My name is Stanley Mataichi Sagara. My Christian name was given to me by my first grade teacher who was probably from the Midwest and had never had an experience with Orientals. Apparently my Japanese name was too hard to remember for roll call so all the Japanese children in my class were given Christian names which we carried through out our lives.

Having been born in August I have just turned 81. I have visited 66 countries, however some of these countries are no longer separate, such as Macau or Hong Kong. Likewise Taiwan may revert back to China in the near future.

Some of my foreign travels were while I was on military duty and some were when I was on eye care missions with Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH), and the balance were when I took tours to these countries. Several trips have been repeats. I still consider Japan as my favourite country, the birthplace of my father and mother. I still have a number of third cousins in Japan as I have second cousins in Brazil. My second choice would be Austria, where I was when WWII ended.

I was in D Company, 506th Pcht Rgt, 10lst Airborne Division. When the war ended eight Japanese-American paratroopers were transferred to the 82nd AB Division because the l0lst was scheduled to go to the Pacific Theater to help defeat Japan. Due to our race we were assigned to Europe, hover about 6000 Japanese American GIs were assigned to various units in the Pacific War as Interpreters-Translators. Each was assigned two big Caucasian GIs as body guards who accompanied them everywhere (even to the latrine) so they would not be mistaken for an infiltrated Japanese soldier.

I would very much like to visit Scandinavia, I have only been to Denmark so far. I have been to Copenhagen and Helsinki on several occasions but only in transit.

My special travel equipment is a nylon bath cloth made in Japan. It is helpful to remove dead skin and helpful to scrub my back. ($6.00). In my travels I try to keep my carry on suitcase under 28 pounds which I send as checked baggage. In addition I carry a shoulder bag which can be converted to a small back pack where I carry my shaving kit and other items that I need at my first hotel, in case my checked bag goes astray. In this way I do not need to access my checked bag for three days if necessary. I actually weigh my packed bag and may remove some items if the bag is too heavy. I try not to take any item again if I did not use it on my trip, except clothing to suit the difference in expected weather conditions. I also live out of my packed suitcase for a week prior to leaving for the trip so that I do not forget some important item or if I think I can do without an item, it is left at home. If you cant carry your own bag, its too heavy, Better repack! I do not take whole tour books, only those pages that are pertinent. I like maps and take good ones which are helpful to help write my travel journals. A small compass is very helpful, especially at night or in such places as subways.

The longest travel trip I have taken was for 38 days, which is about the most I want to take. They say “When you start to look like your picture in your passport, its time to go home! Australia had many surprises for me. I knew it was a big country and that we would only see a portions of it but a lot of country is a desert. I did get cleaned out of my essential possessions while in Oaxaca, Mexico. As it usually is, I have to blame myself. I kept everything in my shoulder bag which I set down on the floor while I paid for my parking fee at a public garage. Less than a minute was all it took. No one saw anything, so they told me.

I have trapped pickpocket’s hands in my pockets, once in Sao Paulo, Brazil and again in San Miguel de Allende, GTO, Mexico. I learned that its better to chalk it up to experience rather than involve the police. They can tie you up for hours taking statements, by someone who is not fluent in English and they may want the money or article involved as evidence, which you will probably never see again since you will be moving on in a day or so.

While visiting in Korea I purchased several bargain priced sneakers which were irregulars or factory over runs. They were about two or three dollars a pair. I gave the salesman a US ten dollar bill and waited for my change. He asked me how I was fixed for sport socks and placed a bundle (probably 10 pairs) on the counter. I said I’m OK and still waited for my change. He puts another bundle of sport socks on the counter, still no change. I hesitate, he places a third bundle on the counter. I think he is not going to let that US ten get away from him. It became amusing to me the way it was turning our, when I should have been angry at the salesman. I finally took the several bundle of sports socks, the salesman kept my US ten and I have still a good supply of Korean sport socks (one size fits all).

As an American of Japanese decent we were not permitted to enter the US military service. In fact the ones who were in the service were given early discharges, except the few that fell through the cracks.

Later when the all Japanese-American Regimental Combat Team was formed we were permitted to volunteer to join. I was attending college at the time and was later drafted at Ft Leavenworth, KS. I was given the Japanese language test (we all took the test) but I did not pass so I went to Infantry basic training in CampShelby, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. On my first pass to Hattiesburg I got off the bus and had to use the restroom. I only saw signs for BLACKS ONLY and WHITES ONLY but nothing in between. My first experience in the segregated south. I used the toilet in the local USO which had no colour bar.

Upon finishing basic training I volunteered for the Paratroopers, mainly because I could double my pay (Jump Pay was $50.00) My parents and younger siblings were in a government operated concentration camp near Cody, Wyoming with any income so I was sending them part of my pay check each month. They could purchase some items in the camp canteen or order from the catalogue sales or ask their friends to do the shopping for them outside the camp.

After the war I transferred over to the newly formed US Air force and completed my 20 years of military service. I joined the Lions Club soon after I retired and one of the projects we had was collecting donated eye glasses. No one could tell me what happened to the eye glasses after we collected them.

I later discovered that the Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) a group of eye doctors and lay personnel actually go on eye care missions to third world countries to examine patients and give out recycled eye glasses, at no cost. I have been on some 16 eye care missions to some very interesting places, such as India, Thailand, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and many other countries.

I must point out that we do pay our own way but sometimes we get reduced air fare or our sponsoring organization may take care of food and lodging. On each trip we have the option of taking a side trip to visit some interesting places.

I also joined Friendship Force International, an organization started by Pres Jimmy Carter. There are clubs all over the world. We visit other club members as a group and they in turn visit other clubs around the world by mutual agreement. Usually a week of hosted family visits. I went with the club to Russia for three weeks and on another trip I went to Freiberg, Germany in the Black Forest and to Oltzysn, Poland where we met some very nice people who really like Americans.

Apparently I do not have a face that people think of as typical American. Although I tell them I’m from America they still question my origin so to make it uncomplicated I just tell them “Mongolia” which satisfies their curiosity. There is more to this story, but this will have to do for now. Maybe later I’ll think up some more things about my travels. Stanley Mataichi Sagara (the Mongolian).

Footnote by Mac: The ‘Arab’ in the picture is Stanley Sagara. He brought the Arab outfit in Tangiers and it is genuine although I think it is Palestine rather than Moroccan garb Another friend William “Mike” Westfall took the picture and put in the caption. It was taken at our small AFRH-W Halloween Party. We do not dress like that every day (I do but not the others!)

If you would like to contact Stanley, he is happy to answer e-mails on: smsagara2@aol.com

6th November 2004 London meeting

A bumper attendance for the November London Globetrotter’s meeting, with not a chair, table or bit of floor space left. The audience included Globies from overseas including Brie Kelly from Colorado. The crowds had come to hear Globies President Janet Street-Porter’s talk on the Larapinta Trail that starts from Alice Springs and the Bay of Fires walk in Tasmania. Special mention due to Paul Robert’s who burned the midnight oil to scan Janet’s photos so that we could see them digitally. Janet did this 8 day -walk with a group and they were supported by a vehicle carrying their camping, cooking and other equipment, which left them free to enjoy the scenery and swat flies. We saw Janet in a full nylon head net to stop these annoying critters and later she explained a new use for toilet roll to stop the flies entering every orifice! It was all worth it for the great Aussie scenery, the reds and pinks of the rocks and greenery you wouldn’t normally think exists. The Bay of Fires walk in Tasmania is mainly on sand and again we saw some great pictures of her walk. Janet added on some pictures of a walk she recently did near Christchurch in New Zealand, where she stayed in some quirky buildings, one of which enjoyed an outdoor bathtub, where the water was heated by lighting a fire under the tub! The forty minutes went way too fast as we listened to Janet’s commentary.

After the break it was over to Christian Tyler who gave us another interesting talk this time on the Taklamakan Desert and Xinjiang Province in China. His five-week trip began in Dunhuang, famous for its cave paintings. Christian’s group travelled in the ubiquitous Toyota Landcruiser and trekked by camel, supported by a Chinese army lorry. Christian’s journey took him to Miran and to abandoned cities in the desert. Some of these towns have been dug out of their sand tombs, we saw parts of wooden structures which had once been homes and shops. Christian explained that the cities had been abandoned as the underground rivers had either dried up or changed course. We saw other examples such as forests that were now just tree trunks. Christian’s talk gave us a rare insight to an area well off the beaten track.

Mark your diary for forthcoming meetings:

Sat. 4 December

Amar Grover – North Pakistan – Kailash Valleys of Chitral to Gilgit via Shandur Pass

Matthew Leeming -Afghanistan OR Iraqi Marsh Arabs

Sat. 8th January – Four Mini-talks and New Year Party

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 £2.00 Non-members £4.00.

What is it: decompression sickness, also called the bends, is related to great changes in environmental pressure. It is caused by nitrogen bubbles forming in the bloodstream and tissues of the body. The bubbles occur if you move from deep water towards the surface (where the surrounding pressure is lower) too quickly . It is most usually associated with divers, but can also occur in fliers in a non pressurised cabin when there is a major change in altitude. In the most serious cases decompression sickness can lead to unconsciousness or death.

What are the symptoms: the symptoms generally appear in a relatively short period after completing the dive. Almost 50 per cent of divers develop symptoms within the first hour after the dive, 90 per cent within six hours and 98 per cent within the first 24 hours. In practice this means symptoms that appear more than 24 hours after the dive are probably not decompression sickness. An exception is if the diver has travelled in an aircraft or has been travelling in the mountains. Under these circumstances, low pressure can still trigger decompression sickness more than 24 hours after the last dive. As a result, it is wise not to fly within 24 hours of a deep dive. Mild forms of decompression sickness can resolve themselves without treatment or by breathing 100 per cent oxygen at the site of the accident. The symptoms of decompression sickness vary because the nitrogen bubbles can form in different parts of the body. These can include pain in the joints “bends”. a headache or vertigo, unusual tiredness or fatigue, confusion, a rash, shortness of breath, tingling in the arms or legs, muscular weakness or paralysis, a burning chest pain with a deep breath, a cough or ear or sinus pain.

What happens if I get it: if you suspect decompression sickness, stop the dive, initiate first aid, and summon assistance from a specialist in divers' medicine. Treatment is oxygen on site and during transportation, followed by treatment in a decompression chamber.

How can I avoid decompression sickness?

· Dive within the limits set out in the diving tables.

· Keep your rate of ascent to a maximum 10m/min.

· Don't plan any dives that need a decompression stop in the water.

· Make a three-minute safety stop at a depth of 5m.

· Don't dive more than three times in one day.

· If you plan more than one dive in one day, start by making the deepest dive first.

· If you are diving for several days in a row, have a dive-free day after two to three days.

· Don't do any hard work before or after diving.

· Drink lots of liquid before diving. Lack of fluid due to heat or excess alcohol is dangerous.

· Make sure you are in good physical condition and well rested. Have regular medical checkups.

· Make sure there is an interval of at least 24 hours between diving and travel by air or climbing up mountains. If you have had decompression treatment, the recommended interval before the next dive is at least 48 hours.

New York meetings will resume in January – subject will be TBD.

Please contact me (Laurie) if you’re interesting in speaking or know of someone who is! 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. Admission: $8.00 for members and $10.00 for non-members.

Avalon Travel Publishing announces the release of the 7th edition of Moon Handbooks Fiji, the original travel guide to the 322-island Fiji archipelago.

Since 1985, Moon Handbooks Fiji has been the leading travel guidebook to Fiji. Author David Stanley began writing about the South Pacific in 1979, and over the years tens of thousands of Pacific travellers have used his guides to Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa, and the South Pacific.

Unlike the maps in other guidebooks which contain confusing numbered keys, the 53 maps in Moon Handbooks Fiji are clearly labelled. To allow for detail, three maps of Fiji's capital Suva are included, and two of the gateway city Nadi.

In this 7th edition, all local telephone numbers are increased from six digits to seven, reflecting a recent change by Telecom Fiji. Internet and email addresses are now embedded in the listings for ease of reference.

Rob Kay of FijiGuide.com has this to say about Moon Handbooks Fiji: “Packed with great maps it also has resources such as a comprehensive bibliography, and tips on local etiquette. More importantly, Stanley excels at getting accurate information on hotels, inexpensive restaurants and tourist sites. However there is another reason why his guide is valuable. Stanley does not simply list the properties in alphabetical order and expect the reader to determine what's best. Based on personal visits and feedback from visitors, he will actually offer you an opinion and the straight facts.”

Priced at US$17.95, this book is distributed in the United States by Publishers Group West, in Canada by Publishers Group Canada, in Europe by HI Marketing, and in Australia and New Zealand by Bookwise International. For more information, visit http://www.southpacific.org/fiji.html

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.

1. The Czech Republic has more Internet Service Providers than any other non-English speaking country.

2. Andorra has no unemployment, which is just as well because they have no broadcast TV channels either.

3. Andorrans live the longest, four years longer than in neighbouring France and Spain.

4. China's labour force stands at 706 million people, almost three times that of Europe and twice that of North and South America combined

5. China has the most workers, so it's a good thing they've also got the most TV's.

6. Clipperton Island wins our prize for the most unusual looking country.

7. Israel enjoys a GDP per capita 21 times that of the Palestinian West Bank and 33 times that of the Gaza Strip. Its military spending per capita tops the world.

8. North Korea spends the most of its GDP on its military.

9. Luxembourgers are the world's richest people – and also the most generous.

10. Indians go out to the movies 3 billion times a year.

Source:

Globetrotter meetings have temporarily ceased until further notice due to a bereavement in Christina’s family. If you can help Christina resurrect the Texas meetings, as she would really appreciate some help, please contact Christina on texas@globetrotters.co.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 Mac reminiscences including those about a hotel room with a vibrating bed and an Indian astrologer.

I am reminded in my correspondence about travel of a vibrating bed I found one time on checking into a budget hotel in Hong Kong. I discovered after I had checked in that it was a rendezvous hotel for Chinese older citizens. No young people checked in but older Chinese that wanted a romantic interlude. I was slow to catch on. There were mirrors on the ceiling and on the wall and I thought gee this is unusual for a budget hotel. I laid down and thought I was switching off the light switch and I switched on the switch that started the bed to rumbling. I at first thought it was an earthquake. I am always slow to catch on.

I one time was on a bus in Mexico City when there was an earthquake and I thought it was just a rough road and bus with bad springs. When I got to my destination everyone was out on the street from that budget hotel. I knew a lady there that had been in same hotel in San Miguel De Allende. The hotel in Mexico City was run by a religious order something like the Quakers. She volunteered there and laughed when I asked her why everyone was out in the street to greet me! Incidentally the hotel in Hong Kong was called The Hilton. They swiped the name from the more expensive Hilton Hotel. It is like calling a hotel The Ritz when it is anything but the Ritz. I really liked that hotel though. It had windows you could open and look out on very busy street. I had been on a package tour where the four or five star deluxe hotel in Hong Kong that was included had been so cold and I could never get the air conditioning off. My cheap hotel had overhead fan which I liked better. The deluxe hotel had a mat in elevator that gave you the day of the week each day woven into the mat. They had a grand piano on a float in pond but for some reason I was never comfortable there so at the end of the tour I moved into the unusual budget hotel and was happy there. It was in a less touristy part of Nathan Road at maybe in the direction of Nathan Road. Just ask for the other Hilton.

I just read that a writer wrote that Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris is a “Third World Airport” It brought out some travel memories. After getting radiation for prostrate cancer I started travelling before I was completely well. At a stop on a tour bus in southern India I started to get up from my seat when I realized I had bled from my rear end onto the seat. I didn’t want to panic the Indian tourists so decided I would sit in my seat until they were all off and then run like hell. All were off but one Indian gentleman who stopped by my seat on way out and asked if I was alright. For some strange reason I blurted out my problem. It turned out he was an Indian doctor who was a cancer specialist at Sloane Kettering Cancer Hospital in New York City and just on vacation in India. He gave me some medicine to stop the bleeding and gave me address of where he was staying in New Delhi if I needed more help.

I continued on to Paris and at Charles De Gaulle airport I started bleeding again. Although I had a ticket on Air France for security reasons they would not let me use their toilet. I went down the street to a police station and by hand motions (not an easy thing to do) asked if could use their toilet. They did not arrest me for obscenity but directed me to their toilet that they evidently had criminals use. It had no door so they at desk could watch the prisoners when in toilet I guess.

I did not want them to know I was bleeding so had to wipe myself as far as possible out of their sight. I then went to a Protestant church (closer than Catholic) and by chance there was an American Protestant minister there and I asked him if there was a military hospital or American hospital. He tried to get thorough to American Embassy but couldn’t to ask them. By this time I had stopped bleeding and went back to airport and still made flight out. On that experience I too call Charles De Gaulle airport a turd world airport.

In New Delhi at the YWCA (they took men as well as women) I had to share my room with another Indian doctor. This time a dentist. He said he could tell my fortune but had to wait until the sun came up in the morning. He told me I had cancer and that I had been in the military and some other things that I had not told him (unless I talked in my sleep) That too was a little strange.

Another experience I had with Air France was that in South America they have a cheap flight from French Guinea to France. People from all over South American go to French Guinea to catch this flight. The flight started in Peru I believe but I picked it up in Northern Brazil (the town on the Amazon I cant think of its name) There was only three of us passengers on this huge 747 and all they gave us was a stale roll. When I asked if I could have a second one I was told they did not have enough. So much for French cuisine. Maybe they picked up their food in French Guinea along with most of the passengers.

I was only going as far at French Guinea. They had French Foreign Legion at their airport as guards. They wanted each of us three to go in separate taxis into town. I showed them my retired military ID and they let us all go then in same taxi. Maybe they thought I was an official. The hotels were full so we had to stay in a French whore house. People from British guinea would come over to use it. It was a hotel but the girls were upstairs. We could not get a room until three AM when night’s activities were over. I got to my room and I got a phone call and I was told I had to go to a doctor. I was told that the girl from that room was sick. I said there has been no girl in this room. They apologized. I went down stairs as it was now about six Am and there was the other two from airplane and we decided to walk into town to see if we could find open cafe. The other passengers were a European that ran a taxi in New York City. He would work long enough until he had enough money to travel and then he and his wife would travel. The other passenger was a European writer for Mad Magazine. He was delighted with our unusual hotel and said: “this is just like in the movies!” Travel can be fun, well, at least interesting!

If you would like to contact Mac, he is happy to answer e-mails: macsan400@yahoo.com

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