Globetrotting Kiwis, Christine and Malcolm Clark are a little over 18 months and 8,759 miles into their epic cycling journey, from England to New Zealand. Their trip is entirely self-funded and they are also helping to raise money for the Gray Cancer Institute, a UK based cancer research organization.

Our route took us across France where we received much encouragement from the French, hyped up by the recent Tour de France. Picking up the Danube cycle path, we crossed Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary before leaving the river in Budapest. Romania gave us a warm welcome and throughout our stay we received honest hospitality and friendliness. This was in stark contrast to the warnings we had received before entering the country. Bulgaria was a totally different place to our experiences 13 years previously. The two weeks there provided the opportunity to meet many people and again be on the receiving end of much generosity.

As we made our way through the city walls and down into the backpacker settlement of Sultanahmet, Istanbul, the strains of Crowded House blended in with the calls to prayer and the clink of a cold bottle of beer contrasted with scarf clad ladies scuttling along buying vegetables. The East of Turkey again showed wonderful hospitality but also large packs of marauding dogs. These caused many anxious moments but the Dog Dazer, an electronic device, saved us from any serious maulings. It was with great trepidation that we entered Iran and, for Christine, a whole new way of dressing. With preconceptions of fundamentalism and chador clad women in our minds we found instead a country struggling with its identity: desperate to become more developed with a loathing of America idealism but still coveting the American icons and materialism. However, the people were welcoming and friendly, the hotels clean and the food tasty and hygienic. The dual pricing system of all hotels and tourist attractions was wearying but did not detract from the stunning natural beauty of the country.

It was a great co-incidence to cross into Pakistan on the same day of the first cricket test between Pakistan and New Zealand. There was more ribbing about the test results than any concerns about border formalities. The ride across the Great Sandy Desert of Baluchistan was stunning, isolated and contrary to what most guide books say about the area – safe. With the right frame of mind and appropriate dress code Pakistan is a truly enthralling destination. A detour up the Karakoram Highway to the market town of Kashgar, China turned out to be more complicated than we expected. The events of the 11/09 closed the borders back to Pakistan and we set off across Western Tibet towards the Nepalese border. Crossing passes of over 4,500 metres with temperatures often below freezing, it was the most challenging cycling we had ever done. Nepal however welcomed us with friendly faces and calls of 'Namaste' rang in our ears and we braved the rickshaws and tuk tuks of Thamel to find our hotel. We are watching the events in India and Pakistan carefully before we head down onto the plains.

We are now using our journey to help raise money for a UK based cancer research organisation, the Gray Cancer Institute. For more details please see our website www.kiwisonbikes.net brought to you with the tireless efforts of Guildford based Mike Fisher.

Wow! The Beetle is truly humbled – this is so inspiring! If you would like to contact the Kiwis on Bikes, visit their web site: http://www.kiwisonbikes.net

Iona, the tiny island off Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, is known as being the island where St. Columba and his 12 disciples landed from Ireland in AD 563 and spread the word of Christianity to Scotland and beyond. As such, it is an important centre for pilgrims who flock to Iona once a year. In fact, many Kings of Scotland, Norway and Ireland are buried on Iona.

It is unbelievably small and picturesque and runs 3 miles from north to south and 1½ miles from east to west. Whilst cars are not allowed on Iona, it is possible to visit by ferry from Mull. There are two hotels which can be contacted by internet: the Argyll Hotel reception@argyllhoteliona.co.uk and the St Columba Hotel columba@btconnect.com.

Iona is very green and peaceful; it has a wonderfully serene feel to the island, one of calm. There is an Abbey and a Nunnery that hold what is believed to be some of the most complete collection of Christian carved stones in Scotland, ranging in age from 600AD to the 1600s.

To see: there is St Columbus' restored monastery, shops, a post office, hotels, a golf course, an old marble quarry, gorgeous sandy beaches, walking paths and plenty of wild life to see.

The winner of last months' Fiji Quiz is Arthur Carmichael from the United States. We have another travel guide to give away this month, called Climbing in New Zealand by the repressible Alastair Lee who was a fantastic speaker at the January London Globetrotter meeting.

Meeting news from our branches around the world.

We had a great crowd to kick off the New Year! Matt Link was our speaker and he did a fabulous job telling us all about Ghana! His pictures were amazing, and he also played Ghanaian music to get us all in the mood. Matt truly immersed us in the country and its people, who are peace loving and warm. Some highlights: Ghana is 30% Muslim, and they are very pro-American. They spoke sadly of the 9/11 attacks. Ghanaians place huge importance on education, for boys and girls. Everything gets carried on their heads, even a refrigerator!! Matt showed us highlights from villages, mosques and a real voodoo ceremony!

The 2^nd of February's speaker will be Helga Smith, who will be speaking and presenting a slide show to us about SERVAS. SERVAS began more than 50 years ago, and has expanded worldwide. It is now a network of over 14,000 hosts and travellers, present in 132 countries. Helga will briefly cover the history of SERVAS, its international status as an UN accredited NGO, and explain how SERVAS works. Helga has been a host in New York for more than 15 years and a traveler for at least 10 years as well as participant at national and international conferences. She has met hundreds of SERVAS people and will talk about what the SERVAS experience means to her. Helga grew up in what used to be East Germany and left that country after the Berlin Wall was built. She has been in NYC for the last 35 years.

New York meetings are held at The Wings Theater, 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.

The next meeting will be on January 18th at the the Woodsworth Co-op : Ann Dohler will talk about her recent trip to Peru, the Galapagos and the Amazon.

For further 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.

Toronto GT 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.

In January 2002, we had 30 people attending our Texas Globetrotter's meeting! More than 50 different people have attended since the first meeting back in July 2001. Ron Woguus shared some of his travel preparation wisdom he has acquired after hundreds of trips. We all shared our travel goals for 2002 by saying them out loud and writing them down, which will definitely help make them happen!

The eighth meeting of the Globetrotters Texas branch will start promptly at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 9 at the New Braunfels Public Library. We might have a slide show, we will definitely have time to share common vacation goals, and we will talk about a Globies group trip.

Meetings are held at 3pm at the New Braunfels Public Library, 700 E. Common Street in New Braunfels, Texas. The meeting ends at 5 p.m. If you would like to continue travel talk on a more informal basis, we plan to adjourn to the Hoity-Toit, a local New Braunfels establishment. If anybody would like to enquire about meetings or help Christina, please contact her on: texas@globetrotters.co.uk

Spitalfields market is the Beetle's favourite London market. It has the advantage of not being fantastically busy, like Portobello Rd market or Petticoat Lane, and it offers a surprising range of products to buy and things to look at.

It is less than 10 minutes walk from Liverpool Street tube station (get out at the Broadgate exit and just follow everyone else, or ask). It is open on Sundays from around 8am to 3pm. It dates back to 1682 and was once the largest fruit and veg market in London, before it moved location to East London.

Old Spitalfields Market on Commercial Street was the location of a medieval hospital and priory of St. Mary Spital founded in 1197. Back then, this was the outside boundary of London, and the hospital is reputed to have provided shelter to travellers, hence the name `Spital fields'. The area remained fields until Charles II founded the fruit, flower and vegetable market in 1682. Another claim to fame is that Spitalfields was the site of Jack the Ripper's first victim!

Today, you can buy organic meat, vegetables, bread and patisserie, second hand books and records, vintage clothes, gemstones, jewellery, candles, pictures, kites – all sorts! There are a couple of cafes and pubs close by if you are in need of sustenance after a hard few hours seeing what the market has to offer.

Want to tell us about your local market? Contact the Beetle: the Beetle

Next month: Borough Market, London, as featured in Bridget Jones' Diary