The Globetrotters eNewsletter
eNewsletter Archive

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!”

It has certainly been an interesting month here in Mikindani, and also
in Dar es Salaam. One of Trade Aid’s new ideas for Mikindani is
to start up a local group who can produce Batik T-shirts. But what is
this I hear you ask. Batik T-shirt printing is the dying of a T-shirt
with certain areas left undyed, this enables you to produce a variety
of patterns.

It was at the beginning of December that the journey up to Dar began,
at the oh so sociable hour of four o’clock in the morning. After
a back breaking sixteen hours in one of the Trade Aid Landrovers, being
bounced and battered along a Tanzanian “road” we finally arrived
in Dar Es Salaam, oh what a relief. After a day to settle in, and make
extensive use of the bar and air conditioning at the Seaman’s mission
[where we were staying] it was down to work. My brief was to look into
the process of Batik T-shirt production, and to see if it would be feasible
in Mikindani.

The Batik T-shirt printing takes place in an indoor market/shopping
centre where the products are also sold. There I met the head of the organisation
that prints the T-shirts and the head of production, who oversees the
entire process.

The process begins when the parts of the T-shirt that are not to the
dyed are covered in a special sort of wax. This can be applied through
two methods, either using a brush or a wooden print. As far as Mikindani
and the Boma is concerned it is my opinion that the print method would
be the best, as it would produce work for the local carpenters.

Once the wax has been applied and dried the T-shirt is then dyed. A
mixture of hot and cold water (17 litres) dye, caustic soda and sodium
powder are then mixed together in a stone bath. The T-shirt is then repeatedly
lifted in and out of this mixture until the dye has fully soaked into
the material. After which it is then taken out of the water and hung to
dry. The wax then has to be removed; this is done by placing the T-shirt
into a vat of boiling water, where it is then stirred around until all
of the wax has been removed. The T-shirt is then finished and can either
be worn, or more colours can be applied by using the wax to cover the
previous dyed areas and any areas that need to be left clear. This should
certainly prove to be something that Trade Aid and the Boma can make good
use of, and it should also benefit the local groups who can get involved.

For more information on the work carried out by Trade Aid in Tanzania,
see their website "http://www.mikindani.com/">www.mikindani.com

Anna and Magda wrote in asking for help with voluntary placements in
Australia: we are two girls living in Germany, age 19, just finished our
A-levels (Advanced school leaving certificate). Our reason for writing
is, that we would like to do a voluntary practical year in Australia.
WE would be very grateful if you could give us further help in this. Best
regards Anna and Magda.

The Beetle responds: As you are both under 30, you are most likely eligible
to apply for a working visa in Australia. So maybe if you contact the
Australian embassy in your country, they can advise you about this. Roughly
speaking, you are not allowed to do a “professional” job, so
you are only allowed to do casual work such as potato, fruit picking or
short term work. No one piece of work can be over 3 months either.

The Beetle suggests that you search on the internet using the words
“voluntary work Australia”. This is a good site to start with:
Volunteer Search in addition,
the April 2002 Globetrotter e-newsletter 2002 had an article by "http://www.conservationvolunteers.com.au/">conservationvolunteers
email "mailto:info@conservationvolunteers.com.au">conservationvolunteers
about conservation volunteer opportunities. There’s also always
the WWOOF organisation, see: "http://www.wwoof.com.au/">Wwoofing, which caters for people who
want to work on organic farms. There’s also:

"_blank">Working Holiday MakersAustralian Department of Immigration
and Multicultural Affairs.

ATCV (Australian
Trust for Conservation Volunteers) accepts Australian and foreign volunteers
for a wide range of conservation projects throughout Australia.

"_blank">Australian Jobs Guide by Nomads World features visa information,
job packages, agencies and a harvest guide for fruit picking/harvest work.

"_blank">Diving in Australia has an employment database.

"_blank">Pelican Point Windsurfing in W. Australia has employment
opportunities for instructors.

The Cape Tribulation
Tropical Research Station accepts volunteers for conservation projects.

Travel Jobs Network,
a service for Australian and New Zealand job seekers.

TNT Magazine
has an excellent section on finding temporary work in Australia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Beetle received an e-mail from the parent of a college student,
studying in L.A. They wanted to know where their daughter and two friends
could go on an inexpensive package for their spring break April 12-18,
2003. Hawaii maybe?

The Beetle agreed that Hawaii, (but not Oahu – which can be a
little touristy and expensive, when the other islands have far more to
offer) would be a great option. It is possible to buy reasonably priced
fly drive holidays around the Hawaiian islands, where our reader’s
daughter and friends could share a room at a very nice hotel at a good
price. With only 6 days, I would recommend either the Big Island alone
or alternatively split between Kauai and the Big Island. If a car and
swish hotel is too expensive, then it is possible to find moderately priced
accommodation on the Big Island, so this should cut the cost, but a car
is definitely a must!

Today we will visit Durban which is a city situated on the east coast
of South Africa. It has a sub tropical climate opposed to that of Cape
Town, which is Mediterranean.

What has Durban to offer the tourist or visitor? Along the beach front
are many hotels and blocks of holiday flats. This area is called the Golden
Mile.

Hotels on the beachfront have magnificent views over Durban Bay and
the Bluff to south. Along Durban's beaches jetties have been built
out into the sea. They have the effect of turning the long golden beaches
into small bays, which can be protected by lifeguards during the holiday
seasons.

Durban is well known for its sharks. All the beaches are protected by
shark nets that have been installed about 300 metres off shore on the
outside of the breaker line. It is very interesting to watch the Natal
Sharks Board out in the bay each morning tending the nets and removing
any fish that have become entangled during the night. If they are still
alive they are released otherwise they are taken to the shark boards offices
to the north of Durban where they are dissected for research purposes.

The “ Golden mile” is always a hive of activity with the
many restaurants, pubs and bars to be visited. At night many people come
down to the beaches to relax and enjoy the atmosphere or just to party.

Durban is also famous for it Rikshas. A Riksha for those who don't
know is and African man who wears a very fancy head dress made of beads
and cows horns and bits and pieces of cheap jewellery and feathers and
other odds and ends. The Riksha also has a cart with two large wheels
and a seat where two adults or three kids can fit into. For a small fee
you will be taken for a ride along the beachfront with this man wearing
his head dress pulling the cart. The ride can get quite exciting when
the riksha picks up a bit of speed and leaps into the air balancing his
weight and yours like a seesaw. When he does this without warning the
passengers are thrown backwards and think they are going to fall out the
back of his cart. Not to worry! There is a small jockey wheel at the back
that stops the cart falling over and you falling out.

There are many other things to do in Durban other than just swimming
and tanning. Although most of the action takes place along the beachfront
there are other areas where there is much to do. The two main roads in
Durban are Smith Street and West Street. Both of them are one way only
with West Street going towards the beach and Smith away from the beach.

The main shopping areas of Durban are found along these streets.

There are also many sports facilities with the main arenas being Kingsmead
for cricket and the Shark Tank for rugby.

Most people will have heard of the Comrades marathon. This marathon
is run between Durban and Pietermaritzburg each year, one year up and
the other year down. It is a gruelling race that is normally run in hot
weather and it attracts 1000's of people. The race is 89 kilometres
long and follows the old road between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. The
next Comrades Marathon will be held on the 16th of June 2003 and will
be the down run i.e. Pietermaritzburg to Durban.

The scenery between Pietermaritzburg and Durban is beautiful. The old
road wends its way through the valley of a thousand hills. As far as one
can see there are just hills. Vegetation is lush and if the province has
received rain very green. In Pinetown a small town between PM Burg and
Durbs there is a beautiful waterfall. Its called the Howick falls and
although not very big is quite spectacular.

Durban also grows various varieties of tropical fruit. Fruit such as
Paw Paws, mangoes, avocado pears and of course bananas. Their avos are
to die for. On the occasions that I have visited Durban I have always
made an effort to get a grass wash basket full of green avos to take home.

If you drive out into the country areas surrounding Durban you will
come across many farms growing sugar cane. This is one of the main products
grown in the area. Durban is known as the sugar capital of South Africa
and you can see many large silos where sugar is stored. A tour of the
refineries is very interesting as they show you the entire process from
where the cane is pulped to where the white sugar is finally packaged
to be shipped.

Durban is one of South Africa’s premier holiday destinations.
Visit in July and watch the Durban July horse race.

Geoff Fairman writes an ezine called Turtle Essays that concentrates
on Cape Town and its surrounds. To subscribe send a blank email to TurtleEssays-subscribe@turtlesa.com

or read the ezines online at "http://www.turtlesa.com">http://www.turtlesa.com

Globetrotters should be extra careful when booking flights with travel
agents in the UK. High street budget travel agents, Trailfinders are,
like most other companies, happy to sell you a ticket for any destination
in the world and try to get you to cough up for their in-house insurance
at the same time. They of course earn commission on this.

This Globetrotter booked a ticket through Trailfinders to Bali. I booked
it well before the Bali incident and am due to fly to Bali at Easter.
I was offered insurance, which I declined as I have my own. At a recent
London travel show I enquired about the two different Trailfinder policies
on offer, one annual and one single trip.

When I rang to ask to book the Trailfinder insurance a couple of weeks
later, I was told that Trailfinders would not insure trips to Bali or
any part of Indonesia. Whilst I totally understand the reasoning behind
this, Trailfinders should not be offering insurance over the phone and
at Travel shows and then reneging when people try to book it.

After the Bali bomb many companies in the travel trade took the step
of contacting clients with existing reservations to Bali offering them
money back or a change of destination. Trailfinders did not do this and
now as time for final payment looms, the horrible truth of the situation
is becoming apparent to UK travellers.

U. S. Soldiers Home Mac: during a century of travel (well 78 years!)
both in and out of service I have travelled to over 150 countries (I count
both North and South Dakota as countries) and for some reason have jotted
signs and happenings that I thought funny at the time (and now wonder
why). So here is the perfect opportunity to share some of my anecdotes.

Beijing, China. The Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City in Beijing
has 9,000 rooms. We agree that if we got lost and separated from each
other we would meet in the Hall of Heavenly Purity (if they would let
us in) At the time I was there the military did no wear rank on their
uniforms (don’t know if this still applies or not) You could kind
of get an idea of who outranked who by the number of pockets they had
on their blouse of uniform. Someone with four pockets would have their
baggage carried by someone with one pocket or no pockets.

In the hotels the orchestras (In the Peace Hotel in Shanghai I think
they had some of the members or orchestra from the 30s) would play songs
they thought we would like. Oh Susannah from a couple of decades ago seems
to be making a comeback as well as Turkey in the Straw and Auld Lang Sang.
At the end of each number the players would put down their instruments
and applaud us in the audience. We could hardly wait for the Tuba player
to unwind from his Tuba to applaud us. Everyone in our tour group caught
colds (from the dust) except those that had taken Vitamin C for a couple
of weeks before arriving in China. Mr Wu our guide referred to the Royal
Bank of Canada (George from Canada wanted to get some money) as the Loyal
Bank of Canada. One of the military said that when he was in China years
before he took a piece of the wall and had a name plate put on it and
sent it to movie actress Carole Lombard as he had read that she collected
rocks. She threw it back. No she wrote and thanked him.

Our Chinese guide in Wuxi kind of had a high opinion of himself (unusual
for Chinese) and though he was hip in Western ways. He liked to show off
and showed us how he was proficient in Tai Chi (shadow boxing). Blonde
vivacious Liza asked him to dance with her. He said No that he could not
dance with a client but that he would arm-wrestle her Ha. He told long
involved stories about the Kingdom of Wu and Dragons and such. George
whispered: I wonder what he would say if we told him we didn’t want
to hear any more dragon stories? If I were going to China today I would
probably take my own plastic chopsticks. In Japan they have disposable
chopsticks but in China they have plastic ones that you hope they wash
after several others have used them. If going to China start a walking
program at home. Walk around the block then next day further as in China
even on escorted tours you are going to be doing more walking than you
possibly do at home. Build up you let muscles before leaving home. I put
as many Chinese stamps on letters sent home as possible for stamp collectors
back home as their stamps are so colourful and unusual. While there their
coffee was not very good so taking instant coffee along helped. The hotels
had thermos bottle of hot water for tea in your room, which they replenished
every morning and this was handy to make coffee with.

Kneehow (phonetic) in Chinese means hello. In China Carol who was from
England and had a beautiful voice would sing slightly risqué Cockney
songs and George would sing “My old lady and the lady next door went
down the river on a barnyard door singing Ki Yi Yippie Yi ” and nonsensical
songs. Miss Cha who was trying to learn English (she had taught herself)
wanted to learn some of these songs so she could sing them to her next
tour group. As some were risqué Carol said. “My dear I don’t
think you really need to learn these songs” Les would give his excellent
imitation of Peter Sellers imitating an Indian and his accent was hilariously
correct. We should have been a USO troop. We laughed all the way across
China. If you are in high altitude eating onions will help combat altitude
sickness.

Next month, Mac discusses his travels through India. If you would like
to contact Mac, he can be e-mailed on: macsan400@yahoo.com

Part One:

We had listened with excitement to our friend’s description of
his travels in the tribal regions of Kinnaur and Spiti, in the North Indian
State of Himachal Pradesh. Bordering Tibet, these areas had only recently
been opened to foreigners.

The following May we set off from Goa, where we spend our winters, and
headed for Shimla, the former summer capital of the British Raj. It was
our second visit to this bit of old England located on top of and spilling
over both sides of a steep ridge in the foothills of the Himalayas. Even
a scaled down copy of London’s Gaiety Theatre sits on the Mall,
the town’s high street from where on a clear day you can see high
peaks while strolling past and poking into quaint old shops, including
Maria Brother’s Antiquarian Bookshop, where you never know what
treasures you’ll find.

We inquired about Kinnaur and Spiti at the tourist office, housed in
a Tudor-style building on the Mall. They tried to be helpful but there
wasn’t much official information to be had about the region. That
was ten years ago. The bureaucratic hassles involved in obtaining permission
to enter this region at that time were so formidable that few travellers
managed it, and of those who did, most received permission to stay for
only a week and others were even required to take a police escort with
them. Surprisingly, the officer in charge of a small district headquarters
granted us a two-month unrestricted permit from simply because we had
struck a friendly note with him. Such is the way things happen in India.
In the past few years entry restrictions have been relaxed and we have
been back many times.

The district of Kinnaur is largely Hindu, but being far from the centres
of mainstream Hinduism, it has retained an archaic character: oracles
go into trances and the gods of the villages speak through them. There
are no Brahmins here to act as priests; Buddhist lamas conduct the major
household rituals for the Hindus, those concerned with birth, marriage
and death, a practice unheard of elsewhere in Hindu India. Spiti though,
is Lamaistic Buddhist as is Tibet, but the religion is more archaic here,
retaining ancient ways, magical practices and archaic rituals that long
ago disappeared from Tibet.

Over the years, we’ve spent many months exploring Kinnaur and
Spiti, living in small villages, walking the trails between remote villages
and into the high, uninhabited mountains and attending festivals at gompas
(monasteries)—colourful events when the lamas don gorgeous silken
brocade robes, masks and headdresses and perform graceful dances to the
sounds of kettle drums and unbelievably long, curved brass horns. Once
we pitched our tent on top of a flat-roofed mud house and watched the
lamas practice their graceful steps and leaps for a week before the festival
began. The dances are dramatizations of stories from Tibetan Buddhist
myths, all very well known to the lively and appreciative audience of
villagers, decked out in their finest and most exotic apparel; they come
from near and far to watch these shows. We sat among them and enjoyed
being among these gentle and colourful, full-of-life people.

At a festival at Ki Gompa, which is built around the small, rubbly cone
of an extinct volcano, when the dances were over, the audience got up
and moved to the hillside behind the monastery. There they formed long,
snaking lines and prostrated themselves to make a living carpet for the
lamas to walk on. Talk about devotion! The people consider their lamas
to be literally living gods.

Ki village is high above the Spiti Valley, north of Kaza, Spiti’s
main town. The bazaar has the timeless feel of an ancient entrepôt.
It is a meeting place of people from all over the Himalayas and the Indian
plains who come here to trade donkeys, yaks, rugs, turquoise and coral,
seed pearls and peas… (and Spiti is renowned for its fine riding
horses able to navigate the narrowest of mountain trails, and also for
its wily horse traders).

The town is dotted with small squares built around gleaming white, highly
embellished chortens or stupas, the reliquary mounds found everywhere
in the Buddhist Himalayas, and shaded by ancient gnarled poplars. And
surrounding the town are stark, boldly hued mountains. In this high-altitude,
desert-like region all cultivation must be carried on by extensive and
ingenious irrigation schemes, complex networks of channels that bring
water to the fields from glaciers in the mountains high above. The emerald
fields of barley and peas are like jewels set into this rugged, rocky
landscape. Massive mud-brick houses and monasteries washed gleaming white
with distinctive black and ochre trim stand out against the green of the
fields and the deep blue of the sky.

More in our next letter about Spiti’s distinctive style of architecture—it’s
amazing what you can do with mud! And, what happened when it rained in
this place where it never rains!

Martin and Carol Noval have been living in India for more than twenty
years and organize and lead several special cultural tours and treks a
year for small groups. They’ll be leading road trips and treks in
Spiti next summer (2003). If you would like to get in touch, email them
at tripsintoindia@usa.net and check their website "http://www.tripsintoindia.com/">www.tripsintoindia.com

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 "mailto:beetle@globetrotters.co.uk">Beetle
know what you think!

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/travels.htm,
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

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 "http://homepage.hispeed.ch/Fred_Desrosiers/">Fred's Homepage