Teddy Bear Centenary in London: the centenary of the teddy bear is being celebrated with a major exhibition at London’s Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green (March 29 – December 31).
The exhibition features about 400 bears, from some of the oldest surviving examples to present-day models, plus ‘celebrity’ bears such as Winnie the Pooh, Paddington, and Aloysius from the TV series “Brideshead Revisited”.
The Museum of Childhood is a branch of the Victoria
& Albert Museum. It is open daily except Friday. Admission free (Some events carry a separate charge).
If you enjoy writing, enjoy travelling, then why not write for the free
monthly Globetrotters e-newsletter! 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.
You don't have to be a professional writer for other people to enjoy
reading your travel stories. The core value of the Globetrotters Club
and its e-newsletter is to provide a forum to share travel experiences
and to offer help and advice to others. It’s a great feeling, knowing
that around 7,000 subscribers read each e-newsletter, a rate that is increasing
by about 3% month on month.
Please e-mail the Beetle with your travel experiences up to 750 words,
or any other hints and tips or questions plus a couple of sentences about
yourself and a contact e-mail address. The Beetle is frequently contacted
by past contributors who say what fun it has been to correspond with others
who have contacted them as a result of their article in the Globetrotters
e-newsletter – send in those articles!! Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk
Maggie wrote in to say: “I enjoy reading all the
stories of travelling around the world. I am planning on walking the pilgrim
route to Santiago De Compostela starting in France at the end of May 2004.
Has anybody done this journey? Any advice would be more than appreciated”.
If you can have walked all or part of the pilgrimage
route to Santiago de Compostela and can help Maggie, please e-mail her
on: mechthild@InfoAve.Net
~~~~~~~~
Gary wrote in to say: “I'm going to be touring
England and Scotland on a recumbent bike later part of May and June '03.
I'm going to stay in B&Bs' and youth hostels. I'll be
flying into Heathrow Airport. What's the best way for me to get to
Colchester from London airport? 1) Bike from airport and figure out a
way to stash my bike box. Or….
2) Catch a train from the airport and unbox my bike
in a B&B in Colchester and hopefully store my bike box their for my
return trip. My plan is to bike up through the Shetland Islands and then
return back to my bike box in late June. If there is anyone who would
like to visit with me or ride part of the way, drop me an email on: garyleffler@hotmail.com
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 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
Nick from London says that he thinks that it does not really count if
you have only been to the inside of an airport in a particular country,
though others may argue this point. There are other brief visits I have
made to countries. For instance, a couple of years ago I was holidaying
in Thailand and took one of those long tail boat trips on the Mekong river
in the Golden Triangle. During the short journey the boat driver called
in at a jetty on the Lao side of the river for petrol.
Aha! I thought to myself, This is an opportunity to visit Laos! I leapt
off the boat and walked up the jetty and spent a couple of minutes on
the riverbank on the Lao side of the river. So I have had a very short
“visit” to Laos, at least I have stood on Laotian soil, but
of course I can't really say that I have been to the country in any
usual sense. Perhaps others have similar rapid drop ins on countries?
Write in and let the Beetle
know what you think!
Someone sent the Beetle a link to: http://travellady.com/, which is a travel
web site that has lots of travel stories, book and food reviews.
They say: Welcome to TravelLady Magazine! Most people
think professional travel and food writers are some of the luckiest people
in the world. They visit exciting destinations and taste some of the best
food. Now, the TravelLady experts will share some of their glorious times,
but, they will also tell you about the places you want to avoid, the things
you don't want to try, and the meals you never want to eat.
Bill from Los Angeles wrote in to say that he took a flight legally
from L A to Havana to meet Dr Byron Barksdale and his Cuba Aids Group
in Cuba. All went – really well. The USA Customs officers treated me very
well and the Cuban people I met were most interested in talking with Americans.
There are many fine hotels to stay in at all price ranges and above all,
I felt very safe throughout my trip.
Havana is a must see before the embargo is lifted. I recommend
the trip to all your fine members. This prompted the Beetle to investigate.
Below is some more information from Byron about Cuba.
~~~~~~~~~~
Cuba, the “Pearl of the Antilles” and Havana,
“the Paris of the West” are becoming the destination site in
the Caribbean since the Papal visit several years ago. The Cuban government
has relied on tourism to fuel the Cuban economy after the collapse of
the USSR. In contrast to other Caribbean destinations, in Cuba, the traveller
can find local restaurants where beer is 50 cents US and hard drinks (rum
mojitos or daiquiris) can be purchased for $1.00.
The beaches in Varadero, Cayo Coco, and Cayo Largo are unspoiled and
the gentle slope of the shore allows easy swims and wading in crystal
clear waters. International arrivals are possible into Varadero, Havana,
Holguin, and Santiago de Cuba. USA citizens may travel to Cuba legally
through US Treasury Licenses for humanitarian purposes. An example is
humanitarian travel through Cuba AIDS Project, www.cubaaidsproject.com, which supports
Non Governmental Organizations (Monseratte Church, Caritas) in Cuba.
While in Cuba, travellers can find inexpensive lodging, which includes
breakfast ($10-$25/night) in local homes (casa particulars) and cheap,
but wholesome, meals at local family owned, private restaurants known
as paladars. If hotels are preferred, modestly priced rooms can be found
at Hotel Florida ($80/night) in Old Habana or Hotel Riviera ($75/night),
including breakfast, on the Seawall (El Malecon). Art, old books, literature
and music are available to enjoy and purchase in many “open air”
markets throughout Cuba.
The time to see Cuba is before the USA Embargo is lifted. Once the USA
Embargo is lifted, the innocence and mystery of Cuba will rapidly be overrun
by millions of USA tourists seeking business and recreational activities
in Cuba and Cuba may end up looking like South Miami Beach very quickly.
Until then, for Globetrotters, the Great Possibilities of Cuba can be
enjoyed for reasonable prices and uncluttered by too many USA tourists.
About the author: Byron L Barksdale grew up in South Florida and watched
ships sail back and forth to Cuba from West Palm Beach in the mid 1950s.
Currently, Byron is a pathologist in Nebraska serving small hospitals
and clinics in Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas. Only after he became a physician
could Byron find a legal humanitarian way to see and help the poor and
needy in Cuba through Cuba AIDS Project, www.cubaaidsproject.com HIV/AIDS
in Cuba is a public health concern for the USA since over 180,000 USA
citizens travel to Cuba each year and millions will go to Cuba after the
travel ban is lifted.
My partner and I (aged 55 and 65) went RTW for 12 months to April 2002.
She has written a book on it but is looking for a publisher. I went to
internet cafes to maintain a long journal. So rather than travellers'
tales here are some notes on how we did it. The RTW deal was from Star
Alliance, giving us 12 months, 15 stops and 39000 miles. A couple of times
when in dispute with an airline the Alliance link was useful. Their miles
include overland legs which seems unfair but it is still good value. They
allow backtracking, which we needed for India to China.
We flew to Brazil for two lazy weeks to get over the strain of preparations,
then to Lima. We took buses – we avoided 'luxury' or 'tourist'
buses -round Peru and despite being told it was impossible found a cheap
way to Macchu Picchu. Three-day trips to Colca Canyon and to the Peruvian
Amazon jungle. Bus and boat (aided by the Bolivian Navy!) to cold La Paz
then bus on 'the most dangerous road in the world' to lovely Coroico.
Flew to Costa Rica, which seemed very wealthy and grotesquely American!
But we had a wonderful time there – eco-tourism on the Caribbean coast
and in the cloud forest. I wrote a report on working conditions on the
banana plantations. Then buses through sad Nicaragua, tough Honduras (staying
with the Garifuna) and Guatemala with its staggering range of wealth.
We were in luxury after three months of back packers' hotels and crowded
but fascinating bus journeys. Then we bought a car in Florida and eventually
sold it in British Columbia. (One could write a book this, as on each
leg of the journey.) This was not as easy as it sounds – big problems
with driver's licence and insurance. But surmountable. Boat and bus
to Houston BC. Strange coming back to sophistication a few days after
9/11, a different world. Hawaii then fabulous Tonga. Real bliss as the
only visitors on an idyllic island, and time to think. Here my partner
discovered the magic of snorkelling.
NZ was surprisingly far nicer than expected, Sydney also amazes. We were
kept busy there and in Canberra and Melbourne giving talks. Thailand where
we made lasting friends, one a young man not half way through 25 years
imprisonment for drug smuggling. Don’t even think about it! Interesting
to contrast the type of tourists here with those in S America. Almost
a different breed. So to the jewel. Three months in India lived up to
all my hopes and dreams. A stopover in steamy sophisticated Singapore
(the night time zoo worth a visit) thence to Beijing, and onto the trans-Asia
train with stops including three weeks in Mongolia (hiring a jeep to traverse
the Gobi), Siberia (Lake Baikal), Moscow and glorious St Petersburg.
Stockholm was refreshing and spring time in England utterly delightful.
Total cost was less than £4,000 on fares, plus £400 a week
rent we got on our London homes. We ate local workers' food. We often
stayed in people's homes – fellow Quakers, a hosting organisation,
far flung family and friends. Otherwise in the better rooms in cheap hotels.
Motels (except some on Route 66) have no character but are great value.
Or ashrams. The only problematic visa was that for Russia, though others
such as India and China needed some care. I was surprised to find one
of the most irksome problems was telephoning – one needs to see if mobiles
can be adapted cheaply in each region. Only disappointments: despite three
weeks in most places we usually seemed to be in a hurry, and sadly I lost
several sets of slides.
Essentials include up-to-date Guides. We used Footprint guides for Latin
America because it avoids having lots of volumes; and for India as well
as Lonely Planet there and everywhere else. “Road Trip USA”
for the side roads. Take both Visa and MasterCard (and Maestro if possible)
as many areas take only one or the other. We had all the jabs recommended
except expensive encephalitis. We never resolved all the arguments for
and against anti-malaria tablets, and if so which ones. But insect repellent
from day 1, and a hat if you are bald like me. I had to have scalp pre-cancer
treatment on return. I was supplied with and shown how to use self-catheterisation
by the NHS. Never had to do it but without it I would not have dared go
to Tonga, or deep into the Gobi.
Medically we had very few problems, tummy bug twice, and chest complaints
in the Andes. I got shingles when in Thailand but was easily able to get
powerful drugs (for £50 – a fortune), which knocked it out. But
we had quite a few strains from lugging our packs (and from 3 days meditating
cross legged in a Buddhist temple!) We both had Karrimor wheeled rucksacks
and seldom had to hump them. My advice – just DO IT! Don't worry about
food and accommodation and robbery.
Ignore travel mags and ads. They make it scary so you'll use their
expensive services. Just GO! Details on the web site (at http://home.clara.net/spetter/sp/,
but sadly I don't have time and space to mention our lovely hosts
and the travellers and locals we met. To contact Stephen for any hints
or tips, please e-mail him on: spetter@clara.net
A new website offers an alternative way to stay in the
UK – free! YouStayFree.com offers unlimited free hotel accommodation for
members at selected UK hotels.
Members pay a yearly fee (presently £24.95) and
must pay a minimum amount for meals at the hotel. There are some restrictions,
but average savings for a couple on a 2 night break could easily be over
£100. Website: youstayfree.com
Since the New Year has on from its welcoming celebrations, many
travelling folk are spending the winter conceiving travels and tours
for the forthcoming year. Such thoughts brighten up these grey months
that stretch through to Easter and test our imagination. Can it be coincidence
that travel shows thrive during this time? I’ve always found that
there is considerable enjoyment to be had from visualising any possibility
and anticipating what could happen along the way. If not planning, travellers
can usually be found doing – indeed I’ve ‘lost’
friends to California, Canada and Australia in quick succession recently!
Have you noticed that how our non travelling friends no longer caution
against such exuberance? I’m sure we should spare them a thought
or two, as they are subjected to our endless plans. To calm our intoxications
perhaps we should all be given copies of Alain de Botton’s The
Art of Travel to digest – he comes up with some bizarre and
somewhat unsettling accounts of the ‘satisfactions and disappointments
of travelling’.
In considering the ‘satisfactions’, where do I find myself
on route to next and how has it got to this stage? Well, following on
from a long weekend in Valletta a ferry should then take me across to
Sicily, probably Siracusa or Catania, with a second taking me, a week
or so later, on from Trapani to Goletta. Whether this will leave me time
enough to wander fully along Tunisia’s Mediterranean coast towards
Gabes and Jerab I’m not sure yet. However besides the improved climates
I have high hopes for good snorkelling, spectacular views of Mount Etna
in its current active state and a distinctive crossing into northern Africa,
which as a region is still unknown to me. If anyone has additional experiences
of this vague outline they’d like to share, feel free to get in
touch. Through this planning stage the ‘I’ has become ‘we’
– as Steve and Colin, two friends from previous travels who will
add their own practical and entertaining inputs to this tour, have joined
me. Indeed their immediate ‘yeses’ to my proposals has provided
extra organising drive, along with Steve disappearing to the French speaking
Canadian ski slopes for three months! No doubt Steve’s improved
French language skills will ease our way into Tunisia! As a result and
somewhat unusually this scheme has advanced quicker than previous and
the scratched out beer plan has already evolved through to map and ticket
purchases.
Initially my observations were that I wanted to make my travels more
demanding this year, more revealing and more elsewhere. Attending Globetrotters
and the RGS had left me feeling that my some of my recent tours were pedestrian
and unchallenging in their nature and destination. Further impetus came
from reading of namesake Charles Montague Doughty’s early travels
across the Mediterranean countries, whilst discussions with friends Charlie
and Carrie updated me with what adventures could now be had in northern
Africa. Michael Palin’s recent television trek helped to round off
these thoughts, particular with his attitude of still wanting to learn
from what he was experiencing – something I’d like to echo.
Along with the pleasure of journeys, I would still like to understand
more of how I like to travel.
Where could my ‘disappointments’ come from? My previous
experiences of Africa have been sub-Saharan and very much centred around
Anglo Portuguese influences on the continent, but I do wonder how we will
respond to French legacies and whether we can appreciate if the Sahara
is a major dividing line of the African continent and peoples. I’m
not vain in the sense in thinking that my travels will offer anything
other than interesting experiences to us three. I would like to gain a
deeper insight into what this region is about and to return with a book
full of tales but as yet I’m uncertain as to what I will find, particularly
in Tunisia. Like many I am wary of guide books, packaged destinations
and official opinion, and as a result I’m trying to stick to a single
map, a few articles that I’ve found in the weekend supplements and
first hand knowledge passed on. Previous attempts at such vague planning
have left me lost in Santa Barbara’s unbelievably square grid system
but revealed gems such as Connemara! As such Colin and Steve don’t
yet know how seemingly ill prepared we may be – I hope they understand
that I’m not trying to be careless, that I just want a little more
from my time away…
Matt is happy to be contacted if you’d like some more information
about planning your travels or about any of the places he talks about
in his own travel planning. E-mail mattdoughty@tiscali.co.uk
February is a slow month in the Costa Del Sol. This is why you can get
some of the best deals during that month. The temperature goes from 16-10
degrees Celsius. So you can still be in shorts.
I recently just got back from Costa Del Sol. I took advantage of the
airline price war that is going on right now. Arriving at the airport
I noticed that the traffic was not as heavy as it was during the summer
but still a fair number of the people getting off those planes were from
the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. First things I noticed
was that I needed sunglasses and needed to take off my heavy winter jacket.
I just arrived from a Northern European country where that morning it
was -6 Celsius. It was also icy and snowing conditions.
I was smiling as I thought of my colleagues back home at work. I was
thinking that some of them do deserve their day in the sun. Some of my
colleagues had become as cranky as the northern weather in the northern
part of Europe and the sun would bring back their smiles. Productivity
would greatly improve.
The second thing I noticed is the smile on the Spanish people's
face. They seem that they were enjoying themselves. I thought what enjoyment
have I had before coming to Spain? In my Northern country I was stuck
everyday in traffic, I was driving 20 kilometres an hour on the highway
due to snow and icy conditions, I had 3 layers of clothes on because of
freezing temperatures. Coming to Spain I was no longer stuck in traffic,
there were no icy conditions to peril my well being, and I was taking
off my 3 layers of clothes in February!!! Therefore, I too had a smile
on my face.
Once in Costa Del Sol, you will be tempted to stop on the highway to
view the ocean. My suggestion is to drive west towards Marbella. Take
the coastal highway N-340 so that you can get the ocean view throughout
your journey. Stop somewhere where you can view the great ocean- like
the top of the Sitio de Calahonda. Calahonda is 36 Kilometres west of
Malaga and on the N-340. Once at the top there are bars and restaurants
where you can sit outside and see the breathtaking views. You will soon
forget your problems at work, your icy conditions, and your 3 layers of
clothes that you left back home.
About the Author: Fred Desrosiers lives in the coldness of the Swiss
Alps. He has been to the Costa Del Sol several times. He loves it so much
that he returns time and time again. He can help you if you’d like
to visit the Costa del Sol. View his website at Fred's Homepage
If you were thinking of travelling to northern Congo
to see the gorillas – don’t. At least 48 people are believed
to have died in a suspected outbreak of Ebola in the north of Congo-Brazzaville,
near the border with Gabon. Ebola is reported to have killed 43 people
in Congo and 53 others in neighbouring Gabon between October 2001 and
February 2002. The WHO says more than 1,000 people have died of Ebola
since the virus was first identified in 1976 in western Sudan and in a
nearby region of Congo. There is no cure for Ebola, which causes up to
95% of its victims to bleed to death.
The authorities were first alerted to a possible outbreak
of Ebola when a clan of gorillas in the region began to die in December.
Tests carried out on the bodies confirmed that the gorillas had died from
the Ebola virus, which has now claimed more than 80% of that gorilla clan.
According to on the scene World Health Experts, it seems likely that eating
bush meat such as gorilla, gazelle and antelope caused the human deaths.
Terminal
1 is for United and United Express flights plus Lufthansa departures.
Terminal
2 airlines include Air Canada, America West, Continental, Northwest,
United and US Airways.
Terminal
3 airlines include Alaska, American and Delta.
Terminal
5 is the international terminal for most non-US airline departures
and all international arrivals
Chicago O Hare is named after Lieutenant Edward O'Hare who was a
military hero, and flew planes in the Navy during WW2. He was awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1942.
The largest US troop and cargo carrying airplane, the Douglas C-54,
was built at a factory on the site and the base, known then as Orchard
Field, which was almost entirely then used by the military. When the war
ended, Chicago’s city Municipal Airport, later to become Midway
Chicago quickly established itself as the world's busiest civil aviation
operation. A far-sighted City Council saw the potential for air travel
and decided a second major facility would be needed so in 1946 they bought
Orchard Field from the US government together with another 7,000 acres
next door. Three years later $2.4 million was spent on acquiring more
land and Orchard Field was re-named in honour of O'Hare.
The airport was already busy before it was officially opened to domestic
commercial flights in 1955, but Midway was still the star attraction until
1962 when all scheduled operations were transferred from Midway to O'Hare.
When the airport was officially dedicated the following year, President
John F. Kennedy said, “it could be classed as one of the wonders
of the modern world”. He was right in one sense because O'Hare
preserved its title as 'World's Busiest' for over 30 years
until it was overtaken by Atlanta in 1998.
The London Meetings co-ordinator sent notice of this
wonderful exhibition to the Beetle: a major exhibition of internationally
acclaimed Brazilian photographer, Sebastião Salgado, chronicles
the human cost behind major political events. Featuring 350 haunting black
and white photographs taken from Salgado’s renowned Migrations
and Children series, it is a moving account of those displaced
by conflict.
Venue: Barbican Gallery Location: Gallery
floor, level 3 Open: 13 February – 1 June 2003Mon, Tue, Thu-Sat 10am – 6pm; Wed 10am – 9pm;Sun
& Bank holidays 12 noon – 6pm Tickets £7/ £5Please
support Amnesty International’s work. Purchase a special ticket
and £1 will be donated directly to Amnesty International. Tickets
£8/£6 Full price tickets can be booked online,
To purchase discounted tickets, please contact the Box Office on 020 7638
8891.
USA:
New Orleans Mardi Gras 4 MarchThousands take to the streets of
The Big Easy in a virtuoso display of fabulously colourful costumes and
magical floats.
Winter Party March 1st
to 10th March, Miami
1-10 March 2003 (every year) is the gay mecca that is
South Beach, Miami; this famed party benefits the Dade Human Rights Foundation.
Iris is a British lady of considerable character and pluck, on a 23
week overland expedition from Quito in Ecuador to Caracas in Venezuela.
After this, she plans to do a 3-month voluntary placement in Ecuador,
and then visit Central America for another overland trip between Panama
City and Mexico City, ending up with perhaps another 2-month voluntary
placement somewhere in South America again. This amazing journey will
take Iris one year. Here is an extract from Iris’ journey notebook.
30th November: The Journey to Cuenca
I sent my last emails from Baños, was there 3 days and it was
a lovely little town but, as I say, that volcano was brooding over it,
which made things a little scary! One of our number said he had read there
are evacuation arrows in the streets showing the population the way to
run should there be an eruption but he couldn't find them which rather
concerned him! But we evacuated from Baños without any trouble,
but my, what a journey we had to Cuenca – right through the Andes at a
minimum of 2,000 metres, sometimes going up to well over 3,000 metres.
Everywhere – mountains that seemed to be almost piled one on top of the
other, with the occasional narrow valley plummeting down to the depths
with hamlets nestled in them. Scary at times as the road was just cut
out of the mountainsides and there were some really incredible hair pin
bends – looking over the side I was thankful we were going so slowly with
no danger of going over the edge because we would have all been killed
if we had crashed over the side – probably drops of at least 300 – 1,000m
in places with nothing but rock to fall on!
We saw lots of local people – mostly shepherds in the traditional Andean
garb of trilby hat, colourful (often red) shawls and brightly coloured
skirts, minding their sheep, goats, donkeys, pigs, cattle or llamas. Unfortunately,
the cloud was low and obscured what must have been some very fine views
but every so often the scene (rather than the sky) would clear and we
would see some awesome sights – steaming volcanoes, two or three of them
in a line; sheer precipices and steep mountains with their tops obscured
in cloud.
We left Baños at 0745 (yours truly being the last on the bus,
not because I got up late, I was up at 0500 exercising and showering but
the restaurant which was supposed to open at 0600 was later opening and
then the girl who waited on table had to run off to the baker's to
get bread. But by the time we were all breakfasted (and some rolled in
in the early hours of the morning so had no breakfast as they were suffering
from hangovers) and I had collected my belongings and finished my ablutions
(the obligatory cleaning of teeth), I turned out to be the last on the
bus!
We then made our way slowly out of Baños to Cuenca some 366 kms
to the south but the terrain, coupled with the weight in our bus – full
water tanks as well as petrol tanks, and with two drivers and 22 people
aboard with all their luggage – we made slow progress up hills and all
sorts of vehicles were continuously overtaking us. We were ok on the straights
and downhills but on the downhill had to go slowly again because of the
weight being hurled down steep inclines and having to negotiate some hair-raising
bends.
We stopped for lunch on the roadside – our leaders/drivers (Heather
and Martin) had bought local produce at the market in Baños and
so we helped prepare a lunch of salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes,
avocado pear, onions) and rolls, butter, ham and cheese for us all. We
go through an elaborate process of disinfecting our hands, using a spray
disinfectant after using the toilet and then washing our hands again in
disinfectant water and rinsing them again in disinfectant water and shaking
them rather than wiping them dry. All table surfaces and pots and pans
are sterilised and then work begins at cutting up and buttering and putting
things on plates and in bowls on long trestle tables and canvas stools
are put out for us all to sit on. Meanwhile, the local dogs congregate,
sniffing out the food and looking longingly at us, as are the local shepherd
population.
In the site where we were there were a couple of shepherds (women) with
their children, and their donkeys and pigs. The children were wide-eyed
but rather suspicious urchins (suspicious of us) and refused all requests
to have their photos taken, but hanging around watching these strange
tourists in their shorts and long trousers preparing food they could only
dream about. We didn't encourage the dogs with any scraps and we certainly
did not stroke any of them (dirty little mutts), but they all seemed innocent
enough and quiet if not friendly, but after we had all finished eating,
the food over was handed out to the shepherds and their children in the
form of ham and cheese and salad rolls, and bags of lettuce and tomatoes,
and for the pigs, all the swill resulting from the lettuce and other vegetables
used in the salad. So everyone benefited, even the local hospice (just
a dirty brick building with a small shop and rather disgusting loos but
at least we were able to use them and rinse our hands under the tap, hence
the strict regime of disinfecting our hands every time we used the loos
when we stopped.
At one stage, we experienced the necessity of relieving ourselves without
the aid of modern conveniences. The men went one way in a small wooded
area and the women went the other. It is at times like these one wishes
one was a man and could just open our flies without having to strip ourselves
half naked and crouch in the undergrowth. Of course, yours truly had to
choose a place with some rather long stems of grass, which tickled my
posterior regions as I crouched so I made a rather ungainly spectacle
of myself jumping around every time something touched me in a rather intimate
place! Then the ceremony of the trowel – burying the tissue we used in
the ground so that we didn't pollute the local area of scenic beauty!
I am sure this is going to be the first of many occasions when we will
need to wander off, trowel in hand, to seek out similar places for similar
purposes.
If you’d like to contact Iris, whether to wish her luck with her
trip or to ask questions about her itinerary and places visited, I am
sure she would like to hear from you. She can be contacted on: irisej2002@yahoo.co.uk
#EndEditable
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A new booklet from the London Tourist Board gives suggestions
on making your holiday budget go further and exploring the capital off
the main tourist trail. “Go Further in London” is available
free from British Tourist Authority offices overseas (in English, French,
German and Italian), or look on the website: www.visitlondon.com
Submitted by Frank from the US. Actual comments from US travel agents:
A woman called and asked, “Do airlines put your physical description
on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to who?” I said, “No,
why do you ask?” She replied, “Well, when I checked in with
the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said FAT, and I'm overweight,
is there any connection?” After putting her on hold for a minute
while I looked into it” (I was actually laughing) I came back and
explained the city code for Fresno is FAT, and that the airline was just
putting a destination tag on her luggage.
I just got off the phone with a man who asked, “How do I know which
plane to get in?” I asked him what exactly he meant, which he replied,
“I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these darn planes
have numbers on them.”
A woman called and said, “I need to fly to Pepsi-Cola on one of
those computer planes.” I asked if she meant to fly to Pensacola
on a commuter plane. She said, “Yeah, whatever.”
A businessman called and had a question about the documents he needed
in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports,
I reminded him he needed a visa. “Oh no I don't, I've been
to China many times and never had to have one of those.” I double-checked
and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said,
“Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have
accepted my American Express.”
A woman called to make reservations; “I want to go from Chicago
to Hippopotamus, New York.” The agent was at a loss for words. Finally,
the agent said, “Are you sure that's the name of the town?”
“Yes, what flights do you have?” replied the customer. After
so me searching, the agent came back with, “I'm sorry, ma'am,
I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find
a Hippopotamus anywhere.” The customer retorted, “Oh don't
be silly, everyone knows where it is. Check your map!” The agent
scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, “You
don't mean Buffalo, do you?” “That's it! I knew it
was a big animal!”
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