The Globetrotters eNewsletter
eNewsletter Archive

Although, now perhaps ‘old news’ to those of us living and working
in Mikindani we couldn’t let this event pass unreported. Last
November The Old Boma’s reputation had had yet another shot in the
arm! The District Commissioner invited us to prepare lunch for the
Tanzanian Prime Minister and 30 of his party; approaching election
time he was going to be making an official visit to Mtwara Region
for 2 days. However it was not to be held at the Boma but at a
Primary School in the remote village of Hinju some 50 km inland
from here. The village is so remote that there are no facilities at
all - no power, limited water and we would have to take absolutely
everything with us. Initially they thought we would donate the
entire cost! However, when I explained that we are a charity they
agreed to give us a ‘donation’ to the cause which did just about
cover the cost of the food.

src="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews_042004_image002.jpg"
alt="Old Boma Outdoor" width="239" height="211" border="0"
align="left" title="Old Boma Outdoor" />Friday - the shopping trip
to Mtwara took 5 hours whilst Esther searched all over town for
enough chickens to feed this crowd whilst the goat in question was
tethered outside the Boma bleating for a few hours. Saturday -
kitchen a hive of activity chopping, cutting, marinating and
counting bottles of water, soft drinks, plates, glasses, knives,
forks etc. Last minute panic appeared non-existent - my own
memories of the night before a major event of this importance were
very different!

It was a very early start on the Sunday morning - but the
excitement was tangible! On the unmade country roads there was no
sign of a police or security presence -the only suggestion that the
PM might be in danger was the Prime Minister’s Waiter hovering
around ‘tasting’ the food whilst we were preparing it - he must
have approved because he kept coming back for more!

We had originally been told that lunch would be at 2.00pm - then
they changed that to 12.30 - as it happened the official party
turned up at 2.15! But there was a lot of ‘on site’ preparation so
several hours were required. We were given the headmaster’s office
for preparation (including the barbecue - his office will never
smell quite the same!) and the classroom next door was turned into
a dinning room. The rest of the food preparation and the cooking
was done in the open air on the other side of the school!

In the ‘dining room’ tables were arranged around the edge of the
room in a ‘U’ formation and white sheets were used as table
clothes. With the new Boma china, some hastily created green &
black batik it all looked very elegant or at least as elegant as it
could be in a classroom with concrete walls, a corrugated iron roof
and a huge old blackboard on the wall!

src="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews_042004_image003.jpg"
alt="Attempts at transformation! (The red bits are roses made from tomato skins)"
width="244" height="183" hspace="12" border="0" align="left"
title="Attempts at transformation! (The red bits are roses made from tomato skins)" />
The official party arrived in a flurry of dust as about 40 cars
swept into the school ground. In the background was the celebratory
sound of drums and chanting, and there were dancers that we could
hear but not see from our corner of the school ground. Because they
were so late we abandoned all attempts at ’silver service’ and put
a couple of desks in the centre of the room as a buffet and allowed
them to help themselves. We were advised to do this so that we
could not be held responsible for delaying them and influencing how
long they took to eat!

The menu

Roast Goat (marinated with ginger and then cooked on the BBQ)
Marinated Chicken (with garlic and lemon, also cooked on the
BBQ)
Beef Curry
Vegetable Curry
Pilau rice / Plain rice / Ugali / Salad
Fresh fruit - (as the PM does not eat any fruit that is already cut
- it was just bananas!)

src="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews_042004_image004.jpg"
alt="The Boma Staff Team" width="311" height="233" border="0"
align="left" title="The Boma Staff Team" />After they had eaten the
District Commissioner invited the whole Boma team into the room,
introduced us and gave a short speech of thanks for providing such
a wonderful lunch. He acknowledged that the Boma is run by Trade
Aid and proceeded to thank Trade Aid for providing this opportunity
for employment and the development of tourism in the Mtwara Region.
The Prime Minister's photographer recorded the event and held a
photo shoot taking a number of pictures on the Trade Aid digital
camera.

Once all the clearing up and packing up was complete we set off
back to Mikindani. ‘Tired but happy’ is a phrase that comes to
mind! PS -  all the Boma China that went to Hinju came back
intact! Well done! to the team once again.

The summer is soon here and that reminds us of our romantic
honeymoon we had last summer. We want to share our memories with
you.

We got married last summer outside Brighton, UK, after 10 years
together and we had a fantastic wedding with all our friends, 110
persons. On our honeymoon we wanted to start with relaxing on the
countryside and then some city life. We choose Sweden and
Stockholm,  not far from London, and with fast direct access.
And we found a tour operator, Peace and Quiet Travel, 
offering what we were looking for.  Three nights in the
beautiful Mälar Valley and two nights in Stockholm! The week after
our wedding we were on our way.

src="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews_042004_image005.jpg"
alt="Surahammar Manor" width="211" height="154" hspace="12"
border="0" align="left" title="Surahammar Manor" />After picking up
our rental car at the airport and after some looking on the map we
found Surahammar Manor. A fantastic place in the Mälar Valley with
romantic surroundings! And such a family atmosphere! The owners
themselves welcomed us and we got a high standard room facing the
parkland. All rooms are  individually decorated with elegant
antique furniture. And we really enjoyed the welcome dinner with
Swedish schnapps. In the evening we went early to bed, talked about
our wedding and revelled in that pleasant tired feeling in your
body and serenity in your heart that only a great day can 
bring!

And what did we do in the Mälar Valley?  After breakfast we
went canoeing and brought our own picnic lunch with us. Total
relaxation and what a scenery, unspoilt and beautiful!  In the
afternoon we decided to go fishing, a new experience for both of
us. We hired the equipment and thought  that we had to go far
away, src="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews_042004_image006.jpg"
alt="We were fishing from the Manor's park! " width="223"
height="104" hspace="12" vspace="5" border="0" align="right"
title="We were fishing from the Manor's park! " />but not. We
were fishing from the Manor’s park! After some hours we had got
four salmon trout and thought it was enough. In the evening we
prepared  them together with the cook. Never has a dinner
tasted so good!

Next day we decided to be a little cultural so we went to Tidö
Castle, a well-known Mälar castle. Tidö is from the 1600s and
famous in part for its 43 magnificent carved doors with wood inlay
and also for a comprehensive toy museum. We enjoyed a romantic
walk, before dinner, in the Manor’s flower-filled parkland, along
small paths, over  small white bridges, and watched carp 
swimming in the pond. Our last day we tried horse riding, new for
me but not for Mary. The stables were just five minutes away and an
instructor took care of us  and gave us a riding lesson and
then we went out in the  countryside in a slow pace. Both
relaxing and exiting! The service at Surahammar was very high, they
suggested excursions and helped us in every possible way.

Stockholm city life: We checked in to our double room at hotel
Terminus, located in the very centre of Stockholm. The hotel 
opened in 1909 and is well-known  for its traditional
atmosphere and personal service.  Near to all that Stockholm
offers of restaurants, theatres, shopping, historic buildings and
other attractions. In the afternoon we enjoyed a walking tour in
the Old Town and visited the Royal Castle. In the night we went to
Spy Bar and mingled with Stockholm’s glitterati!  The day
after we took a guided boat tour under the bridges of
Stockholm.  And visited the Vasa Museum, a 17th century pride
of the Swedish fleet, resurrected 333 years after sinking and the
nearby Skansen, a zoo and the world’s first open-air museum. In the
evening we just relaxed  in one of Stockholm’s open-air cafés
and enjoyed the city nightlife.  Before leaving to the airport
we just had a morning of leisure.

If you are interested in spending some time in the Mälar Valley,
contact Eva at Peace and Quiet Travel, a Swedish tour operator,
offering all sorts of packages to the Mälar Valley and combination
Stockholm city and countryside.  Eva can be contacted by
e-mail on: href="mailto:info@peaceandquiet.co.uk" target="_blank">info@peaceandquiet.co.uk
or take a look at their website: href="http://www.peaceandquiet.co.uk/"
target="_blank">http://www.peaceandquiet.co.uk

src="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews_042004-calt-1.jpg"
title="Caltabellotta" alt="Caltabellotta" class="c5" align="left"
hspace="5" vspace="5" />Sciacca is not really on the tourist trail
although it is extremely pleasant and some of the upper town is
really picturesque. There is no really cheap place to stay, though
the Paloma Bianca in Via Figuli was not really dear. The main
appeal of Sciacca for me is the fact that it is an ideal place for
an excellent bus trip to the hill village of Caltabellotta. Sicily
has so much to see [I missed the lovely west coast and most of the
interior, including a terrific Roman villa] that I suspect a lot of
people never make it to any of the smaller towns. Even though I
obviously saw them at the cost of some better known larger places,
Erice in particular, I feel that it is a pity not to sample some
and this is a beaut. From my knowledge of Sicilian hill villages I
would say that somehow they are less picturesque from a distance
but quite as good when inside them as those of the mainland. On the
ride to Caltabellotta it is going up high, rather than heading for
the village, which gives the pleasure and you need to be well up in
the village to see it at its best.

Having said that, once you go up from the bus terminus to the very
top, you will certainly want to find ways to other parts of the
crest. In one place you can go through a tunnel to see the
magnificent view from the other side - if you are fully fit you
could actually get this from the castle. The wind that hit me from
the other side as I came out made it feel about fifteen degrees
lower temperature. No doubt this is a considerable exaggeration but
it was a great feeling in the reverse direction! Here there are two
fine churches just below vast rock outcrops, one Norman and one
Gothic. I use ‘Norman’, rather than ‘Romanesque,’ as a descriptor
because the Normans did actually get to and settle on Sicily,
unlikely as that may sound. I really go for rooftop views as well
and the town below looks far more stunning to me from up here than
from below.

alt="Caltabellotta" title="Caltabellotta"
src="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews_042004-calt-2.jpg" />
This was only my fifth night out of eleven but already lack of time
was forcing me to adjust my plans. I had meant to go right around
the island anti-clockwise and hopefully to do a trip into the Villa
Imperiale inland. I now realised this was far too much to take on
and I abandoned any notion of reaching the west coast or Segesta, a
spectacular site to the west of the island’s capital, Palermo. This
meant cutting from the south coast to the north at Palermo itself.
I decided on one further southern escapade first - a trip to the
ancient Greek settlement of Selinunte It was necessary to change at
Castelvetrano from the bus bound for Trápani to the local minibus
to Selinunte and the modern village of Marinellla which is little
more than the accommodation for those going to see Selinunte. It
turned out that the wait in this rather ordinary place
[Castelvetrano] was going to be over an hour and a half, and then
when the bus was quarter of an hour late.

This afternoon was well up to the standards of the very best parts
of my trip. Not only was the sun shining warmly from a blue sky but
the spring flowers were blossoming in profusion all over the site
and beyond. The site itself is terrific - as good a set of Greek
remains as that at Agrigento to my mind and I felt that to have
missed it would have been unpardonable. There are three areas of
particular importance: the eastern temples, the Acropolis area and,
some distance away, the Necropolis. I concentrated on the first
two. This in itself covered a considerable area and involved
several kilometres of walking but I am sure the number of people I
saw was not as many as eighteen.

title="Selinunte"
src="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews_042004-sel.jpg" />
The eastern temples were mainly erected in the sixth century BC and
one of them, Temple E as it rather prosaically named, was
reconstructed in the 1950s. Apparently this was and is
controversial but I feel no qualms about it as long as some are
left as they are found. Whatever, it is a magnificent building and
I am sure a full size re-construction must be the best way of
illustrating to children what these temples were like. The
Acropolis area contains another five temples and most of the
ancient living area as well as the remains of the great walls.
These walls, however, are older than the rest of the remains,
having been built after the city had been destroyed once by
Carthage in order to defend the high ground from further
destructions.

David was a keen walker, particularly on mountains before he
developed serious heart problems in 1995. He has now adapted his
holidays to what he is able to do and we are presenting his account
of 12 days in Sicily over this and the coming months. Next two
episodes: Palermo.

What is it: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute,
fever-causing viral disease that affects domestic animals (such as
cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels) and humans.  RVF is
most commonly associated with mosquito-borne epidemics during years
of heavy rainfall.

Where could I get it: RVF is generally found in regions of
eastern and southern Africa where sheep and cattle are
raised.  However, RVF virus also exists in most countries of
sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar.

What happens if I get it: people with RVF typically have
either no symptoms or a mild illness associated with fever and
liver abnormalities.  In some more extreme cases, it can lead
to hemorrhagic fever (which can lead to shock or haemorrhage),
encephalitis (inflammation of the brain, which can lead to
headaches, coma, or seizures), and eye disease.

What do I do if I get it: usually patients recover within
two days to one week after onset of illness.  About 1% of
humans that become infected with RVF die of the disease. 
There is no specific treatment - just rest and taking plenty of
fluids.

How can I prevent catching Rift Valley Fever: avoid bites of
mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects, so use of mosquito
repellents and bed nets.  Also you should avoid exposure to
blood or tissues of animals that may potentially be infected.

Which countries are represented by these flags?  For the
answers, see at the end of the e-news.

I went to St Moritz for a week in February - on a course in a place
called Randolins in Survetta, a little way outside the town - not
skiing.  Randolins is a not for profit organisation that
caters mainly for groups, such as children on ski camps or adult
learning.  It's a very nice place, simple, but comfortable
- definitely not your 5 star kind of place.  It has shared
rooms and you have to take part in the chores, so things like going
and getting the food for each meal and wheeling it down to your
building on a trolley, washing up, laying tables etc.  If you
are looking for a group venue, it's not a bad place.

St Moritz is in the Upper Engadine.  Can't comment on
skiing, but can say a few things about the town.  It's
quite small, easily walkable, very posh with a very high fur coat
count and is pretty expensive!  There are two parts to St
Moritz: there's the dorf which means village and this is above
the lake.  This is where the posh hotels, restaurants, shops
etc are.  St Moritz-Bad is about 2km away southwest down on
the lakeshore and is not such a pretty place, lots of concrete
flats and other buildings.

src="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews_042004-sculpture-lucerne.jpg"
alt="Sculpture in Lucerne" width="250" height="166" border="0"
align="left" title="Sculpture in Lucerne" />The name of St Moritz
has an interesting story attached to it: the story told to me was
that Maurice (later turned into Moritz) was a Christian and came
from Egypt.  He served in the Roman army under Julius Caesar
and led a Theban legion for the Roman empire and fought in the
Alps.  He refused to obey the order of the Emperor Maximian
and sacrifice some Christians to the Roman gods because he was
himself a Christian.  On hearing this, Maximian ordered
Maurice's regiment to be decimated - i.e. every tenth person
killed, and this went on until no-one was left.  And so
commanding officer Maurice became a saint.  Legend has it that
the rock used by Maurice to lay his head on so that he could be
beheaded is at St Moritz.   Like England's St George,
St. Maurice is a patron of knights and soldiers.  From the
12th century, due the similarity between his name and Maurus, he
was depicted as a Moor, so he became the black saint.  

Even after Roman times, St. Moritz was known during the Middle Ages
for its mineral springs and healthy climate and it became the first
alpine winter sports and tourism centre in Switzerland.  It
also hosted two Olympic Winter Games (1928 and 1948.) It became the
famous ski and alpine sports centre that it is mainly due to the
British, who went over in the 1860s and liked it so much they went
back and stayed an entire season, and the word was spread.

To get to St Moritz is very easy, you can take a train from
Zurich.  I flew from London to Zurich on Easyjet (AKA
Sleazyjet) and that was a good price at around £75 including
taxes.  Swiss Air and BA all fly there too from the UK but are
more expensive.  There is a train station underneath the
airport at Zurich and you can take a train from here to the main
train station in the centre and go to Chor, change there for St
Moritz.  The whole train journey from Zurich took about 3 1/2
hours. 

There are plenty of taxis outside St Moritz train station and the
drivers seem to speak every language in the world between
them.  Swiss Italian and Swiss German seem to be the
predominant languages - and be warned, whilst many Swiss people are
amazing linguists and speak good English throughout, if you were
thinking (like me) to practice your German, think again, Swiss
German is quite different.

Swiss trains are a delight - always on time, clean, and I
especially like the double decker trains.  Whilst the airport
is non smoking throughout - a fairly recent change, I think, the
Swiss do allow smoking on trains, so be careful about which
compartment you get into, if you are a non smoker.  I got on
an intercity from Lucerne to Zurich and inadvertently sat in a
smoking section, which by the time I realised, was too late to move
as it was packed full.

Buying a Swiss rail pass makes a lot of sense.  I paid £105
for a pass that allowed me free travel on three specified
days.  The days do not have to be consecutive.  The pass
also allows you to receive substantial discounts on other
trips.  You can buy rail passes for different lengths of trip.

I also went to Lucerne or Luzern.  Beautiful!  It's
about 4 hours from St Moritz by train - and only an hour or so by
the fast intercity train from Zurich, which also goes direct to the
airport as well, which is pretty handy.  It is situated on a
lake and has lots of history.  The river Reuss separates the
old town from the newer, although that seemed pretty old to me
too!  Then it flows into the lake.  The town is also very
easy to walk around and was my highlight on this trip to
Switzerland.  The train station is very close to the edge of
the lake and close to the Art Museum and within easy reach of the
hotels by foot.

I stayed in the Hotel Krone which is a Best Western and is in the
Old Town, it was very nice and has free internet and the people
there were very nice.

alt="bridge across river lucern" width="325" height="74" border="0"
align="right" title="bridge across river lucern" />There are lots
of bridges across the River Reuss, it reminded me a little of
Ljubljana, especially with some of the dragon symbols, some of my
friends said Stockholm.  One of the most famous is the Chapel
bridge built in the 14th century as a part of the city's
fortifications and named after St. Peter's Chapel, which is
located nearby. It has paintings on it including some info on the
city's patron saints, St. Leodegar and our friend St.
Maurice.  There's also a very splendid 17th century
baroque Jesuit church.  I really liked the water spikes that
act like a lock  to regulate water levels like in a canal. and
you can see the remains of water mills.

There are lots of old squares and beautiful buildings with pictures
on the walls, red spires and steeples.  The Weinmarkt is one
of these old squares, and is by the Hotel Krone - very pretty.
There's also a great restaurant, and not too expensive (for
Switzerland!) in the cellar of the town hall, or Rat Haus that has
its own micro brewery inside - great beer, and good food,
especially the Braui special which has lots of different types of
pork and sauerkraut.  It is also a good place to go and talk
to local people, as everyone seemed really friendly.

src="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews_042004-view-from-rigi-kulm.jpg"
alt="View from Rigi Kulm" width="250" height="166" border="0"
align="left" title="View from Rigi Kulm" />On my final day in
Lucerne, I went to the tourist information centre at the train
station and asked where I could go in the mountains.  They
suggested a trip to Rigi Kulm, so, using my rail pass, instead of
paying 79 Swiss Francs, it cost me 29 Swiss Francs.  It was a
great adventure!  I took a boat across Lake Lucerne, and then
a funicular or cog wheel train up the mountain to the top of Rigi
Kulm, about 1,800m, so not too high, and then the cog wheel train
to the half way point and a cable car down to Weggis back down by
the lake, and the boat again back to Lucerne.  It was a
wonderful half day trip, where we could see above the clouds, the
mountain tops poking through, then there was the lake and the green
of the alpine pastures leading up to the mountains.  There are
a couple of other mountain type trips you can do like this whilst
based in Lucerne.

Then  I took the train from Lucerne back to Zurich airport,
the direct trains run at 10 minutes past the hour and it took about
1 hour.

I’d definitely recommend Lucerne as a base for 2/3 days to explore.

Where? 

St Helena is situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, 5° 43' west
and 15° 56' south, 1,200 miles from the south-west coast of
Africa, and 1,800 miles from the coast of South America.  The
nearest land is Ascension Island, which lies 703 miles (1,125km) to
the north-west.  Cape Town lies some 1700 miles to the south
east.  In other words, it’s pretty remote!

St Helena Island land is only some 47 square miles or 122 square
km, ten and a half miles or 17km long and six and a half miles or
10km wide.  St Helena Island has two other British Overseas
Territories: Ascension Island which lies 703 miles to the north
west and Tristan da Cunha, which lies 1500 miles to the south west.
 

It was uninhabited when it was first discovered by the Portuguese
explorer, Juan Da Nova on 21 May 1502. The name St Helena is
derived from the fact that the day Juan Da Niva discovered St
Helena, it was a festival day, of St Helena, mother of Emperor
Constantine the Great, so he named the island in her honour. The
Portuguese kept quiet about St Helena’s existence and used it as a
convenient stop off place for ships returning home from the east to
stock up on fresh water and fruit. For a little over 80 years only
the Portuguese visited St Helena until in 1588 Captain Thomas
Cavendish, captain of the H.M.S. Desire, called at the island on
his voyage round the world and stayed 12 days there. After this
time, English and Dutch merchant ships began to stop off for
provisions and repairs.

As might be expected from this period in history, disputes soon
arose between the Dutch and the English over sovereignty of St
Helena.  In 1659 the British East India Company placed a
garrison on the island and started the first permanent settlement.
In retaliation, the Dutch invaded in 1673 forcing the English
out.  The island was recaptured by the English and held by the
British East India Company until 1834 until it was brought under
the direct government of the British Crown. href="http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/tourism/briefhistory2.html">

In the Eighteenth century over a thousand ships called
annually.  Following the opening of the Suez Canal and the
advent of steam the island slipped into oblivion and remained as
sort of time warp with its elegance period buildings , relaxed
atmosphere and virtually crime free community.

Perhaps many people recognise the name St Helena in connection with
Napoleon.  Napoleon was confined to St Helena in 18l5 after
his defeat at Waterloo.  Residents of St Helena call
themselves “Saints.” Things to do on St Helena include visiting the
Plantation House, the residence of the Governor where one can
photograph the giant tortoise reputed to be more than 150 years
old, Longwood House where Napoleon was kept until his death in 1821
and is maintained by France as a museum.

Ascension Island has a military airstrip that can be used by
civilians, but there is currently no civilian airport, so the only
way to get there is by boat.  The UK Royal Mail Ship, the RMS
St Helena, built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1990  provides cargo
and passenger services.  It has a passenger capacity of 128
people.

The British Royal Mail ship sets off from Cardiff in the UK,
calling at Tenerife and Ascension Island, and Cape Town. There are
usually 4 voyages from the UK, 15 voyages from Ascension and 10
from Cape Town each year. Once a year the RMS calls at Tristan da
Cunha - a Dependency of St Helena.  Most people travel via
Ascension Island or Cape Town. The travel time for the RMS St
Helena is 2 days from Ascension, 5 days from Cape Town and 14 days
if travel is direct from Cardiff, UK.  If you are interested
in taking the boat, take a look at: href="http://www.aws.co.uk/">www.aws.co.uk or e-mail href="mailto:reservations@aws.co.uk">reservations@aws.co.uk
or  href="mailto:enquiries@solomons.co.sh">enquiries@solomons.co.sh

According to Mac, who has looked into freighters, most freighters
won’t take passengers over 75 years of age, as they have no doctors
aboard, and he a little over this. He has culled some information
from reading an account of freighter travel to St Helena.

One reader suggested going to a university and sign up to use the
net, then try the local library, and then a net cafe.  Try
visiting internet cafes in the morning and early afternoon (not
quite so busy).  You could also ask at your hotel if they have
free internet access. In one of the most isolated place on earth
Easter Island a reader asked about using internet and they pointed
to a corner of the office where there was a machine they could use
free (as I think deluxe Hotels sometimes charge heavy prices
perhaps you might get free access to internet in lower price
places)

Another person said that in Hungary the easiest and least expensive
place to access and send e-mails was Burger King. 

In Spanish speaking countries, to get the @ symbol you hold down
the “alt” key then press 6 and then 4 on the number keyboard (there
is something about the @ key has a couple of other symbols on same
key or something and when pressed nothing happens.

Visit our website href="http://www.intltravelnews.com/">www.intltravelnews.com

In this, Sally talks about her return to the UK for Christmas 2003
after having started a new life in Portugal. 

It was very strange to be back in the UK.  I flew on 19
December.  At check-in at Lisbon airport, I was furious to be
charged excess baggage by BA especially when the flight was half
full.  Interestingly enough, the return flight with self same
baggage incurred no excess baggage charge on another half full
flight.  Other friends, who flew the following day to London
to connect with a flight to Canada, were also hammered for ski
kit.  An outraged missive to BA on why Lisbon charged when
Heathrow doesn’t, resulted in no apology.  I have always
preferred to travel with TAP who surprisingly did not charge any
excess baggage to anyone over Christmas!  Warn friends over
the double standards of BA!

When I arrived at Heathrow, having left Lisbon in deep mist (they
like to call it fog), I had forgotten how grey the winter skies are
- quite a shock.  I did find the UK incredibly
expensive.  I know it was only 18 months or so since I had
left, but I certainly thought things had increased in price. 
Also you notice the commercialism much more with all the adverts on
TV, radio and hoardings.  You also realise what a wide
difference between earning levels there are between the UK and
Europe. As an example, I was in Carphone Warehouse picking up a new
chip for my phone when I ear wigged a conversation at the side of
me.  A young lad was with his parents and enquiring about the
latest state-of-the-art mobile.  The cost of this phone was
approximately £350!  When you convert that over to euros, it
is roughly the monthly salary of a policeman here - fireman earn
slightly less.  I took the bus from Bath to Bradford-on-Avon
and nearly fainted at the single fare - £2.40!  The journey is
about 20 minutes.  For that fare you can travel twice (return)
from Cascais to Lisbon on the railway (a forty minute journey)!

The biggest shock to the system was the price of coffee! 
Definitely spoilt over here.  A small black coffee is about 50
cents out of the city and in small coffee bars; the highest price
would be about 90 cents in a posh area of Lisbon (70 UK pence is
roughly equal to 1 euro).

Strangely enough I actually found just before I left the UK that I
was feeling homesick for Portugal - I wonder what that means! 
Driving a car was great fun but again I found I had to work really
hard at remembering which side of the road to drive on, and I admit
to going the wrong way round a junction - luckily nothing was
coming!  I also had to concentrate and remember that sunshine
and frost sometimes mean ice!  Funny how fast you forget these
things.

Flew home to Portugal on 3 January and left grey skies for stunning
blue skies and burning hot sun!  Coming back along the
motorway was quite surreal, as so many flowers had bloomed over the
Christmas period.

Pompey (the kitten) was so thrilled I was home that he slept with
his head on my face and his body curled between my head and
shoulder for a whole week!

Although it is winter here in Portugal, it is quite different to
the UK because there is so much in flower.  Because of the
rain we have lots of different shades of green, Madonna lilies are
all out, the cherry blossom is just starting, magnolias are in full
bloom along with camellias.  Mimosa is also out.  It does
make a difference.  The weather has been far better than last
winter.  We have had some days where we have had torrential
rain but then it stops and you get a bit of blue sky and sometimes,
magnificent rainbows.  Some days have been quite warm but
again, it can get quite cold at night and I have had my gas log
fire (salamandra) on a few times which is rather nice as you have
this glow in the corner. 

I have now received my official Numero do Contribuinte - my tax
card which means that I now have to sort out all my receipts to
hand in by the end of this month.  I can claim medical,
dental, any purchases to do with work, petrol and restaurant bills
(this I was told was to help the tax authorities make sure the
restaurants in question actually declare revenue!)  For those
of you who know my hatred and frustrations with sums - keep your
fingers crossed.  I have no doubt that things will be thrown
and tears shed when I do this later this week.

Mac is not responsible for finding these signs, he saw them on the
internet and thought they may be amusing for readers of the
Globetrotters e-newsletter.  Please, no complaints about being
patronising, this is just for fun. 

Spotted in a toilet of a London office: TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE
USE FLOOR BELOW

In a Laundromat: AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR
CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT

In a London department store: BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office: WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY,
PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office: AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND
STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD

Outside a second hand shop: WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES,
WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A
WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

… and the best one…Notice in health food shop window: CLOSED
DUE TO ILLNESS

Spotted in a safari park: ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

Seen during a conference: FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND
DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR

Notice in a field: THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR
FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES

Message on a leaflet: IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL
YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS

 … and finally…

On a repair shop door: WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD
ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

Iko Poran society is a Brazilian association of private non-profit
, non-political, non-denominational organizations guided by the
principles of democracy. The mission of our organization is to
promote volunteer programs that have a positive impact on their
communities and surrounding and promote a beneficial exchange
between cultures. Volunteer work varies according to project. For
more information see our website at href="http://www.ikoporan.org"
target="_blank">http://www.ikoporan.org/ or email href="mailto:rj@ikoporan.org" target="_blank">rj@ikoporan.org

Youth Services with TIPACOM, Peru

TIPACOM a program that helps babies, children and teenagers living
in extreme poverty, mainly in Villa El Salvador as well as other
pueblos jovenes in Lima. TIPACOM has developed many projects
including training programs for young people. The organization also
works to promote health awareness and aid the sick. Volunteers can
work in any of these areas and are encouraged to organize other
social project in pueblos jovenes. Those with background in
Administration are needed as are English teachers. For more info,
email href="mailto:tipacom@hotmail.com" target="_blank">tipacom@hotmail.com