for over 2 months. In May, 17 of the foreign
tourists (10 Austrians, 6 Germans and a Swede) were
rescued, said to be unharmed and flown back to Europe. No
formal details of the ordeal have been released for fear of
jeopardising the safety of the remaining 15 tourists (10
Germans, 4 Swiss, 1 Dutch) who are still missing. The
Algerian newspaper El Watan claims that nine kidnappers
were killed in the dawn raid near the Sahara desert town of
Tamanrasset, 1,900 kilometres (1,200 miles) south of
Algiers and that the Salafist Group had kidnapped the
tourists for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).
