Meeting News from our branches around the world.
Category Archives: Main article
Our Friends Ryanair
The European Commission is investigating Ryanair’s use of an airport in Tampere, Finland. It is believed that the investigation is under the rules covering aid to regional airports. Last year, Ryanair was ordered to pay €4m back to the Walloon government in Belgium after a Commission ruling found Ryanair had received illegal state aid at Charleroi airport. Ryanair has said that its arrangements with Tampere are ‘legal, open and pro-competition’ and will result in 350,000 international passengers at Tampere in the coming year and will generate 350 jobs in the region.
Ryanair, Europe’s No. 1 low fares airline welcomed the recent Holiday Which article, The No- Frills revolution, which highlights the growth of low fares in Europe pioneered by Ryanair. Peter Sherrard, Ryanair’s Head of Communications said: “If ever evidence was needed of consumer support for low fares airlines it was provided in August when Ryanair carried more passengers than British Airways’ worldwide traffic for the first time.
He said: passengers continue to desert high fare rip off airlines like British Airways in favour of Ryanair because:
1) They want to avoid British Airways’ rip off fuel surcharges of up to £60 while Ryanair guarantees no fuel surcharge ever.
2) They prefer Ryanair’s average fare of £27 compared to British Airways’ average fare of £181 – over 6 times greater.
3) At Ryanair their flights are on time while British Airways are frequently delayed.
4) With Ryanair they will not be stranded at Heathrow without accommodation or compensation like 100,000 of British Airways’ customers were in August.
“Millions of passengers compare Ryanair and British Airways on a daily basis and more passengers chose Ryanair because of Ryanair’s lower prices, better punctuality, better passenger service and guarantee of no fuel surcharge ever”.
July last year, a tired Ryanair pilot nose-dived his Boeing 737 at 6,000ft a minute – twice the recommended speed – after forgetting to descend from 30,000ft at the right time. The 38-year-old Australian captain, who had flown from London’s Stansted Airport with 184 passengers aboard, continued to descend rapidly despite repeated warnings from the first officer. Although he managed to bring the plane to a halt at Stockholm’s Skavsta Airport, the Swedish air traffic controllers reported him. This happened on the captain’s last day before leaving Ryanair. In a statement, he admitted stress and fatigue had caused him to become “deficient in logical thought”. Investigators, who described the incident as “serious”, said: “It was fortuitous the landing was carried out safely.”
Meeting News from London by Padmassana
This months meeting took place at another new venue, The Dragon Hall in Stukeley Street. Despite the change of venue the meeting was well attended, with one member (Padmassana) flying in from Rome just in the nick of time to attend.
Our first speaker of the afternoon was Neil Taylor who talked to us about “Estonia, Tallinn and the Baltic Capitals”. Neil told us how these countries have come a long way in a short time from being part of the old Soviet Union to independent countries now served by low cost airlines. The countries do not have much in the way of natural countryside to attract the visitor, it’s their towns and cities that are worth the look. Tallinn in Estonia is the best known, though often full of Finns seeking cheap alcohol, but also has an old own full of charm. Nowadays there are many bars, restaurants and hotels to cater for tourists in the Baltic States and the days of surly waiters, demanding hefty tips in US $ for even condescending to serve you a drink have been consigned to history. Neil has written the Bradt guide to Estonia – see www.bradtguides.com
After the break Stevie Smith gave us a thoroughly entertaining talk on the Expedition 360 – see www.expedition360.com Steve along with Jason Lewis set out in 1994 to circumnavigate the Globe using manpower only. They built a boat, called Moksha, a Sanskrit word meaning freedom, which is powered by pedal power to cross the seas and oceans. The UK boat show allowed them to promote their trip, but there was a slight hitch with the publicity leaflets; they dictated to the printer that they would be living on “dehydrated rations”, but this was printed as “dehydrated Russians”. They left Greenwich in 1994 expecting the journey to take a couple of years, but it’s now 2005, and they still have a way to go. They initially cycled to Portugal and then spent 111 days crossing the Atlantic to Florida. Jason then roller skated across the US, before being hit by a geriatric, blind car driver and spent 8 months off the road. Their boat took them across to Hawaii, which you can read about in Steve’s book “Pedalling to Hawaii”, www.p2hi.com. They have crossed the Pacific and Jason is now making his way up through S.E. Asia towards Singapore.
Saturday 5th November
This meeting will be at our regular venue, The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden and will start at 2.30pm, Doors open at 2.15 pm.
Tom Fremantle will be talking about “A Journey down the River Niger” by dugout canoe and donkey cart. Tom follows the trail blazing Scottish explorer Mungo Park, taking in mangrove swamps, Tuareg camps and the legendary city of Timbuktu. [Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria] www.mini-mule.co.uk
After the tea and coffee break, Amar Grover will be talking about “The Ethnic Minorities in China.” China has 55 Minorities living in the countries most beautiful and interesting corners. http://www.travelintelligence.com
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 Admission Members £2.50 Non-members £5
Overseas Meetings
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.
Meeting News from Ontario
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 down town Toronto at 8.00pm.
The Beetle goes diving around Sipadan
There’s a well trodden
“tourist” route in Sabah, Borneo. Most people
arrive in KK (Kota Kinabalu), from mainland Malaysia or Brunei. The
usual route is to make the 1 night 2 day climb of Mt Kinabalu, scoff at
seeing the ‘circus’ of orang-utans at Sepilok, (but
still go,) do a jungle trek (complete with leeches when it rains) at
Kinabatangan, and end up diving around Sipadan. The Beetle however,
obviously a wuss, headed direct from KK for the delightful town of
Semporna to go diving around Sipadan.
I am told that Semporna translates from Malay to mean ‘beautiful’. Beautiful it ain’t. It’s a small place clustered around the sea front, spilling up a small hill where a motley collection of shops, two budget hotels, an internet café, one KFC, a Courts Mammoth, Maybank, a supermarket and the mini van terminus can be found. Down the slope by the sea there are fish markets (upsettingly selling manta rays, blue spotted rays and sharks amongst the usual tuna etc.,) lots of small rickety wooden stalls with people selling water melons, small plastic bags of tomatoes, durian, bananas, rambutans, small piles of chillies, ginger and the like. The road from the top of the town leads via a small roundabout with a rusting sculpture of a marlin in a circle down a small incline to the central market and wharf. The road is broken up, badly pot holed and largely comprises rough gravel. Partially open culverts run by the side of the roads.
The place stinks and you have to pick your way around
gaping holes in the pavement and road, steel girders stretched across
the pavement and road, debris from semi abandoned buildings and
rubbish: decomposing food, dead animals and plastic bags abound.
Several divers came a cropper on any one/combination of the above and
hurt themselves – and this on land and not in the sea.
Opposite the wharf, there’s the Dragon Inn budget hotel, a collection of long houses on stilts in the sea. To the right of that is the somewhat posher Seafest Hotel and cafe. In between there’s a small collection of dive operations.
I arrived during Ramadan, a time when there are a lot of dusty fruit and veg stalls during the day but the supermarket is closed until 7pm. The KFC was not doing a great deal of business during the day either, though there is a large Chinese population in Semporna and they were not fasting and could be found sitting in the kedai kopi – coffee shops. After 6.30pm, the local Malays broke their fast and sat in open air restaurants watching violent movies whilst feral cats fought beside for scraps of food. The owner of the place I stayed at, Lees Rest House gave me his views on Semporna, but not first without complaining how hard it was to do business as a Chinese person in Malay society. I was told that there were many illegal Filipino people, as Mindanao, in the south of the Philippines is close by.
You may wonder, from my description of Semporna, why I stayed there. Simple: because this is the best place to stay to go diving around Sipadan. The alternatives are to go and stay in one of two very swish resorts on Mabul – too expensive for me – one quoted me £1,100 for 7 days’ diving and accommodation, and the other is even more expensive. Another option is to stay in a long house on Mabul, which I did think about as it would mean that I could sleep in a little until the dive boat arrived from Semporna, but, being a Beetle, I decided to stay in my small but clean and air con’d room at Lees Guest House for 40 Ringits a night – about £6 and that I could run the twice daily gamut of hisses and whistles from the local men whilst walking down to the dive shop and back. They’ve obviously not seen a Beetle before.
A small oasis in the town called Semporna is a dive shop called Scuba Junkies, complete with fury creature Ewok, a white gangling ball of walking fluffiness. I did 21 dives with Scuba Junkies over seven days and can recommend them whole heartedly; they were professional, safe and fun to be with. The diving around Sipadan more than made up for staying in Semporna, which faded into insignificance compared to the sharks, turtles and reef fish I saw.
Sipadan diving really is world class diving. One dive site called Barracuda Point has so many resting sharks on sandy slopes and turtles that it is easy to become blasé about them. We also saw small schools of barracuda too, and I saw two leopard sharks, my first sighting ever. March/April time there are sometimes schools of hammerheads sharks. At times there are so many turtles that you have to get out of their way as they ease of their ledges or move from sandy patches. This is not necessarily deep diving, you can see all you hope to at less than 25 metres; yes, sometimes, there were strong-ish currents but nothing too difficult and on top of the reef at between 9 and 5 metres there was always a myriad of hundreds of reef fish.
There’s macro diving too, if that is your thing. I felt so in awe of the ‘big stuff’ around Sipadan that I did not want to miss out on that so only made three macro dives around Mabul. On one dive, around the pillars supporting an old oil exploration rig that is now the Sea Ventures floating hotel, at around 12 metres underneath a pile of iron girders is the most enormous moray eel I have ever seen. He is called Elvis, though I don’t know why. On the macro dives, we saw frog fish, scorpion leaf fish, juvenile sweetlips and there are sea horses, though I did not see one.
All of the photos in this article were kindly given to the Beetle by Tino, dive instructor, and one of the owners of Scuba Junkies.
A Touch of Night Croc Spotting by Sharyn McCullum
We had just finished a fantastic evening barbecue at our Kakadu hostel. Most of us were settling in for an evening of drinking, talking and fighting off insects around the camp fire.
“Come on everyone, let’s go croc spotting” the hostel host said enthusiastically.
“Croc spotting?” someone exclaimed “but it’s night time?”
“Well, you don’t have to if you don’t want to” he said somewhat disheartened before adding. “I just thought you’d like to! Kakadu is another world at night!”
He paused to think of what else he could say to sway those hesitant.
“You don’t know when you will be back? But I’ll leave it up to you. I will be leaving in 10 minutes which will give you enough time to grab a jumper, a torch and put on a pair of walking shoes. Therefore, if you decide to come, you can meet me at the hostel gate”.
I already knew that I wanted to go night croc spotting. After all, I didn’t come all this way to miss out on anything. Off we headed into the darkness, a mini bus-load of city dwellers led by a bearded, bare-footed reptile lover along a moon lit dirt track in search of salt-water crocodiles. After a 15 minute walk which involved brief stops to look at the local flora and fauna including a spider which could have easily slapped someone with one of its huge legs, we arrived at a causeway.
“This is close enough I think” said our host. The causeway can be crossed by foot during the dry season, but as we weren’t quite in this season yet the causeway still had water rushing over it. Apparently it was a great fishing area. Unfortunately, we were told that only the week before a young boy was taken by a crocodile while fishing with his father here.
Our host spotlighted the causeway with his torch. We were about 50 feet away from it. A long, rough, grey croc tail disappeared over some rocks. This brought gasps of ‘wow’. It truly was an incredible sight to see a crocodile in its natural habitat. He then scanned the river with his torch.
“Look” he said excitedly “see those two orange snake eyes?”
I squinted into the darkness until I saw those two orange spots.
“Well that’s a croc” he said “and a bloody big one too”.
“How can you tell?” someone asked.
“The larger the eyes the bigger the croc. I’d say that one is at least 6 foot long, even more”.
“Wow” someone said. Wow seemed to be the word of the evening as most of us stumbled for words describe what we were seeing.
The area turned out to be mission control for our crocodile spotting. We all took turns standing next to our host looking at those illuminated, transparent, marble-like eyes. They were hypnotising. I felt like a kangaroo staring into some headlights.
More
pairs of orange marbles appeared hovering in the darkness ahead of us.
There must have been at least a dozen. No doubt, the buggers were
thinking, food, succulent live food of all shapes and sizes, all
waiting for an underwater roll. I was glad they were all over there and
we were here.
“Have you ever smelt croc before?” our host suddenly asked.
“No” someone said, and I thought, I don’t think I want to.
“Can you smell that briny, salty water smell?”
I stuck my nose out into the darkness and let the smell fill my nostrils. It was an odour I was familiar with. It was similar to the smell of drying seaweed on a beach. Yeah I can smell that briny, salty water smell which intensified the longer I smelt it. No cause for alarm though I thought, after all, we have kept our distance.
“RUN” our host yelled.
It took a few seconds for what our host just said to register, but when it did, I and everyone else joined our host high tailing it back up the track. Whether this was a joke or not I am not sure. However, if you take a trip into Kakadu and your host of the hostel asks you to come for a walk to do some night croc spotting make sure you stay behind him at all times.
Daktari – A Unique Initiative For People With Disabilities by Ian
When we were younger, there was a TV program called Daktari. It was about a family in Africa, who looked after and raised many different types of orphaned wild animals. As kids we loved it and I remember getting deeply emotionally attached to the different animals.
Subsequently, having grown up in the bush in Africa and through my work as a ranger, I have taken care of many orphaned animals, all the way from small bush babies, giraffes, elephants and lions – even injured birds that had flown into power lines or windows.
My wife, Michèle also used to watch Daktari in France where she grew up. Already then she vowed to live in Africa one day and to look after animals herself. Her dream came true when we met on a game reserve, and she was able to assist in hand-raising a baby zebra which had been attacked by lions, an orphaned wildebeest, and two small orphaned warthogs whose mother had been killed by lions. Since then, there have been many more…
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A very good friend is a quadriplegic. The joy he had (and us!) when we spent time together and he was able to help in raising these animals inspired an idea. We learnt, through our friend, that there is always a way to ‘make a plan’ so that he could assist in much of the day to day work needed to look after the animals. We rose to the challenge and modified or altered tools so that he could assist the animals nevertheless! Thus ‘making a plan’ is central to what Daktari is about.
The idea took shape and eventually we decided to set up a charity where people from all walks of life, underprivileged, handicapped or simply in need of a break or an adventure could have the opportunity of caring for animals in need and learn about nature. At Daktari they will all work together as one team – we will not segregate by race, religion, ideology or physical condition.
We have set ourselves a great challenge: our aim is to give people a chance to make themselves useful, to show them that they are needed, encourage them to take responsibility and let them be proud of their work and contribution to conservation. At the same time we want to offer animals a chance to survive in a world where nature has to retreat more and more in the face of human development. Hence, ‘doing good’ to people and animals is equally important to us. If every person on this planet has these two simple tenets, perhaps the world will be a better place to live in?
Daktari is not run by amateurs – it is run by experienced people who, if they do not know what to do, know whom to ask! It is run by people who have a common dream – and have the love and dedication to do it. For us, Daktari is a chance to share our world and some of the magical experiences that we have had in the bush over the years with others and it is thus immensely rewarding. It is a great character building experience for anyone that joins us and we hope that many more projects like this are started in the rest of the world and that our visitors share the knowledge and experiences they have gained!
Daktari is situated near the Kruger Park in South Africa, on a private reserve of 700 hectares, containing numerous plains game, but none of the “big five”. The closest town is Hoedspruit in the Limpopo Province. In the area there are many attractions, game drives in big five reserves, hot air ballooning, white water rafting, tours to the Kruger Park, reptile park, rehab centres, cheetah breeding project, Blyde River Canyon and many more!
We would be more than happy to tell you more about the
project, and our accommodation (Daktari no longer rent out accommodation.) – just email or call. If you
would like to get involved in the project – any help is
greatly appreciated! Contact details are on our web page: http://africanorphanage.com
Ramadan
If, like the Beetle, you are travelling in a Muslim country, you should be aware that it is Ramadan, which started 5th October. Ramadan is a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Many Muslims regards Ramadan as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. Fasting in Ramadan is obligatory for those who can do it, so people who are ill and pregnant women for example are exempted from the fast but must make it up as they are able.
The third “pillar” of (Sunni) Islam is fasting and is believed to have many benefits including a means of learning self-control and going without food and drink during the daylight hours is felt to improve one’s spiritual nature, which becomes a means of coming closer to God. Ramadan is also a time of intense worship, reading the Quran, giving charity, purifying one’s behaviour, and doing good deeds.
The daily period of fasting starts when the sun comes up and ends when the sun sets. In between this time, Muslims do not eat, drink, smoke or have sex. Many people to have a pre-fast meal (suhoor) before dawn and a post-fast meal (iftar) after sunset. In Brunei, where the Beetle has just finished working, working hours are cut short, with people leaving at 3pm to allow the women to prepare the evening meal. Many people have relatives and friends over during Ramadan to share their evening meal.
The last ten days of Ramadan are a time of special spiritual power as everyone tries to come closer to God through devotions and good deeds. The night on which the Quran was revealed to the Prophet, known as the Night of Power (Lailat ul-Qadr), is generally taken to be the 27th night of the month. The Quran states that this night is better than a thousand months. Many Muslims spend the entire night in prayer. During the month, Muslims try to read as much of the Quran as they can. Some spend part of their day listening to the recitation of the Quran in a mosque. Some spend the last ten days of Ramadan in a mosque devoting the whole ten days for worshipping God.
You should be respectful to those fasting during Ramadan, and this includes not eating in front of a person who is fasting or asking them to join you in food or drink during fasting hours.
MEETING NEWS
Meeting news from around the world.
Our Friends Ryanair
British Airways whose tagline has been 'the world's favourite airline' has been overtaken by our friends Ryanair whom it has been recorded carried more passengers in August 2005 than the whole of BA. This could have something to do with the Gate Gourmet catering fiasco/strike and increasing competition. Ryanair's latest monthly figures for August show that BA carried 156,000 fewer passengers than the Irish airline which saw numbers soar by 27% to 3.257m. As usual, Ryanair's Chief Executive had something to say: 'It's official. Ryanair has today become the world's favourite airline. Last month, Ryanair's traffic exceeded BA's worldwide passengers across its entire network.'
Whilst the Beetle does not believe that just because Ryanair's figures exceed British Airways' Ryanair can take over British Airway's mantle of being the world's favourite airline. This seems a little excessive given that Ryanair does not fly long haul, nor has anything like BA's coverage, provides next to no in-flight service and benefited in passenger volume particularly as a result of BA's strike fiasco during the month of August. Ryanair's success was put down to growing passenger volumes due to Ryanair's guarantee of no fuel surcharges. And not forgetting that Michael O'Leary likes to have the last word, he went on to say: 'At least on Ryanair, customers can buy a sandwich with the £100 they have saved over BA's high fares and that's why BA are now officially just second choice'.
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51 holiday makers, mostly Belgians but including five Britons and fifteen Germans, were told that their flight from Carcassone to Charleroi airport, Brussels airport had been cancelled due to bad weather and would not be replaced. They were forced to hire a bus and drive 600 miles home after they were told that the next aircraft out of Carcassone would be in 10 days time. The 51 passengers led by a Belgian window cleaner, clubbed together to rent a vehicle for €4,000 (£2,700) to drive home to Charleroi in Belgium. “They abandoned us there as if we were dogs,” said Gauthier Renders, the 28-year-old window cleaner from Brussels. “There were children there and even an old woman with a walking stick. They didn't even give us a glass of water.” He continued: “At the Ryanair desk they said there were no available flights for ten days. Everything was fully booked. They said that some of us could get home via Gerona in Spain but that was 200 miles away and there were only 15 places available. They also said they wouldn't pay for us to get there. So I looked for a bus in the Yellow Pages and we were on the road by 9pm.” The bus company provided two drivers and after a 16-hour drive the coach arrived in Belgium, on Tuesday.
“That's a long trip and everyone was pretty frustrated when we got there. Ryanair said they would refund our return flight – half the price of the original ticket – but said that it would take three weeks for the money to arrive,” Mr Renders said. “They don't care about the bad publicity; they know they are a cheap airline and that people will use them again just because they are cheap. But not me: my wife and I will never fly Ryanair again.”
Meeting News from London by Padmassana
September 2005 London meeting. Globies kicked off the new
season at our temporary venue The Concert Artists Association on
the other side of Covent Garden. Jules Stewart
started the season with his talk on the Northwest frontier area
of Pakistan. He told us about the history of the area, which
still has a large tribal element. Jules showed us the
Khyber Pass and explained the arrangements needed to explore the
pass, including getting a permit and a man with a gun to
accompany him up to the arch. (The Beetle also did this, same
thing: man and a gun.) We saw the monument to allied forces
killed defending the pass. We also saw the city of Peshawar
(a city Padmassana remembers only for the ceiling of the hotel
thanks to some dodgy food!) it was good to see what the city has
to offer visitors. Thanks to Jules for an interesting talk.
After the break, Juliet Coombe took us to post tsunami Sri
Lanka, after a few shots of the usual tourist places she showed
us the aftermath of the devastation. After seeing the
events unfold Juliet felt moved to do more than be an observer,
so flew out with her rudimentary first aid training to help in
any way she could. She helped doctors clean wounds and we
also saw difficult images of bodies being recovered. Later
she became involved in helping the children, first by having
paper and pens sent over from Australia and later letting them
use disposable cameras to help them understand and come to terms
with their loss. The train swept away at Galle is
remembered by everyone in the west, the children were fearful of
getting back on a train, but with Juliet’s camera’s they
overcame their fears and boarded a train again.
Globetrotters had a collection which raised £104 for her Perailya.com
charity.
Next month’s London meeting will be held on Saturday 1st
October.
Venue Change
Unfortunately, the building works at the Church of Scotland are
continuing and we are on the move again this month, this time to
a new venue near Holborn. We hope to be back to the normal venue
for the November meeting, builders permitting.
The October meeting will be held at Covent Garden Dragon
Hall, 17 Stukeley Street, London WC2B 5LT at 2.30pm
Website and map: www.dragonhall.org.uk
Neil Taylor will be talking about “Estonia,
Tallinn and the Baltic Capitals.” Neil is a Bradt author,
recognised for opening up the communist world to tourism and
regular traveller to Estonia. See:
www.bradtguides.com and Stevie Smith will be
talking about “Peddling to Hawaii” – a human powered
adventure across the Western Hemisphere. Picture a
frustrated office worker of twenty-five. He resolves to
grab life with both hands and embark on a thrilling adventure: to
go around the world by human power. With no prior
experience and no money, Stevie and his friend Jason managed to
cycle down through Europe, cross the Atlantic Ocean in 111 days
in a purpose-built pedal boat, cycle and skate across the USA and
pedal over the Pacific to Hawaii. Pedalling to Hawaii is
hilarious and refreshingly non-heroic, packed with thrills and
spills. It is also an inspiring account of a search for
simplicity and freedom. Stevie Smith is continuing with the
expedition. Discovery Networks Europe have broadcast three
documentaries about the journey .
London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown
Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden
at 2.30 pm on 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
Admission Members £2.50 Non-members £5
Countries with the Most Billionaires
Countries with the Most Billionaires
Countries with the Most Billionaires |
||
Rank |
Country |
Number of billionaires |
1 | United States | 269 |
2 | Japan | 29 |
3 | Germany | 28 |
4 | Italy | 17 |
5 | Canada | 16 |
6 | Switzerland | 15 |
7 | France | 15 |
8 | Hong Kong | 14 |
9 | Mexico | 13 |
10 | United Kingdom | 12 |
11 | Russia | 8 |
11 | Saudi Arabia | 8 |
Source: http://www.aneki.com/billionaires.html
Overseas Meetings
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.
Meeting News from Ontario
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.
Greg McKenzie's Motorbike Travels from Rio Gallegos to Ushuaia
Trip duration: 19 days
Trip miles to date: 3,040
Miles since last update: 1,023
I've recently arrived in Peurto Natalès having successfully visited Ushuaia and the end-of-the-world!!! Having hoped to make Ushuaia in a single leap from Rio Gallegos, I had to overnight in Rio Grande (150 miles short) as 2 border crossings and a delayed ferry crossing (across the Straights of Magellan) slowed progress.
The borders were remarkably trouble-free and I'm thankful for getting the correct documentation (Carnet de Passage for the bike) prior to travelling. It's also a bonus that many bikers come through these borders on route to Ushuaia so the officials know what they're looking at – although I'm still impressed with the flamboyance and enthusiasm you can put into stamping a document 6 or 12 times.
Any thoughts of reaching Ushuaia that night were dashed at the ferry crossing at Pta. Delgardo, which connects mainland Chile with Terra del Fuego. Even by Pategonian standards, it was pretty bloody windy that day and the ferry ramp on the other side was closed. I joined a long-line of traffic and had to park the bike behind other vehicles to prevent it from being blown over!
With little information forthcoming, many vehicles turned around and headed south (I guess) to Punta Arenas and the longer ferry crossing. The other frustration was that trucks and coaches automatically drove to the head of the queue, taking priority over the proletariat like me. Of course everybody else could take shelter in their cars / vans / 4×4's etc – but for me it was a couple of hours sitting on the tarmac in the lee of the wind.
Eventually, 3 hours after arriving,
I got to board a ferry. Naturally I was pulled aside and
loaded last, squeezed on between a rental car and the now raised
loading ramp. I didn't share the loaders confidence in
the position of the bike so I decided to stay on the bike for the
incredibly bumpy 20 minutes it took to cross – if I hadn't
the bike would have fallen against the car for sure.
The blast down to San Sebastian (2nd border) was fun as it was dirt road all the way and I was able to catch, and pass all the traffic from both the ferry I was on, and the previous ferry that was full of vehicles that had driven past me in the queue (very satisfying!!!)
After over-nighting in Rio Grande I struck out for Ushuaia the next day. Pleasingly the terrain changed from the flat open pampas to forested mountains. The last 20 miles changed from dirt track to beautiful tarmac, which wouldn't have been out of place along the Route Napoleon outside Nice.
Eventually I rounded a corner and there it was – USHUAIA!!! It amuses me that after 2,000 miles this marks the start of my stated trip to Alaska.
From the gentle slope down into the town, I could see several ships in port ahead. Little did I appreciate what this really meant. Upon parking on the high street in search of a hotel list I was immediately approached by several Brit tourists – drawn by the Union Jack on my crash helmet. This was pleasant enough but it highlights the type of town Ushuaia is, a transit lounge for wealthy western tourists on route to a short trip around Antarctica. Ushuaia was quite unlike any other town in Argentina, full of tacky souvenir shops, Irish theme pubs and expensive hotels.
After spending a night at the (very welcoming) Hostel Albergue I decided to get out of town, choosing to camp in the remarkably picturesque Nation Park of Terra del Fuego, which coincidentally also contains the official end of the road.
I dutifully posed for the obligatory photo next to the wooden
marker (see below)before setting up camp (first time
on the trip). The park is stunning and the following day I set
off early to climb the highest peak there (yeah, a bit foolhardy
I know). The trails were easy to follow but the climb was a
tricky one, rising through incredibly dense forest, sat points
resembling something out of Hansel & Gretal, into peat bog
and eventually a tall slope of loose scree.
The summit view was worth the toil (photo above) showing all around the Beagle Channel and off into Chile and Cape Horn itself.
Next day I set off north, aiming to stop in Punta Arenas. Another border, another ferry across the Magellan Straights, and once more I'm in Chile. At the ferry ramp at Porvenir I was entertained by 10 Czech engineers on route to James Ross Island to build the Czech Republic's first research station in Antarctica. Amusingly they were more impressed at my trip than their own forthcoming endeavour, but having just read about the fateful trip of Shackleton's expedition to that area, I'm in awe of anybody who elects to spend a lengthy stay there. One of them had contacts with the Czech version of Motorcycle News (magazine) and took my details and a photo for the journal.
So now I'm in Peurto Natales and about to embark on a 6 day trek around the Torres del Paine national park. This was a must do excursion for me before the trip and from what I can see of the Andes rising from the horizon, I wont be disappointed.
I'm 3,000 miles and 20 days into this trip and getting used to the change of lifestyle. What I have noticed is the western-world (and specifically US) 'culture-creep'. Every hotel I check into has 60 channels of TV with predominately US content spilling out and it inevitably impacts the local environment.
I wonder what this trip would find if it were repeated 50 years from now.
If you want to know more about Greg's travels, visit his website at: http://www.unbeatentrack.com/
Destination Guide – Trieste by Karen Bryan
Trieste is an Adriatic coastal city in north eastern Italy, close to the border with Slovenia. The sea in the Gulf of Trieste is very clear and clean, with limestone cliffs and rocky beaches. The centre of the city has a mid-European feel, more Austrian than Italian, Trieste was the seaport of the Hapsburg Empire. Here you can enjoy a combination of a sea/beach holiday and the attractions of a cultural city.
It is an ideal destination for a short break but you could easily spend a week here. The Verdi Theatre hosts an opera season in the winter and an operetta festival in summer. You can swim in the beautiful clear sea, stroll the promenade, and walk along the cliff paths. Take in the wonderful art collection at the Revoltella Museum. You can sip coffee on Piazza Unita Italia with its grand 19th century buildings, which face onto the sea.
History: according to folklore, Trieste was founded by Tergeste, a friend of Jason and the Argonauts. Ancient Tergeste as a Roman colony is dated to around 178 BC. It became more important during the reign of Octavian when roads were improved. The city has had many rulers during its history: Goths, Byzantines, and Lombards. In the 13th century Trieste was forced to swear allegiance to Venice. To escape Venetian domination, Trieste sought the protection of Duke Leopold of Austria. Trieste was of great importance to the Hapsburg Empire as a seaport and was made a Freeport in 1719. Without customs barriers the port and city flourished. At the end of the First World War with collapse of the Hapsburg Empire, Trieste was returned to Italy in 1918. Trieste was taken over by the Third Riech when Italy withdrew from the Second World Ward in September 1943. Two years later there was a 40-day Occupation by Tito's Yugoslav forces. After 9 years under an Anglo-American government Trieste was handed over to the Italian government.
Trieste's history may help explain why 70% of Italians apparently did not know that Trieste was part of Italy in a recent opinion poll! With EU enlargement Trieste is ideally placed as the only natural port in the centre of Europe. Trieste is one of three finalists to host the international Expo of Science, Technology and Culture in 2008. If its bid is successful there will be more investment in the area and Trieste will become better known on the world map.
Literary Connections: the Irish author James Joyce lived
in Trieste during the early part of the 20th century. When he
first arrived he worked as a tutor at the Berlitz School of
English. He went on to write “The Dubliners”, “The
Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man” and start
“Ulysses” in Trieste. The rich mix of central European
and Eastern Mediterranean culture in Trieste is said to have had
a great influence on his writing.
Joyce (pictured left) was English tutor to Itali Svevo, the Italian novelist. Svevo was born in Trieste in 1861, his Mother was part of a Triestian Jewish family, and his Father was of German descent. Joyce encouraged and praised Svevo's work and Svevo wrote critiques of Joyce's work.
Jan Morris wrote the book, “Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere”. Morris claims this is her final book, a self-examination based in Trieste. Morris changed gender. Jan Morris first visited Trieste at the end of the Second World War as young Welsh soldier. She describes how the city “curiously haunted her” . She revisited the city as an elderly woman.
Morris describes Trieste as “natural capital of the nation of nowhere”. By this she means a home for the so-called “Fourth World”. This is a scattered group with the common values of humour and understanding, usually exiles in their own communities but probably numerous enough to form their own nation.
I laughed at Clay Risen's comment in his piece about Trieste in the Square Table in Spring 2003. He observed that “Trieste is the only city in Europe which appears more often in reflective essays than in guide books of newspaper travel sections.”
Exploring the city: the best way to explore the city is to walk around. The Piazza dell' Unita d'Italia is the heart of the city. The square was created towards the end of the 19th century. It houses the City Hall, with its clock tower featuring statues of Mikeze and Lakeze, figures from Trieste folklore; Government House, with its gilded mosaic wall decorations; and the former Head Office of Lloyd Triestino, built in Renaissance style by an Austrian architect.
The Victory Lighthouse lights the Gulf of Trieste and commemorates the dead of the First World War. It stands almost 70 metres high with a scaled dome containing a statue of winged Victory. At the base of the column is the anchor of the torpedo boat Audace, the first Italian ship to enter the harbour in 1918. The lighthouse took 4 years to complete and was officially opened in 1927.
The Old Stock Exchange (see picture right) is a fine example of
neo-classical architecture, resembling a Greek temple. The Old
Stock Exchange stands by the so called Grand Canal. However this
is rather a misnomer as the canal is very short.
The Arco di Riccard is a Roman gate to the city thought to date from 33 AD. It is in Piazzetta di Ricordo in the old city. You can see the Roman amphitheatre at the foot of San Guisto hill. The Verdi Opera Theatre opened in 1801. It is of a similar style to La Scala in Milan. The Arco di Riccard is a Roman gate to the city thought to date from 33 AD. It is in Piazzetta di Ricordo in the old city. You can see the Roman amphitheatre at the foot of San Guisto hill. The Verdi Opera Theatre opened in 1801. It is of a similar style to La Scala in Milan.
Day Trips: there are many day trips that can be taken, including exploring the Carse. The Triestine carse starts at Montefalcone in the north and stretches down adjacent to the Slovenian border. The area is known as a paradise for botanists with a mixture of continental flora and Mediterranean vegetation. There is talk of the area achieving national park status. The Carsic house in Rupingrande has a collection of traditional furniture and local costumes. During the first week in May the works of local painters are exhibited during the Majence Festival, in San Dorligo delle Valle. The best known event is the Carsic Wedding, every second year on the last Sunday of August in Monrupino. There are dances every night of the preceding week. On the wedding day the bridal procession, all dressed in traditional costume, walk to the fortress church for the marriage ceremony.
Grado and Aquiliea : Aquiliea was founded in the first century BC. It occupies a strategic defence location. It became a Patriarch's seat and many beautiful churches were built. The Bascilica is considered to be one of the most important monuments of early Christianity. There are two museums to visit there.
Grado was the extreme southern part of the port of Aquileia (see
picture below left). Now it a beautiful island city joined to the
mainland by a causeway. It boasts 20 kms of fine sandy beaches.
Grado was very popular as a spa during the days of the Austrio
Hungarian Empire with its healing sands.Grado can be reached by the no 21
bus from Trieste. There is also a boat service during the Summer.
Muggia: Muggia (see picture below right) is a pretty coastal town just south of Trieste, which can be reached by ferry from Trieste during the summer. The town is of Venetian origin, surrounded by medieval walls with a 14th century castle and a pretty port.
The Slovenian border is just a few
kilometres from Trieste. The Lipica Stud and
Riding School is under a half hour drive from Trieste. It was
originally founded in 1580 by Archduke Charles for breeding royal
horses for the Austrian court. Now you can tour the stud farm (6
Euros) or have a riding lesson, starting at 16 euros.
Croatia can be easily reached through by passing through the narrow strip of coastal Slovenia. Venice can be reached by direct train from Trieste. The journey takes around two hours. The train takes you right into the centre of Venice.
Getting there and around: Ryanair flies into Trieste from London Stansted. The airport is 35 kms west of Trieste but there is regular public transport on Coach 51 into Trieste. If you do decide to hire a car, it is worth checking that you can take it into Slovenia and Croatia if you are considering day trips there. Trieste has a good public transport network. There is a “Trieste by Bus” city tour in 13 stops. This is available on Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm from the end of June to mid October. The two and a half hour trip allows you to see the city's main attractions. The cost is around five euros per person. You can take the Opicani tram up to the Carso plateau, 348 metres above sea level. This funicular tramway was built in 1902. The tram leaves from Piazza Oberdan in the city centre up Scorolo hill to the plateau above.
Karen Bryan is an independent travel consultant and writer, specialising in less well known destinations in Europe. Her websites are: www.europealacarte.co.uk, www.europe-culture-activity-tours.com
The Legend of Sangkuriang by Tedy
West Java is one of the five provinces of Java, Indonesia. Bandung is the capital city. The greater part of west Java is mountainous, with the Priangan highlands forming the core territory. 21 mounts can be found here, most of which are classified as active volcanoes and have become an integral part of tourism in the West Java province.
Mount Tangkuban Perahu (capsized boat) is one of them. A smouldering 2000m wide, surrealistic volcano 1800m above sea level, it lies 28 km north of Bandung reachable within 30 minute ride.
The Legend of Sangkuriang
This is an example of how nature was converted into a legend, such as Bandung lake and Mt Tangkuban Perahu with the story of Queen Dayang Sumbi and her son Sangkuriang cited from Neuman va Padang (1971). Once Sangkuriang, whilst growing up, he was so naughty and got hurt and the wound formed an ugly scar.
The King, who loved his son above everything was so furious that his son had hurt himself that he rejected his wife. Fifteen years later, being of age, Sangkuriang asked his father permission to take a trip to West Java. After arriving in the plain of Bandung, he met a beautiful lady, fell in love and ask her to marry him and she accepted. But one day when she caressed her lover's head she saw the wound. The loving woman, turned out to be the disowned queen, discovered that she was in love with her son and marriage was impossible.
The marriage had to be prevented. Not willing to admit that she was his mother she thought of a way out. The day before the wedding was due to take place, she said to her husband to be, tomorrow is our wedding day, and if you are true to your love to me and love me as much you say do then I want to celebrate the wedding on board a ship, a proa. Tomorrow morning at day break, I want to sail with you on a great lake in a nice boat and there must be a banquet feast. Sangkuriang was embarrassed but he was not willing to refuse. He begged the help of the lake's helpful spirits. By causing a landslide, the lake spirit dammed the river Citarum that flowed through the plain of Bandung. The force of the water felled big tree and a boat was constructed while other lake spirits prepared the wedding banquet.
Early in the morning the Queen saw that the impossible had been realised so she prayed to Brama, the mighty God, to help her to prevent the disgrace of a marriage between a mother and her son. Brama destroyed the dam in turbulence and Sangkuriang was drowned. The queen in her agony threw herself on the capsized boat, breaking through the hull of the ship and was also drowned.
Now, the vast plain of Bandung is flanked on its north side by the volcano Tangkuban Perahu, the capsized boat. The Queen's jump on the hull of the ship is the Kawah Ratu, the crater of the Queen. The hot fumaroles and tremors in the crater represent the tears of the sad mother still sobbing. East of Mt Tangkuban Perahu rises the Bukit Tunggul, trunk mountain, the trunk of the tree from which the boat was made and to the west we find Mt Burangrang, the “crown of leaves”. At many places along the shore of the lake Neolithic obsidian tools of primitive inhabitants are found and described by von Koeningswald (1935). These Neolithic people noticed that the hold was cut deeper and deeper by erosion caused by the lowering water. Finally only a marshy plain remained.
Centuries later the inhabitants of Bandung plain still know about the legend of the existence of a former lake. Not knowing anything about geology, but living in the taboos of spirit ghosts and Gods, geological facts were put together in a tale that was understandable.
If you are thinking of holiday trip, or even just information on any travel requirements in Java especially Indonesia, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'll be most happy to assist you. Tedy can be contacted by e-mail as follows: abctour_td@cbn.net.id.
Wilding in Southwest USA
A group of US researchers at Cornell University have identified a novel approach to conservation called Pleistocene wilding. They have developed an initiative that involves placing lions, cheetahs, elephants and camels in some parts of North America.
The plan would help endangered African animals while offer ecotourism and land-management jobs to help the struggling economies of the Great Plains and Southwest as well as helping to maintain ecosystems and boost biodiversity.
During the Pleistocene age, between 1.8 million to about 10,000 years ago, North America was home to a wide range of mega fauna. When man arrived around 13,000 years ago he hunted the American cheetah and a type of camel to extinction. The disappearance of these extinct creatures has left gaps in the ecosystem. The pronghorn, for example, which exists today, an antelope-like animal for example has lost its natural predator.
By introducing living counterparts to the extinct animals, the researchers say, these voids could be filled. So, by introducing free-ranging African cheetahs to the Southwest, strong interactions with pronghorns could be restored, while providing cheetahs with a new habitat. Other living species that could “stand in” for Pleistocene-era animals in North America include feral horses, wild asses, Bactrian camels, Asian and African elephants and lions.
“Obviously, gaining public acceptance is going to be a huge issue, especially when you talk about reintroducing predators,” said lead author Josh Donlan, of Cornell University. “There are going to have to be some major attitude shifts. That includes realising predation is a natural role, and that people are going to have to take precautions.” Dr Donlan said that large tracts of private land are probably the most promising place to start, with each step carefully guided by the fossil record and the involvement of experts and research.
“We are not advocating backing up a van and letting elephants and cheetah out into the landscape,” he said. “All of this would be science driven.”
Advice on Booking Airfares by Corsa Dirfes
Need a vacation but don't want to stay around town? Want to go somewhere exotic, somewhere different? Want to fly but worried about the airfare? Sourcing the cheapest airfare available has been made easier with competition growing between travel agencies as people realize that a vacation need not be all that expensive. With so many travel companies vying for your business, securing a cheaper airfare is a given!
The airline companies set airfare prices, with travel agents adding a mark up to the wholesale price. You should always check whether the advertised price of an airfare includes government taxes or duties, so you may need to add these into your airfare budget.
Aside from the airline companies and travel agencies setting the price, it is important to be aware that many things determine airfare prices, but the most important influence on price is the final destination. Other influences include but are not limited to:
- The type of airline class you prefer; do you want comfort or are you ok with being a tad squashed
- The location of your seat; window seat or inside
- The time of day you are prepared to travel; day or night
- How close you book to your departure date – booking closer to your departure date may increase your airfare unless you secure a last minute deal
- Whether your airfare is part of an all inclusive holiday package; more often than not for these all inclusive packages the airfare has been given with a huge discount as a deal between the resort or hotel, the airline and travel agent.
Therefore, being the money savvy person that you are, you should take into consideration all of the above points before you start searching for an airfare that fits within your budget. Researching airfare is critical to securing the cheapest rate and these days, research is made a good deal easier thanks to the internet.
Increasingly, last minute deal websites are being developed and there are some great bargains to be had particularly with regard to airfare rates. Checking often and subscribing to these last minute deal web sites will ensure that your vacation is one to remember without the added burden of over spending on airfare!
Corsa Dirfes is the owner of http://www.airfareson.com which is a premier resource for Airfares information. For more information, go to http://www.airfareson.com