Mistake, mistake, mistake – How could I have made such a stupid mistake. At our late lunch stop I had changed from boots to sandals, strong sandals, the problem was not with the footwear but with my brain which seemed to have gone into non thinking mode as the day started to turn to twilight. We had been walking fast, through thick rain forest and crossing and re-crossing rivers or maybe even the same river. The last few Kilometres of the twenty seven from our jump into the jungle to the 'Yawanawa' village, our guides had decided to make what was a two day trek into one. Why? I have no idea, unless it was too see how we would make out. My legs felt like lead pillars as I walked in the river my sandals acting like buckets holding my down feet, like walking in treacle, my heart pounded loudly with each stride as I tried to keep up with 'Yawanawa' Indian ahead, who was starting to disappear in the dusk. The tribe had warned us that the rain forest was very dangerous at night and they would always be back in the village by nightfall! Just as I thought I could go no further and dusk started to turn to darkness, I saw a figure on the shore about a hundred metres away waving me on. I staggered up to Adam Baines, for that's who it was, as he said “Well done Tony we have made it” and we shook hands. Months of politicking in the urban jungle, then many adventures on the way to our final destination, the 'Yawanawa' village of Novo Esperanca – At last we had arrived or nearly, the last hurdle or just about the last straw, was about seventy steps cut in to the steep river bank leading up to the village.

The 'Yawanawa' were early risers, the queue for the bathroom or in this case the river started at 0415 hours for the women and then the men from about 0445 hours. Breakfast consisted of something from the day before, usually highly salted and difficult to keep down as the sun started to kiss the village roofs of the 'Yawanawa'.

Adam and I stayed in the village main hut, a sort of Pub with no beer or village hall, were the tribe met either to eat with the chief or discus tribal policies or problems. This hut had one large interior room with a double bed and a hammock, I had the hammock after a discussion that I'm not sure if I won or lost!? There was also a kitchen, or should I say a small room that contained a medium size gas bottled refrigerator, used if any medicine had been air dropped to the tribe and needed to be kept cold and a large jug of water with a tin bowl. We had a special treat one night, when the chief switched the fridge on for a couple of hours and we had a mug of cold water that tasted as good as any cold beer I have ever tasted.

These Indigenous people had five different ways of sustaining themselves,' in the depth of this green paradise.

The hunters split the area around the village into seven parts and one part was never hunted on for seven years. They hunted and ate, monkeys, deer, wild pig, various birds and some things I did not want to know the name of. Fruit and fish were also part of their main diet. These people were just about to experiment with having one field for various vegetables.

The two ways they made some money was with 'Aveda', a Canadian firm that bought Uruku off the 'Yawanawa' for the making of their expensive and famous make up, sold in top shops like 'Harvey Nichols' both here, France and in North America. The second way was with tapping the rubber and making it into a sort of vegetable leather used in bags of all types and also sold in quality shops in the worlds fashionable capitols.

The children had half a day of school and half a day of learning how to work like their parents, in whatever was their speciality. The best hunters or fisherman got the best and most desirable woman as wives. I asked why no one seemed to wear glasses or have bad hearing? – The answer was simple nobody would marry anyone with those problems and therefore they were bred out – Survival of the fittest! Adam's words echoed round my brain, “Lucky you were born in London Tony”.

The money the village made enabled them to have huts made out of planks but in the same traditional design but better fitting than the log version.

The tribe lived by some simple rules of the live and let live sort. Laziness was a major sin because it let down a people that had to pull together to survive. Daime was taken once every six weeks, the drug that keeps your head in order, or tidies the files of your mind. The last execution had been fifty years ago and everyone in the tribe had to watch over the age of twelve. The idea being, that when the 'Yawanawa' voted the death sentence, the tribe would know the horror of execution and think carefully before voting for death.

These people gathered on the large veranda of the main house in the evening to eat with the chief, play cards on the only table in the village, with a solitary candle lighting the game. Saturday night would be dance night and they would dance until dawn of the next day. A ghetto blaster run by a car battery, (that had been charged by a solar panel), in one of the huts again lit by one candle, would explode sound into the night frightening off any sort of animal, reptile or even insect far away from the village.

Antonio looked after the canoes and water transport; the tribe would have its own specialists just as we do in our world. The Chief himself would deal with the outside world business. The Marriage with outsiders was not encouraged, The 'Yawanawa' did not want Aids to in filter the village and also when a non Indian married one of their girls, they tended to take the bride out of the tribal area to live.

As the time came to leave this green paradise, I thought had it been worth all the problems in the urban jungle, difficulties of permissions, of hopes being raised and dashed and then raised again. The answer of course was a big yes. Staying with 'Yawanawa' even though for a short time taught me so much not just about the tribe but about myself as well. Everything is possible, with determination, tenacity, time and a belief in yourself, even when others say that your idea is impossibility.

Back in September last year, you may recall us reporting that Ryanair were proposing to make in-flight entertainment available on its flights. Passengers were to be charged £5 ($9.48) to access films, cartoons and tv shows on portable lap top type units. Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary who said in September the units would become “as common as the in-flight magazine”. These have been on trial since November and are about to be abandoned. “It was lack of demand. They decided not to follow it any further,” a Ryanair spokeswoman said. Ryanair said it had not lost any money on the system, which was on trial in only five planes before making a significant investment. The latest money making wheeze is to have in-flight gambling. Watch this space!

News comes of Ryanair selling a brand of water called Blue Rock water, which costs £1.85 for a 500 ml. Reports state that this special Ryanair water isn't from a pure mountain stream or highland spring – it is just carbonated tap water. To purchase the same water from Thames Water i.e. turn on the tap costs 0.06p per litre. The only difference between turning on the tap in any London home and Ryanair's Blue Rock is that the sparkling version has been carbonated at a water treatment works in Beckton, East London, before being bottled and labelled. While the label does not claim to be genuine spring water, neither does it make it clear that it is tap water. Britvic, which 'makes' Blue Rock, made exclusively for Ryanair, claimed the brand was about to be replaced by a new product called Pennine Spring, sourced from a natural spring in Huddersfield.

Last December, the Beetle visited Indonesia. Apart from diving I took a trip to Java from Sulawesi and saw the Borobodur Temple (amongst other things). I stayed a few days in Yogyakarta, a name I shall forever have problems pronouncing and hired a car and driver for US 30 for the day which seemed a pretty efficient way of getting around. Much to the initial annoyance of my driver, we gave lifts to anyone (especially older people) carrying huge bundles and had the freedom to stop wherever I fancied and see out of the way things, and some really were out of the way! Mr Azim, my very patient driver looked after me well, as well as driving like he was trying to break the world land speed record and he made Yogyakarta to the Borobodur in just 40 minutes! Using public transport, it is possible to go by bus or minibus from Yogyakarta to the town of Muntilan, change at the terminal here to another bus for Borobudur. Note that the bus station at Borobudur is 1km away from the temple though it is possible to walk. Alternatively, you can go on one of many guided tours on mini buses to Yogyakarta.

It seemed to be the time of year when schools make their annual school trip outings. There must have been several hundred school children, lounging around, larking about, and taking lots and lots of photos! I found out, by talking with many of the groups that they came mainly from Sumatra and other parts of Java and they were absolutely delightful, as curious about me as I was about them. I got many tips on places to go on my travels and invites to family homes, which was very kind.

This was just one day after the horrific tsunami and there was a muted respect and appreciation for the events that were just starting to unfold, but at the same time, it was a holiday and the school children were having a whale of a time.

The Beetle was pretty much the only non Indonesian visitor on that day and the school children's main task seem to be to detract me from seeing the Borobodur at all, but I didn't mind. It was a lot of fun lining up, arms round the girls' shoulders, smiling broadly for the multitude of cameras that were bought out, just one more, just one more they'd say. And the boys, shyly jostling to see who could stand closest and arms held just above my shoulders, thinking I would not see them or feel them as long as they were not resting on me. They were funny adolescent youngsters. And then there was the name and signature signing in their little notebooks. I thought the whole thing was most odd, but a wonderful way to meet Indonesian people and my entire 4 hours spent there consisted of photo posing, though I got my own back and asked other people to pose for me, notebook signing and having simple English conversations. It was a lot of fun, though I kind of wished I'd had a little more of a chance to see a bit more of the Borobodur!

Ok, about the Borobodur: It is thought to have been built between the end of the seventh and beginning of the eighth century A.D. For about a century and a half it was the spiritual centre of Buddhism in Java and then it was lost until its rediscovery in the eighteenth century. The temples are set in beautifully manicured gardens and are said to be composed of 55,000 square meters of lava-rock is erected on a hill in the form of a stepped-pyramid of six rectangular storeys, three circular terraces and a central stupa forming the summit. The whole structure is in the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha. For each direction there are ninety-two Dhyani Buddha statues and 1,460 relief scenes. The lowest level has 160 reliefs depicting cause and effect; the middle level contains various stories of the Buddha's life from the Jataka Tales; the highest level has no reliefs or decorations whatsoever but has a balcony, square in shape with round walls: a circle without beginning or end. Here is the place of the ninety-two Vajrasattvas or Dhyani Buddhas tucked into small stupas. Each of these statues has a mudra (hand gesture) indicating one of the five directions: east, with the mudra of calling the earth to witness; south, with the hand position of blessing; west, with the gesture of meditation; north, the mudra of fearlessness; and the centre with the gesture of teaching.

You are supposed to wander around the galleries and terraces always turning to the left and keeping the main structure to the right but I noticed that none of the school children observed this tradition. In total, Borobodur represents the ten levels of a Bodhisattva's life which he or she must develop to become a Buddha or an awakened one.

Early morning is the best time to visit Javanese temples, Borobudur included. The gate opens at 6 am, around sunrise. The view of the surrounding volcanoes and the Bukit Menoreh range to the south is clearest at dawn, although morning mists sometimes obscure the view until 8 am. Visitors must walk 500 meters to the base of the hill then climb a series of steps to reach the temple foot. To see all the reliefs one must walk more than 2 km (1.25 mile) around the four galleries and climb several flights of steps. The minimum amount of time needed at the Site is 1.5 hours.

All in all, it was a highly enjoyable day out and I thoroughly recommend it.

Meeting news from our branches around the world.

Scientists believe that Maldive Islands were first settled by Aryan immigrants who are thought to have colonised Sri Lanka at the same time, (around 500 BC). Further migration from South India, as well as Sri Lanka, occurred. The latest archaeological findings suggest the islands were inhabited as early as 1500 BC. Around 947 AD, recorded contact with the outside world began with the first Arab travellers. As the population increased, the Maldivian people with their mixed features formed tight-knit island communities. Historical remains dating back to 400 BC show strong evidence that Buddhism was widely practised among the people. Islam came to the Maldives with the Persian and Arab travellers and in 1153 AD Arabian traveller Abul Barakhat Al-Bar Bari is said to have been responsible for the conversion to Islam. In 1558, the Portuguese invaded and captured the Maldives. They ruled the country for 15 years, until Boduthakurufaanu, the national hero recaptured the Maldives from the Portuguese. He ruled the country as Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu from 1573 – 1583.

The Maldives became a British Protectorate and a dependency of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1887 and remained so until 26 July 1965 when they gained full independence. The independent Maldives reverted from a Sultanate to a Republic on 11th November 1968 and since then the country has remained a fully independent republic.

The first resort, Kurumba Village was developed in 1972, on an uninhabited island near the capital, Malé. The resort, had accommodation for about 60 guests. The second resort was Bandos, with about 280 beds. The services in the two resorts were quite basic compared to that of others in the region. The food was mainly local and the transportation quite slow. It was also a time when air travel to the Maldives was only available on Air Ceylon which operated a small Avero aircraft. This plane carried only 48 passengers and took two hours to reach Malé from Colombo. Despite this, over a thousand tourists came to the Maldives in 1972. In 2003 the Maldives consists of more than 80 resorts, and over 500,000 visitors from all over the world. Italian visitors account for approximately 25% of all visitors, followed by the UK at 17%, Germany at 14% and Japan at 9% and the average stay is 8.5 nights.

The Maldives hold the record for being the flattest country in the world, with a maximum altitude of only 2.3 metres. Although there have been reports of rising sea levels threatening the islands, the sea level has actually lowered in recent decades. There are said to be 199 inhabited islands and 993 uninhabited islands.

The December tsunami reached the Maldives at approximately 9.20am on 26 December 2004, sending waves up to five metres high over the 1192 islands. The disaster is believed to have caused damage to 69 of the 199 inhabited islands and 14 islands are said to be completely devastated and had to be evacuated. In total, some 20,500 islanders were displaced from their homes and 83 people were killed, including three tourists. A further 25 people are still missing and presumed lost in the disaster.

Even before the disaster, environmentalists were concerned about the risk to the islands from rising sea levels. The most serious damage was to the islands along the east coast of the group, particularly in North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll, but the capital, Malé, and the international airport on Hulhule island experienced only minor flooding. The tsunami also caused significant damage in the far south of the Maldives, particularly to Vilufushi in the Thaa Atoll and Kolhufushi in the Meemu Atoll. In the north, Kandholhudhoo island in the Raa Atoll was completely destroyed, displacing 3,000 islanders from their homes. The island has since been abandoned. Cartographers are planning to redraw the maps of the islands due to alterations by the tsunami.

Despite the massive damage to homes, schools, harbour facilities, telephone and electricity suppliers and general infrastructure, the loss of life was thankfully comparatively small, especially when compared with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. Still, estimates suggest that around 7% of the population has been left homeless by the disaster and the overall cost of damage is estimated at US$470 million, or 62% of the islands' GDP. The government has reported that the impact of the tsunami will set back development in the Maldives by two decades.

Despite this, the emergency relief effort has been extremely successful, though some would say that it has been challenged to the areas most frequented by tourists. As of March, 71 of the 87 resorts in the Maldives were open as normal and tourists could visit Malé and other areas that escaped major damage without problems. However, 16 resorts remain closed as a result of the disaster – for an update on the 16 hotels that are closed, see: www.visitmaldives.com.mv

No prior visa arrangements are required, but some requirements must be fulfilled to obtain a 30 days tourist visa on arrival: a visitor must have a valid travel documents and properly completed embarkation/disembarkation cards which usually provided at during the inward flight. In addition, visitors must also have a return air ticket or at least US$ 50.00 per intended day of stay in Maldives. Any amount of Foreign currency can be brought in without declaring and can be taken out without any restriction. Some items are forbidden to be imported to the country, including firearms and explosives, pornography of any kind, including what would be considered “acceptable erotica” in all western (and most eastern) societies, pork and all products containing pork, narcotic drugs, poisons and hazardous, irritable or industrial chemicals and alcohol. Alcoholic items purchased on the trip will be held in Customs bond for collection upon departure.

This months meeting took place to the organ music from the wedding taking place in the Church of Scotland upstairs. Our first speaker was Tricia Hayne who gave us an interesting talk on the Cayman Islands, which were first discovered by Columbus' son and in 2003 celebrated their 300th anniversary. The island's main income is due to its offshore financial companies, but also tourism and it was obviously this area Tricia spoke about. She showed us the local wildlife including the blue Iguana and the Butterfly Farm. For the more energetic traveller there is diving on the Cayman Trench and some rock climbing. Not to mention the beautiful beaches.

After the break Pamela Goodall told us about her cycle adventure around the world with a tent! Her journey took her through Europe, she made it to Germany before her first puncture, where another cyclist helped her out. She had quite an adventure, being propositioned by a dodgy hotel manager in Rawalpindi and “kidnapped” by a shopkeeper for 4 days in India. After a crash on her bike she went on “Good Morning India” with two black eyes that the presenters didn't even bother to ask her about! Her trip continued through Asia where she visited Vietnam and China where strangers kept appearing to take care of her. She came home via Mexico and the USA. Pamela's talk finished to the accompaniment of Bach’s Toccata & Fugue (thanks to Globie Sarah D for identifying that) as the wedding upstairs ended.

Forthcoming London meetings:

Saturday 4th June – 2.30 pm – usual Crown Court location

John Gimlette will talk about his travels in Labrador and Newfoundland, called a “Theatre of Fish” and Tim Mackintosh-Smith will discuss his travels in India in a talk entitled “The Hall of a Thousand Columns”.

Saturday 2nd July – 3.00 pm NB – change of meeting place and time

Concert Artistes Association, 20 Bedford Street, Covent Garden, London WC2

This is the last meeting before the August break, when we'll be back in September. There will be an examination of Members Slides comprising eight mini-presentations from Globetrotters members.

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

Scattered across the equator across the Indian Ocean, the pearl like islands of the Maldives depicts the rare vision of a tropical paradise. Palm fringed islands with sparkling white beaches. Turquoise lagoons, clear warm waters and corals reefs teeming with abundant varieties of marine fauna and flora, continue to fascinate visitors as it has fascinated other in past, for thousand of years. Marco Polo referred to the Maldives as the flower of the Indies and Ibn Batuta referred to the Maldives as one of the wonders of the world.

Truly a natural wonder, the height of the islands rarely reach above two metres. The 1,192 islands consist of 27 atoll formations, spread over 90,000 square kilometres. The Maldive atolls are a classic discovery in their own right: the word atoll is derived from Dhivehi, the Maldivian language, from the word atholhu.

The islands are surrounded by shallow crystal clear lagoon enclosed by coral reefs. The unique islands provide visitors with one of the most breath taking views of underwater life in the world. Formed above peaks emerging from the depths of the ocean, upon layers of both living and dead coral, and remnant of other marine life, the islands are generally covered with dense tropical vegetation. Coconut palms towering above dense shrubs and hardly plants protecting the shores from erosion are natural features in most islands. These islands together embody living entities in various stage of formation. As interdependent elements in ecology, in a food chain where birds, fish and other marine life co-exist, with humans at its apex as caretakers for centuries.

Measuring 820 kilometres north to south and 120 kilometres east to west at its greatest width, the closest neighbours are India and Sri Lanka. With a population 270,110 ( 2000 official estimate), only 199 islands are inhabited 87 islands are set aside exclusively for tourist resort development.

There are plenty of things to do in the Maldives. You can take a diving safari where you can visit inhabited islands (fishing villages), resorts and uninhabited islands. Even if you are not a diver, or a honeymooner, there are cultural shows, excursions to Malé, night fishing, barbecues (subject to weather and length of stay) to keep you entertained. It is possible to visit a local inhabited island and see their simple life style in harmony with nature also you will get the opportunity to see some of the typical daily chores carried by the simple island forks while other maybe involved in building a wooden local dhoni boat or weaving rope etc.

Sultan Mosque

A typical resort, this one is the Laguna Beach Resort

Some people like the big game fishing and night fishing where you can usually go to an uninhabited island to have a barbecue after the fishing.

If you are interested in visiting the Maldives, Mr Muaz Adnan would be only too happy to advise you and make any travel arrangements and bookings for you. He can be contacted by e-mail on: muazadnan2002@yahoo.com

We are sorry to say that for the time being, New York meetings are suspended as Laurie really needs a helper. If you have some time to spare and are based in our near NYC, please contact Laurie on the e-mail address below.

For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates, click here at our website.

New York meetings are held at The Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher Street (btw Greenwich St and Washington St ), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm .

Interesting Facts

1. Aussies picked up the most medals each at the Sydney Olympics, which brings them into the all time top 11.
2. Finns are perhaps the world's greatest athletes, ranked first at summer Olympics and third in winter games.
3. Almost half of Ecuador is protected.
4. Kenyan women

   work 35% longer than their men folk.

5. Ethiopians are by far the most agricultural people on earth (both men and women)
6. Looking for Czech and Slovak men? Half are in factories.
7. American women have the most powerful jobs.
8. Southern European women hugely outnumber their men folk amongst the unemployed.
9. The top 8 most developed countries all speak Germanic languages. Every such country is in the top 20.
10. Belgium is the only country in the world where women dominate the ministry.

Source: www.nationmaster.com

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.

When Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror took over Istanbul in 1453, he first ordered the construction of a new palace for this new Ottoman capital, on a site in the district of Beyazit where Istanbul University stands today. Then he changed his mind and had a number of buildings constructed on the headland which was an olive grove to the southeast. It is these buildings that became the Topkapi Palace. The Topkapi Palace was the home to all the Ottoman sultans until the reign of Abdulmecid I (1839-1860), a period of nearly four centuries. The final form of the first palace covered an area 700m², and was enclosed with fortified walls 1400 meters in length. The walls had a number of gates, namely the Otluk gate, the Demir gate and the Imperial Gate and a number of minor angled gates between them. After the reign of Mehmet, the palace grew steadily to form a city like complex of buildings and annexes, including a shore palace known as the Topkapi shore palace, as it was situated near the cannon gate -Topkapi- of the ancient walls of Istanbul. When the shore palace was burned down in 1863, it lent its name to the great complex we now know as Topkapi Palace.

The Topkapi Palace continued to be the principal residence for four centuries until in 1853, Sultan Abdul Mecid I moved into the new palace of Dolmabahce on the Bosphorus. The old palace was used as house for the women of the departed sultans and their servants until the Harem was officially disbanded in 1909. In 1924, Topkapi Palace was converted to a museum on instructions of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The final step was the opening of the Harem to the public in 1960.

Because Topkapi is the first attraction to tick off on everyone's list get there when it opens, so get there early. The Topkapi Palace Museum is open between 9:00 am-5:00 pm everyday except for Tuesdays. Tickets can be purchased in the gateway to the Second Court. The tickets cost 12.000.000 TL. (equivalent to about 8 USD or 7 EUR) per person. The treasury section needs a separate admission fee and costs 10.000.000 TL. There is a discounted fee for the students. The Harem Section can be visited with a separate ticket in the ticket office near the Harem entrance. The tours to Harem are operated every half hour from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. The tickets cost 15.000.000 TL(11 USD or 9 EUR).

Go straight to the Harem, which can only be seen by guided tour, as the tours fill up early. After the Harem tour you can stroll around the palace's grounds and the four courtyards at your leisure. Also, don't miss the Treasury in the 3rd courtyard which houses gold, and works of art.

Straight after the Topkapi Palace, head for the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque which are virtually next door.

Due to bereavement in Christina's family, we regret to say that Texas meetings have stopped pending further notice. If you have time to spare and would like to take over Texas meetings, please contact the Beetle on: beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

A visit to Gettysburg will take you back in time, where you can almost hear the ghosts of the civil war soldiers and, louder still, the cannons still bursting in air.

The immense area must be covered by bus or private car. Get a map at the information centre and then follow the route around the site. When you arrive at a site that you want to take a closer look at there are plenty of parking areas or simply stop the car on the side of the road as they have wide shoulders. Each battlefield has a plaque explaining the regiments that fought there, and details such as the dates and the number of casualties. You will be moved by the number of huge monuments dedicated to the soldiers from each state and by the passionate wording and sheer numbers of dead from the various battles.

After viewing these monuments and (through a local guide) hearing or reading about what took place there, you can almost feel what it must have been like to be a young soldier thrown into battle, only to be slaughtered by the other side. It really brings home the horrors of war and the incredible courage of the men fighting them. The fact that now these places are lovely and peaceful fields that have been preserved in their memory is moving. Unfortunately though, not all the fields are being saved as the modern world is slowly crowding in on the area. Motor vehicle dealerships and commercial buildings are taking over some of the fields there, which is an absolute shame.

You can also spot wild life in some spots, like a group of deer that we came across. The deer are so used to the cars that they won't stop before crossing roads. So you have to drive slowly and carefully, especially when turning corners. In a particularly graphic field, there is still an old house that was bombed during one of the battles and still has a large hole in the front, which clearly shows the dangers of living in the area at the time. A guide explained that in a nearby field there was basically a total slaughter of the soldiers and the field was littered with bodies, and the stench could be smelled for weeks. There are also tales of ghosts being seen in the area at night as well as strange noises.

So for a truly moving experience and a lesson on one of the more unflattering periods in American history, visit Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

If you enjoy writing, enjoy travelling, why not write for the free monthly Globetrotters eNewsletter! The Beetle would love to hear from you: your travel stories, anecdotes, jokes, questions, hints and tips, or your hometown or somewhere of special interest to you. Over 8,000 people currently subscribe to the Globetrotter e-news.

To see your story in cyber print, e-mail the Beetle with your travel experiences, hints and tips or questions up to 750 words, together with a couple of sentences about yourself and a contact e-mail address to Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

Want to get away and escape the crowds?

LOWEST POPULATION DENSITY² (per sq mi): 2004

1. Western Sahara – 2.6
2. Mongolia – 4.6
3. Namibia – 6.1
4. Australia – 6.7
5. Botswana – 6.7
6. Suriname – 6.9
7. Iceland – 7.4
8. Mauritania – 7.5
9. Libya – 8.3
10. Canada – 8.4

Source: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762380.html

Every September the annual Open House London event takes place and this year the dates are 17th & 18th September 2005. Over 500 buildings are opening their doors to everyone and turning the capital into a living architectural exhibition. And it's absolutely free! Last year, the Beetle and Padmassana braved the cold autumn air and set off to see if we could get to go inside the famous Gherkin – the tall, glass clad bullet shaped building. It could have been the early hour, or the lack of copious amounts of coffee, but coffee, we could see the gherkin but could we find it? It took an age to get there! By the time we got there, around 9.45am, the queues were breathtakingly long, as Padmassana's photos show.

So, instead, we went to the Bank of England and we joined a guided tour there. It was excellent! Believe it or not, the site of the Bank of England, which has been located in Threadneedle Street since 1734, covers a massive 3 ½ acres – who would have thought it! We moved down a very majestic staircase to some beautiful state rooms downstairs and through the gardens and up again to the rooms that are used to hold meetings with visiting officials to discuss monetary policy. The tour ended in the Bank's museum which is fascinating and includes a gold bullion bar, encased in bullet proof glass, of course, which Padmassana had a go at lifting through the specially designed hole for people to touch the bar. You can visit the museum any time and it is free of charge. The museum is open Monday to Friday, 10.00 – 17.00, Christmas Eve, 10.00 – 13.00 but is closed at weekends and on Public and Bank Holidays.

After the Bank of England tour, we visited one of the livery companies near Smithfield market and after a fry up at the Beetle's favourite 24/7 greasy spoon café, we headed up to St Pancras and joined a tour run by Arups, the consulting engineers responsible for building the new ST Pancras train staton which is to be the new home of the Eurostar as well as a new and upgraded train station for regional trains.

All photos are by Padmassana. We are looking forward to this year's Open House and maybe this time we'll be better organised to go and visit the Gherkin!

If you'd like more information about this years' event, then take a look at the official website, which also runs other architectural tours during the year: https://www.openhouselondon.org.uk/

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 about Japan and shopping in Hong Kong.

When I was first stationed in Japan, the Chaplains would have to counsel Japanese girls that wanted to marry GIs. They would explain to them that they might get homesick in the States so far from their homeland Japan, that customs were different in the States etc etc. One Chaplain told me that the Japanese girl he was counselling got tired of all his little talk and said to him: look here Chaplain, I want to go to the States. I no bullshit you. Ha!

I was stationed in Japan for five and a half years and loved it and it showed in my letters home. I must have gone to Hong Kong from Japan at least a dozen times on our planes. Planes leaving Japan would often stop in Hong Kong no matter what their destination especially at Christmas time. I got to be kind of an unofficial shopper for those that could not leave the base of Japan and this included buying Rosewood furniture for the Commander who was soon to leave for the States. I had to get it on one of our ships returning to Japan and get it thorough customs in Japan. A buddy of mine Nesi met me to act as my interpreter. The customs asked my buddy if I was Important. He told them in Japanese. You dam right he is. He is a Sergeant. (Low Sergeant, however, TSgt.)

We were supposed to be checking weather and intelligence but shopping entered into things. One time I was proudly walking down Nathan Road in Hong Kong in my new Hong Kong shoes when the soles fell off. I bent over to pick them up and my new Hong Kong suit ripped down the back. Chinese thread was not strong and Americans learned in the future to bring American thread to their tailors and hope they would use it.

You got a tailor made suit with two pairs of pants for $25 in 24 hours. Our crew usually stayed in modest hotels, either in the Golden Gate or the Peninsula. They knew our needs, so much so that when sometimes we had to leave early, they would store stuff for us between trips etc. One time, my roommate was a new man in our outfit. We entered our room and three Chinese followed into our room. My buddy said: Mac, who are these folks? I said I don't know. I thought they were with you. They were what we called tailor pimps who tried to get you to go to their tailor shop. They would give you a drink while about three people would be measuring you. You felt like a King. The first time they asked me how I dressed. Are they making conversation? I first put on underwear, then trousers, then shoes. No do you dress left of right? An old timer said to me: Mac they want to know which way your dong hangs to the left or the right so they can arrange material to hide it. I said as far as I know it just hangs and it isn't that big. I have trouble finding it. Ha! The tailor pimps were better informed that our intelligence. They would know our commanders name, when we were arriving in Hong Kong and when we were to leave. One time in a hotel, what we thought was the front desk phoned and said for us to have our luggage out in the hallway by three o clock instead of four. It was a con artist phoning. Our luggage was picked up and there went our Hong Kong suits, souvenirs, military clothing. The works.

AFRH-W Stanley Sagura collects used eye glasses and volunteers to go with a group including eye doctors to distribute them free to needy around the world. I enjoy hearing about his travel experiences. He was with a group of 38 in a tour that were taken to the largest McDonalds in the world in Beijing, China. (Some had gotten tired of eating Chinese food!) This McDonalds had 300 employees. Stanley counted 30 cash registers. They all ordered the same items in advance and were taken to a second floor dining area where they were all fed within five minutes! What service! We were discussing the humorous signs we saw in Japan when the Japanese print signs in English, obviously not their first language.

In Japan they have a drink something like Gatorade they call Sweat. Actually Pocari Sweat. A small bottle of it in a vending machine cost $1.65. They also have a drink called Calpis and a powdered cream like coffee mate called Creep. They have a packaged toothpaste brand of “College” toothpaste in the same colours and layout as the “Colgate” brand. There is a city in Kysushu by the name of Usa that manufactures table service flat ware and had stamped “Made in USA” on it for export until a Japanese agency Ministry of Industry and Trade stopped this. Stanley saw a sign for a detour that read Please Go Sideways and a sign wanting you to put your hand under the faucet that read “Be near your hand when the water flows.”

One sign in a hotel stated “All the water in our hotel has been passed by the Chef.” He saw a sign in a hotel near the manually operated air conditioning that read “When you get hot control yourself.” Control yourself, Mac! Sagara advises that Japanese have difficulty saying “no.” If they disagree they usually say “could you possibly be mistaken?” Or something to that effect. If you ask: is Tokyo in that direction (pointing) and it is actually the wrong direction you may possibly get a “Hai” (yes.) You should ask “Which way is Tokyo?” Answer: that way, (pointing in the right direction.) To open McDonalds in Russia ,where they had difficulty teaching the employees to smile, they first had to open an approved meat processing plant at a cost of US $10m. Now McDonalds are in all major cities in Russia and well patronised.

Trade Aid is a UK based charity aimed at poverty alleviation in Southern Tanzania by creating educational and employment opportunities for the local community and assisting in the development of a sustainable tourist industry in Mikindani. As part of this, Trade Aid take on volunteers to work with the local community. Tim Crouch is one of these volunteers and her he writes about his experiences in the beautiful coastal town of Mikindani. For more information on the work that Trade carries out, see: http://www.tradeaiduk.org/

As the sun sets over Mikindani, the smoke sits in the valley and the sounds rise; after another day in paradise I can't help thinking about the overload heaped upon my senses whilst in Tanzania. The sights can always be captured by camera and many of the most delicious smells can be recreated in the kitchen buts it's the sounds that make Mikindani so special and it's the noises that will stick most in the mind. Words can only scratch the surface of the overload Mikindani places upon the sense of hearing.

The day always starts early in Mikindani and with it so do the sounds. At first light you hear the scraping, scratching noise of women sweeping, invariably just out side your door, a sound that rarely stops before it has accomplished its two aims of cleaning the street and waking Mikindani's inhabitants. Only after this sweeping has woken them up, do the cockerels start to crow. Being in Mikindani, you are never far away from some livestock, be it cows, goats or chicken and so you never feel far away from the farmyard. There is a theory circulating Trade Aid in Tanzania that animals in Tanzania are bred not for their meat (there can be none more gristly on earth) but for their capacity to break eardrums.

The first real human voices come following the early morning school bell, a rock hit against the redundant rim of an old car wheel signifies the children's long and noisy walk up the hill to school. During the day office work is accompanied by the dulcet tones of the women next door calling their various kids for various reasons from various corners of Mikindani. When the children finish school in the afternoon, again accompanied by a ring of the school “bell”, the noise starts off as a distant cheer and culminates in a crescendo of young voices shouting their delight at returning home after a hard day in the classroom. This shouting just puts them in the mood for some more shouting when the games start during the afternoon, a din that doesn't stop until early evening when again the various mamas call their various offspring this time purely for the reason of feeding time.

As you walk out to the road you are hit by the same diesel fumes encountered the world over but the amount of noise produced by such a tiny volume of traffic is a phenomenon unique to East Africa. The combination of decrepit engines and wildly elaborate horns produces a sound that will eclipse anything produced in a New York traffic jam.

As we sit down to dinner the call to prayer from the mosque chimes in for the fourth and therefore penultimate time that day. After dinner we walk down the hill with the food for the dog, the fourth resident of the Trade Aid house to the sound of his whimpering at the smell of the leftovers we are carrying. Just as we lay in bed trying to get to sleep the women of Mikindani have one last blast this time to round up the men of the town before allowing all of us to slip off until the next day when the sensory overload will start all over again. I for one will miss it like crazy.