The Globetrotters eNewsletter
eNewsletter Archive

height="133" alt="a group of Gordon's friends" class="pic"
border="0" align="left" />Planning a
visit to London or already live in London or visit, well,
Gordon regularly hosts get togethers for visitors and local
people alike to go to the theatre and concerts, sometimes
free and sometimes at reduced cost.  He also hosts
suppers at selected restaurants - the picture shows a group
of Gordon’s friends. 

To join Gordon’s friends’ group, click on this link:

"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gordonbeal/">Gordon's
friends

Discuss this article and give feedback in our online forum

Rajasthan is a land where the vagaries of nature have settled
to co-exist with the good cheer of its people.  The
architectural grandeur of royalty and the tales of valour and
chivalry are the essence of its very spirit. Rajasthan is a
destination that enchants the visitor with every little
discovery that is made, because the more one discovers, the
more is the urge to stay on or come back.  It offers a
unique destination for anyone’s holidays.

Jaipur, the first planned city of historic India, better
known as the pink city and the Venice of east is a perfect
combination of old and modern architect of India. 
Pushkar is your host for rural, religion and culture of the
region. The Thar Desert tells a story of men living in
harmony with a hostile nature.  It is not deserted but
contains a complete philosophy to live with the nature. 
Ranthambore presents an opportunity for viewing wild life as
you can experience the first hand the habitat of the king of
the forest the tiger.  The following ‘tour’ is in two
parts but shows how you can easily explore parts of
Rajasthan.

JAIPUR

height="143" alt="" border="0" align="left" class='pic' />Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City, was
founded in 1727 AD by the Maharaja of Amber Sawai Jai Singh.
This remarkable city is considered a marvel of town planning.
 Designed in accordance with ancient Hindu treaties on
architecture, the Silpa Shastra, Jaipur follows a grid system
and is encircled by a fortified wall.  The palace lies
in the heart of the city and occupies the space of the
central grid. The rest of the grids were cut across neatly by
wide lanes, which divided the area into tidy, well laid-out
rectangles of commercial and residential use. The fortified
wall has eight gates (originally had seven) and was built for
protection against invading armies and wild animals. Today
the city has spread beyond these walls and reached
neighbouring towns and continues to grow.

CITY PALACE

The city Palace complex is the most important landmark with
its numerous outbuildings, courtyards, impressive gateways
and temples.  Occupying one seventh of the walled city
area, the city palace houses the seven storied Chandra Mahal
(residence of the royal family), Mubarak Mahal, the
Diwan-I-Am, and Diwan-I-Khas. The museum houses a rare
collection of arms, carpets, costumes, paintings and royal
paraphernalia. A notable exhibit is a pair of pure silver
containers, which are the largest single pieces of silver in
the world.

Across the road from the palace is the JANTAR MANTAR, one of
the five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh, this one is
the latest and the best preserved. A collection of complex
astronomical instruments chiselled out of stone - most of
which continue to provide fairly accurate information to this
day - is the highlight of the observatory.

HAWA MAHAL (PALACE OF WINDS)

This adjoins the outside of the palace wall.  Built in
1799 this pink seven storied building overlooks one of the
main streets and also provides some excellent views of the
city.  Dedicated to the lord Krishna, it is shaped like
a crown, which adorns the Lord’s head.  It has over 900
niches and is quite an unusual structure the likes of which
are not to be found anywhere else in the world.

AMBER FORT

Set in a picturesque location, Amber is a fascinating blend
of Hindu and Muslim architecture.  Built in the 16th
century by Raja Man Singh, it sprawls on the hillside.
 Built in red sandstone and white marble, the palace
complex has some very interesting apartments, the likes of
which are not to be found anywhere else in the country.
 Jai Mandir, Sheesh Mahal, Sukh Niwas, Ganesh Pol are
some of the prominent areas of interest.  The old
township of Amber lies at the foothills of the palace and has
an Old World charm, a character of its own.

PUSHKAR FAIR (November)

height="102" alt="" class="pic" border=
"0" align="left" />Held at Pushkar near Ajmer once in a year,
better known by the name of Pushkar Cattle Fair, is one of
the most colourful festivals of India. Thousands of pilgrims
come to bathe in the holy water of the Pushkar Lake. Legend
has it that the lake appeared miraculously on the spot, where
the petals of the lotus fell from the hands of lord Brahma.
Pushkar has an atmosphere of an ancient town, peaceful and
secluded but for twelve days of the month of KARTIK (Hindu
calendar), it transformed into a spectacular fair ground.
 The fair is an amazing sight to behold including street
sellers showing off their dazzling range of wares in hundreds
of roadside stalls.

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES

height="108" alt="" class="pic" border=
"0" align="right" />People come from different parts of
Rajasthan to worship lord Brahma and take bath in the holy
lake.  Pilgrims start coming in the early morning in
groups singing the religious songs dedicated to Hindu gods to
bathe in the Pushkar lake. The process continues throughout
the day to turn into DEEPDAN ceremony.  The entire
atmosphere reverberates with the ringing of bells.  At
night, hundreds of small oil lamps placed on green leaves set
the lake alight.  Shopkeepers keeps their shops open day
and night for the last three or four days to keep the city
alive.

CAMELS AND CATTLE

Worlds largest number of camel gathering is a spectacular
seen that floods this area with thousands of tourist every
year. The most spectacular site besides the animals is the
day to day activity of the people who comes with the animals
and spend the day and night under open sky. Horse races,
camel races and other animal based events are organized by
the organizing committee to choose the best animal of the
fair.

If you would like to get in touch with Bhaghirath about
touring Rajasthan, he can be contacted by e-mail on: "mailto:vision21century@sify.com">vision21century@sify.com

Discuss this article and give feedback in our online forum

Volunteers wanted for projects worldwide.

India Project, Karmi Farm Clinic

Nomad Travel Store is now seeking voluntary doctors and
nurses for our charity clinic in India.  The clinic is
based on Karmi Farm in the foothills of the Himalayas on the
border of Sikkim.  We have spaces throughout 2005. 
If you would like more information please contact Cathy on:
"mailto:cathy@nomadtravel.co.uk">cathy@nomadtravel.co.uk 
The website of Karmi Farm Guesthouse is: "http://www.karmifarm.com/">www.karmifarm.com

Kilimanjaro Medical help Required

We're running a trek up Kili in conjunction with Cancer
Research next spring and are looking for a doctor and a nurse
(or two doctors) to accompany the trek (12-20 Feb
2005).  Do you know a suitable doctor who might be
interested (and fit enough).  They would travel free of
charge.  Please e-mail: "mailto:markw@adventurecompany.co.uk">markw@adventurecompany.co.uk
or see: "http://www.adventurecompany.co.uk">http:\\www.adventurecompany.co.uk

Project Monitoring with Help Argentina

Help Argentina is a unique non-profit organization that works
in conjunction with hundreds of other non-profit and social
development organizations with the aim of strengthening the
social sector as a whole. Most of the work will be done in
the field working with beneficiary organizations, conducting
surveys, delivering supplies, etc. Work place and hours are
flexible. mpazmm@HelpArgentina.org

Social Work with CIPPEC Argentina

CIPPEC is a non-governmental organization working to promote
equality and growth in Argentina. CIPPEC aims to make public
institutions stronger, to make opportunities equal for
everyone and to better the social situation for all
Argentineans. Volunteers can work on a range of projects.
Volunteers will work for four hours a day. "mailto:vweyrauch@cippec.org" target= "_blank">vweyrauch@cippec.org

Inca Porter Project, Peru

The Inca Porter Project is looking for long term volunteers
with fluent Spanish to staff their new training and drop-in
centre. If you are interested, please see:  "http://www.peruweb.org/porters/">http://www.peruweb.org/porters/

Discuss this article and give feedback in our online forum

Back in January 2004 Martin Wright, one the club’s most
sociable regulars at the London Meetings, royally entertained
a packed Crown Court with tales of his marathon cycle ride to
Australia! Many in that audience will remember his great
photos, distinctive narrative style and his thirst for
adventure. Well Martin is at it again - this time he’s go
back to the land down under to ‘pick up his bike and have a
look round’. I think too many cold winter nights provided the
motivation to get back on the road! This is the second in an
occasional series, based on Martin’s emails, and charts his
offbeat approach to the road ahead.

21^st June: Arrived in DENMARK early this afternoon after
a great few days of cycling to reach here.  Even with
the bloody wind in my face it was still enjoyable.  Less
traffic and big bloody road trains to deal with and of course
less of the grey ghosts towing their bloody caravans! 
At any caravan park you are likely to see grey ghosts
arriving during the course of the day and some of them are a
real source of amusement.  Most of them cannot reverse
their caravan into a bay so drive around the park looking for
a way to drive in - sometimes they have to get other people
to move vehicles or get another driver to reverse the caravan
for them!  I think anybody towing a bloody caravan
should take a driving test to prove they can reverse into a
space.  If they can't do it they should f*** off
around Australia on a bus or better still stay at
home…  My bicycle is in good shape now I’ve had a
few minor repairs completed.  Should be in Perth in
about in about one week and will write again from
there…

20^th July: Have finished with the south west corner and
am now heading along the west coast.  Am at present in
Kalbarri, a small town about 500kms north of Perth but will
have to get a move on now as I will need to be in Darwin by
mid September as my visa will be at an end and I will need to
fly up for a renewal.  I spent far longer in the south
west corner of the country than I intended - the weather was
not at all good but the area is so beautiful I stayed an
extra day almost everywhere I visited.  The big tree
country around Walpole is breathtaking - I visited the tree
top walk which gives a real idea of just how big these bloody
trees are.  At Pemberton I climbed the Gloucester Tree,
which is used as a lookout for bushfires and at 61 metres
above ground you can see for miles!  Don't climb it
if you are afraid of heights as one or two people went about
10 metres up, became stuck and it took a while to bring them
back down.  Nannup was wonderful and I stayed at the
'black cockatoo' backpackers which was run by an
interesting man whose fridge told his story…  It was
here I met the three young ladies who teased me somewhat and
left me very frustrated.  Visited Augusta for a spot of
whale watching which was breathtaking and tried to hook a few
but the line kept on snapping…

1^st August: Reached sunny Exmouth on Friday.  The
journey up to Carnarvon and on to Exmouth was delayed by
unseasonal heavy rainfall, which left me with a few short
days of cycling.  As a result I had to camp wild or stay
at rest bays, which were usually full of caravaners but I did
meet a few interesting and generous people along the
way.  On arriving at Nerren Nerren rest bay I was
approached by an Aussie man, John, who presented me with a
can of whisky and coke.  After putting up my tent John
called me over to sit under his caravan awning where I was
given another drink as we chatted about Aussie rules football
or aerial ping pong as I prefer to call it. The next course
of cheese and biscuits along with nibbles and dips ensured we
then got on to talking about cricket, whilst soon after
John’s wife Heidi appeared and presented us both with steak,
sausages, vegetables and mashed potatoes; totally
delicious!  Somewhat better than the two day old sausage
sandwiches I was going to eat…

The following day I was held up by rain yet again and was
plied with coffee from a 72 year old lady who has been
travelling around Australia for the last five years with her
pet shitzui.  For the next couple of days this lady
passed me on the road and at the next rest stop would pull up
and have a cup of tea ready for when I arrived.

I finally arrived in Carnarvon last Sunday and found that the
roads were flooded in places and I had to wade through 18
inches of water.  At the caravan park I met a Dutch
couple and together we visited the pub for a few beers -
luckily they served Guinness, which was a welcome relief from
the Aussie beer.  The ride onwards from Carnarvon was
again interesting! I’d camped in the bush one night and was
woken first by a truck pulling up at around midnight. 
Soon after I was woken by voices and a torch shining on my tent – after this there were no more disturbances but I did
not sleep at all well! 

Visited Coral Bay, a beautiful beach resort but the caravan
park was expensive and noisy.

The next day took me to the very flat and uninteresting
countryside of Exmouth, which is thankfully surrounded on 2
sides by the Gulf of Exmouth and the Indian Ocean.  On
the ocean side is the CapeRangeNational Park and the Ningaloo
Reef.  Yesterday I took a bus to Turquoise bay and hired
a snorkel, mask & flippers and visited the underwater
wonderland.  I saw a variety of colourful fish - 
some big, some small and some which frightened the living
daylights out of me!  I saw a turtle, a manta ray and a
bloody great big leopard shark - indeed I spent far more time
swimming than I realised and a great day was topped off by
sunburn on my back.

Another rest day today and then tomorrow I am heading back to
the highway and on to Karratha, which I hope to reach by next
weekend.  Should have more news by then…

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

		"http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews-11-04-image004.png" alt=' ' />	"http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews-11-04-image005.png" alt=' ' />	"http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/pictures/enews-11-04-image006.png" alt=' ' />
1	2	3	4	5

Discuss this article and give feedback in our online forum

When Tanganyika - as it was then - gained its independence it
was praised for the devotion and priority it gave to
education. Its then president, Julius Nyerere was known as
Mlimu (teacher) and 40% of GDP was devoted to
teaching. Things have changed with the passing of years and
now Tanzania spends the least of all sub-Saharan countries on
primary education.

The provision of all levels of education is woeful and
unfortunately wealth and geography all too often act as a
barrier. The standards of teaching are on the whole terrible
as the teachers are poorly educated, trained and motivated as
a result of extremely low salaries. This is exacerbated by a
lack of teaching resources, textbooks and classrooms,
laboratories and other facilities. For example only one
school in Mikindani has an adequate, year round water supply.
As a result of all of this the levels of education achieved
are very low.

Mikindani as a political entity is made up of five ‘wards’
each of which has its own primary school. These are in theory
free but actually are not. The nearest secondary schools are
in Mtwara city, one of which is a fee paying state
school  and there are also several private schools with
higher fees and lower entry requirements. The catchment areas
for theses schools are huge and the number of places
available are very few in relation to the number of potential
pupils. As a result of these factors and poverty not all
children go to primary school and very few go to secondary
school or beyond.

To try and rectify this there are three separate charities
working in Mikindani and co-operating under the umbrella of
the Mikindani Education Group (MEG). These are the Danish
Schools Project (DSP), EdUKaid and Trade Aid - partly via its
Gender Equality Project (GEP). Trade Aid has always supported
the three main primary schools in Mikindani by volunteers
teaching, the tree nursery and other projects.

Beyond this MEG is responsible for the sponsorship of
individual pupils and supporting the schools directly.
Primary school sponsors are asked to pay to provide essential
items for pupils to go to school as well as providing
building funds, resources etc for the schools. DSP have
sponsored pupils and the primary schools of Mnaida, Singino
and Mchuchu for several years. EdUKaid have just started
supporting the outlying wards of Lwelu and Mitengo and their
respective primary schools.

The cost of sending a child to secondary school is relatively
high and so the three MEG members are also addressing this by
paying for fees, desks, uniforms, transport, books etc. All
have come from different viewpoints but the result is that
all graduates from the Mikindani schools are guaranteed a
place at secondary school. EdUKaid are responsible for all
pupils from Lwelu and Mitengo, Trade Aid’s GEP deals with all
female graduates from the three Mikindani schools whilst DSP
deals with all the boys from there. Confusing with so many
acronyms but it works fine on the ground under the
stewardship of Mr Namadengwa, a teacher from Mikindani who
acts as liaison and general worker for the MEG members.

We are still a long way from our respective aims but the
benefits are already being felt and the gratitude of the
pupils reflects this. If you would like any more information
or are interested in sponsorship please contact us at the
following:

• DSP: Aase Joensen via "http://www.mikindani.dk/">www.mikindani.dk
• EdUKaid: me via "mailto:tim.dench@edukaid.com">tim.dench@edukaid.com
• GEP: Matt Maddocks via "mailto:tradeaid@netcomuk.co.uk">tradeaid@netcomuk.co.uk

Country Statistics

Source: "http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_mur_wit_fir_cap">www.nationmaster.com

Discuss this article and give feedback in our online forum

Sally left the UK around two years ago to start a new life in
Portugal.  She lives in a suburb of Lisbon, close to the
sea and is now a TEFL teacher, teaching English to Portuguese
children and adults.  So, if you are interested in a
career in teaching English as a foreign language, here is an
account of some of her work.

My children are still the same except one has now gone up a
class so I am left with three - to be honest if I could shed
this class I would, as it is not as enjoyable as teaching
grown ups due to the fact that Portuguese children are not
taught to read or write before the age of six - so, in a way
I baby sit them twice a week.  We are making slow
progress as Jorge (the four year old) tends to be disruptive
when he is with one of the girls but fine with the other
one!  I had to send him out of class to sit with the
receptionist one week because he was so naughty.

Nuno, my other student, is still great fun.  His English
has come on in leaps and bounds and he now proudly displays a
sign in the front of the taxi he drives on Sundays in Lisbon,
to say he speaks English.  He loves it when he gets an
English passenger - he had one from Birmingham last Sunday so
he had great fun chatting to him.  He is a Sporting
Lisbon fan and very knowledgeable about them.  He is
also very interesting and told me all about his upbringing in
Cacem.  Cacem is not a very pretty place - mainly high
rise flats and a lot of black people (I am not being
politically incorrect - this is what they are called
here).  He remembers it before all of this and is quite
upset about the way it has become.  He lives in what was
his parents’ flat (they died a few years ago) with his
wife.  He went to university in Lisbon and did what all
students did, i.e. drink and behave badly but still managed
to pass his exams.  He is a strong family man and found
Christmas quite trying and he still misses his parents and
says although Christmas was at his aunts, it was not the
same.  He is also very interesting about his childhood,
playing in the cul-de-sac with his friends but says that he
has lost quite a few to drink or drugs which has made him
sad.  He is about 29/30 and still out of work although
he has had loads of interviews - very like the UK, half the
time he never gets a reply to either application or a reason
for not getting a position.

I have also got two/three other students.  One, Senor
Manuel, is a Graphic Designer who is going on a cruise on 21
March so needs some English to get by on it.  He has
French and reckons he had no English but as usual he
understands quite a bit.  We are getting on quite well
and I think he will manage OK.  The other one/two is the
husband of the Ambassador for a Caribbean country, and his
daughter.  Both are lovely.  He has decided that he
has to get his English sorted because his best friends over
here are the UK Ambassador and the US Ambassador.  He is
making swift progress.  His daughter just needs help
with the reading and writing.  I teach the pair of them
for two hours on a Saturday morning.

My Portuguese is coming along and I find that watching the TV
helps.  Television is still dire but I am now slowly
watching bits and pieces of Portuguese TV.  I got hooked
on their version of Who wants to be a Millionaire - very
entertaining as the presenter often gives them a clue! 
I have been trying one of their telenovelas (soap operas) but
it was so atrocious (think the UK’s Crossroads but worse
acting and wobbly scenery) that I had to turn it off.  I
am also getting much better at understanding the news. 
Last week there was a wonderful piece on at lunchtime about a
group of OAPS who had raided a disco in Abrantes (Pego Power
Station) dressed up in glitter wigs, men dressed in drag etc
etc to protest that dancing was for all ages and not just the
young!  Some of the old men had grabbed very young,
nubile young ladies and were swinging them round the dance
floor much to their horror.  Good on ‘em I say. 
Great footage too of all the snow that has hit the north of
the country and brought parts of it to a standstill. 
Lorries trapped at the Spanish border, people stuck in cars
for seven hours etc etc.

If you would like to ask Sally any questions about living in
Portugal or teaching English as a foreign language, Sally can
be contacted on: "mailto:pethybs@hotmail.com">pethybs@hotmail.com

Discuss this article and give feedback in our online forum

Over the last few years it has become increasingly obvious
that travellers (from all backgrounds, ages and levels of
intelligence) come under two main divisions, those who are
organised and those who are not.

The former group are well versed in what they need to take
with them to keep alert, safe and healthy, whilst the latter
group always leave you feeling rather edgy, concerned, and
often uttering those immortal words: 'I don’t believe it
!'

The teenager who is about to depart for several weeks to the
Amazon with her partner and has just run out of her
Contraceptive Pill, the man who is leaving the next day for
Kenya who had no idea he would need antimalarials for that
destination, or even worse the person who 'never'
gets bitten by bugs so wont waste money on pills that will
only put him off his beer!

The list of the great unprepared is too vast to attempt.
UNPREPARED is described in the dictionary as: Having made few
or no preparations; Not equipped to meet a contingency; Not
steeled as to face a shock and there will be plenty of shocks
for those who do not seek out the wealth of advice available.

The Governments FCO site ( "http://www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo">www.fco.gov.uk)
will give you superb guidance on those who can supply Travel
Insurance, Embassies to contact if in difficulty, doctors
surgeries for those with medical problems, and security
information such as places to avoid and measures to take to
protect your belongings and cash.

There are lists of FCO partners who supply information on
vaccinations and antimalarials if appropriate to your
destination, local disease problems, equipment such as
medical packs, mosquito nets, useful travel medicines, and
very often a voice on the end of the phone should you wish to
discuss anything.

As part of Travelpharm we will offer our help and support
whenever possible as well as a range of the items just
listed.  If we cannot answer your question we will find
a man or woman who can.  Please don’t become one of the
great unprepared, there is simply no excuse ………..!

Paul, a pharmacist can be contacted on: "mailto:info@travelpharm.com">info@travelpharm.com or
alternatively, take a look at their website: "http://www.travelpharm.com/">http://www.travelpharm.com

Discuss this article and give feedback in our online forum

Where is it likely to happen:   scorpions can be
found in the wild in South, West and North Africa; North,
Central and South America; India; and the Caribbean. 
Among the scorpions in North America, the 'nasty’ ones
can typically be found in Arizona, New Mexico and on the
Californian side of the Colorado River, whereas the other
North American species are fairly harmless.   In
Mexico each year  between 1000-2000 deaths arise as a
result of scorpion bites.  Because of their size
scorpions can easily travel anywhere in the world as
stowaways with cargo and they have been found in many large
ports. Scorpions sting with a poisoned hook on their tail,
which is typically raised prior to an attack.

What happens if I get bitten: the majority of
scorpions are harmless to humans, although the sting can be
extremely painful and will require painkilling
treatment.  The following symptoms can be observed in
cases of moderate to more serious poisoning:

• Malaise, sweating, heart palpitations, rise in blood
  pressure, salivation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
  These symptoms should be treated in a similar way to snake
  bites, and a doctor should be consulted as quickly as
  possible.
• Hyperacute (typically allergic) reactions in the form of
  blurring of consciousness, unconsciousness, convulsions,
  fall in blood pressure, shock and consequently the threat
  of death may occur.

What should I do if I get stung: pain at the site of
the sting can sometimes be limited with an ice
cube.   Painkilling injections (morphine-based
painkiller) may be required and a doctor should therefore be
consulted. In the case of more marked symptoms, treatment
must be given as for snake bites, and the patient must
receive medical treatment as quickly as possible.  
There is antiserum for scorpion venom. Treatment must be
overseen by a doctor.

How can I avoid being stung by a scorpion: scorpions
are nocturnal animals and often hide in dark cracks and
vegetation.  Ideally, accommodation should have a ledge
that is at least 20cm high to prevent entry of
scorpions.  Places to look out for scorpions include
cupboards, under the duvet and bed, or in shoes (look under
the duvet/bed and shake your shoes thoroughly before putting
them on). 

Discuss this article and give feedback in our online forum

Interesting country facts.

1. The United States has the most money, power, airports,
   cell phones, radios and ISP's.
2. The United States consumes more energy than India, the
   Middle East, South America, Africa, South East Asia and
   Oceania combined - which means more than 3.1 billion
   people.
3. The top 5 energy consumers are all cold countries. The
   next 6 are mostly oil producers.
4. Guatemalan women work 11.5 hours a day, while South
   African men work only 4.5.
5. Guinea has the wettest capital on Earth with 3.7 metres of
   rain a year. You’re 66 times more likely to be prosecuted
   in the USA as in France.
6. Nearly 1% of Montserrations are police.
7. Most Zambians don't live to see their 40th birthday.
8. Want your kids to stay in school? Send them to Norway.
9. Mexico has the most Jehovah's Witnesses per capita in
   the OECD.
10. Indonesia has the most known mammal species - and the most
    mammal species under threat.

Source: "http://www.nationmaster.com/facts.php">http://www.nationmaster.com/facts.php

Discuss this article and give feedback in our online forum

"http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/newsletter/images/mac-small.jpg"
width="64" height="100" alt="Mac"
align="left" />We are sorry to say that Mac is not very well,
but he is still e-mailing strong and recently sent the Beetle
a collection of Mac reminiscences about some of his travels
in 1992.  Here we have thoughts and experiences on
India.

I am enjoying reading a book called "http://www.bookfinders.org/si/D4392.html">Eating The Indian
Air by John Morris, published by Atheneun 1969 New
York.  Eating the Indian Air is an Indian expression
meaning to take a walk.  Morris was in British Army in
India and returned around 1969 to see changes.  He had
been on Mt Everest expeditions of 1922 and 1936 so his visit
to see Tensing at the Himalayan Mountaineering School,
Darjeeling, India was interesting.

Quote: “After breakfast I set off to visit the Himalayan
Mountaineering Institute.  The world famous Tensing is
the chief instructor at the Himalayan Institute.  I had
purposely not telephoned to let him know of my visit because
I wished to give him a surprise. In 1936 as a young and
inexperienced Sherpa porter he had been my personal servant
on Everest and although I had seen him in England after the
successful climb in 1953. By local standards he has become a
wealthy man but he is quite unspoilt and still lives in a
simple but comfortable manner.  His appearance reminded
me of the best of the Swiss guides with whom in more affluent
days many of us used to climb.  And he was dressed for
the part, thick woollen knickerbockers, hand knitted
stockings, a peacock blue sweater, Homburg hat (favourite of
all men of Tibetan origin and the heaviest of climbing boots
I have ever seen.  I could not resist pulling his leg
about his appearance but this he said with a laugh was the
outfit in which American tourists expected to find him; they
were disappointed if they found him more soberly dressed”.

Me, Mac speaking now.  I visited this Himalayan School
outside Darjeeling when I was maybe 69.  There was a
slight hill to get to it and I came puffing in the door and
asked if I could enrol in the school.  They laughed and
said they did not take anyone over 18 years of age.  I
was sorry Tensing did not get to meet me but he was either
not in that day or away climbing a mountain. They had a gift
shop and I brought several kinds of key rings with picture of
Mr Everest and I think some saying.  They proved to be
the gift the recipients enjoyed getting the most and they did
not take up much room in my pack.

I stayed in a budget place and I thought they said I could
see Mr Kangchenjunga, the third largest mountain in the world
from my window. They suggested I get up at 5am before the
clouds came in or something. What they said was that I could
see this Mt perhaps at this time from the hotel but from the
other side of hotel. I did later see it.

They brought hot water in something like a milk bucket at the
time I told them I wanted to take a bath. The woodwork in
hotel was beautiful although a budget place. They did not
service meals but they told me how to get to a place friends
owned and it was good. I really enjoyed Darjeeling and the
little toy train to get up there. I also visited a Tibetan
refugee place.

From book The Whole World Stranger by Virginia Moore, The
McMillan Company New York 1957 Page 144: “In the big bazaar
of Calcutta (India) amid merchandise common and exotic we saw
up for sale boxes of food from America marked “Do not sell,
this is a gift” and heard that many recipients mistaking
cheese for soap had washed their clothes with it” (Me. The
night before we were to get on troop ship at Bremerhaven,
Germany  (WWII) to return to the states a German POW
doing kitchen duty mistook a bar of brown GI soap for butter
and put it in the soup, (or so the story goes.)  At
three in the morning troops were wandering around with
dysentery trying to find a dispensary.  What a
mess.  I decided I was going to get on that ship in the
morning even if I had to crawl up the gang plank on my hands
and knees lugging my duffel bag.  I did manage to stand
up but had a movement on the way up the gang plank. 
What an exit from war torn Europe.  (I think it was an
honest mistake on the part of the German POW and don’t think
it was sabotage.  Ha!) When we got to New York there was
a harbour captain that came out to guide our ship on
in.  I was at the side of ship watching this.  He
came on board and shook my hand and said “Welcome home son.”
(I had cleaned my self up by then.)  I get tears in my
eyes just remembering him saying this. 

Back to the book. “At Jjama Masjid (noble Moslem mosque) in
Delhi, the guide showed them three world sights. 
Mohammed’s sandal, his footprint, and from his beard a long
red hair.” The sandals were two inches shorter than his
footprint.  They had one guide that they joked needed a
guide as he didn’t know what some well known sites were.

Me: I found the guides on the government sponsored tours were
very good and tours were reasonable.  I also found the
government sponsored hotels were reasonable, clean and met my
needs.  You find out about them from the National
Tourist offices. While I did not use them all the time it was
nice to know they were there.

I am reading an article about Oil Rich Brunei a feast for
eyes by Sandra Scott in today’s Washington Times Travel
section. She writes: On the Royal Brunei airplane from
Thailand to Bandar the capital of Brunei just before landing
a flight attendant advised “The importation of drugs into
Brunei is illegal and punishable by death.  We are sorry
for any inconvenience this may caused.”.

The sultan’s new 1,800 room palace is the largest in the
world and is managed by Hyatt Corp.  For three days
following Ramadan the palace is open to the public, a buffet
is served and the sultan and his wives- he has two greet the
people.”.

I met in Rio De Janeiro one time the son of one of the
Royalty of Saudi Arabia, or he said he was.  He said his
father had seven wives and he was the son of the youngest
one.  He may have been a fake as he was staying in same
budget pension I was.  I know he did give Varig or
whatever Brazils airline a bribe to get on flight out when it
was difficult to get out and they took it. I was surprised at
this little transaction.

If you would like to contact Mac, he is happy to answer
e-mails: "mailto:macsan400@yahoo.com">macsan400@yahoo.com

Discuss this article and give feedback in our online forum