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Following on from Randy’s last article on Thailand, here he offers some advice on eco tourism in Thailand.

Finding real eco tourism in Thailand can be difficult. Here are a few guidelines.

It seems everyone is doing Eco tours and treks but what is it? Do you know the questions to ask a tour or trekking operator to find out if they are for real or just a ploy to get you to go with them?

First of all, most operators care only about making you happy. They will say yes to what ever you want to do. This is fine if you are doing a normal commercial tour to the handicraft factories or city tour however if you want to visit a hill tribe village or a nature area this is not acceptable. The reason is because that is what the consumer wants and the operators want to meet the needs of their clients, which might not be in the best interest for the environment or local people. This means it is up to you to be well informed about what is and what is not eco-tourism.

Here is a list of subjects and whys that separates the Eco-culture and nature friendly tour and trekking operators from those that are not. It is then up to you to decide which companies properly adhere to the true meaning of Eco-tourism in Thailand.

Tour and Trekking operators first must meet three basic standards to be called Eco tourism.

1. The willingness and ability to maintain or improve the environment.

Did you know that most of the plants and animals on the endangered species list are because of destruction of habit and not poaching, hunting or gathering? There are many examples of this in north Thailand. Not so many years ago there were lots of rare species of birds along the Mae Kok, Ping, Fang and Mae Teang rivers. Now because of clear cutting of bamboo for tourist for rafting all of the large and many rare species of bamboo are now gone. This means no more places for the birds to roost or nest, insects to eat and the beautiful stands of bamboo that were once abundant along the river banks are now gone forever.

So what can you do? Try to find operators that use recycled bamboo rafts when ever possible They pick them up at the take out point and bring them back to the starting point by large truck. The rafts can be used again and again for a year or so. Others just take them to the end of the rafting trip and sell them for other uses or most are disposed of along the bank to rot and they cut fresh bamboo for new ones. Finding these operators will be difficult, as many tour operators will say yes they reuse the rafts when in fact you will find out at the end of your rafting trip they do not. Better yet find an operator that use rubber boats, kayaks or canoes with out gasoline engines if possible.

Another major problem is water pollution. With the large numbers of travellers wanting to trek and visit hill tribe villages they are the number 1 source of water pollution in remote areas. I know of many hill tribe villagers that used to go to streams for small fish, frogs and insects to gather and eat. Because of the trekkers using soap and shampoo at waterfalls and in streams the animals that depend on clean water along with the plant life that supports them are now gone. It is a fact that the hill tribe villagers before the tourists arrived used to gather the water and wash their clothes and body away from the streams or waterfalls so as not to pollute. Many villages now also use the streams to wash in because they know there is nothing left to gather or fish for. They don’t know why everything is gone but it was all-fine before the tourists arrived. They also figure if the well-educated, smart and rich tourists are using the water to bath why should we carry water when we can just do what they do.

So what can you do? Do not bath in streams or waterfalls using chemical soaps and shampoos. There are biodegradable soaps and shampoos made that do not pollute so use these products. Another thing you can do is to carry the water down hill and away from the stream at least 20 meters. The best is not to use soap or shampoo at all while in or near the stream or waterfalls. Bring along a face cloth and add a little soap to clean your body and rinse off far away from the water source.

The people who lived in the rain forest or jungle knew in the past how important their water source was. It is a tragedy that these peoples had to give this up because of tourism. There are still several villages in Thailand that are pristine and still follow these good environmental practices. Their villages are in very remote areas far away from the normal tourist crowds.

These are the two main problems with tourism and the environment in Thailand today. For sure there are many others such as waste disposal that most of us already know about.

2. The ability and willingness for proper control when visiting ethnic peoples and villages in such a way that they can continue to maintain their natural being, customs, traditions and lifestyle.

These are the worst horror stories not only in Thailand but also throughout the world today. Almost all of the villages visited by tour operators today have lost everything their elders have taught them going back hundreds of years. Villagers are starving, addicted to drugs and they are selling their children to be used as prostitutes or slaves. Believe it or not the villages that accept tourists have the biggest chance of falling into this problem. Here are the ways it usually (but not always) happens.

A guide goes out looking for a new area and villages to take tourists. He (or she) meets the people in the villages and wants to bring tourists with the promise of a more prosperous life (money) than what they have now. There are no rules or guide lines set except that the villagers can sell trinkets and handicrafts (most bought and not made by them) to the tourists. The family that has guests overnight receives a small sum of money, a meal but must supply the rice (in most cases). If the villagers can supply opium for the trekkers to smoke, so much the better, as the guide will make lots of money from this. Once this starts the local drug lords will make them keep purchasing the opium.

After a year or two here is what happens to this once beautiful village. The once shy villagers rush to meet the tourists with souvenirs for them to buy. Most of these are made in Burma and not by the villagers themselves. They will not stop bothering people until they buy something and then leave. The children ask and beg for money. Now, the villagers are looking at the tourist as a source of income not as a visitor. Most have quit working their fields just to meet and beg and sell junk to the tourists. Most of the hill tribe villages do not own land but are given an area to plant crops. If it is not used then another village will take over the fields. This is usually a nearby village that does not accept tourists. This means they no longer have a place to plant seed for basic food to eat and sell.

The guide starts dinner at the family home and gives the host family around 50 Baht for having them. It is now evening and the guide asks who wants to smoke opium. Some in the group will probably say yes. The guide then buys the opium in the village for maybe 400 baht from which can supply around 20 or more pipe loads. The guide then sells it again to the tourist for maybe 100 to 200 baht a pipe load. This is big money for the guide. Mean while the children in the village see the foreigners smoking opium and think that they do the same everyday. In their mind they think they can smoke opium, go to college and make lots of money like the tourists do.

It is now a year later and the village has no culture to speak of any more. There is no cultural interaction between the villagers and tourists as the visitors are looked upon only as a source of income. The tour operator and guides decide to now leave this village for new villages without tourists and the process starts all over again. Now this village has no more tourists. They have no place to plant crops anymore as the fields they stopped planting have been taken over by nearby villagers. This means they now have to buy food and basic necessities but have no money. Many are now addicted to opium or heroin and even sell their children to keep up the habit.

This is a worst-case example but has happened and continues to happen to this day.

So what can you do? Please be careful with trekking operators that advertise new area or village. Find out why they have to go to a new village or area. Most good eco-culture friendly operators go to the same area and villages year after year. They have an excellent relationship with them so everything is in balance and harmony so they do not need to go to a new area.

Most hill tribe villages do not have handicrafts as they spend most of their time working in their fields. There may however be elderly women in the village taking care of young children that do make handicrafts. In this case there will be one home or area where handicrafts can be viewed and bought. No one will bother you to buy anything and you are not looked at as a major source of income.

Make sure you are not allowed to give candy to children or money for pictures. As a matter of fact nothing should be exchanged directly between you and anyone in the village. A village is a very communal place and what belongs to one belongs to all. Jealousy and hate between villagers can arise because one family or person received something from you and they didn’t. It is true that many villages that are visited by tourist drop drastically in population because of jealousy. It is the lucky ones that move away to a different village, usually that of another family member that has already moved because of marriage to a village member.

Ask to meet your guide first. Talk alone with your guide. Find out how much your guide knows about the village as you can. Tell your guide you want to smoke opium and if he or she says no problem find a different operator and guide. Many tour operators don’t know their guides are selling drugs to tourists so you need to ask your guide. If you go on a trek and the guide tries to sell pipe loads of opium and you see the tourists smoking turn the guide into the tourist police as soon as you return to the city. Do not say anything to the guide or tour operator just go to the police. This is the only way this can be stopped.

Ask how many persons are going on the trek with you and get it in writing as part of your receipt. Many people are told a small number later to find out there are up to 15 persons going on the trek. If they come to pick you up and there is more than what they wrote on your receipt when you paid for the trek get your money back. Go to the tourist police and file a complaint. If they do not give you a refund just make sure you have the number of persons in your trekking party written in your receipt. 6 persons should be the maximum and the fewer the better and a private trek is best. An eco-culture tour and trekking operator will keep the number of persons visiting a village small. The impact of even 50 visitors a month in a village is devastating and should not be allowed. Some excellent operators take visitor to village only once a week and then no more than 6 persons. They have many villages they can visit so they can take tourists daily to different villages.

3. The ability and willingness of the tour operator to donate some profits to the people in the villages they visit and in helping protect and improve nature and the environment.

There are very few tour and adventure operators in Thailand that are willing to support this belief. The ones that do started their business out of love for nature and the people and wanting to share their experiences with travellers not just for the money. They know the profits will rise once previous clients talk to their friends and others about the wonderful time they had on their holiday. This means more money for the locals and the tour operator. They must work together without exploitation.

The relationship that develops between the operator, guides, local people and communities when the tour or trekking company helps them is very important. This means you as a visitor can enjoy something special and richly rewarding instead feeling like of a source of income. You can develop true friendships with the people you meet and enjoy a spectacular natural unspoiled environment. You and your guide will be well respected by everyone you come in contact with. They also know that some of the money you paid for your holiday to visit them goes to help them and the local environment. They know their customs will be respected and their culture and way of life will remain intact.

Good Eco-aware tour operators help in many ways in Thailand. They buy books and other supplies for local schools. They pay to build schools and pay for teachers to live in the remote villages. They provide blankets and clothing yearly to families and children. They pay for doctors to visit remote villages on a regular basis and provide medicines and money for treatments if needed. Some pay local remote villagers to keep a watch out for poachers in the jungle and rain forest and report any potential problems to local authorities. They also work with local police, park rangers and forest ranges providing funds for rewards when poachers or tree cutters are caught. They pay locals to plant trees where needed and teach the people about waste disposal and hygiene. Build toilet facilities and water wells or water gathering reservoirs in small mountain canyons. They pay for pipes and plumping from the wells and reservoirs to the village. The list goes on and on but the important thing is the tour or trekking operator wants to help.

So what can you do? Try to find such a tour or trekking operator. The most important thing is being willing to pay more for you tour or trek. The fewer people on the trek or tour the better the experience. This costs more but well worth it. Most guides that work for these eco- culture friendly operators are very dedicated to helping people including you. They go out and visit these villages and natural areas regularly if they have people to take or not. They have extensive training about the environment, animals, birds, insects and about the local people you will see and meet. They are paid much more than the normal commercial guide and are well worth it so be willing to pay more.

There are certain places you should not visit, the main one being to see the Paduang Long Neck Karen. This is one of the worst forms of tourism in Thailand. Any tour operator who does this tour has no consideration for the culture or the Karen People. Here is the real story. The original custom is that only a girl born on a Wednesday during a full moon could where the rings around her neck. Now because of the large number of tourists visiting these villages all the girls are wearing the rings as it is big money. A Photograph of 1 girl is as much as 500 baht. Not only that but the villagers are kept in a compound surrounded by high walls so no one can see in. They are not allowed out of the camp so everyone just sits around waiting for the tourists. It costs at least 250 baht to get into the village which most goes to the tour operator. Villagers have died in these compounds. These people deserve more than this.

Here is a short article from the English language Nation newspaper in Bangkok on the seriousness of the problem. MAE HONG SON- A provincial court in Mae Hong Son yesterday opened the trial of two Thai men on charges relating to the detention and death of a long necked ethnic Padaung women, who, along with over 30 others of the same ethnicity, was trafficked into Thailand from Burma two years ago.

Paduang – commonly known here as the long-necked hill people because the women normally wear brass necklaces, the number of which increases over the years-has been a strong tourist attraction in Mae Hong Son. The group of detained Padaung had been lured and trafficked from their home village in northeastern Burma into Thailand by a Thai Karen agent, who had pledged to take them to visit their relatives in Mae Hong Son. According to the rescued Padaung, the woman, a mother of two, died in mid-1997 of exhaustion and heartbreak as she had been long separated from her children who remained in Burma.

Please boycott any agency that wants to take you to see the Paduang Long Neck Karen.

Eco-tourism is not cheap so before you go out to find the best price for a trek or tour, first think about who wins and who looses on a cheap tour or trek. No one wins. Think about it.

Randy who was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1948 has lived in Texas for more than 20 years and in Thailand since 1989 can be contacted by e-mail and is happy to answer any questions you may have one Thailand: allthai@all-thailand-exp.com. For more information on trips to Thailand, see: http://www.all-thailand-exp.com

Porto, also known as Oporto is a seaside town in the north of Portugal. It is proud to be known as “the city of work”. The city dates back to the eighth Century B.C. as a Hellenic village on the left bank of Douro River or the River of Gold as it is translated.

Today, Porto is a working town of half a million people, industrial and modern which has undergone a regeneration programme in the last 25 years and achieved World Heritage status from UNESCO in 1996. It was also selected as European Capital of Culture for 2001.

There are various attractions for visitors as follows:

WINES

Port Wine Cellars are open to visitors and offer guided tours during which Port Wine is freely tasted and its story fully explained. Excellent brands are available such as Vinho Verde of Minho and Esporão of Alentejo Region – the Best Red Wine of Europe in 2001 according to TIME magazine,

GASTRONOMY

Specialities of the area include “Tripas à Moda do Porto”. This is a very tasty dish made of ox and beans. “Sarrabulho” is a kind of thick soup made of a mixture of meats and maize flour, spices and herbs. This dish will be presented to the European Parliament next summer and is a favourite of Nobel Prize winner Portuguese writer José Saramago. And of course no visit to Portugal would be complete without tasting the famous Bacalhau. This is dried salted cod and there are 101 ways of cooking it in olive oil, the base of Mediterranean healthy cooking

BUILDINGS

Some of the buildings worth mentioning in Oporto include the New Infante Bridge, Football Stadiums (used in the current UEFA Euro 2004 Football Tournament), Casa da Música Concert Hall (a Dutch masterpiece by famed Dutch Architect Rem Kolhas and the Ultramodern Surface Metro Railway System.

THINGS TO BUY

These include fine tapestry, of course clothing, glasswork and pottery, ceramics and filigree silverwork, all very original, of high workmanship, and reasonably priced

SUGGESTED THINGS TO DO

There are many famous bridges over the River Douro such as D. Luis built in 1886 and designed by Eiffel, yes, he of the Eiffel Tower. There’s the new Infante that was inaugurated in April 2003. There are regular river cruises and even helicopter rides over the area and surrounds. There are numerous churches with fabulous displays of Baroque art and unique Azulejos (tilework ). If you want to visit the beach and the sea, you can take a stroll along the Seaside Promenade on the Atlantic coast at Foz do Douro. The Stock Exchange Palace is a magnificent Arab Salon and a must among town centre monuments, and the town park is also very beautiful and is by the sea.

If you would like to visit Oporto, contact Alvaro MIGUENS, office@greypowertravels.com or visit http://www.greypowertravels.com

My experiences on a trip to Angel Falls were different to those reported in a Globetrotter e-newsletter a couple of months back. I went in 9/88. The US $ versus Bolivar’s exchange was great. My wife Rosemary and I flew into Canaima. We had a dugout trip to Orchid Island where we spent the night. Metal roof, open sides, toilet facilities were any clear spot you could find in the jungle. It started to rain, they were attempting to roast, what they called chickens, over an open fire, they were on ironwood stakes. Unlike any chickens I have ever seen. Eventually they got them halfway cooked. Not very good. They served an orange juice looking drink. Rosemary drank it like it was going out of style. She refused to drink the water because it had been taken out of the river, full of tannin as you are aware, She didn’t realize that the water in the orange drink was taken out of the river, nor did I tell her. We slept in the hammocks, no mosquito nets. We really weren’t bothered with mosquitoes, I don’t understand why.

The next morning they served something for breakfast, not sure what it was, it looked like corn beef hash but it wasn’t. Rosemary said that was enough for her. So she got in an outboard powered canoe with some Indians and went back down river to Canaima where she stayed in the hotel, the only one at that time. I followed instructions and dressed in shorts, BIG MISTAKE. After going up river about an hour I was getting very sun burnt. They found a piece of canvas to put on my legs. They were already burnt, also my face. Best they could find was some sun screen to put on my face. We got to an island where we got out of the canoe. We had to walk part of the way across it as it was too dangerous for us to go thru the falls in a canoe. The Indians walked ahead found a bulldozer and a trailer and came back across the island where we were still walking and picked us up and took us to where the canoes were waiting. We finally about 1430, arrived at the base camp for Angel Falls. All the people walked thru the jungle to base of the Falls. I was unable to do so as I was hurting and lay in a hammock in similar conditions as the night before. When they came back it was getting dusk. They had some people there fixing the meal it was fairly good, the only thing I ate was some sliced pineapple and dank some of the juice. No alcohol allowed but one German had brought a bottle of brandy along and they all enjoyed it. Oldest was about late 30’s I was at the time, 63. One Italian couple had been married three days, another was married eight days. The next morning they took the canoes up river to a point where I could get a good view of the falls.

We all got out and walked around, I didn’t walk much, I was hurting. We went down river to Orchid Island where they were staying the night. Two other canoes were there and leaving for Canaima. One of our Indians, clothed in a loin cloth, went over to one of the canoes and talked to them. The Indian had lived in New York for some years before coming back to Venezuela. He told me to wait until one canoe departed and then for me to go over to the remaining canoe and they would permit me to go with them. He said the first canoe had the operator in it and he would want to charge me a lot of money to go with the canoe. They stopped at a small falls, which was interesting but I didn’t get out of the canoe. We finally made it back to Canaima and walked the mile or so back to where the hotel and other facilities were. I found Rosemary and they took me to an Indian first aid station. The Indian woman there with rings on all her fingers rubbed, what I later found out was Nivea cream into my legs. Those damn rings HURT. Rosemary went to a village store and bought some Nivea cream. That night Rosemary brought a German young couple, back to our room, whom we had met in Merida the week before and I went to the top of Bolivar Mountain, the highest peak in Venezuela. We went up via a four stage cable car. After we got up there I had to be given oxygen. Let me get back to Canaima. I had something to eat at the open air hotel dining facility. The next noon time we stood in line to get on the Avensa Airline 727. There was a large group of Italian tourists there. One young man walked up to near the head of the line when they started loading. The National Guard officer came along and took him to the back to the end of the line. He wasn’t satisfied and when he thought they weren’t looking he went to head of line. Unfortunately for him they were watching. They took him out of the line, stood along side of him and the last we saw of him he was still standing there when the aircraft took off for Caracas.

I went to the medical facility The Dr. there told me I should read: I went to the medical facility where the doctor there told me

Upon arrival In Caracas I decided to go on to Miami, I was hurting. Upon arrival in Miami after a night sleep we started north to Patrick Air Force Base. You might not know where it is but it supports NASA at Cape Canaveral where the shuttles are launched. I went to the medical facility where the doctor there told me, I had a serious burn on the legs and there was a possibility I would need a skin graft. Well I was fortunate I didn’t need it.

Bill wrote in to tell us about his sponsored bike ride in aid of the Douglas Bader Foundation late January, early February this year.

How did it start? It began with a mad idea to cycle somewhere warm in the middle of our cold winter, experience two summers in one year and lose some weight. At first I was interested in Guide Dogs for the Blind’s ride in New Zealand. I started training in August 2003, but when I applied officially, I discovered that with a low demand the ride had been scrapped. I then looked around to see where else would provide the winter warmth and came across Vietnam, Cuba and Kenya. Mainly because my father had an amputation and I had seen the struggles which all the folk had in the recovery ward at Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, I chose the Douglas Bader Foundation cycle ride in Kenya.

What about training? Classic tours, which run many of these Bike Rides, provide good guidance as to how you build up the miles (and more importantly for this ride, the hills.) I had sputtered at training since May but never really got into a three day a week rhythm until the middle of August, when I was doing about fifty miles a week. My daughter Sarah’s wedding in early September set the training back a bit, but by the end of October I had managed Lisburn and back twice and a run up the coast road to nearly Glenariff. God was good with regards to the weather. In a ‘normal winter’ (if there is such a thing in this country) rain, wind and snow would have interrupted training. Most weeks I was able to get out three and sometimes four days a week which proved to be crucial when it came to tackling the big hills in Kenya. Motivation after Christmas in the colder January days was a real problem, when it was so much easier to sit in the warm than face four hours in the cold cycling round Islandmagee!

Fund-raising? Folk have been very generous. After an accident I had, I had decided to use some of my retirement funds as a Thank you to God to fully meet all costs, so that all sponsor money given would go to the charity concerned. What with support from relatives, church folk, Carrick Grammar School Charity Fund and staff, I hoped to raise over £2,000 for the Douglas Bader Foundation. With the other nine riders we should have raised over £12,000.

What was it like? Kenya is a really beautiful country with a huge range of bird and wildlife. Much of what we cycled through was cultivated and quite densely settled but there were still remote quiet places where fewer people were found. The support team were excellent, providing quick help for bikes and people with three course tasty cooked lunches provided at the roadside!!

Here are my diary extracts:

Sat 31st Jan 2004 – Heathrow terminal 4, 5.37p.m. Tired already – I’ve been on the go since 9.15am and I still have not left London. I hate this Belfast to London slog. I’ve done it three times in three years to meet other flights and still it never gets better. Transit lounges surrounded by 1,000 strangers and eight million locals, yet still quite alone. It is never daylight here. I read the Bible and prayed and just felt the Lord with me and I wasn’t alone any more. Perhaps a short tea and then meet the others at 7p.m. They seem like a good crowd and are very friendly. It’s difficult to make friends immediately, but we gel surprisingly well, for people who have never met but who have a common purpose. I am stunned to see Mike, a double amputee (below both knees) who is going to cycle most of the 400Km. Later in the week, when I see him strapping on his artificial limbs and dealing with the abscesses on his stumps, it is so humbling to see the huge efforts that he makes and it puts any difficulties that I had in training into a true perspective.

Wed 4th Feb. The Big Hill day. I can’t believe that we freewheeled for half an hour going down the twisty hairpin bends into the Kerio valley from the overnight stop at Kabernet in Northern central Kenya. We descend from 2065m to 1200m on the valley floor. Great fun to see the kids’ faces at Chermurgui Primary School, when Mike takes off his artificial leg. We stopped here to hand over the pens, pencils and drawing materials (plus a UTV Frisbee that I won in a quiz !!) to the headmaster of the school. We were all asked to bring some resources which would be better than giving out sweets. Carrickfergus Grammar School had provided boxes of pens and pencils, which went down really well.

Then it was off up the Elgeyo escarpment. In Classic tourspeak it was “a very serious climb” – to you and me it meant if you hadn’t done enough hills in your training ‘get off and walk’. I don’t think I have ever faced a stiffer challenge – a fifteen mile hill that went from 1200m to 1925m. Lunch at two o’clock had never tasted quite as good. The views on the way up were stunning in the early morning but by lunchtime it was too hazy to really appreciate the whole landscape.

Thursday 5th Feb. Another 60 mile day phew!! This time less long steep hills and more undulations (shorter and steeper) Through the Kakamega rain forest with views of Vervet and Colobus monkeys. The first few days were cloudy and it even rained on Monday (warm rain, of course, unlike Carrick). Now it was blue skies and 35 to 37 C with little shade even through the forest. A litre of bottled water has never tasted so good. I needed the Factor 50 sunscreen that I had brought with me as I burn so easily. The rain on the first day had washed the sunscreen off my right calf and the sun had burned it even through the cloud!

Fri 6th Feb. The final run into Kisumu – only 35 miles!!! All those days of encouraging one another were over. The distracting ploys like: “look at those lovely wee wild flowers beside the road” – but don’t look at the huge hill that is emerging in front of us as we round this bend or “Let’s stop and look at the view’” which means: I’m punctured and need a breather. Another one was: “I must take a picture of this for the folk at home” read as : I need a good drink of water, and finally “Look, I think that might be a bee-eater / shrike / black kite” which translates as: I’ll be able to get my heart and lungs back to a semblance of normality while I try to focus on this pesky bird.

Outcome: a huge rewarding effort and a great sense of achievement while seeing a really different part of God’s beautiful creation. New friendships made and many folk helped through the generosity of our sponsors. Oh and over a stone lost in weight, since starting training in August.

On how my first birdwatching trip to Candaba, Pampanga Province, Philippines made my enthusiasm for conservation take flight.

Trudging stealthily on a marshland trail, struggling to keep alert despite it being 5:30 in the morning. With binoculars slung over my neck and a species list on hand, I tried to make as little noise as possible. Is this an episode from National Geographic or a feature on the Discovery Channel? No, but that’s what I felt like on my first bird-watching trip.

It was a cold day in November when I was surprisingly able to coerce two of my friends to pry ourselves out of bed at 3 in the morning to drive down to the Haribon Foundation center. All we knew to prepare for the trip was to wear dark clothing, bring a hat, some food and pay the joining fee. There I met some 20 or so individuals, scientists, bird-watching enthusiasts from here and abroad, and regular clueless folks like me. We got to our destination the Candaba Marsh at dawn, and even before getting off our van, they told us to spot Egrets flying over and into the distance. How majestic they looked! Enormous wing span and quite easy to spot due to their size and number. It was right about there when I was handed a checklist of the different species of birds we could spot in this particular location. My eyes widened as I counted 92 listed there! And I was only expecting maybe 2 or 3 species! I couldn’t believe that we had so many different kinds of birds here in the country! It was also of major interest to me that as one scientist noted, the Philippines has 80 or so endemic species whereas countries like the UK had none. All the more curious, I was to find out how many I’d be able to spot at the end of the day.

My excitement mounted as our scientists Blas Tabaranza and Tim Fisher pointed out to us the lone Purple Heron sitting high atop a sparsely leafed tree, the many Black Winged Stilts, easily identified by their long bright red spindly legs and the daintily colored Blue-Tailed Bee-eater. I was pleasantly educated that even the Chestnut Munia or “Maya”. the local name for the common sparrow, was not the Maya I thought to be. Its head was black and body brown. All in all I was able to jot down 19 kinds of birds that day. I’m quite sure that wasn’t all there were that day since the I wasn’t able to quickly spot everything pointed out to us.

Whereas before I saluted Haribon’s conservation efforts only in theory, to be alongside them was a concrete expression, one that further strengthened my resolve to support the projects and one that I hope would be followed up with many more wonderfully mind-broadening adventures!

Christina Alejandro is a product designer for a chain of gift shops and also a member of the WWF and Haribon Foundation, both environment oriented organizations. She loves travelling and has visited the US, Europe, Australia and some Asian countries. Christina’s website is:

All long-distance buses seem to have termini fairly near the Central Station [trains]. Outside this there is a massive square where most local buses start and from the other side there are roads into the centre, of which the Via Roma is the widest. The place where I stayed is just to the left of the Via Roma [third turn] and is visible from it. This is the Rosalia Conco d’Oro, completely unprepossessing from outside but snug, clean, comfortable and friendly inside and with a lift to the third floor reception and rooms. Toilets and showers are shared but I never had to wait.

However short your time here, there is one thing which is simply NOT TO BE MISSED, the Duomo at Monreale. This means one of the buses which does not start from the station and it is necessary to get first to the Piazza del’Indepenza to catch it. [Bus #309 from the station.] Words fail me at describing the appeal of this cathedral and I am happy to quote from the Rough Guide ‘the most extraordinary and extensive area of Christian medieval mosaicwork in the world, the apex of Sicilian-Norman art.’ I certainly cannot envisage anything better. To me this is one of the sights of Europe. Although totally different in style, I should place it in the same quality box as the Alhambra.

This Duomo must have been quite remarkable in the twelfth century for the dazzling speed of its construction. It is believed that it was done and dusted within twelve years. The reason for this would appear to have been political rivalry between the king and an archbishop but it does leave us now with a whole building of a single style. I regarded this visit as being of great historical interest as I had seen nothing of this type of Greek and Byzantine workmanship, but I did not expect it to appeal to me artistically. Talk about being bowled over; the impact of the view of the interior on entry was like a physical blow. Although I have seen nothing of its type to equal it, it has left me ready to appreciate a much wider artistic range of church interiors.

I suppose the crowning glory in terms of art must be the mighty mosaic of Christ – ‘mighty’ not used lightly here as the head and shoulders are a good sixty feet high! I think, however that the ones that moved me once were those of most of the best known Old Testament accounts which go all around just below the high windows of the nave. Some real humour is very visible in the sections on the Creation and Noah’s Ark. Lastly, on the subject of this cathedral, do not on any account miss seeing the cloisters. I forget whether the entrance is on the same wall as that to the cathedral or the wall to the right hand side as you face it, but it is worth finding.

There are some wonderful mosaics elsewhere in Palermo as well. The church of La Martorana near the centre has some of these and is probably one of the first things to see in Palermo. However do not miss seeing the church next to it as well, the little twelfth century chapel of San Cataldo. This is innocent of mosaics, very plain in fact, but its very simplicity gives it a considerable appeal. Strange to English eyes but rather appealing too, are the bright red domes of the roof. I have more difficulty in writing about the Palazzo dei Normanni, now the seat of Sicily’s autonomous government. Only a limited amount can be visited here but this includes the Capella Palatina. Here there are mosaics which should logically have something of the same effect as those at Monreale. However for me, although I could appreciate the skill and artistry well enough, they had no such impact. It was not anti-climax because I saw these before going out to Monreale. In the Capella I was more fascinated by the lovely Arabic ceiling. Whilst on the subject of churches I shall mention one that is no longer consecrated but is a striking building. This is San Giovanni degli Eremiti, not far from the Piazza del’ Independenza and the Norman palace. The twelfth century church was built on the remains of an earlier mosque and it is very much an Arabic type of building, well worth a visit, although its Christian style cloisters also call. The fact that the garden is now quite wild seems to enhance rather than detract from the beauty of the building.

David was a keen walker, particularly on mountains before he developed serious heart problems in 1995. He has now adapted his holidays to what he is able to do and we are presenting his account of 12 days in Sicily over this and the coming months. Next two episodes: Palermo.

Next episode – Palermo Part 2

The success of the Harry Potter films has resulted in a spate of tour operators organising tours of Harry Potter film locations – and don’t forget there’s a third Harry Potter film coming out in June 2004. There’s no reason why you cannot see some of these locations yourself without joining a tour. Here is where some of Harry Potter’s movie locations can be found:

Hogwarts school was shot in and around Lacock Abbey with some additional computer graphics to add to the mystery. Some of the scenes in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third soon to be released movie were shot around the narrow streets and stalls of south London’s Borough Market – a favourite movie set where much of Bridgit Jones was filmed.

Platform 9-¾ was filmed at London’s main line station, King’s Cross between platforms 4 and 5. This is where Hogwarts students catch the train to Hogwarts boarding school. These days you will see, as the Beetle did the other day, a simple Platform 9-¾ sign hanging on a brick wall in a corner of the station. The adjoining railway station, the Gothic-style St. Pancras, was used for exterior shots. Australia House in central London provides the façade for Gringott’s Bank.

Various sites around Oxford were used in the first two films. Christchurch College was a model for the Hogwarts dining hall. Parts of the Bodleian Library were used for Hogwarts school scenes (the Divinity School as the Hogwarts hospital wing; Duke Humfrey’s Library as the Hogwarts library. The cloister and other parts of 900 year old Gloucester Cathedral were used in Hogwarts scenes. Up in the north east of England, the exterior of Alnwick Castle was used for Hogwarts’ Quidditch games and flying classes.

• The British tourist office can provide information, including a map of some Harry Potter film locations (0800-462-2748) or go to www.travelbritain.org/moviemap).
• Warner Brothers’ official Harry Potter movie site has previews and more: www.harrypotter.com.
• The BBC has Web pages with useful information and photos on Harry Potter sets, including Lacock, Oxford and Gloucester. See: www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/harry_potter/index.shtml

If you ever wondered which European countries were joining the European Union this year, look no further, for here is a list:

Travel industry experts say that small central European countries joining the European Union on May 1 are unlikely to lose their identity as visitors flood in. The concerns increased following an announcement by low-cost airline easyJet earlier in the year that it will start flights to the Slovenian capital Ljublijana. “It is a viable worry,” Frances Tuke, of the Association of British Travel Agents, told CNN. “There is always some concern over any new travel destination that is poorer than the origin of its tourists.” And Matthew Mavir, boss of lastnightoffreedom.com, a stag and hen weekend package supplier, warned that Ljublijana could easily lose its identity as the big tour operators move in. “It has happened with Prague and Dublin, so there is a definite danger,” Mavir said. “The more money you can save on a low-cost flight to these places, the more you have to spend on beer and going out.” easyJet’s spokeswoman refuted this saying: “That is unfair: easyJet carries a whole range of people from all walks of life, from students to lords and ladies.” A spokeswoman from the Slovenian Tourist Board in London said that Ljublijana attracted a sophisticated sector of the market that would appreciate its charms. “Hotels in the city are still expensive,” she said.

I’m writing this as we turn into Spring. The weather is on the turn now. Each day you can feel it getting slightly warmer, although it does still get a bit nippy at night. A couple of Saturdays ago my friend Joao came over from Lisbon and we had a late lunch sitting by the sea enjoying the sunshine and the following day I drove up to Ericeira to meet up with my friend Vanessa to visit Mafra market.

I left home about 9.00 and had a fabulous drive up the coast. Everywhere is so green at the moment and the blossom is starting to come out. Even the badly burnt areas around Mafra have changed colour. All the allotment areas are a vision of freshly turned earth and newly planted vegetables. The locals were all out along the roadside with their little tables selling bags of potatoes, onions, turnips, garlic, bread, chorizo etc etc. This is quite a common sight at weekends and in some places you can buy beautiful bunches of flowers. There is a lovely miniature village on the outskirts of Ericeira and opposite it is an area just devoted to vegetables and fresh bread. The miniature village also does a mean doughnut – always worth a stop!

We set off to explore further up the coast towards Peniche. It was lovely to see new parts of the country. The coastline is very beautiful and the villages and little towns quite fascinating. Some are still very traditional and quaint but spoilt by seventies infill building. We also passed a very amusing Vespa rally. This consisted of about 80 different coloured Vespas of varying ages, driven by young, middle-aged and old bikers!

Then, of course, lunch beckoned. The previous weekend Vanessa had been to a restaurant that she said was amazing so we tootled off back towards Ericeira looking for the village. We found it quite easily but then had to ask directions to the restaurant. She said that the road went from tarmac to rough but when the rough started it was something else. Basically the road ran out at the edge of a cliff. I sort of sat there dumbstruck and she offered to drive – I gratefully accepted. The access to this restaurant is down a rough three-quarter size track with a direct drop into the ocean and has about three hairpin bends in it! She managed perfectly of course. It’s me – I hate heights and can’t swim, so that combination was a guarantee of a panic!

The place was fantastic. It’s on the edge of the cliff with views out over the Atlantic (next coastline the USA). It is run by fishermen so the fish is chucked up the cliff and straight into the kitchen. It has three dining rooms and by the time we left at about 1.30 the place was packed out. Because we were early (12.10) we managed to get a table for two by the window. The majority of the tables were already set up for families with bread, olives, pasteis (home made mixed fish ones) and varying sizes of big saucepans containing caldeirada (a wonderful Portuguese fish stew). There was a daily fish menu but they also did meat dishes. The kitchen was open to view and the chef is a fisherman himself.

Vanessa had a half portion (a full portion can feed three) of mixed fried cuttlefish and manta ray which was served with tomato and black bean rice and chips in small chunks; I had a skewer of monkfish with prawns with a salad. We had a local bottle of fabulous white wine and the total bill was 21 euros (approximately £14). Can’t wait to go again but only if Vanessa will drive down the cliff!

Eventually made it to Mafra market. It’s a good market with the usual stalls of T-shirts, jeans, bedding, household goods, baskets, materials, sunglasses etc. The underwear stall was selling bras and knickers at 2 euros a piece! And good quality too. It was a very windy day so the stallholders were desperately holding things down with the nearest available stone. The market is held in front of the Mafra Palace which makes it a rather good setting. The olives they sell on Cascais market are beautiful. I bought some big black ones (€2.70 a kilo) and marinated them in garlic, olive oil, Italian seasoning and chilli flakes.

Which countries are represented by these flags? For the answers, see at the end of the e-news.

Meeting news from our branches around the world.

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.

Vasco De Gama, Goa, India 14 Jan 1992. Got on narrow gauge train at 830PM and arrived at Mirji Junction at 5AM where I was to change for a wide gauge train to Delhi at 7AM. They put a notice on board in station what train car you are suppose to go on and what berth. My name was not on the list although I had made a reservation. Sometimes they would have my name as Wilfred (my first name) as last name and no reservation under either my first, middle or last name. I then looked for the number 67 (my age then.) They put your age beside your name so all India now knows my age. There was not even a number lucky 67 number. The station supervisor was not worried. He said the conductor would know even if my name was not there and to get in berth A5 if no one was in this berth. This was not First Class which my ticket was, but second class air conditioned sleeper which I had found I already preferred to First Class.

They gave me a side bed without curtain (all others had) and it is door where everyone passes. It is like laying on display in Lenin’s Tomb with a continual parade of people going through door and looking at me in surprise. Ha! It turned out though to be a good way to meet people as many asked me where I was from and asked me to visit them if I passed through their city. I met the High Sheriff of Calcutta this way, a lady Indian architect (unusual) and a Indian Army Officer that later showed me all around Agra on his motorcycle.

Kalismer India. Got a haircut and shave in a hole in a wall barber shop that was just wide enough for a barber chair and with a mirror in front of you and a mirror in back of you. You could see what the barber was doing to the back of your head. What a good idea. Barber spent ten minutes lathering and brushing my face and then shaved it. It was so cheap that I had him do it a second time! 5 rupees (twenty cents.) Haircut was 10 rupees (forty cents) Getting a shave and haircut in India was like it used to be in Japan with lots of attention and I like that.

At the YMCA hotel in New Delhi they gave you a card with address, phone number, your room number and on its back a map of city showing location of your hotel. Great Idea.

30 Jan 1992 in New Delhi, India. If in Delhi, try to be there around the 26 Jan for their national day. Parades with decorated Elephants, colourful pageants etc.) When I ordered eggs fried sunny side up this morning they did not understand sunny side up. An Indian said I should have said eggs Bulls eye if I wanted them sunny side up.

The huge Jain Mosque, the largest in India in Old Delhi has souvenir stands in front selling pictures of Saddam Hussein (whatever happened to him??) of Iraq. No pictures of Bush or me.

In the First Class waiting room in Old Delhi train station (there is an Old Delhi Train Station and a New Delhi Train Station (different trains to different destinations leave from each and they are quite aways apart. Both of them are old and I am usually at the wrong one. A well dressed Indian came up to me in the 1st Class waiting room with a porter (coolie) (they do call them coolies) carrying his luggage (brand new) on his head (on the coolies head.) He spoke to me and asked where I was from. He had just came from one of the Arab States (Qatar) where he had worked as an engineer for several years. When I mentioned about the mosque having pictures of Saddam Hussein for sale outside the mosque and that I had heard there was a bar in Dubai that was serving both sides at the same time (Iraqis, Iranians off ships and American servicemen at the same time to the surprise of both sides he said he was not surprised that the Iraq Embassy in Bahrain was open all during the 1992 Gulf War. I didn’t think Iraqis or Iranians Moslems drank but some do. This bar was Ponchos, was a Mexican style bar, very popular with foreigners living in Dubai and one time a ship had been torpedoed and those rescued and the torpeaders were in bar at the same time !) Dubai evidently allows or looks the other way at some practices that other Arab countries don’t allow.

In Indian train station waiting rooms I would sometimes lay my silver space blanket down on the floor and sleep using my belongings as a pillow. If I had to go to the toilet I would sometimes ask an Indian lady if one was there (although I think they had separate rooms for women only if they desired) to look after my stuff. I found Indian women were flattered if you talked to them as a human being and they were very good at giving information and looking after ones stuff and one. It was just me sleeping on the floor many others did too. Instead of getting up early at your lodging for an early train I would sleep that night in the waiting room as did many Indians.

The Indian engineer said they had fantastic lotteries in Dubai. They will deliver the prizes anyplace in the world. Luxury cars, lotteries for apartments in London and Washington, D.C. etc. Fantastic duty fee shops and Dubai is a world of luxury. Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world (Kuwait used to be)

I was in India several times using Indian Rail Pass. You were not questioned about sleeping in 1st class if you had a rail pass. Besides the waiting rooms some of the train stations had accommodations (with beds, mosquito knits etc ) nearby Arriving in Calcutta at an ungodly hour I slept in these accommodations one time rather than try to make it outside that early.

India is interesting.

And on a parting note: The National Geographic Traveller for April 2004 has a very good article on the Rajasthan section of India. To me that is the most exotic part of India. I found this comment amusing. “If you find the sometimes less than spotless conditions in India up setting try pretending you’re British. The British don’t mind a little dirt,” a resident of Jaipur commented. “They look on it as part of the adventure” Me: if my British friends at the Globetrotters Club want to sue National Geographic, I can get them a good lawyer! Another comment was that if someone in India puts a garland of flowers around your neck you are supposed after a few minutes to take the garland off and carry it in your hand to show that you are humble. I wore mine for days. No wonder India asked me to leave!

If you would like to contact Mac, he is happy to answer e-mails: macsan400@yahoo.com

Meeting News from London

Liam D’Arcy Brown talked about his 11,000 mile journey literally the far corners of China North, South, East & West, and his talk was a riveting account of how he got there and the people he met on the way.

From the Southern most tip of Hainan Island, to the island of Zhoushan, Liam traveled on buses, trains and motorbikes wherever he went. Mixing with the locals, for better and for worse. Generally looked after by the locals, he was however robbed and spent few soul-searching days in his hotel feeling sorry for himself after being drugged on a train. Beware locals bearing free booze!

Liams book “Green Dragon, Sombre Warrior” has been described as the best autobiographical China travel book so far this year.

After the break, John Malathronas gave a digital slide show and talk about Brazil based on his book “Brazil, Life, Blood and Soul”.

John’s odyssey took us through the adrenaline-fuelled, chaotic city bars, the extravagant carnival, the lush rainforest and the destitute shanty towns of Brazil revealing the throbbing heartbeat of the country. John’s book “Brazil: Life, Blood and Soul” is published by Summersdale.

Next month, on Saturday 3^rd July is open house, an opportunity for UK Globetrotters and visitors to show their own slides (traditional or digital images form scanned prints or digital pictures) and each make a short ten minute presentation. Contact london@globetrotters.co.uk if you are interested in making a presentation.

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: https://globetrotters.co.uk/local-meetings/london-meetings.html Admission: Members £2.00 Non-members £4.00

Ever tried to book a reasonably priced hotel room in London? Failed miserably? Well, look no further. easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has come up with a new idea (although we’d like to know what happened to easyCruise?) – he has bought a 12-room hotel in Kensington, London and plans an easyHotel brand which is hoped to be replicated around the world.

The hotel aims to replicate the success of his budget airline with bargain prices in return for a genuinely no frills “sleep-and-shower” experience. The room is one of 25 in what will be London’s closest equivalent to Tokyo’s “capsule hotels”, though there will at least be space to stand up. The hotel’s prefabricated 9ft by 10ft rooms, probably made out of glass fibre or moulded plastic, will be slotted into the shell of the 19th century building and connected up to water and electricity.

Guests will be provided with a Japanese-style double mattress bed with clean sheets and a duvet, a shower, a lavatory, wash basin with a mirror and a rack for hanging clothes – and a roll of toilet paper. There will be no breakfast included, no restaurant, not even a reception desk, no phones, TVs, nor will there be any pictures on the wall or carpet on the floor. Towels and toiletries will have to be provided by the guests, and anyone who wants their bed made during the day will be charged extra.

Some of the rooms, which are only nine times bigger than a phone box, may not even have windows. All bookings will be made on the internet or over the phone. Those who book early for stays on the less popular nights will get the £5 bargains. However, the average price is likely to be just over £30 – the level at which Mr Haji-Ioannou says the hotel will break even. The top price will be around £50 to £60 for those taking the last few available rooms. For more info and pictures of the new hotel in Kensington, London, see: http://www.easyhotel.com/

JUNE 5^th, Amy Gissen talked about Cambodia and Thailand. There will be no New York Meetings in July and August, but we are planning a new format for the Fall, so stay tuned!

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.

What is it: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a disease that is spread to humans by infected mosquitoes in Asia. It is one of a group of mosquito-borne virus diseases that can affect the central nervous system and cause severe complications and even death. It is a seasonal disease that usually occurs in the summer and fall in temperate regions of China, Japan, and Korea. In other places, disease patterns vary with rainy seasons and irrigation practices.

How do I get it: JE virus is transmitted chiefly by mosquitoes that live in rural rice-growing and pig-farming regions.

What happens if I get it: symptoms usually appear 6-8 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Most infected persons develop mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. In people who develop a more severe disease, Japanese encephalitis usually starts as a flu-like illness, with fever, chills, tiredness, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Confusion and agitation can also occur in the early stage. The illness can progress to a serious infection of the brain (encephalitis) and can be fatal in 30% of cases. Among the survivors, another 30% will have serous brain damage, including paralysis.

Diagnose and treatment: diagnosis is based on tests of blood or spinal fluid. There is no specific treatment for Japanese encephalitis. A vaccine is licensed for use in travellers whose itineraries might put them at risk for Japanese encephalitis. All travellers should take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites to prevent Japanese encephalitis and other mosquito-borne diseases.

How can I avoid contractingJapanese encephalitis: avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. The mosquitoes that transmit Japanese encephalitis feed mainly outside during the cooler hours at dusk and dawn. Travellers should minimize outdoor activities at these times, use mosquito repellent on exposed skin, and stay in air-conditioned or well-screened rooms. Travellers to rural areas should use a bed net and aerosol room insecticides.