U. S. Soldiers Home, Washington: during a century of travel (well 78 years!) both in and out of service I have travelled to over 150 countries (I count both North and South Dakota as countries) and for some reason have jotted signs and happenings that I thought funny at the time (and now wonder why). So here is the perfect opportunity to share some of my anecdotes.

Nairobi, Kenya. Because of the many pick pockets in Nairobi they are thinking of renaming Nairobi, Nairobbery.

Home member Donald French (now dead) in his eighties went with a group of young people from England on a truck trip thorough Africa. Each had an assignment: get wood for fire, cook, be a guard of their possessions at night etc. One night they decided they did not need a guard and all their shoes were stolen that night! As some had big feet it was difficult to get replacements. They became native in a hurry!

The Masai in Kenya have a drink made of cow’s blood and urine. Not available at the bar in our lodge. This cow’s milk urine combination drink is suppose to cure stuttering and athletes feet. One of the Masai wearing a blanket and carrying a spear surprisingly came into the bar of our lodge leaving his spear outside and said something to the bar tender. The Masai undid his handkerchief and took out tip money made from posing for pictures and ordered a Tusker Beer. The bar tender who was in Western Dress talked with him in Masai. After the Warrior left I commented to the bartender: “You speak Masai.” He answered: “I am Masai.”

The Masai warriors put red stuff in their hair. I thought maybe it was to keep flies away. Two were looking in the rear view mirror of our Landrover and I talked with them as best as I could and asked them why they put that stuff in their hair. They relied: “To look beautiful.”

At Salt Lick Lodge in Kenya, we were told to put down at the desk before retiring what animals we wanted to be awaken for if they came to the water hole. I put down: “Everything but mosquitoes.”

In the middle of the night someone was knocking at my door and shouting: “Elephants! Elephants!” I woke up not knowing where I was and wondered why someone was at my door hollering “Elephants! Elephants!” The hotel had an underground tunnel that led to a darkened bunker. No lights allowed. No flashlights. No Flashbulbs etc. Here you could watch the animals drink. At the bar they had a sign: “don’t bother the animals while drinking and vice versa”.

When we returned to the hotel from watching the animals, one of the couples suddenly realised that their small son was missing. Father and Mother had each thought the son was with the other. The hotel staff seemed concerned and said baboons sometimes attack small children. Don’t know if this is true or if we were being told this to make our Safari more exciting. By the way, safari just means trip. They organised us to form a line and to walk out into the bush as a search party. But before we got started someone went back to the dark bunker and found the child asleep in the corner.

Salt Lick Lodge is built up on poles so animals can walk under your lodge. There is a skull of an animal where you deposit your key. Skull of an elephant. The one that had been at my door.

We would leave each morning from some of the lodges to look for animals. The guides would use directions of the clock like “Lion at three O’ clock” to alert us where the animals were, but this one morning, we saw nothing. The terrain was rough and we had been driving and driving and driving. I thought I spotted something and thought I was being real professional when I said: “there is something at five O clock”. Someone dryly replied: “yeah, tea.”.

The Parks in South Africa were better organised than in Kenya, I thought. Kruger Park in South Africa is as large as Connecticut. You could drive anywhere in your Landrover in Kenya but had to stay on the road in Kruger.

In Swahili, a giraffe is called a Twiga, a leopard a Churi, a rhinoceros a Kikaru, an elephant an Oliphant, lion is called a Simba and Jambo means Hello.

Next month, Mac discusses Malaysia.

If you would like to contact Mac, he can be e-mailed on: macsan400@yahoo.com

Iris and her group arrive in Salvador in Brazil.

What can I say about Salvador? I loved the place. It wasn’t so when I first arrived because we got there quite late at night, we were all tired and then found we had a hike across a busy main road to a dirty little side street full of rubbish over spilling on to the street and there was our hotel! I thought “What sort of a dump have we been brought to?” but it turned out to be a charming place, very helpful staff, a beautiful little garden at the rear with a miniature waterfall and a bird in a gilded cage singing its heart out for us, morning and night.

Salvador is a city of great contrasts. We were housed in the old city which is reached by climbing steep hills or by a lift from the lower level to the top. The lower level has nothing much of interest. It is commercial with docks, but there is a very interesting market housed in a round building with a restaurant overlooking the harbour. I did eventually get to it on the last day we were in Salvador and bought myself a hammock for my stay in the jungle when I shall have to sleep in a hammock on board the ferry, for the 9 days we are there. But for the most part we stayed in the old city, as it is far more interesting and has lots of old buildings and narrow streets with fascinating shops and restaurants. One restaurant we went to had the most beautiful garden and the most incredible service all for a few pounds, and it boasted a really good little trio serenading us as we ate.

We also found, courtesy of our Korean friend (who always goes off exploring on his own) the most incredible shopping centre which is about 3 times as big as most types of shopping centre in UK) but this was on our last day, we were pretty tired by then, and we were only able to explore about a quarter of it, before deciding we’d had enough and wanted to go back to the hotel!

The beaches in Salvador were really beautiful and the bus service superb. I’d really love to go back there sometime.

Since Salvador, we have been to several unspoilt places – Lencois, the centre of an area of outstanding beauty with lots of rivers, waterfalls and lakes to see, besides caves and we did go on a full day’s trip to the countryside to see the waterfalls, and caves and rock formations, in the company of a man called Issy (short for Isadoro) who was a very enthusiastic fellow who loved talking about his native Brazil and its fauna and flora.

We are now in a place called Bonito where we are for five days. We have used this time, Judith and I, to rest and take stock, especially as on the way here our truck broke down and we had to be rescued by a fellow Exodus truck which has been shadowing us all the way around South America, normally in second place, and then they came into their own as we needed to be given a lift! We spent some time in a place called Itiquira, but just two nights really and most of that was spent trying to get the truck recovered and once it was recovered, getting lots of our baggage off it, as we were probably not going to see the truck again for a week or two until it is repaired and now in Bonito. We are stuck with no truck, just the extra Exodus truck which rescued us and which can’t take us any further, and it looks as if we are going to be taking public transport to our next destination until the truck is repaired and can catch up with us!

Bonito is the first place where we have actually stayed in a Youth Hostel and it has some surprising facilities, like a swimming pool and a really good laundry, and some excellent staff who cater for our every need. We don’t need money here, we just put it all on tick! (Goodness only knows what the final bill will be, it’s amazing how the pennies mount up when you don’t have to pay as you go!) And of course it has Internet! Only two machines and I have been hogging this machine most of the afternoon, but now I have to come to a close, read it and send it off to all you people out there, wondering why I have been up to since I last wrote.

Just for completeness, we did call in briefly at Brasilia to look at the city. What a non-event. It is a manufactured city with its only claim to fame being its President Kibutschek whom they revere as a god and have produced this awful mausoleum which is pitch dark inside except for illuminated display cabinets of all his clothes and paraphernalia, books and objets d’arte, including all his wife’s clothes etc. and it was the most boring exhibit I had even been in. The only highlight was they had a cadaverous member of the Adams family popping out to give us a fright every now and again, and provided a staircase in midnight blue carpet, lit only by ambient light, to provide a place for people to have fun, falling down it and seeing who can crack their head open in the most spectacular way! One poor lady was carted off to hospital while we were there, having done just that, so I suppose she won first prize!

Take care, I’ll be in touch again soon, and hopefully by then we will be back on our truck. By the way, the diagnosis was a broken crankshaft.

Mac’s been reviewing travel websites again and here are some of the better travel tips he’s gleaned and would like to pass on to us:

Water or sports drinks plastic bottles are often better than the traditional water bottles – they don’t leak, are usually lighter and at the end of the trip, you can throw them away (into a recycling bin, if possible) and after this, you have more room for those totally cannot afford to miss souvenirs!

Tights (panty hose) are cheap, warm and disposable and make great layers when travelling in cold places, when layering is essential.

You can keep your hair looking good for longer, ideal if you are travelling in the wilds and don’t have access to a daily shower. All you need is a small bottle of deep cleansing shampoo and a tiny bottle of coconut oil. After washing your hair, rub a tiny drop of oil into your hair. Go easy the first time to know how it looks when dry. Hair stays soft and clean looking and will keep nasty things out of hair such as lice.

This is an extract from a great website that gives visitors to Peru lots of invaluable information about Peru, how to get around, visas, museums etc. It is a not for profit organisation that is aimed at encouraging people to visit Peru.

1. Do you carry a first aid kit?

2. Are your guides trained in first aid and C.P.R?

3. Do you feed your porters and what do you give them?

4. Are your porters given proper tents and equipment?

5. What is the difficult level of the Inca Trail?

6. What is the meal plan for each day?

7. Do you supply us with 3 season tents?

8. Are your guides specialist in birds, plants, and culture?

9. What is the maximum weight your porters Carry? ( 20 – 25 Kilos )

10. How much do you pay your porters?

11. Do you follow the regulations? Do you have a printed copy?

12. What do you do with waste from the trip and do you use plastic bottles?

For more information, see:http://www.perutouristinformation.com/

LAB is running a working and Volunteering in Latin America workshop in London on Saturday 21st February from 10.30am to 5.30pm. From coffee brigades and tree planting to literacy teaching and human rights work, the day will explore the possibilities for being something other than a tourist in Latin America: practical advice and information.

On 13^th March 2004, there will be a workshop in London on Tourism in Latin America: what is the social impact of the growth in tourism on Latin America and the Caribbean? A thought provoking day will examine the politics of travel and is aimed at first time travellers to the region as well as veterans.

For more information, see ww.lab.org or contact them on: 020 7430 0542.

It’s been called Europe’s hottest capital. Slick advertising campaigns have championed the city’s famed nightlife. But there is more to Reykjavik than pubs and clubs. Reykjavik held the prestigious title European City of Culture in the year 2000, a welcome recognition of the energetic and colourful cultural life of Reykjavik.

Reykjavik has the best of both worlds: the qualities of a modern, forward-looking society are complemented by a close connection to the beautiful and unspoilt nature in the city’s vicinity. The world’s northernmost capital is framed by the majestic Mt. Esja, which keeps a watchful eye on the city, and the blue waters of Faxafloi Bay. On a sunny day, the mystical Snaefellsjokull glacier appears crystal-like and baby blue on the western horizon, as the mountainous moonscapes spread to the southeast.

Reykjavik is a great place to visit, whether for a restful relaxation, a spot of unbridled fun or generally to recharge one’s batteries: energy, safety, health and wellness – Reykjavik is indeed Europe’s hottest capital.

Reykjavik is spread across a peninsula whit a panoramic view of the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean on almost all sides. In the summer, you can sit by the harbour at midnight and watch the sun dip slightly below the horizon before it makes its way up again.

The population of the city is about 170,000 when you include the outlying areas and smaller boroughs surrounding the capital. One gets a general feeling of cosmopolitan sophistication built on rock solid foundations.

Ása Kolka Haraldsdóttir works for the Reykjavik tourist board and can be contacted on: asakolka@visitreykjavik.is

The World’s Newest Countries

Country (Independence Date)

1. East Timor (May 20, 2002)
2. Palau (October 1, 1994)
3. Czech (Republic January 1, 1993)
4. Eritrea (May 24, 1993)
5. Slovakia (January 1, 1993)
6. Yugoslavia (April 27, 1992)
7. Bosnia and Herzegovina (March 1, 1992)
8. Kazakhstan (December 16, 1991)
9. Turkmenistan (October 27, 1991)
10. Armenia (September 21, 1991)
11. Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of (September 17, 1991)
12. Tajikistan (September 9,1991)
13. Lithuania (September 6, 1991)
14. Uzbekistan (September 1, 1991)
15. Kyrgyztan (August 31, 1991)
16. Moldova (August 27, 1991)
17. Belarus (August 25, 1991)
18. Russia (August 24, 1991)

Source: www.aneki.com

Mission Antarctica set up by Robert Swan after walking to both South & North Pole. Antarctica is a truly unique place, but not as white and pristine as you would first imagine, and Robert was amazed at the rubbish problem.

Antarctica is not owned by anyone, however 44 signatory countries administer the continent. The treaty was set up so that it could be looked after for the future and states that everything brought in to the continent must be taken out, but obviously this was not happening.

In 1992 Robert was the keynote speaker at the first Earth Summit in Rio and spoke about the rubbish problem in Antarctica. With their approval he then set up a project to do something about it, choosing the Russian Base of Bellingshausen, as it was one of the worse areas. Also, it was accessible to visiting ships and had a runway nearby, allowing both easy access for research into the removal and aiding the difficult logistics.

For a number of years a team of Russian volunteers cut, compacted and moved the scrap onto the beach, stockpiling it to ease the removal later.

During December & January 2001/2002 the Ship “Anne Boye” was chartered and sailed to King George island to remove the scrap. A small team of 5 from the UK, together with the Russian volunteers then managed to move 1,000 tons of scrap from the beach onto the ship, all within 3 weeks.

The site was then levelled by JCB and within that week, the penguins and seals were back on the beach, oblivious to its former history. The waste was then taken to Uruguay for recycling, with the Dangerous waste like Asbestos, fuels and oils, taken to the UK for specialist disposal.

The Yacht “2041” (so named as this is the renewal date of the Antarctic Treaty) played an important role in the operation, as the main aim of the project was worldwide education.

For the first time ever, crew would be flown into the Antarctic to join the yacht for 8-10 day voyages, experiencing firsthand the cleanup, together with the awesome beauty in areas, as yet, untouched or visited by man.

Young people and teachers from 19 different countries sailed onboard Voyages 1 and 2. The aim was to get young people interested now, in preserving Antarctica, which would mean that in their later years when they were working and in possible leadership roles, they would remember this and take positive action to look after the Continent.

Voyage 3 allowed Robert, together with the sponsors, to observe firsthand the cleanup in operation. Voyage 4 was especially for young underprivileged South Africans. They had never even seen the sea before, let alone ice, when they visited the Continent. The final voyage sailed much deeper into the southern peninsular regions, observing how other bases are dealing with their waste. New territories were explored, before returning to S. America ahead of the winter, now closing in. The yacht had now sailed over 4,000M during our 3-Month Antarctic Expedition.

After resupplying in Argentina, the yacht sailed 1,400M to South Georgia, for a two week Expedition to see how the wildlife was coping with the waste left in the numerous abandoned Whaling Stations.

From the near extinction of the seals during the whaling era, they have made a spectacular recovery, and now they rule the very stations that nearly pushed them to the brink of extinction on South Georgia. There are now estimated to be over 1.5 million Fur seals resident on the Island, as well as thousands of Elephant Seals.

South Georgia is truly one of the world’s most spectacular wildlife habitats. This is mostly due to its desolation and the fact that man finds it so very hard to reach it – even in this day and age.

King penguins gather to breed in massive numbers, due to its year round access to the sea. On this beach alone there were estimated to be over Half a Million penguins!

On arrival in Cape Town, after a round trip of over 12,000M, the yacht was lifted out the water to be transported overland to Johannesburg, for The World Summit on Sustainable Development, where Robert addressed the United Nations on the success of the project in Antarctica. The yacht become a “floating petition” containing the names of thousands of young people who have pledged their support to the project on preserving & managing Antarctica

During all the Expeditions the crew filmed 25 hours of DV footage, using high quality digital video, together with over 5,000 digital images and 5,000 film images on Transparency. The images were complied, using the onboard video edit suite, onto CD’s for the Participants, to take back to their respective countries to show how the project had succeeded in the waste removal.

Andrew Dare is now conducting multimedia presentations, which explains the whole project from it start in Africa, the cleanup in Antarctica & the return to Africa, via South Georgia.

If you would like further details of this amazing expedition and project or to obtain images, please contact the Yacht Captain, Andrew Dare, e-mail: andydare@bigfoot.com

Sally is British and has lived in the UK all her life. International travel as part of her work took her to many countries, including Portugal. She fell in love with the place and decided to sell her beautiful cottage in Malmsbury, Wiltshire, and relocate to Lisbon. In this article, she tells us about exploring Cascais, in Portugal.

So, what have I been up to? Well I have been exploring Cascais – I had to have a coffee bar to replace the one I used in Alfama and so far have found two that are really nice. The first one, Chocolat, is in the centre and is air-conditioned (a boon in the summer heat wave) and although more pricey than others, is quite glamorous. It does all sorts of herbal and fruit teas as well as every variety of coffee. It sells snacks and cakes and does great scones – a favourite being cinnamon. The second one is up a back street not far from the main square and is called Mise en Scene. This again does lovely teas and coffees and wonderful savouries. It has tables outside and inside its decorated in a cross between Mediterranean and Indian styles. Very good for vegetarians too. On Sundays I drive along the coast road to Casa da Guia – a large mansion with coffee bars, restaurants and shops with a view of the sea – to get the Sunday papers and then sit looking out at sea reading all the news. The service is atrocious – you wait ages to order, then ages for it to arrive and then a lifetime waiting for the bill and change but the view is worth it.

Throughout the heat wave the most popular places to go were the shopping centres because of the air conditioning. The beaches were, as you would expect, very busy but the guys on the beach that I use, said that it was still quiet compared to last year. I still get my bed for 2 Euros which is great value. It’s a nice beach with bars, ice cream kiosks and a ski school behind. You can sit and watch the water skiers fall in and the antics of the kids on the banana boat as well as all the other yachts, fishing boats and in the distance the big tankers on their way into Lisbon. Someone has also started boat trips up the coast to Lisbon (on Sundays) and to Carcavelos (about 10 minutes by road) in a tall ship. Apparently you can join in the work on the boat or just enjoy the trip.

The Marina is an odd place – obviously it has all the flash boats etc. and the shops, bars, restaurants etc. but doesn’t seem to be doing very well. I was told by a friend that the mooring fees here in Cascais are the most expensive in Europe!! May be that’s the reason then. There have also been a spate of late night muggings which have caused problems.

Along the coast road just up from Boca d’Inferno (Hell’s Mouth) is a great hot dog stand with amazing views out over the sea. Very enterprising operation run on solar power with tables and chairs, umbrellas etc. but no loo! They play good music too. Unfortunately as I do not like hot dogs I have not actually tried them but my local friends recommend them highly.

Cascais has a lovely park with a museum, ponds and a mini zoo. Very popular on Sundays with families and obviously with school parties. The areas behind the main streets are also very interesting with the old traditional properties and some of them have the most fabulous gardens – some times parts of it remind me very much of Malmsbury – the streets are just as narrow and there is a crazy one way system that still manages to confuse me and I end up somewhere I have never been before but it doesn’t matter as it’s a great way of finding new areas.

Living down by the coast is really nice. Although Cascais is a holiday resort, when you live here you really don’t notice it that much because the tourists tend to be concentrated by the seafront and the main square, although it has been pretty obvious that this year has been very quiet. The beach I use in previous years would have three or four guys working the beach, doing the beds, the canoes, the banana boat and water skiing and then about four or five behind the bar and waiting on the tables. This year there have been two on the beach (one finished two weeks ago); and two waiting tables (one finished about three weeks ago) and the rest is done by the husband and wife who own the beach bar. August was busy because that’s when the whole country is on holiday – they even stop charging to come across the bridges as an incentive for people.

If you’d like to contact Sally, she can be reached by e-mail on: pethybs@hotmail.com

Can you spare 2 weeks + ? Would you like a working
holiday in a fantastic place?

We are currently looking for volunteer medical staff for
our clinic in India.

Agricultural Work with Planet
Drum Foundation in Bahia de Caraquez, Manabi, Ecuador

Planet Drum Foundation is a non-profit, grass roots
environmental organisation based in San Francisco,
California, USA. Planet Drum supports projects that address
environmental and sustainability issues. Their projects are
carried out by an international staff, volunteers, and
local citizens. Specific projects in Ecuador include:
replanting an urban park on the site of a large landslide,
establishing model community composting centres, seeding
steep slopes to prevent landslides, creating wildlife and
vegetation corridors, growing native plants and trees. They
are also starting up an environmental education program in
a local elementary school. No costs to volunteers,
dorm-style lodging in a large apartment. This area is
located on the coast where most amenities are available.

Madre de Selva

Madre Selva is a 5 hectare centre for research,
demonstration and education about tropical permaculture. It
is a grassroots project developed over 10 years. The
Institute is in a barrio on the edge of the buzzing
mangrove town of San Lorenzo in the North Western province
of Esmeraldas. It employs local staff and works with local
communities. The organisation is looking for someone to
help integrate and improve the current financial management
system, liaise with staff to research existing system and
plans, streamline operations, develop plans to generate
income and develop a business plan for Madre Selva.