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.
Sent in by Francesca: ever fancied climbing Everest? Now there is a company that trains and supports amateurs. Check out about climbing Everest:
http://www. everest2006. co. uk/
Visitors to Asia and the Pacific should look out for the new SkyTeam Asia Pass that gives access to 61 cities in 21 countries through three major gateways: Guam, Seoul and Tokyo, on flights with Air France, Continental Airlines, KLM, Korean Air or Northwest Airlines. You need to buy 3 coupons, or a maximum of 8, in conjunction with an intercontinental round-trip ticket to the region on any SkyTeam of the 9 SkyTeam member airlines, at www. skyteam. com. Someone arriving from Europe, America or Africa could choose to visit Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei, Bangkok and Saigon for $2,310 (8 coupons), saving at least $4,000 on regular air fares.
Saturday December 3 saw the Globetrotters Club celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding, shortly after the end of the Second World War. In order to mark the occasion a party was held after the monthly London meeting at the Church of Scotland venue in Covent Garden.
During the interval, as well as the usual mutual aid session, club President and media personality Janet Street-Porter said a few words before blowing out the candles on a brightly coloured birthday cake. Janet, a keen walker herself, had clearly enjoyed Terry Richardson’s talk on the St. Paul Trail (see December meeting news), and is always keen to get off the well beaten track. She also made it clear that she was proud to be President of the club, and congratulated it heartily on reaching 60 years.
During the course of the talks, members and guests were given the opportunity to complete a 60 question travel quiz compiled by Gavin Fernandes, the highest scorers receiving prizes for their efforts. Overall the level of knowledge was very impressive, with the top score, a staggering 57 out of 60.
A quick makeover then took place as the Church Hall was converted from lecture theatre to party venue and the wonderful culinary creations of Jacqui Trotter were laid out on the trestle tables. Globies were just about able to contain themselves until this process was complete, though seconds later the tables were all but stripped bare as plates were rapidly filled, over-filled and refilled! Thankfully, however, Jacqui had judged things perfectly and there was plenty to go around.
As well as food, a number of people had brought along wine (with the blessing of the Church!) and the party soon became a little livelier, with committee member Jeanie Copland cutting a fine rug to the music that had by now replaced the slide show.
Congratulations once again then to the Globetrotters Club and all its members.
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A sparrow shot dead after flying into the middle of a Dutch world record attempt, knocking over 23,000 dominoes with a little flap of its wing is to be given pride of place at Rotterdam’s Natural History Museum. The bird, whose killing last month in the northern Dutch city of Leeuwarden enraged animal rights activists, will be placed on top of a box of dominoes at an exhibition. The sparrow was shot with an air rifle during a televised world record dominoes attempt. Thousands of messages of condolence were sent after its death to the website dodemus – set up to record the storm of protest from people across the Netherlands. The sparrow’s exterminator was fined €170 (£115) on Friday for shooting a protected species. The common house sparrow was added to the Dutch list of endangered species last year. Participants in the record attempt went on to knock down about 4 million dominoes to claim a new record, yet to be verified by Guinness World Records.
The sparrow will be on display at the museum this year with another dead bird, famous for different reasons – a male duck, obtained posthumously, said to be the victim of the first scientifically documented case of “homosexual mallard necrophilia”.
A belated entry to the e-newsletter; this was passed to me by Padmassana whilst the Beetle was working away in SE Asia.
Padmassana heard on the radio that a Thomsonfly a stewardess said she needed “eight fat people” to sit nearer the front because the captain of a half-full London-bound Thomsonfly flight was unhappy about the weight distribution and therefore the handling of his plane. Passenger Peter Harrison, who weighs 24-stone, said the request for people to move was made as the plane taxied to take off from Tenerife to Gatwick last Saturday. Mr Harrison added: The stewardess said there were too many passengers on the back of the plane and she needed eight fat people sat in rows 31 to 42 to sit near the front. Mr Harrison, a postman, was not in those rows but felt awkward. He said: “In the end eight people got up and shuffled forward before we took off.
When based in Asmara , Eritrea and off-duty , I was determined to research as much of the history of the country. One of the fascinating facets is readily available on the Internet – just search for “steam-trains. ” But finding the restored trains proved more difficult.
I was extremely fortunate to discover the whereabouts of the old Asmara Railway Station being tucked away off the main eastern entrance road that itself meanders up the fearsome passes that connects to the coastal port of Massawa. No locals were able to direct me, especially given the language barrier. I spoke a few words of Tigrinia and most spoke little if any English.
The little station looks exactly like any old movie, as do the little narrow-gauge rolling stock. There are several steam-engines reposing in a shed. They were built in the Italian city of Breda and some date back to 1937. On my first visit there, I learned that a group of German tourists were due to visit there on the next Saturday. I was luckily off-duty that day, so naturally made my way to the station.
The Germans, an all male group were enthralled and clicked away with every description of cameras and also whirring away with a multitude of video cameras. Fortunately they made no objection to my discreet presence as I too clicked away.
The steam engine puffed up to the carriages with much tooting and then left the station down the mountain passes. At every stone bridge and tunnel, the engine driver obligingly reversed back and forth so that many photos could be taken. At some old halts en route, the tourists were able to disembark in order to take photos at ground level. A fruitful day for them indeed.
Due to the Ethiopian/ Eritrean wars, the railway system got into a serious state of disrepair. Rails and sleepers were used elsewhere for road bridges, buildings or fortifications.
Since the last war ended in 2000, the Eritrean Railway Company got restarted with State assistance. Many aged artisans came out of retirement to show the younger generation exactly how to restore, rebuild and maintain the steam engines and rolling stock.
Many parts of the rail-bed had to be repaired using bulldozers, front-end loaders, graders and labourers, before rejuvenated rails and sleepers could be re-laid.
The Eritrean railway system had originally been built by the Italians during the ’20’s when they occupied Abyssinia (later renamed Ethiopia) and the meticulous stone bridges and tunnels are a lasting tribute to their artisans. Mines had also to be cleared from many places like bridges, tunnels and roadbeds.
It was envisaged that steam-train enthusiasts from all over the world would flock to Eritrea to view the unique narrow-gauge system. This of course depends on the fragile peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which lately has seen much rhetoric and sabre rattling between the two sides. The UN-presence has been instrumental since 2000 to preserve the peace.
Travelling into Eritrea has for years been extremely difficult. They have had many years of wars with their neighbour and former ruler Ethiopia, so thus have become extremely careful of any new arrivals.
As far as is known, genuine tourists that have booked Red Sea dives will obtain visas. In our flying staff’s case, getting a visa was “easy ” provided one followed the UN procedure. This required :
1. Obtaining a fax/e-mail copy of the arriving crew-member’s passport ;
2. Writing a letter to the UN in Asmara [capital of Eritrea] to which one then attached the copy of the incoming crew-member’s passport;
3. I used to visit the Head of the Travel Dept , who in turn dictated another letter addressed to the relevant Colonel of the Eritrean Army;
4. When this letter was typed and signed, one was ready for the next steps;
5. Make 3 photo-copies in advance of everything, as the army & immigration dept photocopy machines were not serviceable.
6. It was found expedient to phone ahead to the Colonel’s office for an appointment but one often found him out, away or busy.
7. When finally seated face-to-face with a very pleasant Colonel, getting the approval letter was usually done quickly, especially as I used to take along a bottle of South African liqueur or a old novel
8. The final step was to the Immigration Department where there invariably a long queue. Of course they too had an application form requiring to be filled in, so I learned to pre-enter it having made photocopies of that as well, beforehand. Visa periods could go to 6 months, but usually they were valid for 30 days.
If one was lucky enough to get to the counter that day, then the wad of letters and visa application form were handed in and a suitable fee was to be paid in US $ notes-[about $150 was the usual. ] More queues – one at the cashier’s office and another queue back at the Immigration’s Visa counter, to hand over the receipt. It also was not a good idea to have to visit the toilet whilst in the queue.
Now came the wait for the Visa to be issued. If the issuing person was in his office, then the Visa would be typed & signed within a few hours, but often it was best to return the next day. More queuing for your turn to find out if the latest wad of visas, brought down from a upstairs office, contained the one you handed in.
On the next day, after patiently waiting in a long queue, one invariably found a semi-literate clerk who could hardly understand English or even Italian, who could not find any of one’s documents. Knowing a few words of the local language, Tigrinya certainly helps. Thus back to one’s own office to start again. The answer was to present him/her with a spare set of photo-copied letters with passport copy and application form, so that they could compare the person’s picture, name and locate the Visa and hand it over.
Once in possession of the Incoming Crew’s Visa, it was best to scan it, e-mail it to them so as to present it on arrival at Asmara Airport. It was possible for the Immigration department to have the visa on hand on arrival but that took a lengthy wait in yet another queue there.
It was not possible to apply for a Visa at the airport of arrival. Anyone arriving without a visa was summarily deported; being put back onto the aircraft that brought you there was the usual procedure. Thus there were of course additional flight and accommodation costs. This happened once to an incoming crew-member required urgently. Nobody realized in time that the Eritrean Army & Immigration Offices would be closed for public holidays on a Tuesday and the next day as well. So although armed with all application forms, UN and Army letters, and presented to Immigration Officials at the Asmara Airport by me beforehand, that incoming crew-member found himself deported! When flying from Nairobi to Eritrea on Eritrean Airlines Boeing 767, they positioned an officious clerk at the aircraft door to expressly check every passenger to make sure they held valid visas.
Yet another method of visa acquisition was possible; by applying at the Eritrean Embassy. In our case this was in Pretoria but it took a week and cost plenty more than when obtained in Eritrea.
So good luck!
Theo Truter has been a light aircraft pilot all his life, flying all over Africa for the past 5 years doing UN-Contracts and other Contract flying – and before that a mixture of executive flights, safari flights, air charters, flying training and Consulting. That’s how he came to be in Eritrea, from whence his article’s research was made.
Using his camera he’s indulged in a bit of photo-journalism whenever possible & now has also added to his duties being the Editor for a worldwide weekly newsletter called South Africans Worldwide at www. saw. co. za
Speak Chinese and travelling to Africa? You may get a chance to try it out. Zimbabwe’s government hopes to see Mandarin Chinese taught in universities as the school year starts in February. This is part of mad crazed dictator Robert Mugabe’s “Look East” policy of building closer economic links with China amid worsening relations with the West.
If you were thinking of going to work in Saudi, be aware of a “Saudi-isation” program that is edging foreign workers out of the country in favour of local people.
According to press reports late last year, the Saudi Labour Ministry has banned the renewal of work licenses of expatriate workers who reached 60 years of age and also banned the recruitment of foreigners aged over 60 years.
Webmaster Paul notes that Ryanair now have air sickness bags and you don’t need to ask for them! The catch they look like a film mailer which is what they are as they are “dual purpose” so don’t get them confused if you stick some film in one. 
The Belgian judiciary has accused Ryanair of forgery and fiscal fraud. Federal police in Charleroi have summoned two directors of the company, Michael Cawley and Bernard Berger, to answer questions about the allegations at the start of December. Ryanair is alleged to have used Wallonian government support to issue passengers with ‘free tickets’ in a promotional offer. The Wallonian region financed half of the ‘free’ ticket prices via the publicity firm Promocy, Francophone newspapers ‘La Meuse’ and ‘La Nouvelle Gazette’ reported on Wednesday. According to Wallonian Economy Minister Serge Kubla, the regional government’s contribution was half of the funding used to pay for advertising to promote the Charleroi Airport’s development.
Ryanair’s Chief Executive Michael O’Leary’s latest pronouncement is that he believes revenue from in-flight gaming and gambling could eventually replace the need to charge air fares. “Ultimately entertainment will be where the money is,” he told reporters, while answering questions about his plans to introduce gaming and gambling onboard, probably in 2007. “It would transform ancillary revenues and profits,” he said. “We’ll probably announce a gambling partner (company) in the next 2-3 months.” Ryanair gave away about a quarter of its seats last year and that figure could rise to between 50 and 100 percent depending on how ancillary revenues grow, O’Leary said
Discover the world in a day at Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show, the essential event for travel inspiration.
Get tips from the travel experts while experiencing Destinations Sensations, demonstrations of global culture, culinary delights and live entertainment on the World Entertainment Stage.
Meet the Expert Theatres feature inspirational talks to fuel your imagination, experts include John Simpson – BBC World Affairs Editor (London Show), Jake Meyer, the youngest Briton to climb Everest and Nick Middleton, presenter and writer of ‘Extremes Along the Silk Road’. Plus, participate in interactive sessions on topics from Travel Writing and Photography to Argentina: Beyond Buenos Aires.
eNewsletter readers can buy tickets under a 2for1 ticket deal, just quote “Globetrotters email“when applying for tickets. Full Members of the Globetrotters Club are entitled to an improved offer, see your latest copy of Globe for details.�
Tickets cost: �8 in advance /�10 on the door and are available from the Destinations Hotline on 08701 200 332 or log onto www.DestinationsShow.com (Calls charged at national rate. Booking fee applies.)
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise all travel to the island of Ambae, where the Mount Manaro volcano is threatening a major eruption. The Government of Vanuatu has begun evacuating people from the centre of Ambae, and is considering a wider evacuation of the entire island.
We advise caution when considering travel to the islands of Tanna and Ambrym, which are also currently affected by volcanic activity (see Natural Disasters Section). The Government of Vanuatu issued a warning, advising people not to go near the crater of the Mount Yasur volcano on the island of Tanna.
Vanuatu is in an earthquake zone and suffers frequent tremors and shocks. Three earthquakes measuring between 6.2mw and 5.6mw hit Vanuatu on 25 and 26 September 2005. No serious injuries or damage were reported.
The British High Commission in Port Vila closed to the public on 21 October 2005. There is no longer any British consular representation in Port Vila. Routine consular services for British nationals will be provided by the New Zealand High Commission in Port Vila. The British High Commission in Fiji will be responsible for non-routine consular matters. Please see Travel Advice: Fiji for contact details.
Violent crime is increasing and you should avoid visiting isolated locations alone.
The threat from terrorism is low. But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.
The Chiang Mai Night Safari Park, part of a huge project aimed at turning the area into “Chiang Mai World”, has received a boost with Kenya agreeing to provide Thailand with 135 African wild animals. Thailand in turn has pledged to provide financial assistance worth 20 million baht to Kenya so it can set up an elephant fund to help Kenya tackle the problem of rogue elephants. Wildlife activists have expressed concern over the welfare of the wild animals. Several major NGOs have expressed strong opposition to the use of wildlife for entertainment. They also questioned the deal’s transparency. One key concern is opposition to the export and exchange of wildlife, particularly species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species list, such as white rhinos, lions and Sita tigers.
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!!
The head of civil rights for the US Department of Homeland Security is urging Muslim air travellers to register with the federal government before flying to reduce the chances they might be stopped at an airport because their name is on or similar to names on an anti-terrorism watch list. Registering by completing a two-page “Passenger Identity Verification Form” which can be done on-line.�
The Homeland Security department shares the information with airlines, who compare it against security lists that might otherwise red-flag a passenger. The aim is to distinguish a traveller from people whose names – or close variations thereof – appear on US no-fly lists compiled by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. The department says they want to improve their relations with Muslims and Arab-Americans.�
The two-page “Passenger Identity Verification Form” asks for personal information including name, address, birth date, height, weight, eye and hair colour, and requires copies of three of the following documents: passport, visa, birth certificate, naturalisation certificate, voter registration card, government identity card or military identity card.
UK based Neil wrote in to the Beetle warning travellers about Garuda. This is what he says:
Garuda have a reputation for being unreliable. On a recent trip to Indonesia and East Timor I had first hand experience of this. At check-in at Heathrow I found I was not on either the flight to KL or the onward flight to Bali. All my tickets were confirmed. The supervisor said this was common, and promptly found me a seat on both (Malaysian were the carrier in association with Garuda and Virgin).
In Bali, three days before I was due to fly, I found that I was not on the flights (flying with Merpati Nusantara) to and from East Timor. These had been booked through Garuda (by Trailfinders) in London. After phoning Trailfinders from Bali, the flights were re-booked, but had to be paid for again in Bali, a considerable inconvenience.
The moral of the story is never assume that that you have confirmed seats on flights booked with, or through, Garuda. Reconfirm at least three days before departure.
Travel Facts
Source: www.nationmaster.com
The FBI recently released crime figures in the USA. Murders across the United States fell for the first time in five years, while rapes increased slightly last year. Overall, the number of violent crimes, which also include aggravated assaults and robberies, fell by 1.2 percent last year. Property crimes such as burglaries, larceny/theft and car theft dropped 1.1 percent in 2004, compared to 2003. There were 16,137 murders in the United States in 2004, the last full year for which statistics are available. That was about 350 fewer than in 2003, according to the FBI data. The decrease is the first since 1999, although smaller than what the FBI reported in June. Chicago was largely responsible for the drop, recording 150 fewer murders in 2004 than in 2003.
Government data shows that the crime rate is at a 30-year low. Despite the historical trend, the FBI included a “crime clock” in its report that shows a violent crime is committed every 23.1 seconds. A murder occurs roughly every half-hour, according to the clock.
Spotted by Webmaster Paul, here’s a satellite photo from Google of Hampton Court
Sir Richard Branson’s Australian budget carrier Virgin Blue was found guilty of discriminating against older women who applied to become air hostesses. Eight women aged between 36 and 56 took their case against the budget carrier Virgin Blue to a tribunal, after being put through job interviews that required them to sing and dance. Despite all being experienced former flight attendants with the failed Australian airline Ansett, none made it past the first round. One woman was told she lacked “Virgin flair”. “They were after a certain look that appeals to Richard Branson,” Theresa Stewart, 52, who had been a flight attendant for 27 years, told a hearing. “The assessment was designed to view a large number of people in a very short space of time to see how they look. If you had two beautiful, blonde girls, 25 and gorgeous, then they went to them like homing pigeons.” Virgin Blue admitted that it had not hired any cabin crew over the age of 36 in a two-year recruitment drive because mostly young women had applied. The women won their case, with one being awarded �2,000 for hurt and humiliation.