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Travel With A Challenge

The World Health Organsation (WHO) says that affordable and effective treatment against malaria should be available by about 2006. More than one million people, mostly children under the age of five are killed each year by malarial parasites. The new treatment is based on the plant qinghaosu, or sweet wormwood, which Chinese doctors have recognized for centuries as having anti-malarial properties. Another component of the new treatment, pyronaridine, was also first developed in China and has been proven effective in treating malaria in the Hunan and Yunan provinces, according to WHO. The new medicine could be taken as a single tablet dose and appears to be well tolerated by most patients. there’s also a big problem with forging of these pills, as the plant only produces the drug when grown in parts of china.

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office has just issued a travel warning about the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

There has been no recent history of terrorism in Trinidad and Tobago, although an Islamic group, the Jamaat Al Muslimeen, attempted to overthrow the government by force in 1990.

We believe Trinidad and Tobago to be one of a number of countries where there may be an increased terrorist threat. British nationals should exercise vigilance, particularly in public such as hotels, restaurants and shopping malls.

Whether you’re looking for – independent travel, small-group expeditions, adventure sports, ideas or simply inspiration – from classic walks, treks and safaris to the thrill of adventure sports plus all the latest equipment will be at Manchester 1^st and 2^nd November at G-Mex and 16^th to 18^th January 2004 at Olympia. The Ticket Hotline is: 0870 060 019 or visit: Adventure Show

Where? A small island group in the South China Sea claimed in their entirety by China and Vietnam and in part by Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia – because of potential oil and gas reserves.

Recent reports state that Vietnam is considering its first-ever tours to the disputed Spratly Islands. China and the Philippines said that they welcomed efforts to explore and develop the Spratlys jointly.

An official in Vietnam’s central Khanh Hoa province, which incorporates the Spratlys as one of its districts, said there had been no tours to the remote islands so far. The official did not anticipate a rush for tickets. “They are too far away, it takes two days to travel so nobody wants to travel there,” she said.

Malaysian Airlines are currently embroiled in a row over saying “customers prefer to be served by young, demure and pretty stewardesses, especially Asian ladies”, and has placed age limits on its female cabin crews. The flight attendants union has launched a campaign against an MAS policy which grounds female cabin crew aged over 40. Those holding supervisory jobs are allowed to continue until 45. Imagine if this ruling applied to other airlines – no names mentioned.

British Airways are to resume direct flights between London Heathrow and Islamabad after halting services two years ago after the terrorist attacks of September 11 in the United States.

Singapore Airlines has confirmed that it is now carrying air marshals on some of its flights as part of increased security measures. They will also have surveillance cameras in place which will allow cockpit crews to check what is going on in the aircraft’s cabin.

JetBlue, the New York-based low fare airline, is to start service from Boston Logan Airport early next year. The service includes flights from Boston to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa and Denver by January 16 2004. They will be offering leather seats complete with free television, free on-board snacks and more leg room than its competitors.

Air France has announced that it intends to sign a final merger deal with Dutch airline KLM on Thursday in Amsterdam, creating Europe’s largest airline. The deal, which is scheduled to be completed in April 2004, would create a European leader and the world’s third-largest airline behind American Airlines and Delta.

UK airport update: As at 16th October, nationals of Angola, Bangladesh, Cameroon, India, Lebanon and Pakistan will need visas to travel through the UK. Previously, people from these countries have required visas to visit the UK, but have been able pass through the UK on their way to a third country without one.

US firm Far & Wide (www.farandwide.com), a holding company for 21 well-known tour operators, went bankrupt and shut down several of its subsidiaries. They blame their closure on the TwinTowers, then two wars, the SARS crisis, and a national economy that has been throwing more and more people out of work.

A recent World Values Survey on the levels of happiness in more than 65 countries shows Nigeria has the highest percentage of happy people followed by Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador and Puerto Rico.

Russia, Armenia and Romania have the fewest. “New Zealand ranked 15 for overall satisfaction, the U.S. 16th, Australia 20th and Britain 24th — though Australia beats the other three for day-to-day happiness,” said New Scientist magazine, which published the results.

New Scientist says that factors that make people happy vary: personal success, self-expression, pride, and a high sense of self-esteem are important in the United States. In Japan, on the other hand, happiness comes from fulfilling the expectations of your family, meeting your social responsibilities, self-discipline, cooperation and friendliness.

Any Globetrotters reading this e-newsletter is entitled to a 20% discount staying at the Jaipur Inn, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. To claim your discount, contact: jaipurin@sancharnet.in

Need to convert currency?

Take a look at The Globetrotters Currency Converter — get the exchange rates for 164 currencies The Globetrotters Currency Cheat Sheet — create and print a currency converter table for your next trip.

TrekAmerica has offered Globetrotters readers of this e-newsletter a 10% Discount on all of their tours.

TrekAmerica offers a range of over 60 adventure camping, lodging and walking tours in small groups (13 passengers maximum) in Canada, the USA (incl. Alaska) and Mexico.

In 2004 we will also be offering family tours and various specialty tours (e.g.- biking and birdwatching tours).

To claim your discount, you need to book direct and mention membership of the Globetrotters Club. For more information, see www.trekamerica.co.uk or call 0870 444 8735.

Here’s a little Beetle quiz based on capital cities. See how many you get right! Go on, have a guess!

What is the capital city of the following countries:

1. Austria

2. Ethiopia

3. Mauritius

4. Swaziland

5. Vanuatu

For the answers, see at the end of the e-newsletter.

The BBC recently showed a programme outlining the results of a viewer’s poll stating the top 50 things they thought everyone should do in their life.

The top 5 things were as follows:

1. Swim with dolphins
2. Dive the Great Barrier Reef or Coral Reefs
3. Fly on Concorde
4. Whale watching
5. Dive with sharks

What would your top 5 things be? Write in and tell the Beetle.

If you have a travellers tale that your aching to tell. Then why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites” section of the Website and share it with the world. Travel Sized Bites