\nRomanian Danube delta. This corner of Europe squashed between the
\nBlack Sea and Ukraine is not connected to the European road system
\nand as such is mainly only accessible by boat.<\/a> No doubt it is
\nthis inaccessibility that has contributed to it being a world
\nheritage area that is home to more than 300 types of wildlife. Ray
\nshowed us the navigable rivers including the 1991 shipwreck of The
\nVostock.<\/p>\n
After the break it was Globies resident Aussie Jacqui
\nTrotter<\/b> to take us down under for a trip she made with her Dad
\nfrom Darwin back to her home in New South Wales. Her trip was at
\nthe start of the wet season which meant she saw water cascading
\noff Uluru and the Todd River in Alice Springs with water in! She
\nalso showed us Katherine Gorge and The Devils Marbles, huge
\nroadside boulders in the middle of nowhere. Jacqui showed us the
\nnow running again Ghan train snaking its way along before ending
\nback at the Blue Mountains in NSW.<\/p>\n
Rosalie Bolland’s<\/b> fascination with waterfalls took her
\non an organised trip to see the Angel falls in Venezuela, we saw
\nthe actual aircraft that Jimmy Angel crash landed on top of the
\nfalls. Rosalie got some great views flying over the falls in a
\nlight aircraft and the taking a boat to see them from closer up,
\nthough the falls are so large she had difficulty getting them into
\none photograph.<\/p>\n
Neil Harris<\/b> took us back to the sub continent to visit
\nBangladesh, showing us that in fact it is not all just flooded as
\nout TV pictures seem to show us there is some higher ground there,
\nwith markets and towns such as Cox’s Bazaar, where the people
\nwere fascinated by seeing their picture on his digital camera.
\nNeil’s pictures showed us happy smiling people and some great
\nbeaches.<\/p>\n
Ernest Flesch<\/b> transported us to Yemen in the Middle East, we
\nsaw Palaces in the capital Sana’a, where the locals spend
\ntheir afternoons chewing qat. Out in the desert of wadi hadramat we
\nsaw mud brick skyscrapers and mosques with red and white minarets
\nand not forgetting camels. The men all carried arms and knives,
\nwhich were on display in the shops, though don’t know how
\nErnest managed to sneak those back into the UK!<\/p>\n
Many thanks to all the members who made it a very enjoyable
\nafternoon.<\/p>\n
By Padmassana<\/p>\n
September’s meeting will take place on 3rd September at a
\nchange to our usual venue:
\nConcert Artistes Association 20 Bedford Street Covent Garden
\nLondon WC2E 9HP Start 3.00 pm<\/p>\n
Jules Stewart will be talking about “The North-West Frontier
\nand the Men who guard the Khyber Pass” Jules is a former
\nReuter’s reporter – now freelance and author of ”
\nThe Khyber Rifles: from the British Raj to Al
\nQueda<\/b>” and now working on
\na book about the Pundits.<\/p>\n
After the break, Juliet Coombe will talk about “Sir-Lanka
\npost-Tsunami – In a crisis, EVERYONE counts !” Juliet is a
\nvery busy freelance travel writer, photographer and publisher and
\nmore. She cleared her desk and flew to Sri Lanka to work as a
\nvolunteer with a charity group. A subsequent photographic
\nexhibition was a complete sell out, and will build a heap of
\nhouses.<\/p>\n
London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown We are sorry to say that for the time being, New York meetings are For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk<\/a> New York meetings are held at The Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, Due to bereavement in Christina’s family, we regret to say that If you enjoy writing, enjoy travelling, why not write for the free To see your story in cyber print, e-mail the Beetle with your When I told people I was going to Slovenia, the reactions I After Slovenia’s plebiscite for independence yielded 88% in Nikolaj was extremely proud of his country and heritage. He The beauty of the Slovene language is that it does not I mean honestly. That looks like alphabet soup on crack.<\/p>\n Diego and Vladomir took me to the nice bars in Ljubljana. Outside of Ljubljana, the Slovene country is absolutely Slovenia is an easy place to fall in love with. It exceeded my Trade Aid is a UK Below we describe a new seedling planting project we are helping ‘By wise planning now we can insure that this valuable natural Back in January 2004 Martin Wright, one the club’s most 5 May:<\/b> Hi all. Have made it as far as Ayutthaya, 60 kms While in Bangkok I stayed in a hotel in Chinatown overlooking the Chinatown was a great area for wandering around especially at night On Monday I left Kanchanaburi and cycled through Suphan Buri on to This morning I decided to make coffee in my room on my Trangia 9 May:<\/b> On leaving Ayutthaya my intention was to cycle At present I am in Sukhothai staying in a very quiet and peaceful On that note good bye to you all and have a nice day. Martin<\/p>\n Trip duration: 11 days These first few days in the saddle have been a gentle introduction, I pulled into Azul about 5.30pm, and began searching the streets I’m almost sad I found Jorge and his family at the start of the The next couple of days were spent speeding down to Viedma (pretty The Argentineans are extremely friendly. I stopped for a coffee in Yesterday I completed the biggest day in the saddle, about 500 The bike is running great. I’m slightly concerned with the One last note – as I parked up last night in the secure hotel Oh well, tomorrow I strike for Ushuaia and the end of the world.<\/p>\n If you want to know more about Greg’s travels: http:\/\/www.unbeatentrack.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n Comprising of around 50 islands (750 if you count the archipelago There are four basic Caribbean cruise routes used by cruise Given this broad assortment of destinations available in the Good luck with planning your trip and happy cruising. Metty The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), in partnership with BBC Your journey needs really to matter to you: we need to feel your The programme you’ll be making needs to tell your story – and Please send your pitches, either by email or by post, to: Email: grants@rgs.org<\/a> Did you know, you can change the format of this 1. This format with 2 columns.<\/p>\n 2. A single column print friendly version available 3. The text only version, if you’d like your 4. Have a link emailed to you pointing to the online 5. Subscribe to our full text RSS feed RSS<\/a><\/p>\n One of the times I went to China I did not hide my military Before we got on plane for China we were told to turn over any In Hangchow, Mr Wu showed us a painting on the wall of at We went to the Sick Duck restaurant in Beijing. It is called Eunuchs (and there were 70,000 of them) at the time of the When we got off plane in Hangchow a guide came up to us and Our guide Miss Cha was late in getting to the airport at Kneehow (phonetic) in Chinese means hello. In China, Carol who In response to last month’s article about Diego Garcia, Mac A Portuguese armada sailing around the tip of Africa in 1512 In 1787 a businessman from Mauritius saw opportunity on Diego Emancipation was proclaimed in mid 1830s in all British When the Japanese invaded Ceylon off the coast of India in There was a photo stating Donkeys introduced to Diego Garcia Beside the Seabee (branch of Navy that builds and does If you would like to contact Mac, he can be e-mailed on: Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary has threatened a Back in January, O’Leary labelled a The letter argued that the statements on the thread were To find other ways of increasing its revenue, Ryanair has been Some commentators say that the wheelchair levy is a clear sign of Experienced pilots who need to receive expensive top-up training to If you have enjoyed reading this e-newsletter, why not visit the We also send members only a listing of all members, their contact
\nCourt, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the
\nfirst Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August,
\nbut we will be back in September. For more information, you can
\ncontact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or
\nvisit the website:<\/i><\/b> www.globetrotters.co.uk<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\nsuspended as Laurie really needs a helper. If you have some time to
\nspare and are based in or near NYC, please contact Laurie on the
\ne-mail address below.<\/p>\n
\nor register for email updates, click
\nhere at our website.<\/p>\n
\nStreet (btw Greenwich St and Washington St), to the right of Crunch
\nFitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4
\npm.<\/p>\n
\n
\nHermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca<\/i><\/a>
\nor Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.<\/p>\n
\nSeptember and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse,
\n133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.<\/p>\n
\n
\nTexas meetings have stopped pending further notice. If you have
\ntime to spare and would like to take over Texas meetings, please
\ncontact the Beetle on: beetle@globetrotters.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\nmonthly Globetrotters e-newsletter! The Beetle would love to hear
\nfrom you: your travel stories, anecdotes, jokes, questions, hints
\nand tips, or your hometown or somewhere of special interest to you.
\nOver 8,000 people currently subscribe to the Globetrotter e-news.<\/p>\n
\ntravel experiences, hints and tips or questions up to 750 words,
\ntogether with a couple of sentences about yourself and a contact
\ne-mail address to Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\ngot
\nwere similar: “Where?” “What? Is that a
\ncountry?” “Hmm, never heard of it” and “What is
\nthat near?” My mother asked if it was dangerous and my brother
\nsimply laughed.<\/p>\n![\"triple](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/pictures\/200507-enews-Triple-Bridge.jpg\")
If
\nyou don’t know where Slovenia is or you didn’t even know
\nit existed, you shouldn’t be ashamed. It is one of Europe’s
\nsmallest countries with a population of less than 2 million. The
\ncapital city, Ljubljana, has fewer than 300,000 inhabitants. It is
\na “new” country in the sense that it has only existed as
\nits own nation since 1991, when it became the first republic to
\nseparate from the former Federal People’s Republic of
\nYugoslavia.<\/p>\n![\"Dragon](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/pictures\/200507-enews-DragonBridge.jpg\")
Slovenia
\nwas fortunate in that it managed to gain independence
\nwithout suffering from the war and genocide that befell its
\nneighbours, Croatia and Bosnia. This is partially explained by the
\nfact that Slovenia is ethnically pure relative to its neighbours:
\nmost people living in Slovenia are Slovene and Catholic. Further
\neast, there was a patchwork of ethnic and religious groups that
\nleft no clear dividing lines.<\/p>\n
\nfavour of breaking from the Yugoslav federation, there was a brief
\nconflict with Belgrade dubbed the “Ten-Day War.” I asked
\nfor details, but Nikolaj (one of the Slovenes I befriended) told me
\nit was not really a war. I wanted to know what it was like living
\nthrough the separation, but he told me there were only a few
\nskirmishes and less than 20 Slovenes died.<\/p>\n
\ninsisted that he was “patriotic, not nationalistic,”
\nalthough I began to doubt this assertion after he made a few
\ncomments along the order of “Slovenes only leave Slovenia to
\nrealize it is the best country and come back.” He was
\nconvinced that Slovene wine was better than French wine. He told me
\nwhich of the songs playing at the bar were Serbian nationalistic
\nanthems and which ones were Slovene folk songs.<\/p>\n![\"horses\"](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/pictures\/200507-enews-Horses.jpg\")
He
\ntook me to a bar where there was a painting of Tito on the wall
\nand the bartender forgot to charge us for our Laskov beers. Nikolaj
\ninsisted that I sample all of Slovenia’s drinks, including
\nbeers from the two national breweries (Laskov and Union) and
\nseveral spirits distilled from blueberries and anise, whose names I
\nwould mention except they are utterly impossible to pronounce,
\nspell, or even remember for that matter.<\/p>\n
\nrestrict
\nitself with the requirement that words actually contain vowels.
\nWords comprised entirely of consonants (e.g. trg, vrt, smrt) are
\nfully acceptable, although Nikolaj tried to convince me that all
\nthese words contain “silent vowels.” Other words contain
\nan unnaturally long string of consonants (e.g. odprto) or a
\nfundamentally disturbing combination of letters (e.g.
\npredvcerajsnjim).<\/p>\n![\"grafiti\"](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/pictures\/200507-enews-Graffiti.jpg\")
The
\nSlovenes are friendly people and many of them spoke to me. In
\nfact, they are extremely engaging, to the point that you oddly feel
\nat home in Slovenia and never want to leave Ljubljana. This is what
\nhappened to Diego, an American who I met through Vladimir, a
\nSlovene bartender at my hostel. Diego came to Ljubljana and loved
\nit so much that he kept on coming back. Finally he just decided to
\nstay for good.<\/p>\n
\nConsidering the city’s small size, there are![\"Lake](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/pictures\/200507-enews-Lake-Bled.jpg\")
\nsurprisingly many.
\nThe hostel where I stayed (the Celica) is in the heart of the
\ncity’s alternative scene. When I read about the hostel in the
\nRough Guide, I was slightly alarmed because it mentioned the
\nbuilding used to be a military prison. I went ahead and booked a
\nbed anyway because it was the cheapest place to stay. It turned out
\nto be more of a cultural centre than a hostel, with music
\nperformances, art workshops, and a happening bar.<\/p>\n
\ngorgeous.
\nThe scenery is stunning – lush, idyllic, and bucolic. Over half of
\nthe country is covered in forest and 40% is mountainous. There are
\nalpine lakes crowned by cliff-top castles and island churches.<\/p>\n
\nexpectations and the only disappointing part about my visit was
\nthat I had to leave Ljubljana. For now at least…<\/p>\n
\n
\nregistered charity, which works with and supports Trade Aid
\nTanzania, a non profit-making Trust. Trade Aid supplies educational and material
\nresources, and also volunteers from Europe. Our aim is to alleviate
\npoverty in Southern Tanzania by creating educational and employment
\nopportunities for the local community and assisting in the
\ndevelopment of a sustainable tourist industry in Mikindani.<\/p>\n
\nwith in Mikindani.<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/pictures\/200507-enews-34189ceb.jpg\")
African Blackwood\/African Ebony, Dalbergia Melanoxylon and African
\nIronwood are all names for the tree that is locally known as
\nMpingo. The uses of this tree are endless and for this reason
\nMpingo is now one of Africa’s most endangered trees. Our
\nadvisor, Mr Thomas knows all too well the importance of protecting
\nour natural resources and therefore Blackwood is his choice of seed
\nfor this season’s project in the tree nursery. The children
\n(see picture below) from Singino and Mnaida Schools have started
\nthe seedling trays which will be potted into plastic pods in a few
\nweeks. By the Autumn the saplings will be distributed around the
\nschools in Mikindani for the next tree growing project.<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/pictures\/200507-enews-m7adecb56.jpg\")
Conserving trees such as Blackwood is an essential practice if we
\nare to benefit from its many uses:<\/p>\n\n
\namber and strong flavoured.<\/li>\n
\nbeetle proof.<\/li>\n
\nmelt cooking utensils.<\/li>\n
\nwood.<\/li>\n
\n(green manure, mulch and nitrogen fixing)<\/li>\n
\nand syphilis. The wood smoke is inhaled to treat headaches and
\nbronchitis.<\/li>\n
\nresource will maintain its vital role in the local ecosystem and be
\navailable for the future harvesting of mature trees for woodwork
\npurposes.’<\/p>\n
\n
\nsociable regulars at the London Meetings, royally entertained a
\npacked Crown Court with tales of his marathon cycle ride to
\nAustralia. Many in that audience will remember his great photos,
\ndistinctive narrative style and his thirst for adventure. Well
\nMartin is at it again – this time he’s go back to the land down
\nunder to ‘pick up his bike and have a look round’. I think
\ntoo many cold winter nights provided the motivation to get back on
\nthe road! This is the fourth in an occasional series, based on
\nMartin’s emails, and charts his offbeat approach to the road
\nahead.<\/p>\n
\nnorth of Bangkok. Previously I had spent a few days in Kanchanaburi
\n– 120kms west of Bangkok and infamous because of the death railway
\nand the bridge over the River Kwai. In the meantime I took a train
\nto Bangkok to apply for a new passport as the old one was full. At
\nthe British Embassy, a huge building in a compound which seemed to
\ntake up half of Bangkok, I was given the necessary form to fill in
\nand then had to part with almost 70 pounds sterling! Also had to
\nwait five working days, which because of the bank holiday turned
\nout to be six. If the buggers back in the U K had given me a 48
\npage passport which I paid for when I last applied I would have
\nsaved myself time and money.<\/p>\n
\nriver – very nice, quiet and at night there was a cool breeze.
\nDuring the daytime it was sweltering and I’ve found that it is
\nmuch easier to cycle than walk in this heat. This all made a great
\nchange from the Khao San Road area which resembled a zoo although
\nnone of the animals are on the endangered list!<\/p>\n
\nwhen the food stalls were operating. Found an eating place next to
\na Chinese temple where the food was delicious and the beer cheap –
\nate here three nights in a row and met the same people. One fellow
\nwas the local drunk who always had something to say, although I
\nunderstood nothing I am sure he thought otherwise.<\/p>\n
\nAyutthaya where I arrived on Tuesday. Wednesday saw me back on the
\ntrain to Bangkok to collect my new passport followed by a visit to
\nthe immigration department, which of course was some distance away
\nto have my entry stamp put into my new passport. Back on the sky
\ntrain, back on a boat, back on the train and back to
\nAyutthaya\u2026glad to have this finished.<\/p>\n
\nstove\u2026not a good idea as it turned out. A Trangia burns
\nmethylated spirits and while I put the water on to boil I hung my
\nwashing out to dry. This took longer than expected, and when I
\nreturned the bedside cabinet was on fire! A bottle of water put out
\nthe flames and of course made a horrible mess – a clean up
\noperation was in order and hopefully I have left no trace of my
\nattempted arson. I still had enough water in the pan to make a cup
\nof coffee thankfully. I am going to throw that Trangia away as it
\nis the first time I have used it since leaving Australia, and it is
\nbulky & heavy. Anyway the coffee from the hawkers is far better
\nstuff! Am heading towards Cambodia where I should arrive in about
\none week\u2026hopefully I will arrive without having burned down
\nsomebody’s guest house!<\/p>\n
\nin an easterly direction towards Cambodia but as I arrived at the
\nrelevant junction I was offered the choice; turn right for Cambodia
\nor go straight ahead and visit northern Thailand! As I had not
\nvisited the north before I thought, \u2018bollocks to Cambodia for
\nnow I like the look of the road on the map which runs along the
\nborder with Myanmar.\u2019 It does present me with a slight problem
\nas I will have to find a crossing point into Myanmar for a five
\nminute, one hour or one day visit but on re-entering Thailand I
\nwill be given another 30 day stamp! This should give me plenty of
\ntime to reach Chiang Rai in the north before following the Mekong
\nall the way back down to the Cambodian border.<\/p>\n
\nguest house next to a river. My intention was to spend two nights
\nhere with one day for resting, however I will now be having at
\nleast three nights and two days here as I would like to ride out to
\nold Sukhothai to visit the very old capital city. There are of
\ncourse many good eating places; night markets and small restaurants
\nwhere the food is of course brilliant and cheaper than chips! As
\nyesterday I cycled further than I normally would in a single day,
\nit was cool and I had a tail wind, I thought I might as well make
\nthe most of it, as it is the first day in Asia when the temperature
\ndid not reach 30c. It was a very cool and pleasant 29c. Soon after
\nI reached the guest house a strange thing happened – it
\nrained\u2026not the English rain whereby it takes all day for one
\nmillimetre to fall. This was good old tropical rain and after one
\nhour of rainfall the roads are like rivers. Soon after the sun
\ncomes out and within a short time it is blue sky and no sign of any
\nrainfall.<\/p>\n
\n
\nTrip miles to date: 2,017
\nMiles since last update: 2,017<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/pictures\/200507-enews-4fd2f8b3.jpg\")
As
\nI’m writing this I’m drinking an extremely strong coffee in
\nRio Gallegos (no, I’d never heard of it neither), about 1,750
\nmiles south of Buenos Aires and about 300 from Ushuaia. This is me,
\non the right of the picture.<\/p>\n
\nI think. The southern Argentinean roads have been unbelievably
\nstraight, set within a dead-flat terrain with strong winds and
\nlittle traffic. The sense of distance (from home as much as Buenos
\nAires) has accumulated every day.<\/p>\n![\"Did](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/pictures\/200507-enews-image001.jpg\")
First stop-over was
\ncourtesy of a tip from a fellow traveller (thanks Mick!) in Azul ,
\n235 miles from Buenos Aires. The thermometer on the handlebars
\nsuggested 34 deg, verified by the perfect blue sky. I tried out the
\n‘helmet-cam’ on the way out of BA but I fear I’ve
\naccidentally recorded over the footage……oh well, I was riding
\nlike a dork anyway.<\/p>\n
\nfor a garage with an 8ft painted BMW sign, coupled with an 8ft
\nYamaha sign. I had no right to find it but these things have a
\nhabit of working out and sure enough, along a quite residential
\nstreet I found “La Posta Del Viajero en Moto”….a mecca
\nto adventure motorcyclists and charitably run by Jorge, his partner
\nMonica and chief translator, daughter Polly. A
\n“donation-box” exists on the wall, but no mention was
\nmade and I was left to discover it for myself.<\/p>\n
\ntrip, as I fear I won’t enjoy such a genuine and warm welcome
\nanywhere from here to Alaska. I turn up unannounced at 5.30pm on a
\nWednesday and greeted with excitement, interest and treated to an
\namazing asado (meat feast!) with the family. The bunk-house is
\ncovered in graffiti from previous residents and the visitor’s
\nbooks (there are 3, and counting!) and all stuffed with the same
\nsentiment. I feel honoured to have left my mark and signed
\n“Brits Corner”…..<\/p>\n
\ncoastal resort town), then Commodora Rivadavia where I stopped an
\nextra day to cruise around the Peninsula Vald\u00e8s – a huge national
\npark and home to several thousand elephant seals and penguins.
\nWhale watching tours are popular here too.<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/pictures\/200507-enews-148fc0cf.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nPuerto Pir\u00e0mede – see the picture left, and a chap excitedly
\nintroduced himself as Ernesto Scotti. It transpires his son is a
\nfellow R-T-W bike and is in the Guinness Book of Records for a
\nrelated record. We chat and gossip for a long time and it’s
\nrefreshing to be reminded that we are all basically the same,
\n“citizens of the world” as Ernesto described it much
\nbetter than I.<\/p>\n
\nmiles down to Rio Gallegos. The terrain has changed subtly, and the
\nsense of remoteness increased, but this is no third world region.
\nThe standard of living is still pretty high, especially
\nanticipating what is to come in Bolivia and Peru.<\/p>\n
\nspeed of wear on the front sprocket and the rear tyre is also
\nwearing quickly. I think both of these symptoms are a consequence
\nof the extra weight the bike is carrying. Naturally I’ve packed
\ntoo much crap and will shred as I go.<\/p>\n
\ncar-park I was pleasantly surprised to find another travellers bike
\nwith a Brit number plate. It belongs to Jeremy Bullard (http:\/\/www.fowb.co.uk\/<\/b>)
\nwho I believe is taking a break back in Blighty…..<\/p>\n
\n
\nof the Bahamas), the Caribbean is a real treasure trove when it
\ncomes to cruising. A rich variety of vistas, people and places
\nawait, along with swaying palms and idyllic beaches of golden sand.
\nThe network of islands in the Caribbean is in fact so extensive
\nthat it is possible to book several Caribbean cruises and avoid
\ngoing to the same islands twice!<\/p>\n
\noperators:<\/p>\n\n
\nseaports in Texas, Louisiana and Florida, the Western Route takes
\nin the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, the island of Cozumel, the
\nCayman Islands, Jamaica, and any number of islands off the coasts
\nof Honduras and Belize.<\/li>\n
\npopular Caribbean cruise routes, the Eastern Route typically
\ndeparts from Florida and other seaports along the eastern seaboard of the United
\nStates. The route calls on destinations such as Key West, The
\nBahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands the Virgin Islands (including
\nSt. Thomas and St. Croix), and Puerto Rico.<\/li>\n
\nnormally commences at San Juan in Puerto Rico, and takes in many
\npossible destinations along the Lesser Antilles and the
\nNetherlands Antilles as far west as Aruba.<\/li>\n
\nThis route takes in any\/all of the above destinations, and can
\nsometimes end in a different place to where the cruise started.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\nCaribbean, it can be a bit overwhelming when trying to make that
\ncrucial decision on which islands to fit into your itinerary. After
\nall, you don’t want to miss out on some true Caribbean gems, do
\nyou? So, whether you’re planning a short vacation or a longer
\ncruise break away from home, here is a selection of
\n‘must-sees’ & ‘must-dos’ on your Caribbean
\nadventure.<\/p>\n\n
\nSalt River National Park and visit the first landing site of
\nChristopher Columbus on his voyage to the New World.<\/li>\n
\nGrenada is still well worth a visit for its scuba diving. You can
\nexplore the largest shipwreck in the Caribbean here and see an
\nunderwater volcano.<\/li>\n
\nexcellent snorkelling opportunities. You can see a wealth of
\nunderwater life in the shallow waters around St. Thomas.<\/li>\n
\nMontego Bay?<\/li>\n
\nwithout a visit to the world famous Condado Beach on the island
\nof Puerto Rico.<\/li>\n
\nrelaxing on one of the 365 beaches that surround the Dutch island
\nof Aruba.<\/li>\n
\nKitts and then relax on the pink sand beaches on this beautiful
\nisland.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nMetcalfe is the webmaster for A to Z Cruises which is the No1
\nresource for Caribbean Cruise related Information on the Internet.
\nBe sure to visit his site here:<\/p>\n
\n
\nRadio 4, offer you the chance to make that journey and to tell the
\nworld about it in a memorable piece of radio documentary-making. Each year the RGS-IBG and the
\nBBC award the best idea for an original, exciting, and exceptional
\njourney and we’re inviting you to join the great travellers
\nwho’ve already fulfilled their dreams. It’s important that
\nthe project takes you somewhere fresh, different and original – not
\njust a holiday to the Greek Islands! It’s also a good idea to
\nbear in mind where the five previous winners have been (such as
\nLadakh in 2005 and Madagascar in 2004) as we won’t award
\nsimilar journeys this year. More details on the RGS-IBG website<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\npassion and enthusiasm and Radio 4 listeners need to be fascinated.
\nBear in mind that the BBC already broadcasts a lot of documentaries
\nabout faraway places (listen to Crossing Continents<\/a> and From Our Own Correspondent<\/a>, for example, in
\norder to gauge the style of Radio 4’s regular foreign
\nreportage). When thinking up your idea, make sure it’s the sort
\nof thing journalists rarely have the time to cover. Most reporters
\ncan only afford the time and money to make short visits to meet
\nimportant people and don’t often get under the skin of local
\nsociety.<\/p>\n
\nthat of the journey and the place you’ll be visiting (the
\ntourist trail isn’t likely to be top of the judging panel’s
\nlist unless you can put an interesting new spin on it) – in a
\ngraphic and attractive way. Think of the audio potential in the
\nidea – not just indigenous music and sounds (in reality they rarely
\nsustain more than a few seconds), but how you are going to find
\ninteresting sounds within the substance of the journey (by keeping
\nan audio-diary, for example). Radio is very good on atmospherics
\nand imaginative pictures, but you need to think about what your
\njourney and your destination offer to create those pictures.<\/p>\nConditions<\/h4>\n
\n
\nThe Grants Officer, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)<\/p>\n
\nAddress: 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR
\nTel: 020 7591 3073
\nFull details are at http:\/\/www.rgs.org\/category.php?Page=maingrants<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\ne-newsletter? This e-newsletter is available in 5 formats:<\/p>\n
\nonline, see the link in every e-newsletter (or
\nclick here).<\/p>\n
\ne-newsletter in plain text format, just send a blank email to The
\nGlobetrotters Webmaster with \u201cText+Enews\u201d
\nas the subject<\/p>\n
\nversion, just send a blank email to The
\nGlobetrotters Webmaster with \u201cLink+Enews\u201d
\nas the subject<\/p>\n
\n![\"](\"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2010\/12\/mac-small.jpg\")
We
\nare sorry to say that Mac is not very well, but he is still
\ne-mailing strong and recently sent the Beetle a collection of
\ntravel reminiscences. This, and next month is about China.<\/p>\n
\nconnection but someone along the way before I left the states
\nchanged my category from retired military to “teacher”. I
\nwas travelling with an American woman who was actually a teacher in
\nthe Military Dependent Schools in Korea. She told me she taught
\nHome Economics, health and sewing. When I was asked what I taught
\nmy mind went blank and then I recalled what she taught and I said:
\nHome Economics, heath and sewing. My real teacher travel companion
\nwas asked her what she taught. She smiled and said: football,
\nsoccer, and wrestling. We were by then both laughing and the
\nimmigration inspector shook his head at us and left us.<\/p>\n
\nU.S. Military identification we had on us and to not take it into
\nChina. I hesitated to do this in case it could be reproduced and
\ndidn’t like giving it to someone I did not know, but had to
\nmake a decision in a hurry and nothing was going to stop me from
\nseeing the Great Wall Of China. Someone later asked me if I had
\nwalked the whole distance of the Wall. (It is 4000 miles long!) It
\nis wide enough for five horses (some say six as that is a lucky
\nnumber in China) to pass and is 2000 years old.<\/p>\n
\ntemple
\nfor famous Chinese General Yue Eeti as a young man. The painting
\nshowed his mother with a knife carving on the lads’ back the
\nadmonition in Chinese letters: “Always be true to your
\ncountry.” Juanita, my friend, whispered to me: “That must
\nhave made a lasting impression” Ha!<\/p>\n
\nSick
\nDuck because it is near a hospital. There is also a Super Duck
\nRestaurant, a Baby Duck restaurant and a Ruptured Duck Restaurant
\n(I just threw that in!) all serving Peking Duck (Beijing Duck does
\nnot sound right.) The cook brings out the duck on a platter and
\nthen you applaud. I don’t know if you are applauding the dead
\nduck, the cook or who.<\/p>\n
\nMing
\ndestiny who allegedly carried their testicles about with them in a
\nlittle pouch in the hope of being reunited with them in death. (You
\nheard it here!)<\/p>\n
\nasked
\n“Are you the group of six?” We were the six that had
\ngotten our tour thorough USO in Seoul, Korea. When I told them I
\ndid not have enough money with me to make the trip they said I
\ncould write a cheque. He put us in a van and we drove into town.
\nWhen we saw a bicycle rider carrying a huge white wreath we asked
\nwhat is that. He said: “It is for warning”. He then
\nchanged it to: “It is for mourning.” Mr Wu said he had
\nput on his “wish list” to return to Hangchow as a guide
\n(they had him working all over China) as he had a three year old
\nson in Hangchow. He said his son was born early in the morning so
\nthey named him Xu Chiao Ming which means “The cock that crows
\nearly in the morning.”<\/p>\n
\nBeijing.
\nShe had gone to the wrong airport. She breathlessly rushed up to us
\nand apologized and said, “It is a slow boat to China.”
\nShe then said, “If you do not understand my English you can
\nlump it.” We quickly realized she had memorized phrases she
\ndid not know the exact meaning to. She was a nurse but they needed
\nguides badly so she had been assigned us. She asked who was from
\nGreat Britain and said, “I hope I warm the cockles of your
\nheart.” We grew fond of Miss Cha and a friend, Lisa gave her a present.
\nShe asked if she should unwrap it and Lisa said yes. She started to
\nunwrap it and her face turned red and she quickly rewrapped it. It
\nwas a pair of silk stockings. When we went to leave Beijing we
\nasked Miss Cha if she would have breakfast with us in the foreign
\nonly dining room. She said ,”No, I have other fish to
\nfly.” We warmed to all our guides except on those that tried
\nto feed us propaganda.<\/p>\n
\nwas
\nfrom England, and had a beautiful voice would sing slightly
\nrisqu\u00e9
\nCockney songs and George would sing “My old lady and the lady
\nnext door went down the river on a barnyard door singing Ki Yi
\nYippie Yi ” and nonsensical songs. Miss Cha who was trying to
\nlearn English (she had taught herself) wanted to learn some of
\nthese songs so she could sing them to her next tour group. As some
\nwere risqu\u00e9 Carol said, “My dear I don’t think you really
\nneed to learn these songs.” Les would give his excellent
\nimitation of Peter Sellers imitating an Indian and his accent was
\nhilariously correct. We should have been a USO troop. We laughed
\nall the way across China.<\/p>\n
\nreports that a friend who was in the Seabees building airstrip on
\nisland of Diego Garcia has just shown me an old yellowed newspaper
\naccount of it dated June 25 1978. This is probably more than you want to know about this
\nisolated
\nisland. 700 Seabees were sent there to built the airstrip.<\/p>\n
\nstopped here. Settled first by French in the late 1770s the island
\nwas occupied alternately by France and England following the
\nAmerican Revolution. The survivors of the sailing ship Atlas which
\nwas wrecked here on May 30 1786 joined the British expedition
\nsettled on the island at that time. Slavery was introduced the
\nfollowing year.<\/p>\n
\nGarcia in the form of coconut oil lacking but needed by Mauritius
\nlocated 1,l00 miles southeast of Diego Garcia. He received
\npermission to harvest and export Diego Garcia coconuts to
\nMauritius. Slaves were sent to pick them. A band of lepers
\naccompanied the slaves because it was felt that conditions on the
\nisland might be healing to persons suffering from the disease. (By
\n1824 however, a government report said this was no longer believed
\ntrue.)<\/p>\n
\npossessions. Former slaves were reported by one visitor to have far
\nbetter living conditions than on other islands. Island was later
\nused as a coaling station for ships. Coal shipped to the island.<\/p>\n
\n1942
\nduring World War II the Allies set up an outpost on Diego Garcia to
\nmonitor Japanese activity. In the 1950s both England and United
\nStates were concerned about Soviet activity in the Indian ocean where
\n\u201cover one half of
\nthe world’s sea borne oil is
\nin transit at any given moment according to a Congressional
\nhearing.\u201c<\/p>\n
\nabout
\n1835 when the islands slaves were emancipated today roam freely
\nover most of the island (I am afraid I have passed on to you more
\nthan you want to know about Diego Garcia. Ha. Information is from Sun
\nHerald Daily Living,
\nGulfport Mississippi (where Seabees had their headquarters) Sunday
\nmorning June 25 1978.<\/p>\n
\nconstruction.) I have received an e mail from a different retired
\nNavy man living in Italy. He says the highest point on Diego Garcia
\nwas only about five feet high and during the Tsunami he wondered
\nhow island fared but said he saw nothing in the news.<\/p>\n
\nmacsan400@yahoo.com<\/p>\n
\n
\nU.K. based Web site with legal action if it doesn’t take down
\ncomments pertaining to Ryanair’s pilots. O’Leary described
\nby one commentator as one of the most combative CEOs to ever run a
\npublic company, has launched abuse-ridden tirades against critics,
\nairports, competitors and regulators. In July, he called the
\ncompany that runs Stansted airport outside London a “bunch of
\novercharging rapists.”<\/p>\n
\nEuropean Union ruling that one of Ryanair’s airport deals was
\nanticompetitive as “Stalinist”. Despite his ability and willingness to dish out
\nranting tirades against other people and organisations, he
\ndoesn’t seem to take kindly to any criticism aimed at him. When
\nthe Professional Pilots Rumour Network, PPruNe a Web forum popular
\nwith Europe-based pilots, posted a discussion thread containing a
\nmixture of informed insights and um….interesting comments on
\nRyanair’s relations with its pilots, the company’s lawyers
\nsent the Web site a letter demanding that it take down the thread.<\/p>\n
\n“untrue, unfounded, malicious and deeply damaging to the good
\nname and trading reputation of Ryanair.” The letter added that
\nRyanair would move to gain an “immediate injunction”
\nagainst PPruNe and claim damages if the Web site didn’t remove
\nthe thread, which discussed pilot unionization and pilot pay major
\nissues for Ryanair. PPruNe removed the thread, but a new thread has
\nappeared on the Web site concerning unionization at Ryanair.
\nRyanair didn’t immediately comment when asked why it acted to
\nremove the thread. PPruNe owner Danny Fyne said: “Tactics like
\nthis never work in the long term. If we didn’t publish it,
\nsomeone else would.”<\/p>\n
\ndoing all it can to cut costs and boost revenue. This has included
\na cost-cutting move of the fitting of non-reclining seats. But one
\nmove that is generating criticism, both among customers and in the
\nmarket, is a wheelchair levy on every ticket that Ryanair said it
\nwas charging to cover the cost of transporting disabled passengers
\nto and from its planes. The levy appears to still be in place and
\nthough it’s not clear if it is around 70 euro cents or 50 euro
\ncents, but if it is the lower number, the levy accounted for around
\n22% of the increase in operating profits at Ryanair in its June
\nquarter, compared with the year-ago period.<\/p>\n
\ndesperation, but so are moves to cut the most basic of pilots’
\nperks. One measure has Ryanair pilots buying their own uniforms.
\nRyanair management is currently trying to prevent pilots from
\nopting for their union to represent them in pay negotiations. In a
\nrecent memo, a Ryanair manager at Stansted airport said that paying
\nunion dues would amount to a waste of money: “If you want to
\nwaste 1,000 pounds we recommend fast women, slow horses or even
\ngreyhound racing. At least you’ll have a few minutes of
\nfun,” the memo said.<\/p>\n
\nfly Ryanair’s new series of Boeings have been told that the
\ncompany won’t pay for their training if they opt for union
\nrepresentation, according to a person familiar with employee
\nrelations at Ryanair.<\/p>\n
\n
\nGlobetrotter website, http:\/\/www.globetrotters.co.uk\/<\/a>
\nand have a look at a copy of Globe, the bi-monthly printed
\nnewsletter sent to members only.<\/p>\n
\ndetails and countries visited and any help they can offer.
\nGlobetrotter members network by using this listing to contact each
\nother in over 27 countries around the world to ask for travel
\nadvice, and possibly even meeting. As a member, you will receive a
\nreduction on any Globetrotter meetings in your area, and will
\nentitle you to have free Globetrotter calling cards to give your
\ndetails to other travellers you meet while travelling.<\/p>\n