For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermane@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 Old York Tower, 85 Esplanade (It is at the south-east corner of Church & Esplanade – 2 blocks east from the Hummingbird Centre at 8.00 p.m. 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.

Backpacker – The Ultimate Travel Game is a card game in which you experience all the fun and unpredictability of travelling the world as you try to outwit your opponents to be the player who has returned home with the most photos. In Backpacker you visit different countries and continents, enjoy beaches, trekking, wildlife and culture, meet other travellers and get good and bad advice, whilst trying to avoid getting sick or missing your plane. You may even have to change your plans or seek assistance to cope with problems and delays, some of which may be caused by your fellow players. You need planning, good timing, patience and a bit of luck to win and with so many scenarios, no two games are ever the same. Just like travelling, it’s fun, exciting, fast-changing and very addictive.

Play at home, on your next holiday and beyond. This game is essential for anyone who loves foreign travel.

We have a number of card games to give away, just email us at quiz@globetrotters.co.ukto enter our prize draw with the name or location of the iconic bridge which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2007. We will contact the lucky winners for postal addresses etc.

In the shops “Backpacker – The Ultimate Travel Game” costs £9.99 You can find further details on the web at http://www.backpackercardgame.com or e-mail: info@backpackercardgame.com<

Finally back in Tokyo. Flights all on time, landed early at 7.30am on a Friday; only problem was that Customs decided to search everything, don’t know why this knackered looking tourist got pulled. Mind you, he was a very nice Customs official and carefully repacked my rucksack. They could teach Saudi Customs a thing or two, you have to chase your underwear up the moving carousel as they chuck it on!

Eventually got the train into Tokyo, though I fell asleep at some point and only woke up when it was just departing for its return trip to the airport! Using my faithful GPS, more of this later, I soon found my Ryokan, a very nice place, complete with tatami mat with nice futon and kettle with tea just 15 mins walk away from Ueno Station. I dumped my bag and followed the sound of drums to the Nezu temple, just in time for Taiko drumming and a big parade – well that kept me awake and the jet-lag at bay!

Had a wander in the park and found a supermarket so I won’t starve. It’s over 80 degrees and sunny now, early May. I met up with my Japanese friend Hanae one evening, and we had a wander round Ueno market. She showed me stuff I wouldn’t have had a clue about, such as whole legs of octopus for example. We went to a local coffee shop for a long chat and catch up. My friend’s husband is a travel writer, and was not able to join us because he was in PNG!

Then I took the train to Kamakura, a very nice place, though by 2pm, jet-lag was catching up on me. Kamakura is on a peninsula south of Tokyo and Yokohama.

In Kamakura, I visited the Bamboo temple that my Tokyo friend told me about, set in a grove of bamboo, with monks chanting and green tea served in the garden. After this, I visited the giant Buddha, which used to be in a building until a tsunami removed them.

From Kamakura, I went to Enoshima island which is near Kamakura. It takes about an hour on the train from Tokyo. Enoshima was fun and tried to do a geocache, but there were too many people about and too much rubbish around as well, so went back to Tokyo.

For my next trip, I took the train from Tokyo to Yamagata which takes about 3 hours including train hopping at Fukushima. To do this, I took the Shinkansen (Bullet train), super quick up to Fukushima where the train split in half. Needless to say, I was in the wrong half that was heading for Sendai so I had to get off and leg it onto the half continuing on to Yamadera, phew!!!

Yamadera is a lovely place, very friendly and the ryokan was only 4400 yen/night (about £20.). Went for wander to the castle and had a picnic in the park, found some of my favourite “Pea crips” in Daiei (Giant department store with good food place underneath) yum. I love looking round the “100 Yen shop”, they have all kinds of stuff in them. I went round a supermarket and saw “Wanko noodles” – I gave them a miss.

Another trip I made was taking the bus to Mt Zao, which despite being only 10 miles away took 90 mins to get to, thanks to the winding mountain roads and switchback hairpins. It was worth the ride to see Okama, a massive volcanic lake, fantastic place, you get to it via a chair lift. Loads of snow still, which you have to slip and slide through. Then walked up to Mt Kattadate over 5,000ft, spectacular views. Bought a mini bell for my rucksack. The Japanese all have them, they are to scare off bears!

Then went to Yamadera to visit Basho, a place with little temples up a hill, it looks lovely in the guidebook. Yamadera is very touristy and should be known as Basho theme park. There are lovely temples up a mountain, over 1000 steps to the top, but what a view. Went to the Basho museum which has some of his calligraphy, quite interesting, but little in English.

Went to Tendo, a place is famous for making Shogi pieces for Japanese chess, quite an interesting museum and they gave me a nice book with it all in English.

Then visited Sendai primarily to visit Matsushima. Matsushima itself far too expensive to stay in, but with my rail pass an easy hit for daytrips from Sendai, also hope to do geocache in Sendai. I booked all of my accommodation on my trip on the internet as I went along.

Arrived in Sendai with a stinking cold and started looking for Ryokan Iwai, but got a bit lost in the vicinity when a little old lady asked me what I was looking for, luckily she used to work there and literally lead me by the hand and pointed it out across the street and insisted I wait for the green man at the crossing!

Went out to explore Sendai, a very big busy place that has a kfc! Tried to do a geocache in the suburbs, found a huge black snake on the path, but thanks to my Bear scaring bell it went away.

I had a major experience at the Sumitomo bank to change some Yen travellers cheques, what a palaver. The teller eventually gave me a form in Japanese for me to fill in, um yeah, right! So she then pointed at each square and wrote on a bit of paper what I had to write in each box! Why she couldn’t just fill it in and get me to sign it?

Eventually got the train to Hon Shiogama, this was in order to take the scenic boat trip to Matsushima (1400Yen). Nice 50 min ride through all the little islands, though absolutely freezing there and very windy.

Eventually got to Matsushima and explored the big temple, but not fun in the driving rain. Then decided to head north to Morioka after talking to a Kiwi couple. Sado-ga Island would have been nice to visit, but with only local trains crossing Honshu this would mean 2 days of travelling, I get better value for my rail pass to go to Morioka, and from there I can go to Miyako on the coast and Kakunodate Samurai houses from there.

Most of my Ryokan arrivals have both been done via my knowledge of numbers 1 to 5 in Japanese and sleep mime signs! They bring out calculator and show me the price. Apart from a Kiwi couple, I have not seen a non Japanese person, unlike Tokyo, where there are lots of foreigners. That said, everyone without exception is helpful and friendly, things may take time like the bank, but I get there in the end.

This trip I have tried to move less, i.e. pick places where I can stay but can get to other places, such as Yamagata which was great for Zao and Yamadera as well as Yamagata itself. Sendai was perfect for Matsushima and from Morioka I can hit Miyako, Kokonodate, Mt Iwata and then back to Tokyo. I really want to see Mt Fuji this time, just got to pray for a clear day.

The sun shone the day I made it to Morioka from Sendai to Morioka on the bullet train. They go so fast you can’t read station names of places you pass and it’s too fast for GPS as well, I tried it! They are very quiet though.

I love travelling alone, you get to talk to more people even if it is through sign language. However just had a nice chat in English with Tourist office, think the girl enjoyed using her English. She told me to visit Miyako on the coast and Hirazumi for its temples. However Mt Iwata volcano still has 5 metres of snow so that one is out, she reckons the walking paths up there will not be open until end June or July.

When I left my Morioka Ryokan, all the people came to say goodbye and bowed as I left (I’m not worthy!) and gave me a little towel as a present for staying. Those are the things I li ke a bout Japan its efficiency and its friendliness.

Japanese geocaches either have proper Japanese translation underneath or the Japanese written in English letters. When you look at the logs for the caches some are in Japanese and some in English.

Northern Thailand is home to many interesting and colourful ethnic minorities, collectively referred to as the hill tribes. Most of the hill tribes have migrated into the region during the past 100 years from Burma and whilst some try to preserve their traditional ways and can do so with little outside interference, others have become a tourist freak show. Wherever you visit in Thailand’s north, whether trekking or on day trips out of Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai to some of the small villages you may find yourself visiting some of the hill tribes.

Ethnologists state that there are six broad hill tribe groupings: Karen, Lahu, Hmong, Lisu, Akha and Mien. Within these categories, there are sub-categories and clans that further divide the groups. Each hill tribe has its own customs, language, dress and spiritual beliefs and this is sometimes true even of the numerous sub-categories within one hill tribe. For example, the Green Hmong and White Hmong are said to speak in different and distinct dialects and dress differently.

Today the majority of the hill tribes living in the remote upland areas practice subsistence farming. Formerly, opium cultivation was a major source of income for many of the hill tribes and the government worked encouraged the eradication of opium production by substituting it with other cash crops, such as cabbages and fruits. The hill tribes lived in relative isolation until the 1950s, when, as a result of the increase in their numbers, extreme poverty and statelessness, the Thai government established the National Committee for the Hill Tribes.

Today there are still concerns with regard to issues with citizenship, conforming to mainstream Thai society and the loss of indigenous customs and languages.

Many Padaung escaped from the Kaya State in Burma to Thailand in the mid to late 1900’s and are refugees from Burma. They belong to the Karenni sub-group of the Karen People, who are still fighting for their independence in Burma. The Karen-Padaung occupied central Burma before the Burmese arrived from the North and they, together with the ancient Mon, farmed the Irrawaddy and Salween Valleys. There are pockets of Paduang around Mae Hong Son in Thailand.

The main reason tourists come to visit the Paduang is because of the long-necked women. When the Beetle was in Thailand, she was told that the women in this tribe wore huge coils of metal around their necks to protect them from tigers. She asked if this tradition still held true and was assured that it did. What a load of nonsense! The women who wear these huge coils around their neck do so as a means of income generation from fees from tourists taking their photos and buying handicrafts presented at their stores. It came across, sadly, as something of a human freak show.

It might seem that the neck is elongated, but in actuality, the collarbone is displaced rather than the stretching and weakening of the neck leading to a decompression of the spine and fused vertebrae and discs. This neck ring adornment is started when the girls are 5 or 6 years old. Some women and children also wear rings on the arms and the legs which are not quite as prominent as those on the neck because the neck rings are so pronounced. The rings on the arms are worn on the forearm from the wrist to the elbow. Those on the legs are worn from the ankles to the knees, and cloth coverings are kept over most of these rings, from the shins down to the ankles.

Here is a question: if the so called long necked women were cultivating opium, which they do not, then the Thai government would be amongst the first if they could get there before the NGOs and denounce this as a terrible practice. Is there a huge difference between growing opium and following an inhumane practice for money? So why not follow what has gone before and show people how to make a living in another way that does not involve this practice? Money: the long neck hill tribe women will continue to do this and inflict the practice on their female children as long as tourists go and visit and pay money to see them. This seems a difficult situation to know what is ‘right or wrong’. One wonders how many of the long neck villages in Thailand are managed by the Padaung people themselves and would they choose to do this themselves – or is the best form of income they can generate? How do the women feel about being photographed and gawped at whilst presumably being in pain through wearing the weight of the rings? Is it right to initiate or perpetuate the practice through the young girl children? How much of the entrance fee actually goes to the women in these villages? If these tourist shows are managed by someone else, and it seems likely that this is the case, are the women treated fairly?

What do you think? E-mail the Beetle and we will incorporate your comments in the next edition of the e-newsletter.

Statistics of the world’s religions are only very rough approximations. Aside from Christianity, few religions, if any, attempt to keep statistical records; and even Protestants and Catholics employ different methods of counting members. The table that follows may not therefore be completely accurate, but this is what infoplease.com says about the world’s most numerous organised religions.

NOTES: As of mid-2004. This list includes only organized religions and excludes more loosely defined groups such as Chinese or African traditional religions.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, taken from: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0904108.html

Essaouira is a charming seaside resort situated on the Atlantic Sea in Morocco. It has been a fishing village for centuries, but recently it has become a thriving tourism destination for those seeking a rest by the sea that is not Agadir, Morocco’s better busy and more commercialised known seaside resort. Essaouira is well connected by good roads – Marrakech is 175 km east, Safi 130 km north and Agadir 185 km to the south. Casablanca is 350 km north-east. It is a beautiful town with a mixture of Portuguese, French, and Berber architecture.

Historically, Essaouira has been an important international trading seaport, linking Morocco and its Saharan hinterland with Europe and the rest of the world. During the Middle Ages, a Muslim saint named Sidi Mogdoul was buried in Essaouira; Essaouira was originally known as “Mogador” by the Portuguese. In 1506, the king of Portugal ordered a fortress to be built there which was called “Castelo Real de Mogador.” In the 18th century, Mohammed III, instructed European architects to build a modern fortress which was originally called “Souira”, meaning “the small fortress”, the name then became “Es-Saouira”, “the beautifully designed”.

According to the UNESCO website, which cites the Medina of Essaouira as a UNESCO World Heritage Listed city, Essaouira is an exceptional example of a late-18th-century fortified town, built according to the principles of contemporary European military architecture in a North African context. Since its foundation.

What is there to see and do? It is a small town, and easy to get around by foot. You will see lots of photogenic white washed houses with blue shutters, colourful fishing boats moored in the harbour. Seafood is good, in the restaurants. There are the ramparts of the fort to walk along, complete with cannons, art galleries, wood workshops, market stalls – enough to satisfy anyone wishing to visit for a few days. There are also clean sandy beaches and dunes and you can make camel trips on the beach and in the desert in the interior.

Essaouira is also known for its windsurfing, with the powerful north-eastern trade wind blowing almost constantly onto the protected, almost wave less, bay. It is possible to rent surf boards.

To get to Essaouira, the cheapest way is by public bus from Marrakech or Casablanca bus station. There are two companies that run air conditioned buses – Supratours and CTM. There are several other companies that run non air conditioned buses. A Supratours bus, leaves from the Marrakech bus station next to the train station. More bus services are available from a different terminal at Bab Doukkala which is where you can also find a shared taxi to Essaouira. The bus fare from Marrakech is about 65 dirham and the cost of a taxi to yourself is around 800 dirham per car. The journey from Marrakech takes about 3-4 hours, and from Casablanca 6-7 hours. It is also possible to rent a Grand Taxi to get from/to Casablanca and Marrakech. If there are four or more of you, it will probably end up about the same price as an air con’d bus.

Mac has not been very well but is still e-mailing strong. Here are some of Mac’s tales of travel to high altitudes and also an update on Stanley, one of Mac’s fellow residents of the Old Soldier’s home in Washington. Stanley belongs to an organisation that distributes eye glasses to those in less developed countries.

You will be sorry you asked me if I ever visited Bolivia. The altitude is very high there. In La Paz the rich people live where you think the poor people would live and the poor people live where you would think the rich people would live in other countries. Where rich people would ordinarily live at high elevation and the poor at lower it is just the opposite so rich can breathe better than the poor.

When I was in Bolivia, the altitude got to me and I went to the airline and said I have to get out of here. They sent me to a pharmacy to get medicine for altitude sickness and it did the trick. I had an address of a budget place to stay but when I went to it, there was a fountain and stairs and nice yard in front with a nice facade of what looked like a resort hotel. I thought I had made a mistake but when I opened the door inside was a run down hotel with stuff coming out of seats and it was like the front outside wall was for a movie set and inside you faced reality. Ha!

By this time I had met and made friends with a couple from Canada. He was originally from Germany (a soccer star) and she was from Austria and she had gone to Canada as an au pair and they met and married. She arrived in Canada with no English and first day when she went down town she and a girl friend forgot the address where they worked. They went up to a policeman and said, “I love you,” the only words they knew. He laughed and guessed the situation and found out somehow where they were employed.

We kept meeting in different countries in South America and went to the airport together to depart for Chile. We were waiting for our plane to arrive, to board and were passed through to the departure lounge and went out to our plane. There was someone in our seats so we took other seats. I then discovered from my new seatmate that this plane was departing for Miami and had arrived late. I hollered at my travelling companions, “ We are on the wrong plane.” The other passengers said ,“No you are on right plane, this plane goes to Miami.” I shouted, “we don’t want to go to Miami but Chile,” and we dashed off the plane.

In that day and age I never thought one could get on wrong plane that way. Ha! I guess they never looked at our tickets closely. Just another travel experience. Someone said, “Mac it seems like everything happens to you.” Stay alert is the motto.

Because of the high altitude, I did not enjoy Bolivia as much as I should have. I am built somehow with a high diaphragm or something so don’t get as much oxygen as some. When young and in the armed forces, this did not bother me although whenever X rays are taken they often ordered more to see whatever they were seeing in my makeup. Later in life I had to be on oxygen for a year. I tire easily possibly because I don’t get as much oxygen as some. Or maybe I am just lazy. There are many countries I would like to return to, but would not go back to Nepal, Bolivia and some of the high countries again.

In Peru the airline gives you a drink that has some kind of drug for air altitude sickness when arriving at Cuzco. My room mate Hunt from the Old Soldier’s home woke me up in middle of night and said, “ Mac get oxygen.” I ran to desk and hollered “oxygen” and they ran with a tank and applied a mask to Hunt. Later I said to him that if he had died I did not know how I was going to get him down off the mountain and back to the Old Soldiers Home so I was going to tell the authorities that his dying wish was that he wanted to be buried up there with the Indians. Hunt and I went to Russia together so he has gotten used to me and my weird humour.

Stanley Sagara has returned from his Ethiopian eyeglass mission. They went by bus for fourteen hours out into the boon docks and I don’t want to put words in Stanley’s mouth but what they saw Stanley says was almost having him to have nightmares. The way the people were living or not living. So many had eyesight so far gone that glasses would not help. They could only help about 30 percent of those asking for help and I think some thought the Americans could put some kind of magic drops in their eyes and they could see and they couldn’t. Stanley has been all over the world and witnessed all kinds of injustices in his life but I think this experience saddened him. This is my interpretation and I often get things wrong.

And finally… I am reminded of something a friend here at the Old Soldier’s Home said to me recently. Frank, my friend had gotten the Medal of Honour for rescuing and pulling GIs from a burning plane on a runway in England. Clark Gable arrived at their unit. The GIs were told to not bother Mr Gable but they all stood around watching his arrival. Gable saw them and walked over to them and said, “Would one of you guys loan me a sixpence for a tea (or something like that.) It was his way of breaking the ice and saying hello. Every GI there was reaching into his pocket as they wanted to say they had loaned Clark Gable a sixpence or whatever it was. He visited with them and they appreciated this. If I ever get to be famous I too will be gracious, (if I have time.)

If you would like to get in touch with Mac, he is happy to correspond by e-mail when he is well. His e-mail address is: macsan400@yahoo.com

Following the recent UK publication of the Stern report on the effects of climate change, Ryanair has dismissed calls for green taxes on aviation as the “usual horseshit” and warned that extra levies on airlines will not put people off flying.

Michael O’Leary, chief executive of the low-cost carrier, also ruled out joining the EU carbon emissions trading scheme, seen by some airlines as their best hope of avoiding punitive taxes as governments consider curbing the industry’s contribution to the greenhouse effect.

“It’s the usual horseshit that we hear,” he said. “There is a fundamental misunderstanding about aviation and environmental taxes at the moment. No one knows what they are talking about.”

Mr O’Leary said aviation accounted for a “Mickey Mouse” 3% of carbon emissions across the EU, compared with nearly 25% from road transport, which he said had not been affected by petrol levies and other charges. He added that Ryanair’s growth will not be affected by further taxes because its ticket prices will remain more competitive than its rivals’.

“Taxing aviation will not affect the growth of Ryanair one iota,” he said. “We will continue to grow like gangbusters because the price differential between Ryanair and easyJet and British Airways will not change.” Recent economic studies contradict Ryanair, pointing to evidence that a price increase of 1.5% is enough to put some people off flying.

Speaking at the launch of an in-flight gaming service in London yesterday, Mr O’Leary said the government should focus on British Airways, which he said operates a “gas-guzzling” fleet of older aircraft. “If people are serious about tackling the minuscule contribution of aviation, what they ought to be tackling are the operators of the old gas-guzzling aircraft like BA or those who run two flights to get you to your destination, unlike low-fares airlines.” A spokesperson for BA said the claims were “just not true” because the airline’s 280-strong fleet has an average age of 10 years and it has started replacing its oldest long-haul aircraft.

Mr O’Leary also dismissed Sir Richard Branson’s pledge to invest $3bn (£1.6bn) in renewable energy over the next decade as a “PR stunt” because the billionaire expects to fund the promise from the profits of his transport interests, which include the Virgin Atlantic airline and Virgin Trains. “I doubt if the profit will get to $3bn over the next 100 years, let alone the next 10,” he said.

Ryanair recently announced that it had formed a gaming partnership with Internet bingo group Jackpotjoy, adding another new revenue stream as it seeks to boost cash flow from areas other than ticket sales. Ryanair said in a statement the deal would allow passengers to play bingo while booking their flights, car hire, and hotels on its web site.

Ryanair recently announced that it has been forced to postpone the introduction of new flights between European and Moroccan destinations because of EU regulation delays. It said that flights from Marseille and Frankfurt to Fez, Marrakech and Oujda would not now start until December 1, though services from Luton, near London, to Fez and Marrakech, would begin as planned next month.”

And still on the theme of low cost airlines, Easyjet said that while it was clear that airlines ‘still have their part to play in safeguarding the environment’ it was important to note the European Commission’s own calculations, which state that aviation accounts for just 3% of CO2 emissions in Europe.

‘Calling for greater taxation on air travel is sloppy thinking and risks damaging the European economy as a whole,’ it said in a statement.

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.

Destinations 2007 takes place at:

• Earls Court, London 1-4 February 2007
• NEC, Birmingham 2-4 March 2007

eNewsletter readers to www.DestinationsShow.com or to call the box office on 08701 66 04 34* quoting ‘Globetrotters’ to obtain their complimentary tickets (*calls charged at national rate, booking fee applies).



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Our first speaker was Janice Booth, whose talk on Rwanda was something different. Instead of highlighting the gorillas and monkeys that tourists go to see Janice told us about how she became involved with the country. She began by doing translation work, which then lead to sponsoring a child through Primary school. Janice had kept a distance between the country and herself, but after the genocide she wanted to find out if Peter, the child she had sponsored, had survived. She went ot Kigali not knowing what to expect, but delighted at the peoples integrity, such as the newpaper seller, who went running off with a large denomination note, to return quite a while later beaming with Janice’s change. Janice got in touch with an ex headmaster from one of the schools who told her to come back in a week after he had made enquiries. Janice used the week to explore the country and returned to the news that Peter had been killed, however a brother had survived and one of his sisters, Chantalle, was living in Kigali. Janice got in touch with Chantalle and was able to discover Peter’s fate.Janice has since been able to help Chantalle. Janice is still deeply involved with Rwanda, having lead tours there when the tourist industry was re-emerging and helping with charity projects as well as being the author of the Bradt guide to Rwanda. Globies had a collection on the day raising over £60.

Our second speaker was the ever popular Martin Featherstone! Martin is a Globie and has spoken on a number of occassions. This afternoon’s talk on Morocco was as entertaining and irreverant as ever. Ex soldier Martin started by saying he thought Janice very brave as he wouldn’t go to Kigali without 60 paratroopers behind him! Martin drove through France and Spain and got the ferry across to Tangier. Big mistake he said, as it took him four hours to get through the arabic entry red tape. Once he had escaped he headed out into the desert, visiting Foreign Legion forts. Trying to navigate by GPS and incomprehensible arabic road signs. One Belgian Cafe owner, whose establishment is way out in the desert does not have an address, he advertises in off road magazines just with his gps co-ordinates, Martin’s gps found it ok! The GPS’s map showed bold lines denoting roads, but these turned out to be nothing more than boulder strewn tracks in the desert. Martin also travelled along the coast, which is littered with the rusting hulks of ships wrecked along alongthe beaches. To his surprise the 21st century has reached places like Tantan where Martin was able to visit a cyber cafe and send home that days photo’s to those at home. The locals fascinated watched over his shoulder until he opened an e-mail with a pornographic attachment! Martin’s trip took him to the Algerian border and a run in with the Moroccan military, before heading back to the relative safety of Marakech, where he showed us the goings on in Djem-el-fna, including a picture of a uk school teacher on holiday. (you had to be in the room to get this one!)

By Padmassana

Coming Next:

Saturday, 2nd December

Helena Drysdale will be talking about Strangerland – Travels in the Footsteps of a family at war in 19th century New Zealand Helena discovers her pioneering 19c cousins who leave the East India Co. for backbush NZ. Tales of war, adultery and God – photos paintings / views from Himalayas to the Chatham Islands and John Pilkington will be showing slides on The Heart of the Sahara; in early 2006 John joined a camel caravan from Timbuktu to the notorious salt mines of Taoudenni – a three week/450-mile journey to the very heart of the Sahara. Stunning desert landscapes and a taste of Sahara life as it was a millennium ago, when the Taoudenni mines were first established and salt was worth its weight in gold.

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk

We used to have meetings in New York City and New Braunfels, Texas. Regrettably, after having done a superb job, neither organisers are able to give their time to Globetrotter meetings. If you are based in New York or New Braunfels and have the time to commit to pick up where our previous organisers left off, we’d love to hear from you – please see our FAQ or contact our the Branch Liaison Officer via our Website at Meeting FAQ. If you are based elsewhere and are interested in starting a branch of the Globetrotters, please feel free to contact us.

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermane@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 Old York Tower, 85 Esplanade (It is at the south-east corner of Church & Esplanade – 2 blocks east from the Hummingbird Centre at 8.00 p.m. 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.

There are so many things to see and do in Istanbul, it is the most enchanting city. One of the best trips that the Beetle made was a trip up the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus is a strait of water separating the European and the Asian parts of Istanbul. It is 35 km (20 miles) long and connects the Marmara Sea at the south to the Black Sea in the north.

A bit of history about the name: the English name comes from a Greek legend concerning Zeus who had an affair with a beautiful women called Io. When Hera, Zeus’ wife discovered his infidelity, she turned Io into a cow and created a cloud of flies to sting her on the backside. Io jumped across the strait and the name Bosphorus is said to mean the ‘crossing-place of the cow.’

There are many interesting places you can see from the Bosphorus, including the Topkapi Palace and the Camii Yeni, the New Mosque of the Sultan’s mother, which was begun in 1615, on the model of the Ahmet I Mosque, for Ahmet’s mother but completed only in 1663. – see picture above.

As you leave the main part of Istanbul and travel up the Bosphorus towards the Black Sea, one of the first things you see is the Rumeli Hisari fortress built under the orders of the Conqueror Mehmet in 1452 to control commercial and military traffic in preparation for the siege of siege of Constantinople. Some guides say that the fortress was used as a rather impressive Bosphorus toll booth, then as a barracks, later as a prison, and finally as an open-air theatre, but never again as a fortress.

Continuing to travel up the Bosphorus, you pass under the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. This bridge is named after the Turkish conquer of Constantinople (Fatih means “conqueror”) in 1453. It spans the Bosphorus at its narrowest point—where it is only 0.5 mi. [0.66 km.] wide.

Continuing up the Bosphorus you can see the Beylerbeyi, a summer palace built in the 1860s.

Throughout the entire trip you can see beautiful old wooden houses, called Yalis, palaces, mosques and a couple of forts. Then there is a mixture of stately homes and summer houses and fishing villages. Below is a selection of photos showing some of the scenery along the banks of the Bosphorus.

The end of the trip up the Bosphorus culminates at Rumeli Kavagi and Anadolu Kavagi about 10 km (6 miles) south of the Black Sea, though you can see the Black Sea in the distance. If you take the traditional ferry’s Bosphorus tour to Anadolu Kavagi, you have three hours to walk, explore, have lunch until the ferry’s departure for the return to Istanbul.

As an alternative, it is possible to get off the boat in Sariyer, have lunch, then take a bus, coach or taxi south along the shore back to Istanbul. A timetable of ferries can be found here. The Beetle took a few hours to have a very tasty lunch and explore the ruins of the fortress on Anadolu Kavagi which date back to 1350 and was originally built by the Genoese. The pictures above show some scenes from Anadolu Kavagi and its fortress.

Fancy a romantic trans-Atlantic cruise with your sweetheart? How about a nice, relaxing voyage where you row 16 hours a day for 60 days, eat lukewarm freeze-dried food, roll your vessel upside down four times, and fend off the amorous advances of a 60-foot whale? Meet Liz O’Keeffe and Richard Mayon-White, two British adventurers (see photo below) who have done all that and much, much more. I interviewed them at Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua, West Indies.

Q: Tell me about the voyage.

Richard: Just a few days ago, on January 30, 2006, we completed our 2900-mile row across the Atlantic, as part of the Atlantic Rowing Race. We are the first mixed pair team to finish here in Antigua. This type of racing began in 1995 and is now very popular.

Liz: The Race included 26 teams who set off on the 30^th of November 2005 from Gomera in the Canary Islands. Most teams were pairs, but there were four vessels with four persons aboard, and two solo rowers. Our team is named Row4Cancer and we have raised over 40,000 [$75,000] for cancer relief. We often use the boat to carry cancer sufferers, especially kids, for short races to take their minds off their troubles. They love it.

Q: Tell me about your boat.

Liz: Our boat is named Bilbo Baggins, after the Hobbit character and after our wonderful black Labrador who sadly had to be put down, and is buried near where we kept the boat.

Richard: The race requires all boats to be of a standard size – 24 feet long with a nine millimetre [about inch] thick plywood hull. There is no real competition regarding external boat design. But each team can design their vessel’s interior. We bought a used boat, gutted it, and rebuilt every single system – electrical, navigation, steering, rowing, communications, water-making, cooking, etc. It took three years and required a budget of 60,000 [$113,000].

Q: How old are you, where are you from, and what is your profession?

Liz: I am 29, from Poole in the UK but born in Holland, and I work in insurance sales.

Richard: I am 39, from Oxford, and am a consultant in leadership and personal development. We live in Southampton now.

Q: How did you prepare for the race?

Richard: We both compete regularly in triathlons, Ironmans and marathons. We both have our Royal Yachting Association Yachtmaster Offshore and other RYA qualifications, and have both taught sailing. I climbed Kilimanjaro and Mt. Aconcagua (the highest mountain in South America) and other peaks. I sailed in the famous Fastnet yacht race, and we did lots of weight training, rowing in the gym, and rowing the boat when it was ready.

Liz: I competed at the national level in sailing, netball, trampoline, tennis, triathlons and rugby. Before the start we both bulked up, which was a good thing, since we both lost over 24 pounds during the race. While racing we ate mostly freeze-dried food, which we boiled in the bag.

Richard: We figure that two-thirds of this kind of race is in the preparation, and if you get to the start line, the chances are good that you will finish.

Q: Tell me about your whales.

Richard: We saw lots of whales and dolphins. One calm day a 60 foot sei [baleen] whale came up on us. He dwarfed our little 24-foot boat. For 45 minutes he circled our boat, eyeing us.

Liz: He seemed to be kind of lonely. Our boat has grey antifouling paint underneath and our oars look kind of like flippers, so after a while we realized that he thought we were an odd but attractive female!

Richard: Yes, he had a little twinkle in his eye, and seemed keen for some joy in life. At one point he got underneath the boat and looked up at us, rather plaintively.

Liz: We tried to gently row away, to give him the message that we weren’t interested. But as soon as we started moving he dashed after us. Finally he gave up and we crept away.

Richard: Another time we were in a storm surfing some big waves, and we saw a big whale surfing down after us. But we got away from him, too. We never saw any sharks, although two race boats were attacked by sharks.

Q: What sort of other problems did you have?

Richard: Everyone expected that the race would have fairly calm weather, like most years. And we hoped to break the mixed pair record of 53 days for the crossing. But the 2005/6 hurricane and storm season lasted so long that everyone had troubles. All the boats were affected by hurricane Epsilon, tropical storm Zeta, and by other smaller storms. We rolled over four times.

Liz: All the boats are self-righting if the vents and doors are closed. But it is so hot, humid and miserable inside the tiny 6-foot cabin when everything is buttoned up that it is very hard to keep it closed. About 400 miles from the finish we saw one of the two support vessels, which always seemed to bring us bad luck. Right then we surfed down a big wave and broke our rudder. We tried to fix it for a day, but rolled again.

Richard: Then we were rolled a third time. Liz was rowing and I was in the cabin.

Liz: A massive wave broke over the boat. I was wrenched out of the rowing seat and thrown overboard. I thought I had broken my leg. But I managed to swim back and get over the gunwale, which luckily was very low because the boat was swamped. I was in agony for about 24 hours, but rested up and kept going. My leg wasn’t broken, after all – it was only a torn muscle.

Richard: Our vent was open and so we got lots of water inside, and of course our gear was a mess. But we bailed her out, kept afloat, immobilized Liz’s leg, and managed to fix the rudder after five days of work. At that point we just focused on survival. We never thought we’d make it to Antigua.

Liz: Probably the worst part of the trip was hanging on the sea anchor for days, waiting for the storms to subside. Then the cabin is like being inside a washing machine, it’s so rough.

Q: What was your fastest speed?

Richard: We recorded an unbelievable speed of 18.6 knots surfing down some huge waves. The noise and vibration were incredible. Normally when rowing we average one or two knots over the ground [distance actually made good], and 70 percent of that is probably current. We are not allowed to hoist any sails, of course.

Q: After all this are you still keen on getting married?

Richard: Yes, we were engaged before the race and we are still engaged.

Liz: We know some pairs that went ashore after the race, walked off in opposite directions, and never spoke to each other again. But we want to keep having adventures together.

Q: What plans do you have?

Richard: We have a long list of projects. We think this kind of adventure helps define us as people. I want to sail around the world alone. I want to race in the 100-mile portion of the Tour de France that is open to the public, bike in the Race Across America, drive in the Plymouth to Dakar 100 car challenge, climb Mt. Denali [McKinley] in Alaska, sail in the Sydney—Hobart yacht race, and participate in the Iditarod sled dog race.

Liz: We are thinking of climbing Mt. Vinson in Antarctica for our honeymoon.

Richard: Yes, we want to have some stories to tell our children and grandchildren.

Toulmin: Somehow, I don’t think that will be a problem.

For more information, see www.row4cancer.com. The race organizers, Woodvale Events, are planning an Atlantic Race in 2007-8 and an Indian Ocean Rowing Race in 2009, if you want to get started on your preparation. See www.woodvale-events.com for details of these races and other individual adventure projects.

About the author: Lew Toulmin is the author of The Most Traveled Man on Earth, which describes the most travelled people, their travel tips and wisdom, and also his adventures in catching up — he has worked in 30 countries and visited 170 countries and sovereign territories. Lew’s book is available from www.amazon.com or www.amazon.co.uk, or direct from The Village Press, 13108 Hutchinson Way, Silver Spring, MD 20906 USA, at $16.95 plus shipping ($5 to the US or $14 overseas). He can be reached at LewToulmin@aol.com

About the photos:

1. Richard Mayon-White and Liz O’Keeffe in Antigua just after completing their 2900-mile row across the Atlantic. In the background between them is their vessel Bilbo Baggins.

2. Richard Mayon-White and Liz O’Keeffe of team Row4Cancer aboard their vessel Bilbo Baggins. Liz shows her rowing position just before being thrown overboard in one of the four rollovers the team suffered during the trans-Atlantic race.

The Cayman Islands, nestled in the temperate and scenic Caribbean, are a paradise retreat for celebrities and vacation travellers across the world. Three English- speaking islands, Grand Cayman and its sister islands, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, are small communities just an hour south of Miami secluded in the pristine Caribbean Sea. Local weather is tropical, with warm and rainy summers and cool, dry winters. Whether you’re trying to beat the winter blues, seeking a romantic or honeymoon get-away, looking for the ideal trip for the entire family or just in need of some down-time from urban stress and job tension, the Cayman Islands offer warmth, laid- back comfort and utter serenity.

Discover an Underwater Paradise: the sister islands are best known for their diving and snorkelling, rated one of the leading five destinations in the world. The islands are home to some of the most magnificent fish-covered coral reefs and dramatic drop-offs imaginable, being a favoured spot for underwater photographers for years on end. Each island composes the flattened tip of Cayman Ridge, a sub-sea mountain range. This formation provides unique opportunities for both shallow and wall diving. Both small party diving excursions and submarine rides help you intimately explore Atlantis and its underwater wonders. Submarine rides plunge as low as 60 feet deep, while semi-submarines offer a full, 360-degree view through well-protected glass within air-conditioned comfort.

Onshore Recreation and Relaxation: the pristine waters and secluded locale leave your mind and body refreshed and invigorated. Island water sports offer plenty of entertainment, with year-round recreation ranging from paddle boats and cats to sun searcher floats, banana boat and sailboat rides. The Cayman Islands are also drenched with rich, exciting attractions. Its pleasant climate makes it the ultimate setting for bicycling, golf, running, cricket and horseback riding. Enjoy a day on the go, then pamper yourself in one of the island’s world-class spas.

Food: island Cuisine is influenced by its wondrous heritage, delighting your taste buds with Jamaican favourites like curry and jerk along with extraordinary seafood, lobster, fresh fruits, breadfruit, plantain and cassava. The main island has more than 150 restaurants serving native, American, German, Mexican, Italian and other delicacies, as well as fast-food and snack outlets with subs and hamburgers.

Night life: when the sun sets, the nightlife comes alive with dazzling Caribbean colour. The Islands are home to a range of events and hot spots, from the gritty jazz sessions, nightclubs, steel band concerts and Pirates Week festivals to sophisticated cultural events, local theatre and fine dining. For more information about hospitality and travel deals, visit http://www.vasrue.com.

Cascais is a great weekend break from the UK. There are several airlines that fly to Lisbon, including EasyJet, Monarch, British Airways and Monarch. From Lisbon airport, it is a fifty minute bus journey on the Aerobus, costing just 8.50 euros to Estoril or Cascais.

Cascais is 6.5km (4 miles) W of Estoril and 61km (38 miles) west of Lisbon. From 1870 to 1908, the Royal Family came to Cascais for the sea air, turning the Portuguese quiet fishing village into an ‘it spot’. The citadel gained electric light in 1878, the first in the country, thanks to King Lus. The village gained better roads to Lisbon and Sintra, a casino, a bullfight ring, a sport club and improvements in the basic infrastructure for the population. The railway arrived in 1889. Many aristocratic families built beautiful mansions in Cascais, many of which can still be seen in the centre and surroundings of the town. In the 1930s, Cascais’ popularity revived and attracted artists and writers to its little cottages. During WW2 several Kings and heads of European countries and their aristocratic entourages sought refuge in Cascais and nearby Estoril. Today Cascais is a dormitory town of Lisbon but there is still a lot to see and do.

Cascais is still a small, pretty fishing port which is small enough to be explored on foot over the course of a weekend. The town is dominated by a small beach with a still active fishing industry. There is a pretty harbour with lots of splendid yachts mixed with small fishing boats. Legend even has it that it was a Cascais fisherman, a certain Afonso Sanches, and not Columbus who discovered the New World ten years before the famed date of 1492.

Behind the harbour and the beach is an old town with a maze of small streets and side streets with shopping, an internet caf – don’t forget to explore the small side alleys, plenty of which feature tucked away little restaurants, often with fixed price menus with good food.

Also tucked away in the back streets is the fish market where some of the fisherman haul their small boats and catches. See photo below.

In 1926 the railway line from Lisbon to Cascais was the first to be electrified in Portugal and this is the best way by public transport to get in to Lisbon if you want to do some shopping. Cascais is at the end of the line and the train takes you along to coast to Cais do Sodre. From there, you can easily transfer to Lisbon’s metro which is frequent, safe and inexpensive and allows easy access to all the things and places you may want to do or visit in Lisbon. Though there is shopping to be had in and around Cascais in the form of trestle table markets where the speciality is fine linens and embroidery and there is one shopping complex in Cascais and another much larger one on the road to Sintra.

There is the Museu do Mar that depicts the story of Cascais and its fishing history. Three kilometres, about a 20-minute walk along the coastal road outside town is the Boca do Inferno where on rougher days the sea hammers into the rock through a blow hole creating spectacular spray giving meaning to the English translation of “mouth of hell.” A small piece of trivia: Aleister Crowley came to Boca do Inferno to fake his own death in 1930. It is possible to walk all the way from Cascais to Estoril along a waterfront boardwalk where you can see plenty of beaches, though these can become crowded in the summer months.

The best beach nearby (reached by bus from outside the train station every one or two hours) is the sandy beach of Guincho – see photo right. If surfing is your thing, the beach at Guincho has high waves that attract windsurfers from around the globe and has hosted the World Surfing Championships. The next town to the east of Cascais is the resort town of Estoril dominated by the Casino – which was used as the basis of the James Bond film Casino Royale.

To the north and within easy reach is the lovely hill town of Sintra and which was described in glowing terms by Lord Byron. All in all, a good destination for a long weekend with a chance to stay in Lisbon and visit Cascais and Estoril or stay in Cascais and visit Lisbon and Estoril.

There is only one airport in Barcelona city, commonly known by the locals as L’Aeroport del Prat. Barcelona Airport is located 12 kilometres south-east of Barcelona city centre and 3km from Barcelona’s harbour (one of the most important in the Mediterranean Sea). There are a few ways you can get from Barcelona Airport to the city centre, let’s have a look at them so you can go by;

By Taxi is without doubt the fastest way to leave Barcelona Airport but not necessarily the fastest way to get to your destination. Barcelona, is a big modern city and has so much traffic that sometimes it can drive you nuts. The airport taxi rank is on the left hand side when you leave the airport main exit. There are taxis 24/7 all year long and they’ll always have change of a 20 euro note (this is your right as a customer) but any bigger note than that, could cause you problems when paying, especially late at night. All official Barcelona taxis are black and yellow and are required to charge you only the value on the meter, though the Beetle has heard stories of unscrupulous taxi drivers who won’t give change and drive off with a large note – but this is taxi drivers the world over. Expect to pay around 25 euros for the journey into the centre of town. There will also be an additional surcharge charge for each bag you’re carrying. The rates are displayed inside the cab. Taxi drivers have been obliged to accept guide dogs for blind people since 1993 by law.

By AeroBus. The AeroBus is, as you may have already guessed, a Bus service. It’s simply one of those Airports to City Centre destinations only that all big airports have. This service runs normally runs every 15 minutes within its fixed hours of operation (see official website) for the exact timetable for the Aerobus.) You can catch the Aerobus from the airport and it stops at all 3 terminals. The aerobus will then take you to the city centre where you can get off at either Placa Espana or Placa de Cataluna in the city centre. From there you can catch the metro – see here for a map and details of the barcelona metro. Please note that the metro does not run to the airport. You buy the ticket on the bus, it costs (at the time of writing) 3.75 euros one-way and 6.45 euros return, they accept Visa. The journey from Barcelona Airport to the city centre is about 30 minutes long.

By Night Bus. There is also a regular local night bus, the 106, which takes you from Barcelona airport to Plaza Espana. This is the only late night public transport service available. Try to be at the bus stop about 10 minutes early, as the timetables are approximate and it always depends on traffic. You can buy a ticket on board just try to have some change on you. If you don’t know where you have to get off, ask tell the driver which your stop is and he’ll let you know.

By Train. The RENFE train service runs approximately every 30 mins to and from Barcelona airport to the city centre. The travel time approximately 25 minuets. If travelling from the airport to the city centre you will need to get off at Barcelona Sants and change either for another RENFE train to Placa Catalunya or for the Barcelona metro underground system. If you have not bought a T10 ticket and just purchased a normal ticket then you will have to buy another ticket for the change at sants. If you have a T10 ticket you can change without paying an additional charge. The metro runs directly from Barcelona Sants station and from Passeig de Gracia. Barcelona Sants station is a major rail station that offers train connections to many other destinations outside Barcelona. The price depends on where you stop but getting to the centre will cost you 2.30 euros. You can get straight into four of Barcelona’s main train stations offering connections to anywhere in Spain. Be warned that you’ll need your ticket on arrival at your destination, so don’t throw your ticket away. While you can take your pets on local transport, they must be on a lead or in some sort of cage. You can also take bicycles on the local train but there are some restrictions at peak times.

By Car. There are many car hire companies based in Barcelona Airport. If you plan to drive in the city you’d better get hold of a good street map, remember Barcelona isn’t a small city (over 3 million people live there and most of them have cars.) The journey to the city could take about 20 minutes but that will depend on traffic conditions. If you plan to stay in Barcelona city, I wouldn’t recommend hiring a car as it’d be more trouble than it’s worth and public transport can take you anywhere at anytime. However if you plan to visit the outskirts of the city, a car would be helpful.

For more information on timetables and routes, see:

Karen (see photo left) is a London based artist and architect whose passion is sketching and painting life around her, in her annotated, watercolour sketchbook diaries.

Karen says, “This might be in the bustle of a market, on the top of a cathedral or down in a wine cellar, the middle of a city or even the middle of nowhere. I have kept annotated, watercolour sketchbook diaries for almost twenty years. I stand in situ and draw with bic biros, (I do not use a camera) adding watercolour and notes around the perimeter. Sometimes the words venture into the drawing and become an integral part.”

Karen goes on to say, “In 2001 I was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to undertake an artist’s journey through World Heritage Cities and Sites from France, travelling eastwards through eight countries, including Iran, Uzbekistan and India to Nepal, recording it all in the pages of my sketchbook diary. Subsequently I have spent time in Cuba, and the World Heritage City of Havana, culminating with a solo exhibition of my work at the British Ambassador’s Residence there.”

Karen’s work has included a community project along Hadrian’s Wall, and sketching in and around the Palace of Westminster, both of which are World Heritage Sites, as well as a spell as ‘artist in residence’ at the Athenaeum. Karen was also the ‘MCC Young Cricket Artist for 2005’, based at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

On October 9th 2006, Karen’s London sketchbook diary was published by Methuen, and launched (see photo right) together with an exhibition of paintings from the sketchbook at the Waterloo Gallery, London where various London glitterati and Globetrotters turned up to sup wine and admire Karen’s superb drawings.

If you would like more information about Karen’s work or would like to contact her, please visit her website or e-mail her on: info@karenneale.co.uk

London in Landscape can be purchased online from The Westminster Bookshop and Amazon Books as well as all good bookshops.

Santiniketan is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, and approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). It was made famous by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town (Visva-Bharati University ) that attracts thousands of visitors each year. Santiniketan is a tourist attraction also because Rabindranath lived here and penned many of his literary classics (namely Tagore songs, poems, novels etc.) and his home is a place of historical importance.

Santiniketan means “abode of peace”. In 1863, a meditation centre was founded at Santiniketan by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, the father of the world famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. He had established the Brahmo Vidyalaya and in 1901 another open-air laboratory school. In 1921, it had expanded into Visva-Bharati University.

Visva-Bharati is a residential university with International body, hostels and extensive grounds. It includes separate colleges for fine arts and crafts, dance, music, teachers training, Asian Languages, technology, post graduate studies and research. “Rabindra-Sadhana” is the university’s museum and the centre for the study of Tagore. There is another institution for rural reconstruction, health, social welfare, and the revival of the folk arts at Sriniketan, which is very close to Santiniketan.

This institution also founded by Tagore in 1922. On your visit to Santiniketan you will notice yourself drawn to a place called the ashram that comprises all that Kabi Guru (Lord of Poets) Rabindranath Tagore had established. Santiniketan is the embodiment of serenity and peace, far removed from the concrete jungle. Here imposing sculptures of Ram Kinkar greet you at every turn of the road. Paintings of Nandalal, Abanindranath and Binod Bihari captivate your senses. Uttarayan is the complex where Rabindranath lived, has a museum and art gallery.

Visva Bharati University is the University at Santiniketan, 2 km from the nearest railway station Bolpur, is now a centre of international studies and culture. The university is also open to visitors. Sriniketan, a centre for traditional handicrafts like batik (on leather, cloth and silk), pottery, weaving kantha embroidery and dokra tribal handicrafts is situated three kilometres from Santiniketan. The Ashram area represents the encouragement and belief of Tagore even though it seems overshadowed by the university.

A visitor usually takes cycle rickshaw rides in and around the area. What would draw your attention would be boards that say Heritage Complex. Although the saddened state of the buildings do not have the basic paint jobs done and doesn’t fit with the image of a heritage complex, you would not really mind it. There are plenty of places to stay in Santiniketan. On reaching there, be sure to ask any of the locals. People all over Bengal are known for giving good directions. Long live Santiniketan, long live Tagore.

About the author: Arjun Mukherjee is a song writer and a musician who loves to travel and photography is also his hobby. His website can be found at : www.arjun.in and Arjun can be contacted by e-mail: arjun@123linux.com