The Globetrotters eNewsletter
eNewsletter Archive

A big thank you to Moon Handbooks who have donated this
months' huge and highly informative Moon handbook on the South Pacific,
written by David Stanley as above. See "http://www.moon.com">www.moon.com for more details.

The winner of last month's Moon Handbook on Guatemala
is Mike Shawcross.

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As I proceeded through the terminal at Bangkok's International Airport
I felt the warm air greet me and a rush of excitement tickled my stomach.
This was the first destination of my journey around the globe, smiling
I thought to myself 'Welcome to the rest of the world!'

Cruising down the highway into the city the vast mass of buildings as
far as the eye can see in all directions makes Bangkok seem a little overwhelming
at first. For most jet lagged backpackers the Kho San Road is usually
the first port of call, I however was lucky to have a free place to stay
in Thong Lo on the other side of town.

After catching up on a few lost zeds I was taken to a Thai restaurant.
I had never tasted Thai food so good. All the ingredients were so fresh
and beautifully served, I am normally a fussy eater but on this occasion
I wanted to try everything. If you like rice or noodles there is almost
every combination to suit everybody.

Tip: Watch out for the chillies, Thai food can be very spicy!

After dinner we went to meet some of the locals. Apparently Thai people
have very long names so they give nicknames to make things easier. I have
a tendency to forget names at the best of times, that evening I met Jo,
Bo and O. I got terribly mixed up. 'Who was who again?'

The city's name itself comes from Bang Makok meaning 'Place of
Olive Plums' taken from Bangkok's original site. The Thais however
call it 'Krung Thep' meaning 'City of Angels', a far more
desirable name and of course why not.

Bangkok became the capital of Thailand only as recently as 1782 after
the Burmese attacked the capital at Ayuthaya in 1767. Now with a population
of about 10 million, spreading across 330 sq km. For such a young city
you get the impression that it has learnt to run before it could walk.
The natural landscape is completely flat of which little is left exposed
in the protruding mass of high rise buildings and temples.

93% of the Thai population are practicing Theraveda Buddhists, so our
sightseeing started at the Grand Palace home to Royalty, government offices
and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Every year there are three grand
ceremonies for the changing of the Emerald Buddha's seasonal costume.

Tip: When entering a temple you must always remember to remove your shoes
and not point your feet towards the Buddha when sitting.

Next was the Vimanek Mansion the biggest golden teak building in the
world that has traditional Thai dancing shows next to the canal. I discovered
that Bangkok used to be known as the Venice of the east. Only the spectacular
Temples and Royal Palaces were built on the original land. During my stay
I saw little evidence left to suggest this was ever so, however during
the rainy season Bangkok often floods and ironically the streets go back
to being rivers once more.

Our Last stop for the day Wat Pho the temple of the largest leaning Buddha
in the world (46 metres in length). Also home to the reputable Thai massage
school and what better way to end the day than leaning back yourself and
receiving a massage. After an hour or two with a few pops, twists and
cracks you feel very refreshed. As you go back out to the bustling streets
the urban metropolis hits you once more and you ask yourself 'Did
that sanctuary really exist in the midst of all of this?' Nearby the
Kho San Road, the backpackers' main drag, there are bars, Internet
cafes, travel agents, shops, stalls and lots of cheap accommodation, all
busy with travellers coming and going.

All over Bangkok there are thousands of market stalls cluttering the
streets. Tables and chairs lay along the pavement under patchy homemade
canopies. Often you have to dodge yourself out into the hectic traffic
in order to get past these obstacle courses. And as for crossing the road
it sometimes it can seem like an eternity waiting for a gap in the traffic.

At the end of the reliable Skytrain on the Sukumvit line is the enormous
Chatuya weekend market. We went with the intention of buying one pair
of sandals but I could not believe the bargains and ended up buying three,
so much for travelling light. The designer imitations or factory seconds
you find all over Bangkok are so well made that no one can tell the difference
and at a fraction of the price you just got to have them.

Tip: Haggle, you will definitely not pay the original asking price.

Thai people are more than happy to help whether it is to practice their
English or to make a quick buck. No matter where you are or where you
are going in Bangkok there is always someone offering a cheap ride. One
evening five of us squashed into the back of a tuk tuk (a small three
wheeled two stroke) and of we raced to Pat Pong. Night markets fill the
side streets, bars and clubs with ladies that do all sorts of things with
their private parts. Out of curiosity we took a look. Ping-pong balls,
razor blades, bananas, etc within five minutes we walked out our drinks
barely touched, that was enough for us thanks! Hum…City of Angels?

The great thing about Bangkok is not only is it very affordable with
plenty to do in the big city but also it is very easy to get out. For
a day trip, there is the beach at Pattaya, the Ancient ruins at Ayuthaya
or the popular boat markets near the famous River Kwai. 1-2hrs by plane
or an overnight bus or train will take you to Thailand's beautiful
southern beaches, northern rainforests or ancient temples. It has been
recognised that Thailand is regarded as one of the safest countries to
visit in Asia if not the world and for the inexperienced traveller starting
out, it is probably the best place to get adjusted to an unfamiliar culture.

If you'd like to get in touch with Ingrid, she's currently toiling
away in a banana factory in Cairns right now, and the Beetle is sure that
she would appreciate an e-mail! Ingrid's e-mail address is: ingrid_styles@hotmail.com

Save the Earth Network, founded in 1988, is a Ghana based NGO dedicated
to promoting sustainable development, agro-forestry, environmental conservation,
international solidarity and cultural immersion through voluntary work,
eco-tourism and cultural tourism in Ghana. Our aims are to help reduce
poverty, hunger, malnutrition, disease, illiteracy, drug abuse, unemployment,
and environmental degradation that are increasingly becoming the order
of the day in most parts of the developing world.

We are a membership-based organization and also a networking tool for
environmental, social and economic development activists. We also offer
travellers from abroad the most socially responsible, exciting and affordable
eco-friendly alternative to mass tourism.

Ghana is an English speaking country on Africa's west coast with
a population of over 18 million and over 92,099 square miles. Along much
of the coast stretches a sandy, grass-and-shrub-covered plain. Behind
it rises a moderately high plateau broken by forested hills and steep
ridges. Ghana has a tropical climate with temperatures from 70 to 90 ^oF.
Except for small European and Asian minorities, Ghanaians are people of
many tribes. Most Ghanaians are Christians but there are many Moslems
and others who hold animist beliefs.

We offer volunteer placements in areas that includes renovation and construction
of school buildings and libraries for poor rural communities, teaching
English language in foster homes and orphanages, HIV/AIDS prevention education,
re-forestation and agro-forestry through tree planting and organic farming.
No special skills, qualifications or previous experience is required of
volunteers - all that is required is motivation, charisma, initiative,
drive and the compassion to assist the underprivileged overcome their
challenges and their struggle for dignity.

Volunteers can participate in most of the programs from a period of 4
weeks to 52 weeks or more. Volunteers work four days a week, from Monday
to Thursday and can decide upon the amount of hours worked each day. The
cost of participating in the voluntary work program is US$250 for 4 weeks.
This charge covers board and lodging and help towards the running of our
organisation. Volunteers stay with host families in homes with electricity
and water. We can offer a 25% discount on the cost of volunteers who would
like to participate for a period of more than 8 weeks.

We also have a holiday program where people can stay with host families
for a holiday, cultural exchange, relaxation and recreation or to learn
the local language. The charge for this, including board and lodging is
US $250 for three or four weeks. Special discounts are available for longer
stays.

We offer guided three day general tours each Friday, Saturday and Sunday
for volunteers and those who are interested in seeing some of the tourist
attractions in Ghana. The cost of this is US $100 for the tour guide for
the three days plus the costs of bus, food and hotels - all of which can
be advised upon.

We also organise unique eco-tourism programs in Ghana in conjunction
with tour operators in Ghana. Our eco-tourism focuses on local cultures,
wilderness adventures, personal growth and learning new ways to live in
our vulnerable planet. We focus on travelling to destinations where the
floral, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions.

Areas of eco-tourism which we cover includes small group hiking, river
rafting and canoeing, villages and beaches, culture and photo tours, traditional
stories, historic sites, traditional drumming and dances, traditional
houses, trekking, animal sanctuaries, nature tourism, exotic natural habitats,
scenes of spectacular natural beauty etc. the cost of joining is US $200
a week including food (at restaurants) and accommodation (at hotels) and
transportation (bus) and professional tour guide's charge. Participants
experience rich cultural immersion and unique hospitality. It is fun,
worthwhile and rewarding.

People who would like to participate in any of our programs should please
contact us for more information, contact: Edgar Asare or Eben Mensah at
Save the Earth Network, P.O. Box CT 3635, Cantonments, Accra, Ghana. West
Africa. Tel: 233-21-667791, Fax: 233-21-231485.Email: HREF="mailto:ebensten@yahoo.com">ebensten@yahoo.com

The majority of this trip uses travel by train, with journeys of no more
than 4 hours. It takes in Jerez, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Ronda, Cadiz
and Algeciras if you are planning to take the hydrofoil across to Morocco,
if you have time and then back to Jerez. Because there are some good flight
deals from the UK, you could start the journey in Jerez, or Seville, Granada
or even Malaga, which is only about 1½ hours away from Granada.

Buzz "http://www.buzzaway.com/where_we_fly/index.html">http://www.buzzaway.com
has cheap flights to Jerez, Easy Jet "http://www.easyjet.co.uk">http://www.easyjet.co.uk flies to both Madrid and
Malaga but Ryan Air does not fly to Spain. Otherwise, try Lastminute.com
for good airline deals to Southern Spain.) If you intend to continue your
stay, you may find it worthwhile to buy a Spain train pass, otherwise,
the train fares are reasonable, and Spain's trains are on the whole,
very efficient and clean. It's also possible to start this journey
from Madrid, if that is where you happen to be: Seville is only 2 ¼
hours from Madrid by the super fast AVE train.

The Beetle has chosen to start in Jerez (pronounced Her-eth). So, what
is there to see and do in Jerez? Well, the most obvious thing is to go
and taste some sherry - this is, after all, the place where sherry comes
from! There are lots of bodegas where you can see how sherry is made and
of course sample a drop or too! There's the Alcazar, the palace and
the Camera Obscura, and if you like horses, then the Jerez Riding School
is for you. There is certainly enough to keep you happy and occupied for
a couple of days.

From here, you can take the train from Jerez to Seville, around 1 1/2
hours, if you take an express train, second class adult single: £
7.50 ($12) or return £15 ($23). This trip can be taken as a day trip
or as part of a circuit, taking in Jerez, Seville, Cordoba and Granada.

Seville is a beautiful city, and the capital of Andalucia, with lovely
old streets, lots of tapas bars and of course, the famous cathedral, which
contains the tomb of Christopher Colombus, well, it may contain the remains
of Christopher Colombus, his remains were brought over from Cuba in 1899,
and may have got mislaid en route. There are churches, plazas, museums
- many places to go and visit to keep a tourist amused, again for a couple
of days.

From Seville, it is possible to take the train to Cordoba. The journey
takes about 45 minutes and costs around £12 one way or $19. Cordoba
is probably most famous for the Mezquita, the Great Mosque, which influenced
Arabian-Hispanic architecture for the centuries to come. You will find
much evidence of Roman and Moorish history in Cordoba and great food too!

From Cordoba, take the train to Granada, which is the longest journey
of this circuit, takes about 4 hours and costs around £ 7.50 ($12)
or return £15 ($23) - the bus is quicker and takes 3 hours. No need
to say much about Granada, except that you must see the Alhambra, discussed
by Matt in this e-newsletter.

The Alhambra Palace is open throughout the year except 1st January and
25th December. Visiting times are 8.30 to 20.00h (1st March to 31st Oct.
Last admissions at 19.00) and 9.00 to 18.00h (1st November to end of February).
Last admissions are at 17.00. Night visits in the winter season are on
Fridays and Saturdays from 20.00 to 22.00h (ticket sales from 19.45 to
21.00h). In the summer on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 22.00 to
24.00 (ticket sales from 20.45 to 23.00). However, given the large numbers
of visitors, visiting times are assigned in a system of slots, which makes
it extremely advisable to book in advance, especially at peak times such
as May to October.

If you don't want to risk being disappointed when you turn up, you
can make a personal booking through BBV by calling the advance bookings
telephone service in Spain, Tel: number 0034 91346 5936/0034 902 224460
or visit HREF=
"http://www.alhambratickets.com/">www.alhambratickets.com (Spanish only).
When you have had your fill of the Alhambra, head for the Allaying, Granada's
old hilly Islamic quarter and the Camilla Real or Royal Chapel.

From Granada, take the train to Ronda, a pretty and old historic town
that straddles a huge gorge. Apart from the stunning scenery and views,
there are plazas to wander around, old palaces and churches. Be warned,
though, if you want to make this trip by train, there is only one train
a day leaving Granada, otherwise, take the bus. The train takes around
2 1/4 hours and costs about £12 one way or $19. It is also possible
to travel by train to Ronda from Malaga (2 hours), Cordoba (2 14/ hours),
Madrid (4 ½ hours during the day), and Seville - although from Seville,
you have to change trains.

If you are running out of time, then take a bus back from Ronda to Jerez,
it takes less than two hours. If you have some more time, then you have
two options. Option 1 is to take a bus from Ronda to Cadiz. Cadiz is a
charming city, some say possibly the oldest in Europe, (I know, they all
say that!), but it is full of history: the Phoenicians arrived in Cadiz
in 1100 BC, and do you remember Sir Francis Drake “singeing”
the beard of the King of Spain? Things to see and do include the Torre
Tavira and its camera Obscura, visiting plazas, the cathedral, and you
should take a coastal walk to the Castle of Santa Catalina. The train
from Cadiz to Jerez takes about 40 minutes and costs only a few pounds/dollars.

Option 2 is for those who would like to go to Gibraltar or Morocco. The
train from Ronda down to Algeciras takes 1 1/2 hours, and costs around
£7 or US $10. Algeciras is a port town, on the tip of Spain, overlooking
the Straits of Gibraltar. From here, you can make a day excursion to Gibraltar,
or use it as a jumping off point to Tangier in Morocco. The hydrofoil
to Tangiers takes about 2 ½ hours, is very simple and costs around
£17 or $24 one way. From Tangier, it is easy to travel through Morocco
by bus and train, to Fez, Meknes, Marrakech and Cassablanca (if you really
must - Marrakech is far nicer!) To get back to Jerez from Algeciras, take
a bus, which will take around 2 hours.

Cadiz, Seville and Cordoba are all possible contenders for day trips
out of Jerez, if you are short on time.

Buzz is in the Beetle's opinion the only decent low cost airline.
On board information includes useful hints and tips about your destination,
what to do and where to stay, and what's more, you can keep it! Yes,
you have to pay for your food, but the service is far superior to a carrier
such as Ryan Air. From 27 October 2002, Buzz will be flying up to six
flights a day from London Stansted to Amsterdam, the land of Vermeer and
Amstel beer. Prices start from just £21 one way - so you've got
no excuse not to visit one of the most relaxed, vibrant and cosmopolitan
cities in Europe. Buzz are also launching their new winter schedule: from
27 October 2002 until 29 March 2003, you can fly to some great winter
destinations - and from 14 December, they are reopening their routes to
Chambéry and Geneva - great for planning a cheap skiing holiday.
See "http://www.buzz.co.uk">www.buzz.co.uk

If there's only one trip you do in Seoul, it should be this one.
The iron curtain has gone from Germany but is alive and well here. You
have to take a tour. ON this occasion, the tour bus was 98% Japanese,
just me and an American guy who spoke English, so we got the front seats
and a guide to ourselves, and as we listened, we had the Japanese snoring
champion behind us!

Panmunjon is the site of the UN base Camp Boniface, named after a UN
Soldier murdered by the North Koreans. You are taken to Ballinger Hall,
where you get a slide show showing the history and what you are going
to be seeing. It's at this point you have to sign a disclaimer form
saying you won't blame them if the North Koreans take a pot shot at
you while you are on the tour!

The Observation post is next, where you look across to “Propoganda
Village” an uninhabited North Korean village that has a 160 metre
high flagpole, this dwarfs the 100 metre high one at Freedom village on
the South Korean side. You look down also on the 4 huts, 3 blue and one
silver where occasional peace talks take place. Then you cross the road
and enter blue hut number 2, inside is a table with microphones down the
middle.

Outside North Korean guards peer in at you, you are allowed to take photos
surprisingly. But the two sets of guards glower at each other through
their sunglasses, so they cannot make eye contact. The Southern guards
have only half their body showing, so they are less of a target!

Back at Camp Boniface you have an all you can eat “All American”
buffet lunch, chicken, sweet corn, potatoes, etc etc. You are then free
to buy a T-shirt or other souvenir. By the gate is “The worlds most
dangerous golf hole”! If you slice from here you won't get your
ball back!

Readers may recall that for the last couple of months, we have had an
appeal by Mike who was looking for his friend Bob, who was sailing around
the South Pacific. Well, the good news is that Bob, Mike's friend
did get in touch, so all is well. But here is a quick but fascinating
piece on how Mike got to know Bob, and Bob's sailing adventures.

I, as a young engineer fresh from university, first met Bob in 1962.
He had done an apprenticeship as a watchmaker and was therefore a “real”
engineer in my eyes. After some initial arguments we became good friends
and have kept in contact, even when I changed to medicine. About fifteen
years ago he decided to sail, and bought an aluminium 40 ft sloop from
a Count in Brittany, who had gone bankrupt. It was a bare hull with sails
and engine, and Bob moved it to the garden of his bungalow near Chichester,
and spent the next twelve years fitting it out.

He did a beautiful job, but did not have the funds to buy electronic
navigational equipment; he uses a sextant. He was going to call his yacht
Rabia, after my wife, but we thought that would be unwise because Rabia
means rabies in Spanish. Two or three years ago, I lose track of time,
he set off for Australia with his son. Their main problem was finding
experienced crew because neither of them knew much about sailing. Bob's
son soon gave up and returned home, and Bob has continued with anyone
that he can pick up on the way. Recently he spent five months in the Marquesas
looking for crew, and eventually found a treasure hunter searching for
fifteen tons of gold in Tuamotu. They found lots of sharks instead. He
has reached Pago Pago in Samoa and is wondering what to do after he has
landed at Australia, sell the boat and retire, or carry on sailing.

A survey conducted by the English Tourist Board has revealed what the
English public considers the “Seven Wonders of Britain”. Participants
in the survey were asked to select their choices from a short list of
17 possibilities within England. Here are the results of the survey:

1 . . . Houses of Parliament and Big Ben
2 . . . Stonehenge, Wiltshire
3 . . . Windsor Castle, outer London
4 . . . Eden Project, Cornwall
5 . . . York Minster, Yorkshire
6 . . . Hadrian's Wall, up North!
7 . . . London Eye, London

Source: "http://www.britainexpress.com">http://www.britainexpress.com