For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich. yorku. ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.
Meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8. 00 p. m.
Saturday December 3 saw the Globetrotters Club celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding, shortly after the end of the Second World War. In order to mark the occasion a party was held after the monthly London meeting at the Church of Scotland venue in Covent Garden.
During the interval, as well as the usual mutual aid session, club President and media personality Janet Street-Porter said a few words before blowing out the candles on a brightly coloured birthday cake. Janet, a keen walker herself, had clearly enjoyed Terry Richardson’s talk on the St. Paul Trail (see December meeting news), and is always keen to get off the well beaten track. She also made it clear that she was proud to be President of the club, and congratulated it heartily on reaching 60 years.
During the course of the talks, members and guests were given the opportunity to complete a 60 question travel quiz compiled by Gavin Fernandes, the highest scorers receiving prizes for their efforts. Overall the level of knowledge was very impressive, with the top score, a staggering 57 out of 60.
A quick makeover then took place as the Church Hall was converted from lecture theatre to party venue and the wonderful culinary creations of Jacqui Trotter were laid out on the trestle tables. Globies were just about able to contain themselves until this process was complete, though seconds later the tables were all but stripped bare as plates were rapidly filled, over-filled and refilled! Thankfully, however, Jacqui had judged things perfectly and there was plenty to go around.
As well as food, a number of people had brought along wine (with the blessing of the Church!) and the party soon became a little livelier, with committee member Jeanie Copland cutting a fine rug to the music that had by now replaced the slide show.
Congratulations once again then to the Globetrotters Club and all its members.
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When based in Asmara , Eritrea and off-duty , I was determined to research as much of the history of the country. One of the fascinating facets is readily available on the Internet – just search for “steam-trains. ” But finding the restored trains proved more difficult.
I was extremely fortunate to discover the whereabouts of the old Asmara Railway Station being tucked away off the main eastern entrance road that itself meanders up the fearsome passes that connects to the coastal port of Massawa. No locals were able to direct me, especially given the language barrier. I spoke a few words of Tigrinia and most spoke little if any English.
The little station looks exactly like any old movie, as do the little narrow-gauge rolling stock. There are several steam-engines reposing in a shed. They were built in the Italian city of Breda and some date back to 1937. On my first visit there, I learned that a group of German tourists were due to visit there on the next Saturday. I was luckily off-duty that day, so naturally made my way to the station.
The Germans, an all male group were enthralled and clicked away with every description of cameras and also whirring away with a multitude of video cameras. Fortunately they made no objection to my discreet presence as I too clicked away.
The steam engine puffed up to the carriages with much tooting and then left the station down the mountain passes. At every stone bridge and tunnel, the engine driver obligingly reversed back and forth so that many photos could be taken. At some old halts en route, the tourists were able to disembark in order to take photos at ground level. A fruitful day for them indeed.
Due to the Ethiopian/ Eritrean wars, the railway system got into a serious state of disrepair. Rails and sleepers were used elsewhere for road bridges, buildings or fortifications.
Since the last war ended in 2000, the Eritrean Railway Company got restarted with State assistance. Many aged artisans came out of retirement to show the younger generation exactly how to restore, rebuild and maintain the steam engines and rolling stock.
Many parts of the rail-bed had to be repaired using bulldozers, front-end loaders, graders and labourers, before rejuvenated rails and sleepers could be re-laid.
The Eritrean railway system had originally been built by the Italians during the ’20’s when they occupied Abyssinia (later renamed Ethiopia) and the meticulous stone bridges and tunnels are a lasting tribute to their artisans. Mines had also to be cleared from many places like bridges, tunnels and roadbeds.
It was envisaged that steam-train enthusiasts from all over the world would flock to Eritrea to view the unique narrow-gauge system. This of course depends on the fragile peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which lately has seen much rhetoric and sabre rattling between the two sides. The UN-presence has been instrumental since 2000 to preserve the peace.
Travelling into Eritrea has for years been extremely difficult. They have had many years of wars with their neighbour and former ruler Ethiopia, so thus have become extremely careful of any new arrivals.
As far as is known, genuine tourists that have booked Red Sea dives will obtain visas. In our flying staff’s case, getting a visa was “easy ” provided one followed the UN procedure. This required :
1. Obtaining a fax/e-mail copy of the arriving crew-member’s passport ;
2. Writing a letter to the UN in Asmara [capital of Eritrea] to which one then attached the copy of the incoming crew-member’s passport;
3. I used to visit the Head of the Travel Dept , who in turn dictated another letter addressed to the relevant Colonel of the Eritrean Army;
4. When this letter was typed and signed, one was ready for the next steps;
5. Make 3 photo-copies in advance of everything, as the army & immigration dept photocopy machines were not serviceable.
6. It was found expedient to phone ahead to the Colonel’s office for an appointment but one often found him out, away or busy.
7. When finally seated face-to-face with a very pleasant Colonel, getting the approval letter was usually done quickly, especially as I used to take along a bottle of South African liqueur or a old novel
8. The final step was to the Immigration Department where there invariably a long queue. Of course they too had an application form requiring to be filled in, so I learned to pre-enter it having made photocopies of that as well, beforehand. Visa periods could go to 6 months, but usually they were valid for 30 days.
If one was lucky enough to get to the counter that day, then the wad of letters and visa application form were handed in and a suitable fee was to be paid in US $ notes-[about $150 was the usual. ] More queues – one at the cashier’s office and another queue back at the Immigration’s Visa counter, to hand over the receipt. It also was not a good idea to have to visit the toilet whilst in the queue.
Now came the wait for the Visa to be issued. If the issuing person was in his office, then the Visa would be typed & signed within a few hours, but often it was best to return the next day. More queuing for your turn to find out if the latest wad of visas, brought down from a upstairs office, contained the one you handed in.
On the next day, after patiently waiting in a long queue, one invariably found a semi-literate clerk who could hardly understand English or even Italian, who could not find any of one’s documents. Knowing a few words of the local language, Tigrinya certainly helps. Thus back to one’s own office to start again. The answer was to present him/her with a spare set of photo-copied letters with passport copy and application form, so that they could compare the person’s picture, name and locate the Visa and hand it over.
Once in possession of the Incoming Crew’s Visa, it was best to scan it, e-mail it to them so as to present it on arrival at Asmara Airport. It was possible for the Immigration department to have the visa on hand on arrival but that took a lengthy wait in yet another queue there.
It was not possible to apply for a Visa at the airport of arrival. Anyone arriving without a visa was summarily deported; being put back onto the aircraft that brought you there was the usual procedure. Thus there were of course additional flight and accommodation costs. This happened once to an incoming crew-member required urgently. Nobody realized in time that the Eritrean Army & Immigration Offices would be closed for public holidays on a Tuesday and the next day as well. So although armed with all application forms, UN and Army letters, and presented to Immigration Officials at the Asmara Airport by me beforehand, that incoming crew-member found himself deported! When flying from Nairobi to Eritrea on Eritrean Airlines Boeing 767, they positioned an officious clerk at the aircraft door to expressly check every passenger to make sure they held valid visas.
Yet another method of visa acquisition was possible; by applying at the Eritrean Embassy. In our case this was in Pretoria but it took a week and cost plenty more than when obtained in Eritrea.
So good luck!
Theo Truter has been a light aircraft pilot all his life, flying all over Africa for the past 5 years doing UN-Contracts and other Contract flying – and before that a mixture of executive flights, safari flights, air charters, flying training and Consulting. That’s how he came to be in Eritrea, from whence his article’s research was made.
Using his camera he’s indulged in a bit of photo-journalism whenever possible & now has also added to his duties being the Editor for a worldwide weekly newsletter called South Africans Worldwide at www. saw. co. za
My arrival into Sydney at 5. 30am on a June Sunday
morning did not bode well as a sign of enjoying my week long stay in
Australia. After waiting patiently in a queue to get through
immigration, I went down to the baggage claim. No sooner had
I got
there when I got taken aside by Customs and frisked – arms and legs
splayed and repeatedly asked what I had in my luggage though it had not
arrived. I noticed other arrivals
from
the same plane look me up and down and give me a wide berth.
Did I have
alcohol, cigarettes, perfume, or anything else over the limit or
anything else that I should have declared?
I had none of these items and the aggressive questioning really irritated me, even more so because I was sitting next to 2 lovely men from Croatia on the plane from Singapore, and they were both carrying about 12 bottles of plum brandy each, from their family trip home to Zagreb, and I was carrying absolutely nothing incriminating whatsoever! The woman asked to see my passport and took an inordinate amount of time flipping each page over and an almost audible tut could be heard as she flicked through. My Customs card was in my passport and she took it out and wrote something on it. I could not quite make out what, but it looked like a number. Talk about having your card marked. She handed my passport back to me and left me without saying a word so I went over to the luggage carousel and waited.
Whilst
waiting for my luggage to arrive, I got talking to a lady in a
wheel chair and helped her with her luggage when I caught the same
Customs woman watching me with a beady look in her eye. I
then realised
I was in for the long run here at Sydney airport and thought back about
why she had descended on me, why she was being so rude and aggressive
and why she had picked me out. Maybe because I looked
slightly
dishevelled after the overnight flight, maybe because my passport has a
lot of stamps in it or maybe she just doesn’t like Beetles – who knows,
I will never find out.
My luggage arrived, just a small suitcase (with a suit, shoes, couple of books, jeans, jumpers and that really was about it), and when I got to the Customs post, the inspector looked at my Customs form, I noticed the same Customs woman walking towards me and then I was promptly handed back to her with no words, no explanation and taken away into a side area. The whole thing had an Orwellian feel to it.
I
was instructed to open my own luggage, but not to touch anything
inside. If I hadn’t been so tired, it would have been quite
funny,
because she was so dramatic, barking orders like I’d just arrived in
prison and had to obey without question. Back pack first,
then luggage.
Item no 1 in my day pack: yummy biscuits from Singapore for the journey
I’d planned to make to the Blue Mountains. The female customs
official
tried to confiscate my chocolate chip shortbread biscuits bought in
Singapore for the long airport wait and I’d forgotten to eat them, by
claiming them to be ‘food’ – I agreed and said yes, shortbread is food,
but they are unopened and totally allowed. I asked her if she
wanted
one and she sourly said that she could not accept food because it might
be poisoned. My day dreaming got slightly the better of me,
I’d taken
the seven hour overnight flight from Singapore, had no sleep and was
far from best form but some childish notion inside me propelled me to
an alternate universe where I was watching the Customs woman writhing
on the ground having eaten a poisoned biscuit.
The female customs official then got slightly hysterical because I have been to Indonesia not once but twice (and now three times) and she would not listen to my answers. Diving, I kept saying, for diving. She kept telling me that I had been to Bali in December 2004, and I kept saying no, it was 2 years ago in December i. e. 2003, it was like a pantomime act – oh yes you have, oh no, I haven’t. I started to wonder – are you supposed to argue with Customs officials? What happens if they think you are being argumentative, what powers do they have next, even though I am only telling the truth because this woman is mistaken. Then she saw the recent US stamp and then the Myanmar stamp and this sent her into a whole line about why, why, why, why without bothering to listen to my responses which were polite and succinct.
I have no idea whether I was being accused of being an
international terrorist or a drug dealer or what, but the woman was
fast gathering speed in her distrust of me and there seemed to be some
unspoken accusation hanging in the air. I asked the woman,
why did you
stop me, what is it that you suspect me of? She told me in very snotty
and superior tones that she was not at liberty to tell me. So
not a good
start!
And what was so ironic about this whole episode – I was after another
30 minutes dismissed – when I got out of the airport and later picked
up a newspaper, I discovered that the whole of Australia was up in arms
about the Queensland woman who got caught smuggling 4 ½ kgs
of cannabis in her boogie board in Bali, and the suspicion that they
had been put there by a Brisbane airport based gang of airport based
dug dealer baggage handlers.
It was winter in Oz back then, in June 2005 when I made this trip, so it was like an early autumn day in the UK, cold and windy, briskly chilly but sunny at the same time, if that makes sense. I spent only a week in Australia and visited the Blue Mountains for a few days and spent the rest of my week in Sydney; did the usual touristy kind of things, Darling Harbour, Opera House, the Botanical gardens. I especially liked Darling Harbour which is really lovely to wander around. There are some very nice sculptures in a tranquil area bordered by the sea on one side and tall high rise buildings on the other. It felt a little bit like being in Manhattan. There’s one lovely huge spiral pond type of thing, a bit like an Escher drawing that consists of lots of downward spirals like a snail shell each carrying dribbles of water. That had me fascinated.
I
have been to Sydney three times before and have never been carried away
by it, and I hope that my airport experience did not colour my view,
but I came to the conclusion that the area from Liverpool st upwards to
circular quay – about half a km – is architecturally interesting, with
a mix of early 20th century buildings and modern high rise, and it too
has character. But there are some pretty hideous modern
buildings when
they could be so amazing – there are so many cities, London included,
where modern architecture, in my opinion anyway is done so
well. I
found the rest of metropolitan Sydney to be pretty dull (sorry
Australian readers!) and samey and decidedly lacking character, though
found a nice suburb, Surrey Hills, just to the right of central Station
which has lots of nice cafes and restaurants and those colonial types
of narrow terraced houses with pretty wrought iron balconies.
I also
kept being ripped off with change, this happened every single day when
I would be short changed in shops. I was also over charged by
the hotel
I stayed in in the Blue Mountains, which again didn’t feel too good; I
guess this thing happens everywhere where you are noticeably from out
of town, but this is the first time in any country this has happened to
me.
What could I have done differently? I really don’t know, maybe it is luck of the draw, but it was not a good experience and the attitude of the Customs official was really uncalled for and quite unnecessary. Have you had any bad airport experiences? Write in and tell the Beetle!
Last year, in 2005, readers of Conde Nast Traveller magazine – the bible of the travel industry – have recently voted Glasgow as second only to London as a UK tourist destination. It was the 18th most popular city in the world for city breaks in 2003 with 3. 2 million visitors. It was also voted second only to London for its food scene. And, being a resident of this great city, it’s easy to see why Glasgow is so popular. Here’s Charlie’s internet guide of things to do and see whilst in Glasgow.
City of Culture in 1990: virtual tour of his surviving works. Glasgow is a fabulous place for retail therapy and has the glitziest and most stylish of shops, all contained within the city centre.
Glasgow International Airport is on the city doorstep – literally 10 minutes away from the centre, Glasgow West End, centred around Byres Road, is the place to be for small cafes, bars, delicatessens and interesting restaurants. This is where the celebs live! http://www.cnag.org.uk/ggc.htm
The home of Billy Connolly, Glaswegians have a style of humour all their own. It is born out of their tough, industrial history but lives on in what has become a sophisticated, vibrant city one bedroom apartment in the city centre available for short breaks He is also part of Highland Country Weddings Ltd, a Scotland based weddings agency. For free discussion about your own wedding plans and free, no obligation quote, go to http://www. highlandcountryweddings.co.uk/
Institutional Investor magazine’s recently ran its 25th annual survey of its wealthy readers. The St. Regis Hotel in New York was ranked first among the world’s top hotels by Institutional Investor magazine. Survey respondents had average annual incomes of $817,000 and spent an average of 62 nights in a hotel last year, the magazine said.
Following the St. Regis in descending rank were: Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme; Mandarin Oriental, New York; Four Seasons Milan; Four Seasons Singapore; Four Seasons George V, Paris; Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco; Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore; Peninsula Hong Kong and Four Seasons, Chicago.
World Tourism
The World Tourism Organisation announced last month that the number of tourists around the globe should climb by 4 to 5 percent in 2006 and that tourism grew strongly in 2005 year despite natural disasters and attacks.
World tourism as measured by international arrivals, rose 5. 5 percent in 2005 to a record 808 million arrivals though the pace of growth had slowed sharply from the 10 percent rise in 2004. “Gradually slowing growth is expected to continue,” the World Tourism Organisation said in a statement and that growth was likely to stay above the long-term average of 4. 1 percent thanks to a more robust global economy and an improved outlook in Europe, particularly Germany, one of the biggest groups of global tourists.
The WTO said that terrorism, the effect high energy prices could have on the economy and bird flu could yet threaten tourism. “However, experience shows that (terrorism’s) impact lately has been rather limited and short-lived. Travellers overall have assumed the risk and have been undeterred by external threats. ”
So where is tourism growing the fastest? The answer appears to lie in Africa, up by 10 percent, led by Sub-Saharan countries such as Kenya with a 26 percent rise in arrivals in the first 10 months of the year and Mozambique with 37 percent more visitors in the first 9 months of the year.
Tourism to Asia and the Pacific grew 7 percent in 2005. Countries directly affected by the tsunami which washed away hotels and beachfronts in late 2004 suffered drops; the Maldives received 39 percent fewer tourists while visitor numbers to Indonesia fell 9 percent. And Sri Lanka reported a drop of just 0. 4 percent but that figure could have been skewed by the arrival of aid workers and Sri Lankan expatriates.
Whilst a string of hurricanes hit the southern United States last year clouded the outlook for the tourist market, optimism was starting to return and despite lengthy airport security procedures cause delays on arriving in the US, the number of visitors to the United States rose 8 percent last year.
Mac has not been very well,
but is still e-mailing strong. Here’s an account of a trip he
made to
South Africa some time ago.
In South Africa I had been cutting my own hair but was invited to some wealthy South African friends of a friend of mine home. (They had their own game reserve, plane etc. ) so I thought I better get a better haircut so as to not disgrace my friend. When I went to the barber he took one look at my hair and said. “I see you have been having a go of it yourself. ‘
At a Catholic church in Johannesburg they hear confessions in Sesotha, Padi, Tsnamia, Zulu/Xnoise, Chiceno, English, Afriken, Dutch, Spanish, Italian and French but the priest did not understand my English (thank heavens!) At Notre Dame Cathedral in Pairs they hear confessions in Esperanto. Learning Esperanto is a good way to meet Esperanto speakers all over the world. I have a friend that speaks Esperanto and he goes all around the world spending a day or two with someone he has met this way. Actually all I think he knows how to say is Hello.
A white South African priest in Cape town told me that when they had apartheid he went out to meet an American priest at the airport. He could not find him and finally found him in the black section. When he asked the priest why he was there, the American said the other waiting room read Europeans Only and he was not European. This was his way of making fun of apartheid.
When I was in South Africa, a Canadian lady went on Sabi Sabi Reserve looking for animals. They got up at 5am each morning as we did also. They had a guide who warned them to not stand up if they saw any animals. They did this for three days and all they saw were birds! We were luckier at the Kruger Game Park. Sometimes you are lucky and sometimes you aren’t. If unlucky I suggest you go to the wonderful zoo in Pretoria. I enjoyed it even after being to all the game parks.
At hotel Killarney in Durban South Africa they had a Monks Inn where they have strip shows with lunch. You often see signs Steak, Eggs and Chips. This sign read Steak, Eggs, and Strips. If you see a strip show in a Monks Inn is that a double sin?
At Bergkelder winery at Stellenbosch (a university town in South Africa) I leaned that sweet taste buds are at the front of your tongue and bitter taste buds are at that back of your tongue. I wonder what I will learn tomorrow? Probably that I have a headache.
I went to see the l000 hills near Durban. There are 1000 Zulus living in 1000 hills. I asked the Zulu guide if I only looked at l5 of them (the hills) could I get a discount? He jokingly ordered me off the tour bus. He told us some of the Zulu history. There was a Zulu King named “Follow Me” in Zulu. He got a young girl pregnant. He denied he was the father saying it was a false pregnancy (her imagination. ) When the baby was born the new mother named the baby boy False Pregnancy, in Zulu, “Shaka. ” Shaka grew up to be a warrior and leader of the Zulus. He trained the Zulus to walk barefoot on thorns to toughen their feet (we did the same thing in basic training. ) It was rather a long but true story and one of the lady tourists interrupted this fascinating story to announce that she was cold.
The oldest bar in Capetown is the Firemans Bar. Firemen from ships used to go there. On the wall they have listed a telephone service with charges for answering services. He’s not here: 20 cents. He’s just left: 25 cents. Haven’t seen him all day: 30 cents. Haven’t seen him all week: 35 cents. Who? 40 cents.
In Durban I wanted to go out to the Hare Krishna Centre (there are a lot of Indians that live in Durban and some are very wealthy. ) I had not been out to the Hare Krishna centre in Virginia but decided to see this one in South Africa. I was told to take the Indian bus out from the Indian market. I asked how I would know the Indian bus and was told, “It has Indians on it. ”
En route to Addo Game Reserve 90 kilometres from Port Elizabeth, the guide was telling us the farmers in the desolate area raised goats. The German along with us did not know what animal the driver was talking about. I pointed to my goatee and then he knew. They used to feed the elephants citrus fruit and apples at 4. 30 PM (there is a travel book entitled Elephants arrive at half past four. ) But they have quit doing this as they want the elephants to take care of themselves so they now issued them food stamps. The elephants are smaller at this reserve.
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
meeting news from around the world
Ryanair will soon make passengers who wish to travel with bags that weigh over 10kg (the weight limit for bags permitted as hand luggage) pay £5 per piece of checked luggage, or £2. 50 per bag if it has been registered in advance on the airline’s website – an initiative the budget airline claims will mean only 25 per cent of its passengers losing out financially. For those who have bags that weigh more than 20kg, there will be an excess baggage fee of £5. 50 per kg.
This means that for example, two people cannot share their luggage allowance. This is a u-turn to existing policy where Ryanair used to allow passengers travelling together to pool their baggage allowance. The move will penalise families with young children in particular, as children do not have a separate baggage allowance so their belongings must be included in their parents’ allowance.
For passengers travelling with hand luggage only, the new rules could be good news, as those in possession of an EU passport will now be able to check in online at www. ryanair. com , before going to the airport and will be eligible for priority boarding.
The charges will apply to bookings made after March 16.
Also from March 16, Ryanair will allow passengers to by-pass airport check-in if they have previously checked in on the carrier’s website. This service is available to EU passport holders travelling with hand luggage only and mirrors a similar recent move by smaller low-cost rival Flybe. These passengers will be given ‘priority boarding’ which will also reduce boarding gate queues. However, passengers checking in baggage on flights booked after March 16 will now pay a fee — 2. 50 stg (3. 50 eur) per bag, per flight, if booked in advance on the website, or 5. 0 stg (7. 00 eur) per bag, per flight, if presented unbooked at the airport.
Simultaneously, Ryanair is increasing each passenger’s luggage allowance from the current 25 kgs to 30 kgs — comprising 10 kgs carry-on and 20 kgs checked in luggage, a move it reckons will substantially reduce excess baggage fees.
Passengers who check-in on the web claiming hand luggage only but then turn up at the boarding gate with baggage will be sent back to the check-in desk and ‘fined’ £25.
Against the backdrop of the Eastern Himalayas lies a grass and jungle habitat of unparalleled beauty. Tigers, Asian elephants, golden langurs, one-horned rhinoceros and Bengal Florican share this wilderness with other rare and endangered species. And, as it flows down from the Eastern Himalayas to the plains below, the silvery waters of the Manas river nurture this paradise and the myriad creatures that reside within. Manas was chosen by UNESCO to be a World Heritage site.
Manas is in Assam, and is a National Park included as part of the Project Tiger Reserve in 1973 at the time of launch of the Project Tiger in India. The Reserve area falls in six districts, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamrup and Darrang. Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the buffer of the Reserve. Manas is located at the confluence of Indian, Ethiopian and Indo-Chinese realms resulting in the magnificent biodiversity.
Home to the wild buffalo, elephant, tiger and rhino, Manas harbours the maximum number of endangered species from India as listed in the IUCN Red Book. Lying in the foothills of the outer Himalaya, the low-lying and flat Manas habitat is a linear belt that extends between the Sankosh river to the West and the Dhansiri river in the east. Manas landscape offers one of the most stunning sceneries among the wildlife areas in India. Additional excitement is to make time for a trip across the river to Bhutan for which you need permission from the authorities. Permits to visit can be obtained from the Field Director’s Office in Barpeta Road.
Key Species: Tiger, capped langur, wild buffalo, hoolock gibbon, golden langur, elephant, pygmy hog
The weather: climate is typically moist tropical. The temperatures in summer are at a tolerable 35�C with nights at 18.3�C. The winters are cool with a maximum temperature of 24�C and the minimum at a chilly 7.2�C. Rainfall between 3,332 mm. to 4,489 mm. is a regular feature. Heavy downpours that flood the park are not uncommon. The humidity is high, up to 76 per cent. November and February are deemed to be the best seasons.
Getting to Masnas: By Air: Guwahati airport is 176 km. away. By Rail: Barpeta Road (40 km.) is the closest railhead to Guwahati. From here, one can continue onto Manas by road. Barpeta Road also serves as the sanctuary headquarters. By Road: Manas is accessible from Guwahati (176 km.), Kaziranga (403 km.), Darjeeling (466 km.), Shillong (287 km.) and Siliguri (386 km.) . Vehicles can be taken up to Mothanguri. Jungle visits may be on elephant back, jeep or car. With special permission boat rides are possible.
MKS Pasha is a Wildlife Conservationist by profession. He has a Masters’ degree in wildlife and has carried out wildlife research for 6 years with the apex Institute of India: Wildlife Institute of India on Ecology of Indian Bison. He has travelled extensively through India and has worked for Wildlife NGOs coordinating species conservation projects. He currently heads up the wildlife division of Travel Inn India Pvt. Ltd, one of the leading companies in wildlife tours in India. He can be contacted by e-mail: khalidpasha@travelinnonline.com or visit his website: www.travelinnonline.com
Port Renfrew is a small Canadian town with a major fishing problem. The problem is the sport fishing is great and only a few people know that. We arrive in Port Renfrew in late afternoon. Captain Quigley greets us at the entrance to Osprey Cabins. Quigley and his family provide these comfortable cabins in a beautiful rural setting – and there’s an outdoor hot tub to boot! 
Their place is one of the most popular accommodations in Port Renfrew, and their rates are very reasonable.
Captain Quigley is one of the most skilled and knowledgeable guides we’ve ever met. We’ve been out with the affable “Capt Quigs” before, at his other fishing operation in Sooke, BC. (45 minutes west of Victoria), so we know we’re in good hands!
The alarm shatters our solid sleep at 5 a.m. We’re on the water by 6:00. The sun is just coming up behind us as we speed westward, heading towards the mouth of the San Juan Inlet. Quigley’s boat is fast and powerful. We hang on to our seats as we bounce over the big waves!
We stop just off Camper’s Bay, where the West Coast Trail from Port Renfrew meets the “Pacific Ocean” for the first time. The shoreline cliffs are spectacular and carved into numerous huge dark caves.
Captain Quigley points over the port side towards the open Pacific. “Next stop Hawaii, and that way, Japan!” The water is as calm as it ever gets out here, but the rolling swells are huge. The sun is shining brightly now, but cool dark fog is already rising from the water, cloaking the cliffs. It looks like the trees are suspended in the air far above us. Captain Quigley tells us we’re sure to catch some big ones today. Swiftsure Bank, where Juan de Fuca Strait drops off into the deep blue Pacific, is where halibut and salmon are most plentiful. It’s hard to believe we’re fishing on the edge of the open Pacific Ocean.
The first one I catch is a screamer! They call it that because it grabs the bait and takes off. The line literally ‘screams’ as the fish runs. Quigley knows what to do. He puts the boat in gear and chases the fish. My eyes almost pop when I look down at the reel and there are only about 3 wraps of line left! In seconds, the fish has run almost 300 yards of line. I reel as fast as I can until the line’s tight again and the fight’s back on. Non-stop excitement, boats all around us are getting strike after strike. On Quigley’s radio, we can hear the guides sharing information about their catches – “Double strike, 40 feet down!” They all share their success so everyone else can succeed too. Even when there’s a lull, and the fish aren’t biting, Captain Quigley is entertaining us. He teaches us his latest fish-luring chant and the accompanying dance: “Chinook, Chinook – Bite on my hook, my hook!” There’s never a dull moment on board. And when the fish are biting, Quigley is a very patient teacher: “Let him run! That’s it?? He’s got the whole boat to play with. Let him tire himself out??”
Later, Quigley tells us a story about the biggest fish ever landed on his boat. He had taken an elderly couple on an expedition, and it was turning out to be a disappointingly uneventful day – not one bite! Until they decided to turn back??. Then, all of a sudden, they got a nibble. It was a huge struggle, but with Quigley’s help, they reeled it in – a 52 pounder! Now that’s a really big salmon. It went on to win several categories in the fishing derby. We catch our limit long before the charter’s over, each fish is in the twenty-pound range. We had about 100lbs of fish on board, enough to feed us all winter! (We were fishing for spring salmon as the Coho and Sockeye fisheries were temporarily closed.) When I made dinner that night, back in Victoria, one fillet filled the grill on my barbeque! Five people dug in and there was 2/3 left over! We’re talking serious salmon here, folks! Small town, big fishing problem – right? Now you know.
Ron Kirstein is the owner of a Canadian Travel & Tourism Web site (since 1995). Ron has travelled the length and breadth of Vancouver Island BC Canada in search of adventures – see – http://tourismmall.victoria.bc.ca/travelmagazine
“There must be a better way than this!” Jane muttered as she shuffled forward with all the other budget airline passengers. “After all it’s only a two hour flight, so why not make it just that little bit more comfortable, and not treat us like cattle?” Jane knew that it was a hackneyed expression, but said it anyway. It amused her as she thought of different names, such as Moove-over airlines, for the not so discerning traveller, and, Stampede Express, for the tourist who gets caught up in the rush. Jane must have laughed out loud as several enquiring and accusing faces glowered back at her. She could see them looking and shaking their heads in disbelief as she snorted with laughter! “Piggy Airlines, oink, oink, no free grub here!”
By now she was in convulsions, and only managed to stop when an over watchful security guard walked by and stared at her. “Threat to security too am I? Didn’t know that no frills meant no giggles too, oink, oink!” But, discretion being the better part of valour she shut up for fear of being kicked off the flight. The plane finally took off forty minutes late, with the pilot cheerily telling everybody, they would make up the time en-route. “Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.” Jane would have liked to have done so but found herself wedged in between two rather large people, who, as it turned out were travelling together. Jane thought. “Why on earth don’t they sit next to each other?” So she asked the lady if they would like to change places. “Oh no! We were on first, and this is where we stay, thank you very much. Besides Ronny has to have the aisle seat, as he always gets air sick!” Jane shuddered at the thought, and to try and take her mind off what might happen she began to read. But as soon as the seat belt sign went off, ‘Mrs Ron’ needed to use the toilet! It seemed to take ages for all three to get unwedged from their seats and in the scramble Jane’s book got trampled on, tearing its cover, and scattering several pages under the row in front.
Finally ‘Mrs Ron’ was free. But, just as she started down the aisle, the seat belt light went back on. The flight attendant, who looked about twelve, but with the authority of a sergeant major, commanded ‘Mrs Ron’ to return to her seat, ‘for her own safety, as we are about to come into some turbulence.’ Hastily ‘Mrs Ron’ did as she was told, but on her way back to her seat, managed to reduce the remainder of Jane’s book into a mass of unreadable waste paper. Jane gave a mirthless grin, and sighed, “at last, real pulp fiction!” as she closed her eyes to try to shut out her predicament. No chance there though! Just as she began to doze off, Jane got an elbow in her ribs. She woke with a start to see Mrs Ron delving into a large bag. Jane watched with interest as she rummaged deep into its seemingly bottomless interior, finally producing a foil pack that was literally bursting open with food. Mrs Ron leaned over Jane. “Pilchard and sweet corn sandwich first Ron?”
Jane groaned as Ron reached over, clammily grabbing the strong smelling sandwich, and devouring it in three big bites! “Mmmm, that was good,” he mumbled, “what’s next?” Mrs Ron passed him a large flaky sausage roll, which he proceeded to eat in the same fashion, that was until he inhaled a crumb, and began to cough violently, and in all directions at once! Jane got her share, and so did the man across the aisle, but as he was sleeping didn’t notice his newly decorated arm. Jane just sat there, unable to move, because Mrs Ron was leaning over her fussing around with tissues. “There, there, dear, shouldn’t bolt your food, that’ll teach you not to be so greedy.” Just then the pilot’s voice came over the intercom. “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, we hope that you’re all enjoying the flight, you’ll be very pleased to know we’ve made up the forty minute delay, caused by congestion over Paris, and now we’re ahead of schedule, and should be landing in approximately thirty minutes. The weather in Barcelona is sunny and the temperature is 21�Celsius. If you look out of the windows you’ll see a lovely view of Southern France and the Alps, but please remain seated as there are some thunder storms ahead and we may experience slight turbulence, but there is nothing to worry about so please sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight” Jane groaned. “That’s about the last thing I can do, I just want to get off, things can’t get any worse than this, I hate it!”
But she spoke too soon. Ronny leaned over to his wife and announced he felt ill! He reached for the sick bag, just in time, and it was all Jane could do to stop herself from copying him. But she held her breath, and her resolve, until slowly the nausea passed. This didn’t stop ‘Mrs Ron’s’ panic as she proffered more tissues to her ailing husband. Luckily the flight attendant was on hand with a damp cloth, and a replacement bag. For the rest of the flight a very pale looking Ronny sat there, seemingly glued to his seat, with the sick bag and damp cloth clamped firmly to his face. When they finally touched down, Jane breathed a sigh of relief, but all to soon. because no sooner had the plane come to a standstill Mrs Ron was up and trying to clamber over her to help her husband. The damp cloth landed on Jane’s lap, and the sick bag dropped onto the floor under her feet. It was awful, her worst nightmare come true. But Jane’s inscrutability stayed constant. Only a few more minutes and they’d be out of her life forever, or so she thought!
Jane hadn’t realised that the airport was about 90km from Barcelona, at least another two hours journey. She’d planned to meet up with her friend Helen in time for lunch, and would have liked the chance for a shower beforehand, but by the time the bus was destined to arrive there it would be mid afternoon. “Nothing I can do about it anyway” Jane shrugged, as she bought her bus ticket. “I may as well sit out in the sun ’til its time to leave” She propped her shoulder bag against a tree, and, using it as a pillow, closed her eyes, breathed in the airport aroma of aviation fuel, tobacco, and coffee, and listened to the sounds of activity all around her. The constant gentle drone began to relax her and she started to regain her composure from the flight when she heard it! She sat up straight and looked. There they were, “The two Ronnies” pushing an overloaded baggage cart towards the bus. Jane watched as the driver, who had been sitting on a bench smoking and reading his paper, slowly get up to help them with their luggage. From his gaze Jane could already see his contempt for them building up as they neared him. He helped them to stow their cases and watched as they climbed up into the hot and stuffy bus. They collapsed into opposite seats and began fanning themselves with newspapers.
Presently the driver started the bus to get the air conditioning going, and slowly it began to fill up. But Jane, being a ‘super-cool’ independent traveller remained sitting in the sun until the last minute! The driver signalled to her that he was about to leave, and to get on board. Jane stamped her ticket and found a seat, well away from the two Ronnies. The driver began to check the tickets and as he made his way towards the back of the bus she heard a familiar voice. “Two tickets please.” She listened as the driver explained :”You must buy your tickets in the airport building but please hurry as we are going now!” The two Ronnies barged their way off the bus, making a lot of fuss and complaining loudly. Finally, just as the driver was about to remove their luggage, they returned looking rather hot and flustered. Jane began to feel sorry for them, as they seemed very dejected and forlorn. But, her sorrow was short lived as they plonked themselves down heavily in the only empty available seat, right behind her!
Eventually they arrived in Barcelona and Jane got to meet up with Helen. Over a drink at a pavement caf� she began to recount her journey, the crush to get on the flight, the cramped conditions, her neighbours eating habits, and finally the long bus ride to Barcelona. Helen stared at Jane in disbelief. “That must have been pretty uncomfortable Jane, but I’m surprised at you. We’ve been friends ever since junior school, and I always thought that you had an eye for a bargain!” Jane stared at her. “What do you mean? I got here for less then �70!” Helen laughed. “Plus your food, plus the bus fare, plus no choice of seat, plus the crush to get a decent place, plus the hassle of cramped claustrophobic conditions. I reckon you must have parted with at least �100 to get here. Need I say more?” Jane splutteringly tried to justify herself. “OK Helen, how did you get here then, by magic carpet?” Helen smiled sweetly back at her. “I booked my British Airways ticket on line, it cost me �90.00 all in, I got the seat that I wanted, and a snack on the flight. Plus they fly directly into Barcelona, and not some distant airport. By travelling my way I got here quicker and have more time to do everything I want to! Taking all your extra costs in to consideration I reckon I got the better deal don’t you?” Jane pondered for a moment, but had to reluctantly agree, and as she mockingly poked out her tongue she replied. “OK, smarty-pants, you’re right, I think I’ve learned my lesson. The cheapest deal isn’t always the best. Next time, before I press the ‘accept’ key on my computer, I’ll do some research and check out all of the options including Thomas Cook. Now, come on! Finish your drink, and lets get sight seeing. There’s so much I want to see. Besides, see those two people hovering at the entrance?”
We mention the Trip Advisor survey in the side bar, but we thought you may be interested in seeing some of their key findings from a recent survey of over 3,000 travellers.
TripAdvisor.com is leading global travel information and advice destination, with more than 2.9 million unbiased reviews and opinions and covering 200,000+ hotels and attractions. With more than 18 million unique monthly visitors worldwide (source see
I was looking forward to my first visit to Scandinavia. I had always wanted to visit Sweden but had been put off by the impression that it is really expensive and the desire to have better weather than at home when taking a break. Gothenburg is located on the south western coast of Sweden, at the mouth of the Gota River. As the plane descended toward Gothenburg City airport I had my first glimpse of Sweden. There was no sign of snow, but plenty of conifers and great views over the coastline. As I didn’t feel like rushing off the plane, I underwent a rather rapid acclimatisation as the end of the queue for passport control stretched outside in the icy blast. I donned the polo neck, hat and gloves before venturing out to find the bus into the city, There were a few people hanging around but no sign of a bus. I asked a young Swedish couple and they told the bus would not be there for over an hour. They asked if I wanted to share a taxi into the city with them. They were returning home from Carlisle, their place of study, for the holidays. Another young guy approached us, enquiring if he could share the taxi too, and he was a Swedish student from Edinburgh. The bus would have cost �4 but it was �6 for the shared taxi. I was glad to reach the city more quickly while it was still light.
My hotel, the Eggers, was just across from the railway station. It was originally built in 1859 as the railway hotel, yet although it was so central it was amazingly quiet. It was renovated in the 1990s, with the aim of maintaining its original charm. As soon as I stepped into the lobby I was in awe of the marble floor, the pair of Doric Greek Revival pillars and the chandeliers. My hotel room was understated elegance. It even had a small, tasteful chandelier. It was very comfortable, with appropriate antique furniture but also had a broadband internet connection!
I’d heard so much about Liseberg Park that I decided to visit on my first evening. Walking around the park made me feel more festive but in a typically understated Swedish way. It was really quite breath taking. 
All the 3 million promised fairy lights were white and most of them draped around every branch of the trees, which made them look surreal. It was tasteful commercialism. The park was full of families, the kids excitedly queuing up for a ride in the reindeer drawn sleigh and toddlers practising their ski moves on the gentle nursery slope. There were braziers dotted around the park, in case you felt in need of quick heat or had some nuts to roast. The log cabin craft stalls sold all sorts of food, drink, gifts and homeware. It was very cold and windy, making me glad that I’d packed my thermal underwear.
I had heard the hotel had a haunted room, so next morning, I asked if I could see it. The manager very kindly showed me the room and told me the story. This was where the original owners of the hotel, the Eggers, had stayed. A couple of years ago when a chambermaid entered the room she saw an elderly lady sitting in one of the chairs in the lounge area. The chambermaid apologised to the lady saying that she had not realised that the room was occupied. The head housekeeper was consulted and confirmed that the room was vacant. On another occasion, a Swedish journalist staying in the room was advised by the barman to take a glass for the ghost when she retired to the room with a bottle one evening. She duly poured out a glassful for the ghost and when she awoke next morning the glass was empty!
I was keen to go down to the coast at Salthomen, a half hour tram ride from the city centre. I had a 48 hour Gothenburg Pass (costs around �24 for 48 hours) which covered all public transport, including ferries to the nearby islands and free entry to most museums and attractions. As Tuesday dawned (at around 9am) bright and sunny, I decided I should get going. Instead of being organised and first checking the times of the ferries to the nearby islands, I walked around and did some minor rock scrambling and took some photos. There were lots of boats tied up and wooden jetties to walk along. When I finally made it to the ferry terminal, I discovered that the ferry service had a 2 hour lunch break. There was a ferry just about to leave for the nearby island of Branno, but I either had to stay on the ferry and come straight back to Salthomen, or stay on the island for 2 hours and 20 minutes. I wasn’t willing to chance so long on the island as it was very cold, and I wasn’t sure what cafes or restaurants would have been open on a weekday in low season. I was cursing myself, as at any other time of the day I could have spent an hour on the island.
On arrival back at the city centre I decided to try a Swedish buffet lunch at the Scandic Europa Hotel. It was a wonderful spread, soup, salads, cold meats, breads, three hot main courses and a choice of desserts, for 98 Kroner (around �8). I have to say that I did not find Sweden to be any more expensive than the UK. I believe that alcohol is more expensive than in the UK, but as I never drink alcohol that didn’t affect me.
Then it was off the quayside to see the new Opera House and the sunset from the top of the Goteborgsutkiken (nicknamed the Lipstick). I also wanted to visit the Viking Barken, now used as a hotel-restaurant, and have a look at the cabins/rooms on board. There were 2 and 4 berth bunk bed cabins with shared bathroom facilities, or larger ensuite cabins. However, the lipstick viewpoint/cafe is only open during the summer. Anyway, I was keen to visit the City Museum, which closed at 5pm. The museum houses most of the wreck of a Viking longboat. There is a modern recreation of the boat hanging above, which gives you a more accurate idea of the dimensions. One of my favourite films as a child was a romantic adventure film about Vikings, starring Kirk Douglas. There were some Electrolux cylinder cleaners on display, and seeing things that you recall as household items as a child in a museum was rather disconcerting! There was a room featuring a Jubilee exhibition in Gothenburg during the Twenties. One of the reasons for the exhibition was to show Sweden’s industrial might. It also looked as though there was plenty of entertainment, and there was even a cr�che where you could leave the kids for the day.
The plan for that evening was to visit the Design Museum, as it was late closing there. It seemed to be sensible to do outdoor activities during daylight, and the museums in the evening. I returned to the hotel for a cup of tea (very thoughtfully provided in flasks in the foyer for guests). I already had a cold when I left Scotland and after being out in the cold I could not face going out again. I lay down on the bed at 5.15pm and then next thing I knew it was 7.30. The Design Museum was open until 9pm, but I had a bath, went back to bed and slept until 8am on Thursday morning. Although initially pretty annoyed with myself, I felt so much better the next morning, I consoled myself by rationalising that it was better to lose an evening than to chance feeling awful all the next day.
After breakfast I walked to the Fish Market. It’s called the “fish church”, as the building in which it’s housed resembles a church. It was much smaller than I anticipated. Then it was up to the Tradgards forenignen park to visit the palm house and the butterfly house. I had visions sitting reading with these tropical butterflies fluttering by. It was not to be, as it was closed for renovation. I wasn’t sure which museum to visit that afternoon, but was recommended to go the Universeum, 
the science discovery centre. it was very imaginatively designed, with a recreated rainforest on several levels and a recreated Swedish landscape from mountain top to the seashore and below. There were also several floors of hands on activities. You could drive a Volvo lorry, design a model and get into nuclear physics (if so inclined). I couldn’t even manage to get 2 racing car models going with binary code! There are plenty of young enthusiastic multilingual guides at hand to explain things.
I did enjoy just walking around the city centre along the canal sides and through the narrow streets and the grand avenues. Gothenburg is a grand city in an architectural sense, very spacious. I’ve heard it called the Swedish Amsterdam. I think that this is a slight on Gothenburg, as in my opinion it is much more attractive and less commercialised than Amsterdam. As a lone female, I felt relatively safe walking around in the evening. There was very little litter around, no beggars or hustlers and a fairly obvious but discreet police presence. As soon as you approached a pedestrian crossing, the cars would stop. All the locals that I spoke to replied in good or excellent English and were very polite and helpful. I would call it an extremely civilised city, low key, sophisticated in an unpretentious manner, far from soulless and regimented yet orderly and relaxing.
Gothenburg can offer something for almost every taste and budget. Families are well catered for, most hotels have family rooms, there is the Liseberg amusement park and the Universeum (targeted at age 5 – 19). Kids under 17 can eat free at selected restaurants with the Gothenburg pass. The culture vultures have a plethora of museums and galleries to visit. The foodies can enjoy several Michelin starred restaurants and great choice of seafood. Nature lovers have the botanical gardens and the nearby coast and islands. Shopaholics have the largest covered shopping mall in Scandinavia. One of my sons tells me that there is a cool club scene there.
Gothenburg really does have it all. With the accessibility afforded by Ryanair flights (under 2 hours from Glasgow Prestwick) it is a great short break destination that does not, contrary to popular belief, break the bank. Many locals said to me that I should visit in the summer as it is lovely then. I enjoyed being there in the winter. It was dead quiet in the museums and the evening floodlighting was beautiful. There’s lots to do inside so your visit is not particularly affected by the weather. I was fortunate in my visit that it was dry all 4 days, although only sunny for one. Although the public transport is excellent, I did mainly walk around my ports of call in the city centre. It was too cold to stand waiting for buses and trams and I felt one sees more when walking around.
Karen Bryan is an independent travel consultant and writer, specialising in less well known destinations in Europe. Her websites are: www.europealacarte.co.uk
Trip duration: 63 days
Trip miles to date: 6,920
Miles since last update: 1,288
The week has passed quickly as I’ve enjoyed being back on the road after the extended lay up in Santiago. Having picked up the bike on the 18th (and being relieved of a very large amount of money from my friends at the BMW garage) I immediately left Santiago and rejoined the PanAmericana (route 5) north bound.
Just to get some miles under the wheels felt good enough, but the expense of the BMW dealership had returned a lot of comfort and peace of mind. The fact that they washed off the grime of the previous 5,000 miles also added to my sense of well-being. I still have reservations about the bike, I certainly don’t believe that nothing else will go wrong, but at least I’m confident that I can deal with it when it happens.
After travelling through the lush landscapes of the wine regions, the terrain quickly changed again as I approached the legendary Atacama Desert – no less beautiful, but certainly more dramatic. The greens turned to rusty browns and the temperature began to rise. First night stop was in La Serena, a pretty resort town about 300 miles from Santiago.
Before long I came across the much photographed Atacama monument. Essentially a hand cast in cement sticking skyward from the desert just south of Antofagasta. During the obligatory photo stop I incurred this weeks disaster (!). Whilst standing next to the bike for a self-timer photo, I watched the strong wind blow the tripod and camera over, straight down onto the lens of the camera – duly destroying the camera.
Extended travel by motorbike is tough on all equipment, things wear out very quickly but I felt this loss deeper than others as I had really enjoyed taking photos. I knew I would shortly be in Bolivia, where chances of getting a replacement would be slim until La Paz (the capital). So I changed plans and headed to Antofagasta for the night and managed to pick up a similar (albeit inferior) Olympus camera, which t least meant that the USB cable and software would already be installed on the small travelling laptop I’ve been using to create the web updates.
The Atacama is an extraordinary environment. It is officially the driest place on the planet with average annual rainfall of 0cms. As the sky is extremely clear and free from interference many countries and organisations choose to locate space observatories in the area – and I happened to pass close to the European Southern Observatory on route to Antofagasta.
The next day I left the main route 5 (The PanAmericana) but not until I had registered crossing the Tropic of Capricorn at 23d 70m S.
I then traversed the Atacama towards the Salar de Atacama – essentially a large dried up salt-bed. It’s a strange feeling leaving the relative security of the Route 5. I would now be on my own for the next 250 miles at the mercy of any mechanical mishaps. What I could control was NOT to crash (!) and to carefully manage my fuel consumption. I had filled the auxiliary 10 litre tank which would extend my range to comfortably make San Pedro de Atacama on the other side of the Salar.
As it happened, there was a steady trickle of trucks coming the other way, carrying salt from the state-controlled mine in the southern edge of the Salar. The photos cannot adequately show the terrain I was crossing and the sense of adventure and the feeling of remoteness and isolation.
This is EXACTLY what I envisaged when I planned this trip.
Before I reached San Pedro, I stopped off at the Flamingo sanctuary on the western side of the Salar and got my first chance to see them in the wild. The surroundings, the calm and tranquil environment and seeing these birds in their natural habitat made a big impact on me and I look forward to seeing more as I travel through the southern regions of Bolivia.
As if sent by a higher authority to reinstate my faith in Germans, whilst at the sanctuary I met with the Kirchhof family. Formally of Dresden, but now resident in Quito, Ecuador and taking a holiday around northern Chile. After a quick soda we exchanged details and they invited me to call them when / if I get to Quito.
San Pedro itself is a sleepy town catering primarily to tour groups and the backpacker industry. It consists of dusty streets lined with adobe buildings containing either restaurants or tour agencies offering excursions to the surrounding attractions. It was nice to stay a day and relax and get some latest information on the state of affairs in Bolivia and location of gas stops etc. A couple of agencies run 3 and 4 day tours into Bolivia, just 80 miles across at this point so I’m hoping they had reasonably up to date information.
Bolivia has endured a period of civil unrest in the past few weeks as confidence in the President and the level of exploitation from foreign owned energy companies has been called into question. Roads have been barricaded and there was a general strike that lasted 2 weeks.
A Venezuelan couple I met in Santiago had been instructed by the Bolivian border control to only visit La Paz – this about three weeks ago. Therefore it is entirely possible I will be turned away at the border and told to enter further north.
But in reality, I may never be in this position, with this opportunity again so I have to take the chance and enter tomorrow. Having talked to locals, and reviewing all the usual website updates (including the Foreign & Commonwealth website) I believe that the climate has cleared a little so I’m hopeful I will be able to enter.
If you want to know more about Greg’s travels, visit his website at: http://www.unbeatentrack.com/
We are sorry to say that Mac is not very well, but he is still e-mailing strong and recently sent the Beetle a collection of travel reminiscences.
It’s true, back in November, Mac met Prince Charles and his consort, Camilla aka Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall. The British Embassy sent a van to pick up some of us World War II retirees for a wreath laying ceremony by Prince Charles at the WWII monument here in Washington DC. 
I told the lady that was trying to get me to go that I did not feel well enough to go but she said “You don’t have to feel well” Ha. I did go and am glad I did. They gave us front row seats and the British military from embassy visited with us and then after Prince Charles presented wreath he walked around the perimeter to have the memorial explained and he came down the line to shake our hands.
His wife Camilla followed and then the British Ambassador, his wife and various British VIPs. I had heard you were not to speak to royalty until spoken to but the Prince put out his hand and I explained that the man next to me was 94 years old. He remarked how well he looked, thanked me for my service. Then Camilla put out her hand and told me her father had been in the military. Her face and appearance looked better than I had expected and afterwards I wondered if it had been her. The Prince incidentally was not as tall as I expected. I almost felt like I should apologize to Camilla for the remarks press made about how she dressed. A buddy of mine, wanting to be nice, said to her, “You have a nice hat.” What made this so funny to me is that I don’t think this friend pays any attention to how women dress. It does make us seem kind shallow to criticize how one dresses.
As for myself I like polyester clothes. They are comfortable to me but some look down on those that wear such. I am the world’s worst dresser. At 8l plus I dress for comfort and for survival. I wear a small backpack for medical stuff and survival stuff (granola candy bars etc) and always have too much in my pockets. People often ask me if I am going hiking. I say “No, just to the White House (joking) I recall some made fun of how Kruchev’s wife dressed when she was here. I thought that was impolite that time too. Ha! I do think it is unkind for the press and comedians to make fun of the way she dresses such as remarks she brought with her 57 frumpy dresses. I thought she was dressed appropriately besides she was nice to me. I told the British Ambassador and his wife about the Chelsea Pensioners (British equivalent to our Old Soldiers Home) visiting us and that I had visited them many, many years ago on my own. Everyone was very nice. Lets all be nice to each other!
I got the impression that they wanted Americans to like them. 
After the wreath ceremony at WW2 memorial, I looked at the wreath they laid. It had something about thanking WW2 veterans and was simply signed Charlie and Camilla. Or maybe it was Charles and Camilla. No title given and since the wreath was small it occurred to me that later visitors might wonder who this Charles and Camilla were. Ha! Who was this couple that spent their good money to honour WWII veterans??
Our group were impressed with how friendly and down to earth they seemed. You did not feel like you were speaking to royalty and they did not seem to mind that we spoke to them before they spoke to us. A friend said he told Prince Charles that he had visited the Chelsea pensioners in London and had gone out to Sandhurst (their West Point) for passing out ceremony (they refer to graduation as passing out). The Prince asked if he had a good time and remarked that his son was going to Sandhurst. (I thought they usually went into the Navy) To get back to the Charlie and Camilla we were all impressed with how much time they spent going down the line to greet us and how friendly they were. They won us over in their democratic behaviour rather than royal behaviour. Maybe they act differently in England where maybe Royal behaviour is expected.
If you would like to contact Mac, he can be e-mailed on: macsan400@yahoo.com
Our first speaker today was Terry Richardson, who showed us a new walking route in Turkey called “The St Paul’s Trail”, which starts down on the coast near Antalya and heads off up into the Taurus mountains for 500km.Terry showed us how he helped to set the walk up, which meant not only painting red and white way marks on posts etc, but also involved crossing rivers. The walk is very much geared to the people you meet along the way, there are few if any hotels, mostly walkers camp or stay with local families. The walk does take in some wonderful scenery including ancient sites, lakes and canyons, For more information you can visit www.stpaultrail.com
After the break it was Jonny Bealby’s turn to give us a wonderful talk, which although advertised as being Pakistan, turned out to be the story of how he got into the travel writing and tour business. When tragedy struck in India he was moved to ride a motorcycle from North Africa to Cape Town, which at the time took him through countries at war such as Angola, it took Jonny and his heavily laden machine just 100 days, he then rode back up again. But instead of just being a short term way to deal with his grief it mushroomed into a trip around Afghanistan, where he hired his own protection squad of mujahideen, though this didn’t stop some of the locals taking pot shots at him. Jonny now takes groups to such diverse places as Uzbekistan, Pakistan which though recently struck by the earthquake is now once again on the tourist trail. For more information you can visit www.wildfronriers.co.uk
By Padmassana
Forthcoming meetings: Saturday 7th January 4 Mini Talks and our New Year Party – Our January meeting gives four speakers to present 20 minute talks, an opportunity to introduce subjects within a tighter format. We hope that talks may include topics that couldn’t be sustained over a normal 40 minute talk or offer a launch for new speakers. By tradition we follow this meeting with a New Year Party post-meeting – everyone is invited to bring food and drink and participate!
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
Webmaster Paul notes that Ryanair now have air sickness bags and you don’t need to ask for them! The catch they look like a film mailer which is what they are as they are “dual purpose” so don’t get them confused if you stick some film in one. 
The Belgian judiciary has accused Ryanair of forgery and fiscal fraud. Federal police in Charleroi have summoned two directors of the company, Michael Cawley and Bernard Berger, to answer questions about the allegations at the start of December. Ryanair is alleged to have used Wallonian government support to issue passengers with ‘free tickets’ in a promotional offer. The Wallonian region financed half of the ‘free’ ticket prices via the publicity firm Promocy, Francophone newspapers ‘La Meuse’ and ‘La Nouvelle Gazette’ reported on Wednesday. According to Wallonian Economy Minister Serge Kubla, the regional government’s contribution was half of the funding used to pay for advertising to promote the Charleroi Airport’s development.
Ryanair’s Chief Executive Michael O’Leary’s latest pronouncement is that he believes revenue from in-flight gaming and gambling could eventually replace the need to charge air fares. “Ultimately entertainment will be where the money is,” he told reporters, while answering questions about his plans to introduce gaming and gambling onboard, probably in 2007. “It would transform ancillary revenues and profits,” he said. “We’ll probably announce a gambling partner (company) in the next 2-3 months.” Ryanair gave away about a quarter of its seats last year and that figure could rise to between 50 and 100 percent depending on how ancillary revenues grow, O’Leary said
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.