Need help? Want a travelling buddy or advice about a place or country – want to share something with us – why not visit our Mutual Aid section of the Website: Mutual Aid

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against all travel to Aceh except for those involved in post-tsunami humanitarian and reconstruction work under the auspices of a recognised aid organisation that has a security plan approved by the Indonesian authorities to ensure the safety and security of its personnel. Parts of Aceh remain affected by a long running internal conflict with the possibility of armed clashes. An aid worker was shot and injured while travelling at night in West Aceh on 23 June. Relief agencies should check the local security advice of the UN Office for Crisis and Humanitarian Affairs in Banda Aceh.

We advise against travel to some parts of Maluku, especially Ambon, and some parts of Central Sulawesi, which are experiencing civilian unrest. At least 22 people were killed in a bomb attack in Central Sulawesi on Saturday 28 May.

There remains a high threat from terrorism in Indonesia. We continue to receive reports that terrorists in Indonesia are planning further attacks on Westerners and Western interests. Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia and are likely to be directed against locations and buildings frequented by foreigners.

The Indonesian Police are on a state of high alert in Jakarta, and have deployed additional personnel around the city, including additional security arrangements for embassies.

Terrorists have shown in previous attacks, like the attack on the Australian Embassy, the Marriott Hotel, Jakarta and the Bali bombings, that they have the means and the motivation to carry out successful attacks.

Penalties for illegal drug importation and use are severe and can include the death penalty.

You may have heard about Schappelle Corby, the Australian surfer who has been arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison for smuggling in 4.5 kgs of cannabis in her boogie board case into Bali. Some people say that the drugs were put inside her case by luggage handlers in Australia – and if true, this is not the first time Australian baggage handlers have come under suspicion for this kind of thing. It makes you wonder about how just safe your luggage is from tampering. Many airports offer plastic shrinkwrap around suitcases and yet the US advises that luggage should be left unlocked so that customs can make routine inspections. What to do – what do you think?

Do not drink home made alcohol – anywhere, not just Kenya. Over 50 people have died after drinking home made alcohol laced with a substance believed to have been methanol in Machakos, south east of Nairobi. Local newspaper, The People Daily, identifies its own culprit. “The provincial administration and the police are squarely to blame. They have failed to arrest and charge individuals involved in the brewing and distribution of illegal liquors.” This is not the first time that such a tragedy has occurred. Just don’t do it!

A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?

Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?

Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we’ll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!

According to a recent survey conducted by condiments giant Ajinomoto, it seems that traditional eating habits are changing fast in Japanese homes. The report says that only about 20 percent of married women in major city areas lay out eating utensils correctly in accordance with traditional Japanese etiquette standards.

The survey showed that modern families are showing little regard for traditional Japanese table manners, often placing bowls in the wrong spots or lining chopsticks incorrectly. The survey discovered that the role of soup, once an essential accompaniment of almost every Japanese meal, is declining as people consume beverages like tea with their meals instead of waiting until they had finished as had been the custom in the past.

Families served rice with nearly every evening meal. Proper etiquette requires the rice bowl be placed on the left and the soup bowl on the right, but the correct method was used by only 20 percent of the 235 married women from 20 to 64 living in and around Tokyo and Osaka.

According to correct tradition in Japan, chopsticks are supposed to be arranged horizontally in front of the eater with the fatter of the two ends where the sticks are held on the right. However, 21 percent of the respondents lined chopsticks with the fat end either left or right, another 7 percent placed them on a stand or holder, 6 percent placed them on dishes and 2 percent lined them vertically.

And finally, around 70 percent of women served beverages at the beginning of meals instead of waiting until after the meal as tradition demands.

Artists Against AIDS USA will be in Melbourne 27 November 2005 to support “Rockin the Square” in Federation Square for their second World AIDS Day concert

Once again, we'll be sending our very own “Star Search” finalist (and Melbourne's new favourite crooner), Spencer Day who will be accompanied this year by the multi-talented Shayna Steele who just completed a successful run on Broadway with “Hairspray – The Musical”

In an effort to keep costs down, we are trying to get a jump on air-fares, hotel accommodations plus other events/venues where we might be of service while we are in OZ.

If you could quote us on your current airfare from the US to Melbourne (or thereabouts) and accommodations somewhere in the vicinity of Federation Square, it would be appreciated.

Questions, comments or press kit requests can be directed to Joe in our San Francisco via this email address: joe@a3usa.net

Artists Against AIDS USATeam SOHO www.a3usa.net

Project IRIS is being introduced at Heathrow's Terminals 2 and 4 at the end of April 2005 before being rolled out to other UK airports, and is aimed at anyone not holding an EU passport who regularly travels through Heathrow. They will be invited to have their iris patterns photographed and stored in a database upon departure. Those passengers can then use special automated security check-points which scan their eyes, avoiding long lines for non-EU passport holders when they return to the country. The new security system aims to replace face-to-face passport control interviews and reducing long queues at the immigration counters.

Need help? Want a travelling buddy or advice about a place or country – want to share something with us – why not visit our Mutual Aid section of the Website: Mutual Aid

I am looking for people to join me in trekking in Nepal – Mt Everest region. If you are interested, or you know some one who may be, please send me mail – lszymala@poczta.onet.pl

I am trying to find a trip to the Norwegian fjords. So far, all the trips on the internet are American, so prices reflect included transatlantic journeys. My trip to the Travel Agents was not enlightening as the choice is very small.

What I'm looking for is a coastal trip along the fjords for 6/7 days, with return flight to and from London, preferably Heathrow, after September 24th. The travel agents said it wasn't something people were after!! Can anyone give me any advice?

Thank you, Ipsita: ipsita_halder@hotmail.com

Be careful driving in Uganda's capital, Kampala. The pot holes in Kampala's roads are said to be so bad that protesters have started to plant banana trees in the middle of the potholes. One campaigner says he saw a fish caught in one of the bigger potholes that had filled with water.

I am writing on behalf of an NGO out in Ecuador with whom I volunteered last year. This organisation is trying to find other volunteers. The organisation has experience of placing volunteers previously and is a registered NGO with the Ecuadorian government. I can be contacted on: andy_blake31@yahoo.co.uk

Spotted by Webmaster Paul, here's a satellite photo from Google of Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace

When: Saturday 18th June, 10.30am-4.00pm
Where: The Newsroom, The Guardian 60 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3GA
Cost: £85.00
A day of two intensive workshops:

Travel Writing – How to do it and how not to with Dea Birkett, the Guardian's Travelling with Kids columnist and author of Serpent in Paradise and Off the Beaten Track

Fact, Fiction and Creating a Traveller's Tale with Rory Maclean, author of Falling for Icarus and Stalin's Nose

The workshops are followed by practical writing sessions. Participants should bring pen and paper – they will be expected to write! The emphasis is – whether you are a beginner or already have some writing experience – on developing skills which can be applied to both articles and books. Our aim is that, by the end of the day, each of you will have the tools to produce a publishable piece of travel writing.

For further details and application form contact: travelworkshops@deabirkett.com

For further information:

• www.deabirkett.com
• www.rorymaclean.com
• www.guardian.co.uk/newsroom

The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office advise against all but essential travel to Andizhan in eastern Uzbekistan until further notice. An armed gang attacked a prison and a military unit in Andizhan in eastern Uzbekistan on 13 May 2005, releasing inmates, amongst them political prisoners. Around 2,000 protesters reportedly gathered in Andizhan town square, some occupying the Mayor's office. Government troops are reported to have opened fire on protestors. Local authorities have confirmed that several were killed. Eye-witnesses have put the figure of dead in the hundreds.

Uzbekistan's borders are potential flashpoints and some are mined. There were reports on 14 May of unrest on the border with Kyrgystan. You should avoid all but essential travel to areas bordering Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

There is a high threat from terrorism in Uzbekistan. Indiscriminate attacks could occur in public places where foreigners may gather including, but not limited to, bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs and bazaars. Pay attention to any security announcements by the Uzbek authorities.

On 13 May 2005, a suspected suicide bomber was shot dead outside the Israeli Embassy in Tashkent.

Suicide bombings near the US and Israeli Embassies and at the Uzbek Prosecutor's Office on 30 July 2004 reportedly killed four people and injured at least eight. We advise the local British community to be vigilant and stay in touch with the Embassy.

There have been occasional muggings and petty crime against foreigners, sometimes by off-duty policemen or those pretending to be policemen. Keep valuables out of sight and avoid unlit or remote areas. You should avoid obvious displays of wealth, especially in rural areas. You should avoid walking alone at night. We understand that since September 2004 there have been a series of assaults and murders of young children in Tashkent. The authorities are investigating the disappearance and murder of a number of young children between the ages of 9 and 14, some of whom went missing on their way to or from school. Therefore we would urge all those with children to be extra careful and to take precautions, such as not allowing their children to travel to and from school alone and explaining to children not to engage with strangers.

A celebration of musical excellence from London's diaspora communities!

The weekend will feature a selection of world-class performers, all now based in the capital of the UK from all around the world. For more information, see: www.culturalco-operation.org

Admission is free by downloadable voucher from the internet site. The music weekend will take place at KewGardens, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June.

If you have a travellers tale that your aching to tell. Then why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites” section of the Website and share it with the world. Travel Sized Bites

A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?

Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?

Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we'll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!

Reunion Kingston London Sunday 11th Sept 2005 for any member of Globetrotters who travelled overland to India or on the rail tours organised by Butterfields. Please e-mail butterfieldashley@yahoo.co.uk

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, (CPJ), murder is the leading cause of job-related deaths among journalists worldwide. The Philippines is the most murderous country of all, followed by Iraq, Colombia, Bangladesh, and Russia.

CPJ studied more than five years of death records starting January 1st, 2000, and found that the vast majority of journalists killed on duty did not die in crossfire or while covering dangerous assignments. Instead, 121 of the 190 journalists who died on duty worldwide since 2000 were hunted down and murdered in retaliation for their work, including for reporting on government corruption, crime, drug trafficking, or the activities of rebel groups.

A Ukrainian team of nine caving experts has set a new depth record for caving. They managed to go 2,080m (6,822ft) underground at Krubera in Georgia, the world's deepest known cave. The team carried an amazing five tonnes of equipment and kept in touch with the surface base camp by rigging nearly 3km (two miles) of rope strung with a telephone wire. The world's deepest known caves are:

1. Krubera, Georgia (Abkhazia) 2,080m (6,822ft)
2. Lamprechtsofen, Austria 1,631m (5,354 ft)
3. Gouffre Mirolda, France 1,626m (5,335 ft)
4. Reseau Jean Bernard, France 1,602m (5,256 ft)
5. Torca del Cerro, Spain 1,589m (5,213 ft)
6. Sarma, Georgia (Abkhazia) 1,542m (5,062 ft)
7. Cehi 2, Slovenia, 1,533m (5,030 ft)