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Category Archives: enewsletter
Texas:
In January 2002, we had 30 people attending our Texas Globetrotter's meeting! More than 50 different people have attended since the first meeting back in July 2001. Ron Woguus shared some of his travel preparation wisdom he has acquired after hundreds of trips. We all shared our travel goals for 2002 by saying them out loud and writing them down, which will definitely help make them happen!
The eighth meeting of the Globetrotters Texas branch will start promptly at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 9 at the New Braunfels Public Library. We might have a slide show, we will definitely have time to share common vacation goals, and we will talk about a Globies group trip.
Meetings are held at 3pm at the New Braunfels Public Library, 700 E. Common Street in New Braunfels, Texas. The meeting ends at 5 p.m. If you would like to continue travel talk on a more informal basis, we plan to adjourn to the Hoity-Toit, a local New Braunfels establishment. If anybody would like to enquire about meetings or help Christina, please contact her on: texas@globetrotters.co.uk
Giant Grouper – Barrier Reef
A recent report from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia: a Swedish diver had a narrow escape after a giant grouper attempted to swallow his head on New Year's Eve. The diver managed to escape with only a broken mask, cuts and scratches after being spat out.
London Markets: Spitalfields
Spitalfields market is the Beetle's favourite London market. It has the advantage of not being fantastically busy, like Portobello Rd market or Petticoat Lane, and it offers a surprising range of products to buy and things to look at.
It is less than 10 minutes walk from Liverpool Street tube station (get out at the Broadgate exit and just follow everyone else, or ask). It is open on Sundays from around 8am to 3pm. It dates back to 1682 and was once the largest fruit and veg market in London, before it moved location to East London.
Old Spitalfields Market on Commercial Street was the location of a medieval hospital and priory of St. Mary Spital founded in 1197. Back then, this was the outside boundary of London, and the hospital is reputed to have provided shelter to travellers, hence the name `Spital fields'. The area remained fields until Charles II founded the fruit, flower and vegetable market in 1682. Another claim to fame is that Spitalfields was the site of Jack the Ripper's first victim!
Today, you can buy organic meat, vegetables, bread and patisserie, second hand books and records, vintage clothes, gemstones, jewellery, candles, pictures, kites – all sorts! There are a couple of cafes and pubs close by if you are in need of sustenance after a hard few hours seeing what the market has to offer.
Want to tell us about your local market? Contact the Beetle: the Beetle
Next month: Borough Market, London, as featured in Bridget Jones' Diary
Mutual Aid
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
La Paz, Bolivia December 2001 by Jacqui formerly living in London
Hola, mis amigos, here's another instalment of my Peruvian adventure in southern Peru. As I write this I am in La Paz, Bolivia, and the headache I have is directly due to the altitude. When in doubt, blame it on the altitude! It was amazing to arrive in the afternoon yesterday and see the city spread before us in to the crater in which it has grown. So many buildings and so packed in, the mountain of Illimani towering beyond the rim and the slowing more narrow and car clogged streets as we descended into to the melee. Today has been most relaxing, with five letters at the poste restante (muchos graçias Robyn & Peter, Jan, Anne and John Dillon, Mum and Dad), money changed, the new Harry Potter movie to look forward to and lots of interesting things in the streets to see and potentially buy. After this we head to Potosi and the silver mine, to Sucre and its colonial splendour, and then across the salt and mud flats of the Atacama before crossing into Chile for Christmas in San Pedro de Atacama.
So, between Lima and now, we have been travelling pretty well. South of Lima we visited the area near Paracas called the Ballestras Islands (or ´Poor man's Galapagos´). Lots of sea lions, gannets, guanu, and cormorants. There were a few penguins, and a carving into the coast line that has the same time date as the Nazca lines that was very impressive. A good mornings´ outing! Next we camped for a couple of nights near some Inca ruins in Puerta Inca, the original port for Cusco. It is hundreds of miles from the Inca capital and had the most consistently strong pounding waves that I have ever heard. There I felt the earth move…yes, it was an earthquake, about 4 on the Richter scale (as we found out the next day) and the cause of the landslide that delayed our departure by a few hours. Quite exciting really but nice to know that no-one was hurt.
On to Arequipa and the colonial beauty that is being preserved there, along with the mummies found on the peaks of surrounding mountains that date from Inca times and show researchers more about the Inca´s, their life, religion and death. ´Juanita´ is the most famous mummy and it was quite macabre to stand and look at this young girl who died so long ago and which the frozen mountain top has preserved so well. The Santa Catalina Convent was another highlight. I simply could not stop taking photos as around every corner was another lovely vista. It is still a working convent for the enclosed order that has been there since the 1600s. From Arequipa, we crossed the pampas to get to Colca canyon, passing llama, alpaca and vicuña camelids on the way. After a night camped on the rim of the canyon, we waited patiently for the condors to bless up with their presence. One eventually came in response to a badly played rendition of ´El Condor Pasa´, and we all have the photos to prove we have seen one. It was truly magnificent and worth the wait as the one condor that rose on the thermal currents was a real showman and he swooped and glided right at and around us before vanishing into the far blue yonder.
Cusco was the next city of note and there everyone took the chance to relax and roam. I had even more time than most as I had decided not to risk my ankle on the Camino Inca, in order to see Machu Picchu. So an extra couple of days in Cusco, and then the train to Aguas Calientes. Machu Picchu may be further enhanced by having hiked towards it for three days but I still thought that it was magic and did not want to leave even after eight hours. The trip back to Cusco was prolonged due to a landslide, but this was Peru so getting stressed about it was a little pointless. And yes, drinks at the CrossKeys were had! Puno was a bit of a non-event and the boat trip to see the Uros Islands a glorified shopping trip, but Lake Titicaca was in her best garb and looked beautiful. So, here I am in La Paz and have received another letter and am headed back to the hotel to relax after a heavy day shopping and sightseeing. We did not get to see Harry Potter yesterday as it was completely dubbed in Spanish. That‘s life!
Thanks Jacqui and keep us posted! If anyone would like to contact Jacqui, her e-mail is: jacquitrotter@yahoo.com
What have you seen on your travels? Drop a line to the Beetle! the Beetle
Joke time
From Bretislav, in the Czech Republic:
A guy is flying to London checking in at the airlines counter with 3 suitcases. He tells the lady there: “I want the first suitcase checked through to New York, the second to Paris and the third to Bombay.” The lady says, “I'm afraid that won't be possible sir.” The guy says, “Why not? That's what you did to my luggage the last time.”
Cycling from England to New Zealand by Chris and Malcolm, Kiwis on Bikes!
Globetrotting Kiwis, Christine and Malcolm Clark are a little over 18 months and 8,759 miles into their epic cycling journey, from England to New Zealand. Their trip is entirely self-funded and they are also helping to raise money for the Gray Cancer Institute, a UK based cancer research organization.
Our route took us across France where we received much encouragement from the French, hyped up by the recent Tour de France. Picking up the Danube cycle path, we crossed Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary before leaving the river in Budapest. Romania gave us a warm welcome and throughout our stay we received honest hospitality and friendliness. This was in stark contrast to the warnings we had received before entering the country. Bulgaria was a totally different place to our experiences 13 years previously. The two weeks there provided the opportunity to meet many people and again be on the receiving end of much generosity.
As we made our way through the city walls and down into the backpacker settlement of Sultanahmet, Istanbul, the strains of Crowded House blended in with the calls to prayer and the clink of a cold bottle of beer contrasted with scarf clad ladies scuttling along buying vegetables. The East of Turkey again showed wonderful hospitality but also large packs of marauding dogs. These caused many anxious moments but the Dog Dazer, an electronic device, saved us from any serious maulings. It was with great trepidation that we entered Iran and, for Christine, a whole new way of dressing. With preconceptions of fundamentalism and chador clad women in our minds we found instead a country struggling with its identity: desperate to become more developed with a loathing of America idealism but still coveting the American icons and materialism. However, the people were welcoming and friendly, the hotels clean and the food tasty and hygienic. The dual pricing system of all hotels and tourist attractions was wearying but did not detract from the stunning natural beauty of the country.
It was a great co-incidence to cross into Pakistan on the same day of the first cricket test between Pakistan and New Zealand. There was more ribbing about the test results than any concerns about border formalities. The ride across the Great Sandy Desert of Baluchistan was stunning, isolated and contrary to what most guide books say about the area – safe. With the right frame of mind and appropriate dress code Pakistan is a truly enthralling destination. A detour up the Karakoram Highway to the market town of Kashgar, China turned out to be more complicated than we expected. The events of the 11/09 closed the borders back to Pakistan and we set off across Western Tibet towards the Nepalese border. Crossing passes of over 4,500 metres with temperatures often below freezing, it was the most challenging cycling we had ever done. Nepal however welcomed us with friendly faces and calls of 'Namaste' rang in our ears and we braved the rickshaws and tuk tuks of Thamel to find our hotel. We are watching the events in India and Pakistan carefully before we head down onto the plains.
We are now using our journey to help raise money for a UK based cancer research organisation, the Gray Cancer Institute. For more details please see our website www.kiwisonbikes.net brought to you with the tireless efforts of Guildford based Mike Fisher.
Wow! The Beetle is truly humbled – this is so inspiring! If you would like to contact the Kiwis on Bikes, visit their web site: http://www.kiwisonbikes.net
Monkeys at Agra Fort, India
An alert, bought to the attention of the Beetle by Frank, in the US, about a female traveller in India who was bitten by a monkey at Agra Fort. Frank saw a report in a Lonely Planet bulletin: the report says that the traveller was not carrying food, was not feeding the monkeys or trying to gain their attention, when she received a nasty bite on the leg, quite out of the blue.
She went on to say that the “friendly” monkeys, as described in various guide books are far from it: they have become aggressive and are prone to attacking visitors. She then had to spend large amounts of time (and money, and worry) ensuring that she received all of the immunisations against diseases that the monkeys can carry -these include rabies and a virus which can lead to encephalitis.
Travellers – you have been warned! Animals like this are still wild and should be treated with caution.
Historic Scotland: The Island of Iona
Iona, the tiny island off Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, is known as being the island where St. Columba and his 12 disciples landed from Ireland in AD 563 and spread the word of Christianity to Scotland and beyond. As such, it is an important centre for pilgrims who flock to Iona once a year. In fact, many Kings of Scotland, Norway and Ireland are buried on Iona.
It is unbelievably small and picturesque and runs 3 miles from north to south and 1½ miles from east to west. Whilst cars are not allowed on Iona, it is possible to visit by ferry from Mull. There are two hotels which can be contacted by internet: the Argyll Hotel reception@argyllhoteliona.co.uk and the St Columba Hotel columba@btconnect.com.
Iona is very green and peaceful; it has a wonderfully serene feel to the island, one of calm. There is an Abbey and a Nunnery that hold what is believed to be some of the most complete collection of Christian carved stones in Scotland, ranging in age from 600AD to the 1600s.
To see: there is St Columbus' restored monastery, shops, a post office, hotels, a golf course, an old marble quarry, gorgeous sandy beaches, walking paths and plenty of wild life to see.
Travel Quiz – East & Southern South Africa
The winner of last months' Fiji Quiz is Arthur Carmichael from the United States. We have another travel guide to give away this month, called Climbing in New Zealand by the repressible Alastair Lee who was a fantastic speaker at the January London Globetrotter meeting.
January 2002 '
Pirates foiled by international co-operation!
Forget the romantic notion of Captain Hook and Cap'n Kidd – piracy is alive and well in the modern world!
Just last week, coastguards in Falmouth, in the south west of England picked up an SOS call almost 4,000 miles away from the Princess Sarah, a Greek owned ship off the Horn of Africa. The British alerted the French army based in Djibouti and Somalia who had a warship in the area. The French ship, Floreal, sent a helicopter to assist the Princess Sarah and scared the pirates off.
Incredibly, this is the second time that the Princess Sarah has been helped by the same coastguards, only a month earlier whilst off the coast of Somalia.
Not to be Seen Dead In?
On a more positive note, contrary to popular belief, US citizens are allowed to visit Libya! This is good news as the Beetle is trying to persuade one to join her on a potential trip to Libya!
And on the flip side, just two days after the US government eased its warnings to US citizens not to travel to Pakistan, following the abduction of a US Wall Street journalist, the warnings are back in place.
Watching the Road in Iran
This wonderful snippet about travelling in Iran came from Kevin, near London (not Croydon!) Kevin tells us about the effect some of the girls he was travelling with had on a hapless Iranian driver.
After leaving the “Hotel Fleapit” in Neriz we were on the road to Bam, when we unfortunately broke down. While Percy, a mechanically gifted Canadian, set about fixing our truck the rest of us put the kettle on and watched the world go by. Some of the girls decided to mark out a hopscotch pitch on the roadside, and started to play, dressed from head to toe in their black chadours, which was quite an exhibition. As they played we sat transfixed as a Pykan (Iranian Renault 12) came round the corner, the driver clearly not used to seeing a bunch of girls hopping at the roadside, drove straight into the ditch.
Useless Facts: Perfume
Perfume comes from the Latin per fumus (through smoke). The smoke of incense, burning woods and spices were the most ancient scents.
Some useless facts courtesy of directcosmetics.com
When Cleopatra headed down the river to meet Mark Anthony, her ships we perfumed so that he could smell her coming.
At the court of Louis XV, etiquette decreed that a different perfume be worn every single day.
Rumour has it that en route to the guillotine, Marie Antoinette trailed drops of her favourite Houbigant perfume along the way.
Read any or have any useless facts you'd like the Beetle to publish? Then e-mail them to the Beetle
Bulgaria by Sandra from the United States
In May 2001 I spent 2 weeks travelling in Bulgaria. This is a very ancient and honourable culture that disappeared from the history books for longer than my own country has been in existence. There are wonderful ruins, great churches and interesting people.
My trip began in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria and a major city. I was able to stay with a Servas host that gave me a totally different perspective of the city. Sofia offered two highlights for me: the first was an evening at the opera. Tickets were 15 BGL (about $7 USD). The opera was Don Carlos with glorious singing and acting and a set too large for the stage. The second highlight was a day excursion to Rila Monastery. This is an ancient monastery, with monks still living there. I chose an English language day trip from Sophia with an English speaking guide and lunch. It cost ($65 USD) and I’m certain it could be done less expensive than that. But I chose to go with convenience. Behind Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which was under restoration while I was there, women come to sell their handwork. The quality was good and the prices were very reasonable. You can negotiate.
Bulgarians use the Cyrillic alphabet that was difficult for me. I carried the alphabet with me, but even then I had difficulty. Languages are not my forte, normally I was able to find English speakers and to make my needs and wants known. I found that many Bulgarians spoke both French and German so those languages would help.
From Sofia, I preceded to Plovdiv. Throughout the country I used local busses. They were inexpensive, had good equipment, and were normally on time. Bulgarian drivers are very aggressive. There is also a railroad system, but it was just easier to use the busses.
Plovdiv is another ancient city that has a Roman amphitheatre, which was fascinating to see. There my Servas host family took me to Bachkovo Monastery. It has not been restored like Rila and is darker and more mysterious. I liked it a lot. While I was there the Spring International Trade Fair was going on. I attended one morning. It was fascinating to see the various vendors from all over Europe and what they were offering.
From Plovdiv I continued to Veliko Turnovo – a medieval city in the mountains. I highly recommend this. It has a beautiful setting with interesting craft shops. While I was there the folk festival was going on near my hotel. I couldn’t understand a word of the songs, but the dancing was interesting, the costumes colourful and the people a joy to watch.
Then it was on to the Black Sea. This was probably my favourite part of the trip. I began in Varna – which has one of the most beautiful Cathedral churches, I have ever seen. Then I spent a night in Nessebar – a coast city and ended in Burgas, a large port. From there I took the bus to Istanbul, Turkey for another week.
One last note – wherever I went in the country I was able to find computer cafes. For the most part, the prices were good and the equipment was fast. I sent e-mails on a regular basis.
Thank you Sandra – this is so inspiring! You have given the Beetle an idea for a European holiday! If you would like to contact her, she can be reached on: smingua32@msn.com
Strange but True!
Both the Paris and Hong Kong metro systems regularly use air freshener. Apparently studies reveal that if the system smells good, customers feel more positive about the travelling experience. London Underground, with over 3 million passengers a day, has started to trial a fragrance called Madeleine to see if fragrance will make a positive difference. If customers like it, it will become a permanent item. Sound like the sweet smell of success?
Personal Traveler Offer
David Showalter, Personal Traveler’s President’s, has kindly offered E-Newsletter readers a great discount on his new travel course, “The Best European Vacation of Your Life.”. This course was writen, based upon David’s personal experience traveling through Eastern Europe. The finsihed product is an affordable, highly informative Audio CD course on how/why/when etc to travel through this wonderful, overlooked region.
The course shows you how to avoid Traditional Western European tourist traps where absolutely everything is too expensive, greatly limiting your ability to go places and participate in events. Most items and services cost 1/20th of their U.S. Prices, and we have found that we could afford to go anywhere, eat everything, and buy anything we wanted.
A 10% discount on all their courses are avalible to all E-Newsletter subscribers, just enter “GTC1” in the “merchant code for discount” box on their online order form.
To learn more visit europejam.com