In advance of TonyÂ’s trip to the interior of Brazil later this year, I have dug up the account of his previous adventure, with Mm Mitterand and the Ashaninka. Globetrotters Club members recall Tony presenting an abridged version, but for those who wish to know moreÂ…

The Ant

The small plane lifted of the tarmac, climbed into the sky, banked away from Rio Branco by the border of Brazil and Peru; and at last we were up, up and away on the last part of our journey to visit the Ashaninka near the small town of Marechal Thaumaturgo.

I saw our future and the future was green, not just the sea of green we were flying low over with the occasional break in that verdant mass below, revealing a river with its golden banks meandering through the luxuriant forest. It has been sometime since I had been with a group of VIPs but now instead of doing a sword dance with a Saudi Prince I was in a small twin engined plane flying over the rich green rainforest of the State of Acre in Brazil accompanying Mm Danielle Mitterrand, the widow of a past French President, The Ministra do Meio Ambiente from Brasilia, the Governor of Acre and the usual body guard, TV cameraman etc. which follow VIPs. Last, but not least of all was Joao Fortes the leader of our small group and passionate helper of the Indians for more than twenty years, Cristina MendonÃĤa (expert on carbon credits), Maria Alice, whose expertise was to help the Indians make the right craft goods that would sell in the outside world.

Why was I there? I had been invited by Joao Fortes to write and take pictures of the Ashaninka as I and Adam Baines had twelve years ago about the Yawanawa people. This time instead of going up the river Juria, I was going to take the right fork up the river Amônia towards the border of Peru. Before that though I was to accompany the French delegation and record Mm Mitterrand’s meeting and signing of an agreement between France and the Ashaninka and the State of Acre.

The village greeted the very pleasant widow representing France and it seems in no time at all we were all exchanging views and the Indians were explaining how they had made their people live a sustainable way of life in the rain forest and now wanted to show the rest of the State of Acre how this could be done. This charming lady was told how they had no cattle on their land but planted thousands of trees each year and bees that did not sting but produced a honey, so good, that the gods would come down from the heavens to taste it. They had many different fruits, many types of potatoes, also a great knowledge of over two thousand medicines that the forest provided. They also wanted to publicise the fact that people were invading from Peru, with ‘PistoleirosÂ’, with large machines, that ripped out the trees and then pulled them back to Peru and then said they had been grown under licence there. Also the chemicals that these invaders were using have started to change the taste of the fish in the Rio Amônia. The Ashaninka have started to petition other nations as well as their own government to do something about this problem. The Brazilians have now put in satellite phones in the border villages, so that State forces can be called up to help in case of invasion by these foreign companies.

After Mm Mitterrand had collected some honey, planted a tree, taken a short trip up river, with body guards, TV Cameraman and the rest of the entourage – She was whisked off to Rio Branco to sign documents with all the group, leaving Cristina of carbon credits and myself back at the Ashaninka College.

Benki was a charming remarkable man and from the age of thirteen he had taught himself all about the forest, its over two thousand medicines and how to make the tribe self sufficient and was now the recognisable face of the tribe on TV or in the political circles of Brasilia. His paintings are shown in Rio de Janeiro, his music sells on CD and women fall at his feet – Intelligent, charismatic, good looking and IÂ’m glad to say he is a good friend of mine – I will say, that I would surely like some of his magic to rub off on me! Benki playfully said to me “Tony my friend, you are lucky you were not born in my village – Nobody wears glasses because no one in the tribe is short sighted. No woman would marry me because I would not be able to hunt fish and look after a family”. Survival of the fittest and I certainly wasnÂ’t the fittest either in the rain forests or in cities with their high forests of concrete reaching for the sky. The Ashaninka are very fit, healthy and the only person who wore glasses was one lady in her seventies. The Uruku, the paint on their faces, gives them a very good skin complexion and also acts as a mosquito repellent. Aveda, the makeup company, use it in their lipsticks etc. And buy it from the ‘Yawanawa TribeÂ’.

Cristina and I spent an interesting night at BenkiÂ’s house on the other side of river in Marechal T, built to show the locals that a house can make its small section self sustainable and it certainly was – He reared chickens, grew fruit and vegetables and needed very little to be bought in to his home. He played his guitar, sang and listened to Cristina explaining the ins and outs of Carbon Credits as she was leaving next day to go back to her consultancy in Rio de Janeiro. Sunday, Benki and I hit the beach where the rest of the School and the residents of the small town pretended they lived on the coast and behaved as if they lived by the Atlantic instead of thousands of miles inland – We downed a few cold ones and planned the next part of the trip, basically turning right up the River Amônia and going up river for a few hours until we reached the Ashaninka village.

Picture by Tony Annis : Benki and friends at his home with the Ashaninkas

We reached the village and of course, right in the middle of it was a football pitch – The Ashaninkas are Indians but also Brazilian and all Brazilians love football. We had broken our journey to take some pictures of his family and watch a local tournament and unfortunately watch the tribe lose even though Benki came off the bench to play centre half and shore up the defence. Benki told me, “I am growing ‘The greenest little stadium in the world’ I have cleared the ground and started planting palms to cover the thousand spectators and then I will try to weave in flowers the names of famous European teams, such as Chelsea and Juventus and probably a French one as they are helping us now”.

Benki showed me round the village, the tree plantations, the pond where the turtles were reared, and the ladies making their craft beads, as well as one of them making their homemade beer for a village party. We were going further up river to a waterfall and camping for two or three days but as luck would have it we broke our propeller and one of BenkiÂ’s friends had to fix it by carving a propeller out of wood and all without the help of anything other than a knife and a stone used as a hammer. This coming July I hope to return and complete the journey to the waterfall with a few good friends of mine.

We headed down river back to the College of the Forest, via Cruzeiro du Sul (For Benki to pick up his e-mails). Finally, Rio de Janeiro for Benki and other Brazilian personalities to plant trees live on TV and for Benki do a brilliant live two minute piece to camera and as one of the Politicians said, “If I could only speak as well as that and to time, I would be Governor in the State of Rio by now, instead of being a local Deputy”. All this on my last day and before long the big plane lifted of the tarmac, climbed into the sky, banked away from Rio de Janeiro by the border of Brazil and once again I was up, up and away.

Despite its reputation for road accidents and poor preparation for this year’s Olympics, China does offer this century’s traveller one ray of hope: long-distance bus rides, at least in the coastal provinces, are much more safe and comfortable than they used to be. In many respects, China is the supreme example of plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose, but it has improved its transportation infrastructure a great deal. While in the country last August, I had the pleasant surprise of making a day trip by bus from Jinan, capital of Shandong Province, to the city of Zibo, where a former student of mine resides. Since I had lived in Jinan as an English professor ten years earlier, I approached the long-distance bus terminal with trepidation, remembering all those near-death experiences of days gone by. Instead of the gimcrack building with people fighting for tickets dispensed by a crabby old woman, a vehicle without seatbelts that needed replacement parts all over it and a sadistically reckless driver, I found myself in a carbon copy of a western airport lounge, with everything computerized. Having purchased my ticket as easily as I would in a western country, I bought a junk food breakfast at a KFC outlet within the terminal, there being no decent sandwiches available (this was still the orient, after all). Shining, new buses were drawn up in orderly rows around the parking lot, with none of the dangerous reversing and swerving that I recalled from my professorial days. Nor were passengers obliged to risk their physiques by walking behind reversing buses or boarding them at a run as they sped toward the exit; rather, everyone sat on cushioned chairs indoors until boarding time. Inside, the buses were air conditioned and had safety belts, features of which I had despaired back in the 1990s.

The highway between Jinan and Zibo was another morale booster. Six lanes wide, it had newly planted trees in neat ranks lining it, beyond which well-organized farmland and some new factories were visible. The most notable aspect of this journey, however, was the driving: gone were the terrifying, white-knuckle accelerations into the oncoming traffic lane in an effort to pass some unsafely laden truck in front, with hell-for-leather swerving back into the proper lanes just before shattering, head-on collisions, all of which were routine then, and went on for kilometre after kilometre, hour after nerve-wracking hour. Nowadays, it’s just like “going Greyhound” in the USA. All along the route, I could observe signs of heavy economic development, since I wasn’t constantly worried about being hurled through the bus’s windshield, then through that of another bus going in the opposite direction. In fact, traffic going in opposite directions was separated by a centre divider, and there were no Indie 500-like attempts to pass vehicles in front during the whole trip! The drivers to Zibo and back seemed as sane and sober as was I.

Arriving at Zibo’s terminal, I found it to be a miniature version of Jinan’s, with everything clean and tidy, except the lavatory, a room which, everywhere in China, seems oblivious to the benefits of sanitation. The overall effect, though, was nothing like what I remembered, even from my 2001 trip there. Thus, I was able to link up with my ex-student, himself now a professor, and spend the afternoon catching up before returning to Jinan in the evening. Later, I took a trip from Jinan to Shanghai on a sleeper bus that, while not too comfortable, was nonetheless safer and faster than a particularly nasty and prolonged sleeper bus trip I took from Canton to Guilin in 1995.

As the Middle Kingdom slouches toward hosting the games later this year, it’s nice to know they have gotten one thing right.

The initial attraction to visiting Christchurch was its colonial buildings and beautiful gardens. With only one day to enjoy the city I wasnÂ’t sure how to fit it all in. I headed to Cathedral Square and came across a distinctive blue retro style bike outside the Information Centre. Ahh, a bike tour, those were the daysÂ…. but at my age? I havenÂ’t ridden a bike for 25 years, I couldnÂ’t could I? I phoned the booking line and explained my predicament. The friendly man on the other end of the line chuckled, heÂ’d heard it all before. He assured me I would be fine and stated that Christchurch city was very flat and the guide takes a very leisurely paced tour. So I signed myself up! On meeting the guide and six other people in Cathedral Square we were fitted with our bikes and helmets. The bikes were great, big comfortable seats, a basket at the front for my bag and best of all, a bell that I could ring!

We pedalled down Worcester Boulevard along a lovely cobbled street to the Arts Centre. In front of us stood several beautiful gothic style buildings that originally housed the University of Canterbury. It is now home to craft studios, cafes, art galleries and live theatre. There was also an open air market with stalls selling all sorts of arts and crafts. Next stop was the historic Antigua Boatsheds where we pedalled alongside the English style punt into the Botanic Gardens and then Hagley Park, the green heart of Christchurch. We biked on the cycle ways enjoying the open space and fresh air.

After heading out of the Park we arrived at the lovely homestead of Riccarton House and the historic Dean’s Cottage. We were told a tale or two here and saw a reconstruction of what life was like for the hardy pioneers. Our guide locked up the bikes and took us for a short walk through a precious piece of virgin New Zealand bush with rare Kahikatea trees. We even caught a glimpse of a native Fantail. Once back on our trusty bikes we headed to Mona Vale, a beautiful estate with sculptured gardens, a lovely homestead, as well as two gate houses. We stopped here for tea and scones on the veranda of the old homestead.

The final stretch took us along to New Regent Street, a colourful little pedestrian only street (except for cyclists of course!) filled with antique stores and cafes. This is where I had to bid farewell to my new cycle friends and reflect on the saying Â…itÂ’s just like riding a bike.

Hello all,

First up in this month’s eNewsletter is April Competition result. As I detailed last month, travel author David Stanley offered you a chance to win your own copy of the recently launched 8^th edition of Moon Fiji – . We asked you to email the most original & yet correct answer to the question What is yagona and when might it be used?

The winner, Paul Roberts, came up with “In Fiji- and other parts of Polynesia — the drinking of yaqona (pronounced Yangona) or kava, is a common ceremonial and social custom. The yaqona ceremony has great significance in Fijian life but is now used by westerners to get high!!!” Perhaps Paul knows too much about Fiji or is getting ready to plan a trip & find out, either way he should be able to tell us more about Fiji when he writes his review of David’s guide for a future eNewsletter !

There are also two requests for assistance this time round – one from Laura who would like some help with her degree dissertation and two from Andrew who is working hard to warn all about the varying problems that ticks can cause travellers and local communities alike.

Additionally the Globetrotters Club Legacy Officer tells me that the new deadline to send in your applications for the William Wood Travel Award is 31 October (club members only but we welcome newcomers all the time !!). This year the April award has been rolled over, so now the club could send two lucky winners out on an independent journey of a lifetime. See the legacy page on the club’s web site for more details!!

That’s all for now…enjoy the very welcome spring sunshine,

The Ant

theant@globetrotters.co.uk

Our first speaker was John Malathronas whose talk was called “Singapore, The old within the new”. John started by saying that most people know Singapore for one of 2 reasons, Changi airport and the City’s shopping opportunities. However there is plenty to see in this small island city state, where for the most part Malay, Chinese, Arab and Indian people live together with Hindu and Buddhist temples vying for space with mosques and churches. Below the impressive skyscraper skyline are the old warehouses of Boat Quay which have been turned into restaurants. There are many buildings dating from Singapore’s colonial era including Raffles Hotel, famous for the Singapore Sling, which has got the hotel into the Guinness book of records for its consumption of gin. John showed us Sentosa Island where the locals enjoy parks and fairgrounds connected to the mainland by a cable car. Instead of just being in transit through the airport, Singapore makes a great stopover on the way to Australia or New Zealand.

Our second speaker was Christopher Somerville whose talk “A golden step, a mountain trail through Crete” was the story of his 50th birthday present from his wife. She wanted him to take 3 months off and have an adventure. Chris decided to walk the 300 miles from east to west across the island of Crete by way of the E4 walking path. Finding the path markers however was a different matter, brown and red against a brown background made them hard to spot, especially as many then had large bullet holes from where the locals had used them for target practice! Over a 7 week period Chris managed to roughly follow the path, crossing 8000 foot mountains with help from local walkers and crossing coastal gorges. Along the way he saw a flock of dyed red sheep, made them easier for the shepherd to find, showing us a photo to prove that it wasn’t the local retsina colouring his judgment. He also showed us a giant man made of stones on a hillside, which was made by a German woman as her own personal reparation for Germany’s actions in Crete during WW2. Seven weeks of walking brought Chris to the Monastery of the Golden step on the west coast of Crete.

For details of the forth coming meetings of the London branch, April to July 2008 – http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon08it2.html.

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, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend. There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh in September. For more information, contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

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.

Ontario 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.

Gautam Chatterjea is a travel consultant, planner and organizer of exotic holidays. He can be reached at info@indiadreamtours.com

It’s been a passion that has repeatedly taken me to the Himalayas since my childhood and each time it was a discovery of the incredible that enchanted my senses. People who love the mountains know how mesmerizing the sylvan or the snowy folds are, when you traverse through them. Travellers who go for Himalayan destinations often make the gaffe of choosing the crowded hill stations for holidays. Indeed these developed destinations are good with general conveniences, but they certainly compromise on natural ambience that the unspoilt locales in the Himalayan offer in abundance. Here is where one discovers the true nature of this enchanting land in its people, culture, ecology and serenity. And the precious, friendly attitude of Himalayan people is always found reassuring for the traveller. Such sentiment hasn’t faded out among the people of rural Himalayas in most part of its 2500 kilometre stretch, although in some areas, despite their innate hospitable nature the hill people these days are a bit wary of bad elements, violence and extremism, entering their domain. This is how the innocent altruism of hill culture is run down by the antithesis in urban cultures.

I lived in Delhi, and Himalayan destinations were not too far away, which gave me the opportunity to escape to the hills as often as I could. Friends often asked me if I were not bored visiting the same environment over again. It was hard to explain to them that no place in the Himalayan grandeur was the same and each area was an independent canvas portraying the nuances of the spot. It was evident that those who questioned my sanity of repeatedly visiting the hills, in their personal visit didn’t open up enough to absorb the sights, sounds, feels and mood of the place, and realise its charisma. The great Himalayan wall with the highest peaks in the world is shared by five Indian states besides Nepal and Bhutan. Beyond the wall lies the Tibetan plateau. In this arc people and cultures present different shades of lifestyles, each one robustly fascinating in its nature, and amazing in appeal. The people from Ladakh in Kashmir, for example, would be so different in their way of life, their attire, their language, culture and religion from their counterparts in the Kashmir valley just a few hundred miles away. So are Himachal, Uttaranchal, Nepal, Sikkim Bhutan and Arunachal characterised distinctly by their culture and natural ambience and each region offers a new revelation.

Picture by Gautam Chatterjea : Kashmir meadows	Picture by Gautam Chatterjea : Shikara lake side

I have been visiting the Himalayas untiringly all my life and my quest for more never ends, simply because surprises of Himalayan glory never ceases. Unlike the heritage locations in cities and towns around the world, where, after a short visit you could feel ‘I have seen enough of it’, the Himalayas would always spring up relentless attractions to keep the visitor thirsting for more. Exotic is the word that truly describes the Himalayas.

To finish these musings…there is the story of a French woman Diane who fell in love with the charms of Himalayas and on her fourth holiday in the region, Sikkim this time around, she met a Bhutia youth whose politeness and way of life appeared so refreshingly different to her own. She was charmed by the man of Himalayas and romance blossomed soon enough. Knowing that the tradition and culture of the land allowed nuptial bonds only within the tribe, yet unable to accept the imminent parting on the conclusion of the tour, she enquired if he would accept her as his wife. He and his family gained the consensus of other villagers for their marriage and Diane became the Bhutia wife. And they lived happily in the glory of the White Mountains…

In a previous edition of the eNewsletter I asked if any of you had helpful tips, anecdotes or information on travelling to Antarctica…to help me investigate trip. Well Harold very promptly sent me this mine of information and I thought I’d share it with you all – maybe we can get something of a thread going here…

Thanks very much Harold,

The Ant

I haven’t been to Antarctica, but I hung around Ushuaia for a week with a friend in middle or late November of ’06. We had heard that you could get last minute cruises for as little as half price if you went straight to Ushuaia. It was true! We were offered a $6000 cruise (11-days) for $3000. There are many companies and many different cruises. We had researched it all on the net beforehand and knew just what we wanted. Most cruises there were deeply discounted, but seldom down to half price. We wanted to see South Georgia Island, especially the spot where Shackleton landed his small boat before crossing the mountains to the whaling station. That particular cruise was discounted only 25%, so we decided not to go. Some cruises never step foot on Antarctica, just look at it from a distance, maybe land on an outlying island or two. Do you want to see penguins? If so, what kind, what species? We wanted to see the King Penguins, which would have to be another season, not November. Great penguin (another species) viewing on a short, inexpensive day trip out of Punta Arenas, Chile, which used to be the richest city in the world per capita. If you go there, see the Shackleton Bar in the best hotel on the central plaza. And see the rich man’s house a block away, now a museum. Don’t sign up for a trip to Torres del Paines Nat. Park from Punta Arenas. Take a bus to Puerto Natales, find your own hotel (starting around $10) and book a trip to the park from there, so you get a longer day in the mountains. Or rent a car for the day in P.N., but car rentals in Chile are double the cost in Argentina. Usually they won’t let you take a car across the border. A great cruise along the fiord west of Puerto Natales costs $50 for the day, but a better price can likely be negotiated at the dock the day before. The day includes a lunch stop at a working sheep ranch. Bring your own lunch and save a bundle, then use your lunch time for pictures of the abundant bird life and the sheep dogs. You’ll see two glaciers that come off the Southern Ice Cap. One reaches the sea, and you can get within a half kilometre. Bring rain gear. Icebergs on the sea. Torres del Paine is truly spectacular, but your chances of seeing the Torres are only about 10-20%, due to constant fog and overcast. We lucked out.

Back to Ushuaia. I found a hostel for $10 a night. My friend opted for one at $60. Talking with the locals, the town is booming, with a 30% increase in tourists each year, so prices are going up fast, and the season keeps getting longer and longer. We thought we were early enough to beat most of the tourists, but before we left my hostel was full up and booked for the rest of the season. So do get a reservation. My place was the cheapest in the whole city (50,000), yet plenty adequate. Nothing lacking. I doubt anything in Ushuaia would be sub-par. The whole place is new. Almost nothing old or run-down. Place is cold and rainy most of the time. And windy, very windy. Take the ski lift to the top (about 2000′) and look for the pet “eagle” at the little cafe on top. He’s free to go, yet hangs around. Good pictures. Otherwise not much of interest in the area for me. It’s worth a day, no more, unless ya gotta stay, looking for deals to Antarctica.

I’m not a member [of Globetrotters], but was for several years in the 1960’s. Write if you got Q’s.

Harold Dunn

San Diego, California

A request from Laura that might appeal to our well travelled members – can you help?

I am a final year undergraduate student studying joint honours in Events Management and International Tourism Management at the University of Gloucestershire, UK, and I am currently focussing my dissertation on the niche area of voluntourism within the tourism industry. My dissertation researches voluntourism and the possible negative consequences it may have had on host communities since its increase in popularity in recent times. My study aims to provide recommendations to sending organisations on how they can ensure the continued welfare of host communities and environments, as well as educate their voluntourists adequately before departure. Since the proliferation of organisations sending tourists for their own financial gain, as well as tourists regularly going for their own personal pleasure (to satisfy their own emotional needs rather than the needs of the host community), I feel this is an important contemporary issue.

To ensure I receive an adequate response from a wide range of voluntourists, I am researching adequate sources to distribute the questionnaire and I wondered if your members [/readers] would complete the survey? I have made the questionnaire available online through a link that can also be emailed to participants directly. Please find further details here:

http://FreeOnlineSurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=ezuhyppzkz03hpf412979

If you are able to help in any way it would be greatly appreciated, and I would be more than willing to share my research and findings with you once the study is complete.

Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind Regards

Laura Oultram
University of Gloucestershire

A request from Andrew that might appeal to & help our well travelled members – can you help?

Climate change is exposing more outdoor enthusiasts heading for activity holidays in Europe to a potentially fatal tick disease than ever, warn leading scientists. Higher temperatures and more rainfall across central Europe are creating perfect conditions for ticks to thrive in countryside areas, according to the ISW, a group of experts investigating Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE).

“It is believed that the life cycle of ticks will increase in the next few years, and as a result the geographical distribution of ticks will expand and population density will rise,” said Professor Jochen Süss of the ISW. Tick Alert, a campaign to raise awareness of tick disease has launched ‘Tick Watch 2008’ – the first-ever public survey about ticks in the UK and abroad – and is asking ramblers, campers and outdoor pursuits lovers to take part (visit www.masta.com/tickalert and click on the link). The survey aims to find out if ticks are spreading and becoming more common, if people have had problems with ticks on holidays in the UK or Europe and whether ticks are being spotted outside the main spring/summer tick season. A spokesperson from Tick Alert said: “We hope that by encouraging people to ‘think ticks’ when they are out and about in the countryside that they will be more aware of the potential disease risks from tick bites and take adequate precautions to protect against them.”

The number of TBE cases requiring hospital treatment in Europe rose to 13,000 last year, a 30% increase on 2006. Every year in the UK up to 3,000 people suffer a tick infection and the Health Protection Agency reports that the number of laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales almost trebled to 768 in 2006. Scotland alone has seen a tenfold increase in numbers over the last decade with 177 cases reported in 2006.

Notes:

• The Foreign Office advises that visitors to TBE endemic regions seek advice from their local surgery or clinic – well before travelling.

• TBE endemic countries are: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

• Lyme disease areas of the UK are: Exmoor, the New Forest, the South Downs, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, Thetford Forest, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Moors and the Scottish Highlands.

• Ticks are found typically in rural and forest areas from late spring and throughout summer. At-risk groups include all visitors to rural areas of endemic countries, particularly those participating in outdoor activities such as trekking, hiking, climbing, cycling and camping.

Hello all,

This month I thought I’d start off with a couple of different items and introduce you to two people who are professional travellers & who might be able to get you think about places you have experienced, near and far:-

With the generosity of travel author David Stanley I can offer you a chance to win your own copy of the recently launched 8^th edition of Moon Fiji – . All we ask you do is email me, theant@globetrotters.co.uk the most original & yet correct answer to the question What is yagona and when might it be used? I’d then like the winner to write a review of Moon Fiji that I can include in a future edition of the eNewsletter.

Another promotion of a more local nature to Globetrotters! Artist Karen Neale and long term club member has her next exhibition in London organised…on 9^th, 10, 11^th of May she will be displaying a collection of her London landscapes across a number of formats – books, prints, paintings & cards. More details can be found on KarenÂ’s web site at http://www.karenneale.co.uk/. Feel free to pop along at anytime over that weekend and be supportive!!

As you’ll see below this month’s edition features some of regular contributors and snippets of information but I’ve included articles from two new writing teams… Carol & Martin Noval who talk about trekking in Ladhak and Myrna & Gene Ginder who write about sailing at Christmas 2007 around Southern Africa. So if youre unsure about submitting your article, take inspiration from the guys and send your writing through…I’m sure weÂ’ll all be surprised by the results.

That’s it for now…enjoy your eNewsletter and the lighter evenings of summer/daylight saving,

The Ant

Our first speaker was GlobetrottersÂ’ third travel legacy winner Helen Barnhill, who recounted her trip to Nepal and Tibet, which was featured in the last issue of the Globe. Helen’s journey took her to Kathmandu where she had to arrange her onward transport to Lhasa. Helen showed us the sights of Lhasa including the Potala Palace, Norbulingka and the Barkor. Mount Kailash had been Helen’s dream and the legacy allowed her to fulfil this too as she completed the Kailash Kora. She came back via Everest base camp to the border town of Zhangmu and back to Nepal.

Bronwen Riley was our second speaker, she showed us that despite the preconceived ideas many people have about Transylvania in Romania that the area has much to offer apart from Bran castle and Count Dracula. Bronwen showed us some of the lovely countryside, castle type churches where hams used to stored in the towers and which also included cells where warring couples would be locked up to settle their differences for a week at a time, they either lived happily ever after, or one had probably murdered the other! There used to be many people of German descent in this area, said to be where the children of Pied Piper of Hamelin fame ended up. After the Romanian revolution most of the German population left for Germany. Transylvania’s forests are also home to wolves and bears.

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, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend. There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

For details of the forth coming meetings of the London branch, April to July 2008 – http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon08it2.html.

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.

Ontario 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.

In advance of his return to the forests of Brazil, Tony recalls how the tribes of the rain forest fare in our more familiar 21^st century:-

The small airport of Cruzeiro du Sul was its usual self, that is- buzzing with excitement, queuing that seemed to last forever, desperation of passengers trying to book in their baggage on a plane that was either late, or taken off without them – in fact, it reminded me of Heathrow back home. Amid all the noise, bustle and confusion in this chaotic place, I suddenly heard my name and saw a parting of the crowd in front of me and there suddenly face to face with me was Biraci of the Yawanawa – the tribe I had visited twelve years ago and I had talked about in the GT Club & written articles about for the eNewsletter and the Globe.

So while Benki of the Ashaninka was trying to get us on a plane out of this place, I had time to speak to Biraci about the Yawanawa tribe. Biraci was with a lovely lady from the Ivory Coast, called Anouk who had fallen in love with Bahia then Brazil and finally the Indians, while driving her old Beetle all over this exotic land. She later told me, “I’m white skinned, with a black heart and French passport”, and, I thought, a perfect figure. Tearing my eyes off this delightful sight, I turned and hugged my old friend as he then thanked me for what his tribe had read on the eNewsletter!

Since my friend Adam Baines and I had spent time with them all those years ago, they had become one of the most successful tribes in Brazil and what the tribe needed now, said Benki, “Was a good cost clerk to save wastage of their monies”. One boy born in the Yawanawa village had a remarkable talent for maths and IT – this was spotted and he completed his education at an American university. Whilst he was there he was taken to the White House on a visit to show him where the power of the world resided and for them to meet this remarkable young man. The young person showing him around stopped by his office to check his mail and said, “One day you may become someone of note and if you do, you just ‘Google’ your name and information will come up all about you” The Indian youth leant forward and typed in ‘Yawanawa’, up came the web site, & he then opened the GT eNewsletter article about the ‘Yawanawa’. He said, “At first we read articles just about ourselves and then began to read articles about travellers and places outside our rainforest home. The computer has opened an eye to the rest of this world and by using SKYPE the tribe can talk to their sons and daughters who are beginning to scatter across the globe”. This young man has just made his first TV documentary and hopes to enter the Sundance Film Festival in the next few years.

Biraci told me that all enjoyed my previous articles & they looked forward to reading more but he was then called away to sort something out in the town centre. Nothing surprising there, always a reason you can’t get out of Cruzeiro. A new international airport is nearly built and maybe we will be able to fly out of Brazil but will it still be a problem to fly into Brazil? Anouk glided between the crowds at the check- in and moved with the feline grace of a jungle cat through the forest of people. The young man with eyes as big as saucers took half an hour to check her in, even though she had no luggage and just a small back pack. She really was a member of what people call, the white tribe, in Africa. She flicked her mane of long blonde hair and disappeared into departures. Benki just said, “Don’t you think if we want to catch this plane, we should move ourselves, we could well be on the same plane”! We were and there hangs another story!

“WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society are looking for adventurous volunteers to trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro this October whilst raising vital funds for our work. As we are a small charity with limited resources we tend to rely on the help of individuals, organisations, shops & businesses to help us to promote our activities and recruit supporters … in case any of your members [readers] would consider participating.”

Use this link to learn more and/or register – http://www.wdcs.org/connect/wildlife_centre/

Mandie Gray (Community & Events Officer)

“Do you hanker after foreign adventures and new experiences outside of four star hotel rooms? Do you want your children’s education to take in the best of what the world has to offer and not just the four walls of a classroom?

The production company behind award-winning shows such as The Choir, Brat Camp and That’ll Teach Em is looking for families for a new documentary. If you’re planning a travel adventure with your children, and are interested in having your trip recorded for posterity for a major terrestrial channel, we’d love to hear from you. You must be based in the UK.

Please email your name, a daytime phone number and a brief outline of your proposed trip to cathoskin@twentytwenty.tv ASAP to find out more.’

Twenty Twenty Television is an established independent production company that has won a number of awards for programmes such as The Choir, That’ll Teach Them, Brat Camp and LadsÂ’ Army. If you would like more information about Twenty Twenty and our award-winning programmes, please take a look at our website – www.twentytwenty.tv. Please donÂ’t hesitate to get in touch either at cathoskin@twentytwenty.tv or +44 20 7284 2020 if you have any questions for me or would like more information”

After a short train journey from Delhi and a relaxing night in Chandigarh we drove up into the Himalayas to the lushly forested Kullu Valley. Sitting beneath the Great Himalayan Range, the Kullu Valley is known as the “Valley of the Gods” and we watched processions of villagers shouldering gorgeously decorated palanquins transporting marigold-draped gods to village festivals, accompanied by musicians playing long brass horns and kettle drums. We spent three days acclimatizing in the valley, visiting ancient temples and rustic villages of houses of rough-hewn cedar logs with slate roofs. We hiked through forests of giant cedar, locally known as “Devdar,” tree of the gods, stretching our legs and lungs to get ready for the trekking to come. The charming former home of the Russian painter Nicholas Roerich is filled with his stunning watercolours of the Himalayas; it was a treat to see them in this wonderful spot overlooking the valley with its terraced rice fields.

Leaving the Kullu Valley, we drove across the Pir Panjal Range over the magnificent Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet) and entered Lahaul, a land of mountains, glaciers, mighty waterfalls and rushing streams, Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples and prosperous villages growing hops and potatoes. We spent the night in an excellent mountain lodge in the small village of Jispa and next day, now in the heart of the Himalayas, drove across the mighty Baralacha La Pass (16,278 feet). That afternoon we reached our first campsite at Pang (15,695 feet) and met our crew, horsemen and horses. We would be a self-sufficient group for the next fifteen days. Our horses carried all luggage and supplies; we carried only light daypacks with water bottles and light jackets. Our wonderful local crew set up camp and prepared delicious meals, including fresh veggies and fruit. We ate and lounged in a roomy round dining tent. Lunch and treats were distributed along the trail. A great touch was a daily wake-up hot beverage delivered to our Gortex tents with a cheery “good morning.”

We set off along the river valley of the Phirtse Phu into the high-altitude lake region of the Changthang Plateau in Eastern Ladakh. Beautiful pinnacle formations, called hoodoos, lined the valley. The next day we continued walking along the river and the following day crossed our first pass at 16,250 feet with the 23,000-foot high snow peaks of Tibet lining the horizon. Along the way we met maroon-robed Changpa nomad men and women on sturdy, beautifully decorated mountain ponies. We camped near the large, brown yak wool tents of the Changpas, yak tail standards protecting them from evil spirits, and visited with them, sharing cups of butter tea and tsampa, roasted barley flour. The Changpas were very friendly and happy to talk with us and our local crew. They live tough but satisfying lives in this rugged terrain grazing vast flocks of pashmina goats, sheep and herds of yak on the rich grasses of the region which miraculously survive throughout the harsh winter.

We passed beautiful stone “mani” walls along our way, each stone a sacred offering carved with the mantra “Om Mane Padme Hum,” “The Jewel is in the Lotus,” the mantra of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara, and arrived at Tso Moriri Lake, a huge remnant of the ancient Tethys Sea that existed before India collided with the Asian mainland pushing up the Himalayas. Surrounded by cream-colored mountains and lush meadows, the lake is a vast expanse of amazing blues. The colour of the lake changed throughout the day depending on the light; at times parts of it seemed to disappear as if “captured” by the reflections of the tan peaks behind it.

The area around the lake is home to kyang (the wild horse of the Changthang), wild goats, marmots, giant wild hares and a great variety of birds including bar-headed geese, brahminy ducks, gigantic “bearded” vultures, terns and the rare black necked crane. Groups of kyang cavorted on the shores of Tso Moriri Lake, and that evening, after the horses had had their fill of rich grass, our horsemen tethered them, knowing that the wild kyang might come in the night to lure their tame horses away.

Next day it was a beautiful walk along the lake. Some of us took a “refreshing” break, jumping into the clear, chill waters. At the northern edge of the lake we reached the village of Karzok, one of those frontier places that looked as if it is at the end of the world – which it is. The weathered Karzok gompa (monastery) looks over the lake, incongruous solar panels “gracing” its roof. In the Karzok village market traders sat behind great piles of pashmina wool and goods from China. Large colourfully decorated thermoses and warm fluffy blankets were bargained over by the villagers and nomads. A wonderful line of huge, ancient, weathered chortens to the side of the gompa overlooked the village. We visited Karzok Doksa, a vast meadow outside the village, where groups of nomads make camp for the summer.

Leaving Karzok, we ascended the Yalungnayu La, at 17,550 feet, the highest pass on the trek; we gazed back at the expanse of the lake and the snow peaks stretching to the horizon. At the top of the pass were piles of gigantic horns of Marco Polo sheep and innumerable strings of coloured prayer flags stamped with mantras emitting vibrations of peace and compassion to the world below as they flew in the winds.

Crossing a few lower passes, we reached Tso Kar Lake and village. Tso Kar is surrounded by deposits of pure white salt, and the wetlands around the lake harbour abundant bird life. Continuing through spectacular nomad country, we encountered huge herds of sheep, goats and yaks, saw innumerable marmots, camped in flower-filled meadows on the banks of crystal clear streams and passed many ancient stone watch towers before reaching our destination at Rumste. Here we met our SUVs for the three-hour drive to Leh (11,880 feet). The capital of Ladakh, Leh was a famed stop on the old caravan route between India and Tibet. We visited gompas, colourful bazaars and a Royal Palace said to be the inspiration for the Potala in Lhasa, and the world’s highest polo field. We explored the narrow alleyways of Muslim bakers and ate hot breads fresh from coal-fired tandoor ovens. We drove out of town on day trips to famed Alchi and Thiksey monasteries.

For more than a thousand years Tibetan Buddhist culture and religion have flourished in Ladakh. The remarkably well preserved thousand-year old Alchi temple complex stands amid a grove of ancient poplar trees. There are gorgeously painted statues – three stories high – of Bodhisattvas; the walls are covered with stunning paintings of divine figures and scenes of ancient life. The sprawling 16th-century Thiksey monastery covers an entire hill and contains a huge golden statue of Maitreya, the Buddha to come. The views from the monastery’s rooftop terrace over the Indus Valley were spectacular.

It was a short flight from Leh to Delhi over the moon-land landscape of Ladakh with grand views of snow-covered mountains and glaciers. In Delhi we toured New Delhi with its impressive buildings of the British Raj. We rode in cycle rickshaws in Old Delhi and wandered the narrow, winding lanes of its colorful bazaars, visiting temples and the great mosque built by Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal.

Carol and Martin Noval live in India and have been trekking in the Himalayas for many years. This summer they are leading another small-group trek into Changpa nomad country – 28 June to 23 July 2008. For more information email them at: tripsintoindia@usa.net and visit their website: www.tripsintoindia.com.

Hello all. This month’s eNewsletter is a little later than normal, as I’m just back from a couple of shortish trips – one to the USA and the other to the Republic of Ireland. It was good to away from my regular habits of working & socialising and remind myself why I enjoy travelling. Trouble is my enthusiasm is fired up again and I’ve now committed myself to another pair of longer adventures, one with Tony Annis to Brazil in July and potentially another to Antarctica. As I know nothing about the latter, any tips or ideas you can send me will be gratefully received and help out my planning !

Anyway on with the eNewsletter – this month we have another varied range of articles sent in from readers, with some of the authors again being first timers. Enjoy reading those… you’ll be inspired to try your own hand to describe a recent journey or to recall a destination or journey that you particulary enjoyed. Feel free to send them to me at theant@globetrotters.co.uk. I do have to apologise to a number of regular writers for not being able to fit their latest articles in… run out of space already for March… Tony, Carole, Mary and Benjamin I will focus on April’s edition for you.

Enjoy your eNewsletter and make the most of the Easter break…

The Ant

Kevin Brackley – Laos – A journey from Luang Nam Tha to Vietianne

The first speaker of February’s meeting was the Globetrotters membership secretary Kevin. Kevin talked about the pilot trip he did last year for the travel company ‘Gecko Travel’. Accompanied by just one other guest and the guide, Kevin described their adventures to some less travelled parts of Laos. Laos’ lack of infrastructure and the fact that it has no beaches means that it is less popular than its neighbours, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Consequently it is less touristy and has the advantage of being cheaper. On arrival Kevin instantly became a millionaire receiving more than 20,000 Laos Kip to his sterling pound ! The group’s entry point into Laos was via the Northern Thailand’s ‘golden triangle’. They flew to Chang Mai and continued to the border at Chiang Khong. Here they waited for visas to cross the Mekong River by boat to Huay Xai. Although Laos is poor, with notably tractor engine vehicles replacing the cars, tuk tuks and motorbikes of Thailand, many of the ideas are progressive. Kevin described their eco lodge accommodation ‘The Boat Landing’ in Luang Nam Tha, with his picture-postcard country cottages located in the peaceful old town.

From here the party trekked in the park, designated a protected area in 2005, to spot the tigers, leopards and elephants that live there. Kevin also described the fascinating chattering noises as the locals call to one another across the valleys. The main crop of the area is rice, which is stored in huts on stilts to prevent the rats getting to the food. Each village has one hut per family and one extra hut that everyone contributes to that is held in reserve in case one family is hit with difficulty. Kevin’s trip then took him south along the pot-holed road to Nong Khiaw. The local Hmong here earn an inventive living by charging vehicles to drive over the holes that they have filled in on the road! By contrast to the bumpy road it was the gentle Ou River that took the three travellers the 70 miles to Luang Prabang. Forty minutes north of Luang Prabang, where the Ou and Mekong Rivers meet are the Pak Ou caves. These caves are on two levels and are full of thousands of Buddha figures. From here Kevin travelled to Wat Xieng Thong where local saffron-robed monks invited him to the sunset half hour chanting. Here the trio left by plane to Vientianne. At the airport Kevin was amused to see the chalked-up departures board and even more amused when each passenger was weighed before departure along with their luggage !

Kevin’s Laos trip ended in Vientanne, the French inspired city that is home to Phat That Luang (Golden Lotus bud) – the national monument to Buddhism that dates from the 16^th century. The monument was destroyed in the 19^th century, by Thai invaders and rebuilt by the French.

Kevin’s final words to us were “go to Laos now and see the happy faces before anything changes”. He also negotiated a 5% discount on any Gecko holiday for fully paid up Globetrotters.

Jonathan Kaplan “Surgeon under Siege” Kuito in Angola’s central highlands

Our second speaker in February was Jonathan, who on many occasions has volunteered to travel to war-torn destinations, working without pay, in trauma medical wards. The trip Jonathan shared with us was in 2001 to Kuito in Angola’s central highlands. This part of the country had seen 27 years of war. Its once elegant Portuguese buildings (the Portuguese left in 1946) shot to pieces and many now just piles of rubble. Kuito and the surrounding area at that time survived on food aid bought in on eight planes a day. Even with this support most of the population were undernourished which Jonathan explains makes healing much slower. And yet Jonathan explains that his work in places such as Kuito has only increased his humility and respect for others who provide vaccination programmes or water sanitisation. The war, that started in 1975, was fuelled by the US supply of arms to Jonas Savimbi. Having failed in the country’s elections twice (1991 and 1998) the war persisted until Jona was killed in 2002.

Jonathan arrived in Kuito by plane that, in order to avoid the ground to air missile, rolled into a nose-dive above the runway, pulling up just before hitting the tarmac. Jonathan noted that other pilots had not been as skilful as he counted the plane wrecks that were scattered around. In Kuito, Jonathan worked for ‘Medicine San Frontiers’, a French organisation, and was there to cover for the incumbent surgeon while he took a holiday. This left Jonathan as the only surgeon for 160 thousand people, many of them wounded by war. However, he was supported by Angolan medical team and ‘Technos Medicin’, Portuguese medical staff, essential to the hospital. Jonathan explained that surrounding the hospital were critical feeding tents where children swollen by water retention caused by lack of protein were treated. Children were also treated in the trauma wards mostly from landmine injuries. He described how children were targeted with shiny objects or sweet placed on top of the landmines. This resulted in fewer soldiers on the battlefields as parents looked after their wounded children. It is estimated that it will take 100 years to clear Angola of these mines. If you would like to learn more about the places Jonathan has worked he has two books published – Contact Wounds and The Dressing Station, both published by Picador.

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 start afresh in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

For details of the forth coming meetings of the London branch, April to July 2008 – http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon08it2.html.

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.

Ontario 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.