The Globetrotters eNewsletter
eNewsletter Archive

Last December, the Beetle visited Indonesia. Apart from diving I
took a trip to Java from Sulawesi and saw the Borobodur Temple
(amongst other things). I stayed a few days in Yogyakarta, a name I
shall forever have problems pronouncing and hired a car and driver
for US 30 for the day which seemed a pretty efficient way of
getting around. Much to the initial annoyance of my driver, we gave
lifts to anyone (especially older people) carrying huge bundles and
had the freedom to stop wherever I fancied and see out of the way
things, and some really were out of the way! Mr Azim, my very
patient driver looked after me well, as well as driving like he was
trying to break the world land speed record and he made Yogyakarta
to the Borobodur in just 40 minutes! Using public transport, it is
possible to go by bus or minibus from Yogyakarta to the town of
Muntilan, change at the terminal here to another bus for Borobudur.
Note that the bus station at Borobudur is 1km away from the temple
though it is possible to walk. Alternatively, you can go on one of many
guided tours on mini buses to Yogyakarta.

It seemed to be the time of year when schools make their annual
school trip outings. There must have been several hundred school
children, lounging around, larking about, and taking lots and lots
of photos! I found out, by talking with many of the groups that
they came mainly from Sumatra and other parts of Java and they were
absolutely delightful, as curious about me as I was about them. I
got many tips on places to go on my travels and invites to family
homes, which was very kind.

This was just one day after the horrific tsunami and there was a
muted respect and appreciation for the events that were just
starting to unfold, but at the same time, it was a holiday and the
school children were having a whale of a time.

The Beetle was pretty much the only non Indonesian visitor on that
day and the school children's main task seem to be to detract
me from seeing the Borobodur at all, but I didn't mind. It was
a lot of fun lining up, arms round the girls' shoulders,
smiling broadly for the multitude of cameras that were bought out,
just one more, just one more they'd say. And the boys, shyly
jostling to see who could stand closest and arms held just above my
shoulders, thinking I would not see them or feel them as long as
they were not resting on me. They were funny adolescent youngsters.
And then there was the name and signature signing in their little
notebooks. I thought the whole thing was most odd, but a wonderful
way to meet Indonesian people and my entire 4 hours spent there
consisted of photo posing, though I got my own back and asked other
people to pose for me, notebook signing and having simple English
conversations. It was a lot of fun, though I kind of wished I'd
had a little more of a chance to see a bit more of the Borobodur!

Ok, about the Borobodur: It is thought to have been built between
the end of the seventh and beginning of the eighth century A.D. For
about a century and a half it was the spiritual centre of Buddhism
in Java and then it was lost until its rediscovery in the
eighteenth century. The temples are set in beautifully manicured
gardens and are said to be composed of 55,000 square meters of
lava-rock is erected on a hill in the form of a stepped-pyramid of
six rectangular storeys, three circular terraces and a central
stupa forming the summit. The whole structure is in the form of a
lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha. For each direction there are
ninety-two Dhyani Buddha statues and 1,460 relief scenes. The
lowest level has 160 reliefs depicting cause and effect; the middle
level contains various stories of the Buddha's life from the
Jataka Tales; the highest level has no reliefs or decorations
whatsoever but has a balcony, square in shape with round walls: a
circle without beginning or end. Here is the place of the
ninety-two Vajrasattvas or Dhyani Buddhas tucked into small stupas.
Each of these statues has a mudra (hand gesture) indicating one of
the five directions: east, with the mudra of calling the earth to
witness; south, with the hand position of blessing; west, with the
gesture of meditation; north, the mudra of fearlessness; and the
centre with the gesture of teaching.

You are supposed to wander around the galleries and terraces always
turning to the left and keeping the main structure to the right but
I noticed that none of the school children observed this tradition.
In total, Borobodur represents the ten levels of a
Bodhisattva's life which he or she must develop to become a
Buddha or an awakened one.

Early morning is the best time to visit Javanese temples, Borobudur
included. The gate opens at 6 am, around sunrise. The view of the
surrounding volcanoes and the Bukit Menoreh range to the south is
clearest at dawn, although morning mists sometimes obscure the view
until 8 am. Visitors must walk 500 meters to the base of the hill
then climb a series of steps to reach the temple foot. To see all
the reliefs one must walk more than 2 km (1.25 mile) around the four
galleries and climb several flights of steps. The minimum amount of
time needed at the Site is 1.5 hours.

All in all, it was a highly enjoyable day out and I thoroughly
recommend it.

Scientists believe that Maldive Islands were first settled by Aryan
immigrants who are thought to have colonised Sri Lanka at the same
time, (around 500 BC). Further migration from South India, as well
as Sri Lanka, occurred. The latest archaeological findings suggest
the islands were inhabited as early as 1500 BC. Around 947 AD,
recorded contact with the outside world began with the first Arab
travellers. As the population increased, the Maldivian people with
their mixed features formed tight-knit island communities.
Historical remains dating back to 400 BC show strong evidence that
Buddhism was widely practised among the people. Islam came to the
Maldives with the Persian and Arab travellers and in 1153 AD
Arabian traveller Abul Barakhat Al-Bar Bari is said to have been
responsible for the conversion to Islam. In
1558, the Portuguese invaded and captured the Maldives. They ruled
the country for 15 years, until Boduthakurufaanu, the national hero
recaptured the Maldives from the Portuguese. He ruled the country
as Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu from 1573 - 1583.

The Maldives became a British Protectorate and a dependency of
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1887 and remained so until 26 July 1965 when
they gained full independence. The independent Maldives reverted
from a Sultanate to a Republic on 11th November 1968 and since then
the country has remained a fully independent republic.

The first resort, Kurumba Village was developed in 1972, on an
uninhabited island near the capital, Malé. The resort,
had accommodation for about 60 guests. The second resort was
Bandos, with about 280 beds. The services in the two resorts were
quite basic compared to that of others in the region. The food was
mainly local and the transportation quite slow. It was also a time
when air travel to the Maldives was only available on
Air Ceylon which operated a small
Avero aircraft. This plane carried only 48 passengers and took
two hours to reach Malé from Colombo. Despite
this, over a thousand tourists came to the Maldives in 1972. In
2003 the Maldives consists of more than 80 resorts, and over
500,000 visitors from all over the world. Italian visitors account
for approximately 25% of all visitors, followed by the UK at 17%,
Germany at 14% and Japan at 9% and the average stay is 8.5 nights.

The Maldives hold the record for being the flattest country in the
world, with a maximum altitude of only 2.3 metres. Although there
have been reports of rising sea levels threatening the islands, the
sea level has actually lowered in recent decades. There are said to
be 199 inhabited islands and 993 uninhabited islands.

The December tsunami reached the Maldives at approximately 9.20am
on 26 December 2004, sending waves up to five metres high over the
1192 islands. The disaster is believed to have caused damage to 69
of the 199 inhabited islands and 14 islands are said to be
completely devastated and had to be evacuated. In total, some
20,500 islanders were displaced from their homes and 83 people were
killed, including three tourists. A further 25 people are still
missing and presumed lost in the disaster.

Even before the disaster, environmentalists were concerned about
the risk to the islands from rising sea levels. The most serious
damage was to the islands along the east coast of the group,
particularly in North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll, but the
capital, Malé, and the international airport on Hulhule island
experienced only minor flooding. The tsunami also caused
significant damage in the far south of the Maldives, particularly
to Vilufushi in the Thaa Atoll and Kolhufushi in the Meemu Atoll.
In the north, Kandholhudhoo island in the Raa Atoll was completely
destroyed, displacing 3,000 islanders from their homes. The island
has since been abandoned. Cartographers
are planning to redraw the maps of the islands due to alterations
by the tsunami.

Despite the massive damage to homes, schools, harbour facilities,
telephone and electricity suppliers and general infrastructure, the
loss of life was thankfully comparatively small, especially when
compared with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. Still,
estimates suggest that around 7% of the population has been left
homeless by the disaster and the overall cost of damage is
estimated at US$470 million, or 62% of the islands' GDP. The
government has reported that the impact of the tsunami will set
back development in the Maldives by two decades.

Despite this, the emergency relief effort has been extremely
successful, though some would say that it has been challenged to
the areas most frequented by tourists. As of March, 71 of the 87
resorts in the Maldives were open as normal and tourists could
visit Malé and other areas that escaped major damage without
problems. However, 16 resorts remain closed as a result of the
disaster - for an update on the 16 hotels that are closed, see: href="http://www.visitmaldives.com.mv/mu/latest/update_situation_assessment.php">
www.visitmaldives.com.mv

No prior visa arrangements are required, but some requirements must
be fulfilled to obtain a 30 days tourist visa on arrival: a visitor
must have a valid travel documents and properly completed
embarkation/disembarkation cards which usually provided at during
the inward flight. In addition, visitors must also have a return
air ticket or at least US$ 50.00 per intended day of stay in
Maldives. Any amount of Foreign currency can be brought in without
declaring and can be taken out without any restriction. Some items
are forbidden to be imported to the country, including firearms and
explosives, pornography of any kind, including what would be
considered “acceptable erotica” in all western (and most
eastern) societies, pork and all products containing pork, narcotic
drugs, poisons and hazardous, irritable or industrial chemicals and
alcohol. Alcoholic items purchased on the trip will be held in
Customs bond for collection upon departure.

Scattered across the equator across the Indian Ocean, the pearl like
islands of the Maldives depicts the rare vision of a tropical
paradise. Palm fringed islands with sparkling white beaches.
Turquoise lagoons, clear warm waters and corals reefs teeming with
abundant varieties of marine fauna and flora, continue to fascinate
visitors as it has fascinated other in past, for thousand of years.
Marco Polo referred to the Maldives as the flower of the
Indies and Ibn Batuta referred to the Maldives as one of the
wonders of the world.

Truly a natural wonder, the height of the islands rarely reach
above two metres. The 1,192 islands consist of 27 atoll formations,
spread over 90,000 square kilometres. The Maldive atolls are a
classic discovery in their own right: the word atoll is derived
from Dhivehi, the Maldivian language, from the word atholhu.

The islands are surrounded by shallow crystal clear lagoon enclosed
by coral reefs. The unique islands provide visitors with one of the
most breath taking views of underwater life in the world. Formed
above peaks emerging from the depths of the ocean, upon layers of
both living and dead coral, and remnant of other marine life, the
islands are generally covered with dense tropical vegetation.
Coconut palms towering above dense shrubs and hardly plants
protecting the shores from erosion are natural features in most
islands. These islands together embody living entities in various
stage of formation. As interdependent elements in ecology, in a
food chain where birds, fish and other marine life co-exist, with
humans at its apex as caretakers for centuries.

Measuring 820 kilometres north to south and 120 kilometres east to
west at its greatest width, the closest neighbours are India and
Sri Lanka. With a population 270,110 ( 2000 official estimate),
only 199 islands are inhabited 87 islands are set aside exclusively
for tourist resort development.

There are plenty of things to do in the Maldives. You can take a
diving safari where you can visit inhabited islands (fishing
villages), resorts and uninhabited islands. Even if you are not a
diver, or a honeymooner, there are cultural shows, excursions to
Malé, night fishing, barbecues (subject to weather and length of
stay) to keep you entertained. It is possible to visit a local
inhabited island and see their simple life style in harmony with
nature also you will get the opportunity to see some of the typical
daily chores carried by the simple island forks while other maybe
involved in building a wooden local dhoni boat or weaving rope etc.

border="0" />

Sultan Mosque

border="0" />

A typical resort, this one is the Laguna Beach Resort

Some people like the big game fishing and night fishing where you
can usually go to an uninhabited island to have a barbecue after
the fishing.

If you are interested in visiting the Maldives, Mr Muaz Adnan would
be only too happy to advise you and make any travel arrangements
and bookings for you. He can be contacted by e-mail on: href="mailto:muazadnan2002@yahoo.com">muazadnan2002@yahoo.com

Interesting Facts

1. Aussies
   picked up the most medals each at the href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/spo_oly_med_syd_200_cap">
   Sydney Olympics, which brings them into the href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/spo_sum_oly_med_all_tim_cap&int=10">
   all time top 11.
2. Finns are
   perhaps the world's greatest athletes, href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/spo_sum_oly_med_all_tim_cap">
   ranked first at summer Olympics and href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/spo_win_oly_med_all_tim_cap&int=10">
   third in winter games.
3. Almost half of href="http://www.nationmaster.com/country/ec">Ecuador is href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/env_pro_are">protected.
4. Kenyan women
   href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/lab_tot_wor_tim_fem_ove_mal">
   work 35% longer than their men folk.
5. Ethiopians
   are by far the most agricultural people on earth (both href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/lab_agr_wor_mal">men
   and href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/lab_agr_wor_fem">women)
6. Looking for href="http://www.nationmaster.com/country/ez">Czech and href="http://www.nationmaster.com/country/lo">Slovak men?
   Half are in href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/lab_ind_wor_mal">factories.
7. American
   women have the most href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/lab_fem_dec_mak">powerful
   jobs.
8. Southern European women hugely href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/lab_une_gen_rat">outnumber
   their men folk amongst the unemployed.
9. The top 8 most href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/eco_hum_dev_ind">developed
   countries all speak Germanic languages. Every such country is in
   the top 20.
10. Belgium is
    the only country in the world where women dominate href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/gov_fem_min">the
    ministry.

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

When Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror took over Istanbul in 1453, he
first ordered the construction of a new palace for this new Ottoman
capital, on a site in the district of Beyazit where Istanbul
University stands today. Then he changed his mind and had a number
of buildings constructed on the headland which was an olive grove
to the southeast. It is these buildings that became the Topkapi
Palace. The Topkapi Palace was the home to all the Ottoman sultans
until the reign of Abdulmecid I (1839-1860), a period of nearly
four centuries. The final form of the first palace covered an area
700m², and was enclosed with fortified walls 1400 meters in length.
The walls had a number of gates, namely the Otluk gate, the Demir
gate and the Imperial Gate and a number of minor angled gates
between them. After the reign of Mehmet, the palace grew steadily
to form a city like complex of buildings and annexes, including a
shore palace known as the Topkapi shore palace, as it was situated
near the cannon gate -Topkapi- of the ancient walls of Istanbul.
When the shore palace was burned down in 1863, it lent its name to
the great complex we now know as Topkapi Palace.

The Topkapi Palace continued to be the principal residence for four
centuries until in 1853, Sultan Abdul Mecid I moved into the new
palace of Dolmabahce on the Bosphorus. The old palace was used as
house for the women of the departed sultans and their servants
until the Harem was officially disbanded in 1909. In 1924, Topkapi
Palace was converted to a museum on instructions of Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk. The final step was the opening of the Harem to the public
in 1960.

Because Topkapi is the first attraction to tick off on
everyone's list get there when it opens, so get there early.
The Topkapi Palace Museum is open between 9:00 am-5:00 pm everyday
except for Tuesdays. Tickets can be purchased in the gateway to the
Second Court. The tickets cost 12.000.000 TL. (equivalent to about
8 USD or 7 EUR) per person. The treasury section needs a separate
admission fee and costs 10.000.000 TL. There is a discounted fee
for the students. The Harem Section can be visited with a separate
ticket in the ticket office near the Harem entrance. The tours to
Harem are operated every half hour from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. The
tickets cost 15.000.000 TL(11 USD or 9 EUR).

Go straight to the Harem, which can only be seen by guided tour, as
the tours fill up early. After the Harem tour you can stroll around
the palace's grounds and the four courtyards at your leisure.
Also, don't miss the Treasury in the 3rd courtyard which houses
gold, and works of art.

Straight after the Topkapi Palace, head for the Aya Sofia and the
Blue Mosque which are virtually next door.

A visit to Gettysburg will take you back in time, where you can
almost hear the ghosts of the civil war soldiers and, louder still,
the cannons still bursting in air.

The immense area must be covered by bus or private car. Get a map
at the information centre and then follow the route around the
site. When you arrive at a site that you want to take a closer look
at there are plenty of parking areas or simply stop the car on the
side of the road as they have wide shoulders. Each battlefield has
a plaque explaining the regiments that fought there, and details
such as the dates and the number of casualties. You will be moved
by the number of huge monuments dedicated to the soldiers from each
state and by the passionate wording and sheer numbers of dead from
the various battles.

After viewing these monuments and (through a local guide) hearing
or reading about what took place there, you can almost feel what it
must have been like to be a young soldier thrown into battle, only
to be slaughtered by the other side. It really brings home the
horrors of war and the incredible courage of the men fighting them.
The fact that now these places are lovely and peaceful fields that
have been preserved in their memory is moving. Unfortunately
though, not all the fields are being saved as the modern world is
slowly crowding in on the area. Motor vehicle dealerships and
commercial buildings are taking over some of the fields there,
which is an absolute shame.

You can also spot wild life in some spots, like a group of deer
that we came across. The deer are so used to the cars that they
won't stop before crossing roads. So you have to drive slowly
and carefully, especially when turning corners. In a particularly
graphic field, there is still an old house that was bombed during
one of the battles and still has a large hole in the front, which
clearly shows the dangers of living in the area at the time. A
guide explained that in a nearby field there was basically a total
slaughter of the soldiers and the field was littered with bodies,
and the stench could be smelled for weeks. There are also tales of
ghosts being seen in the area at night as well as strange noises.

So for a truly moving experience and a lesson on one of the more
unflattering periods in American history, visit Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania.

Want to get away and escape the crowds?

LOWEST POPULATION DENSITY² (per sq mi): 2004

1. Western Sahara - 2.6
2. Mongolia - 4.6
3. Namibia - 6.1
4. Australia - 6.7
5. Botswana - 6.7
6. Suriname - 6.9
7. Iceland - 7.4
8. Mauritania - 7.5
9. Libya - 8.3
10. Canada - 8.4

Source: href="http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762380.html">http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762380.html

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
travel reminiscences about Japan and shopping in Hong Kong.

When I was first stationed in Japan, the Chaplains would have to
counsel Japanese girls that wanted to marry GIs. They would explain
to them that they might get homesick in the States so far from
their homeland Japan, that customs were different in the States etc
etc. One Chaplain told me that the Japanese girl he was counselling
got tired of all his little talk and said to him: look here
Chaplain, I want to go to the States. I no bullshit you. Ha!

I was stationed in Japan for five and a half years and loved it and
it showed in my letters home. I must have gone to Hong Kong from
Japan at least a dozen times on our planes. Planes leaving Japan
would often stop in Hong Kong no matter what their destination
especially at Christmas time. I got to be kind of an unofficial
shopper for those that could not leave the base of Japan and this
included buying Rosewood furniture for the Commander who was soon
to leave for the States. I had to get it on one of our ships
returning to Japan and get it thorough customs in Japan. A buddy of
mine Nesi met me to act as my interpreter. The customs asked my
buddy if I was Important. He told them in Japanese. You dam right
he is. He is a Sergeant. (Low Sergeant, however, TSgt.)

We were supposed to be checking weather and intelligence but
shopping entered into things. One time I was proudly walking down
Nathan Road in Hong Kong in my new Hong Kong shoes when the soles
fell off. I bent over to pick them up and my new Hong Kong suit
ripped down the back. Chinese thread was not strong and Americans
learned in the future to bring American thread to their tailors and
hope they would use it.

You got a tailor made suit with two pairs of pants for $25 in 24
hours. Our crew usually stayed in modest hotels, either in the
Golden Gate or the Peninsula. They knew our needs, so much so that
when sometimes we had to leave early, they would store stuff for us
between trips etc. One time, my roommate was a new man in our
outfit. We entered our room and three Chinese followed into our
room. My buddy said: Mac, who are these folks? I said I don't
know. I thought they were with you. They were what we called tailor
pimps who tried to get you to go to their tailor shop. They would
give you a drink while about three people would be measuring you.
You felt like a King. The first time they asked me how I dressed.
Are they making conversation? I first put on underwear, then
trousers, then shoes. No do you dress left of right? An old timer
said to me: Mac they want to know which way your dong hangs to the
left or the right so they can arrange material to hide it. I said
as far as I know it just hangs and it isn't that big. I have
trouble finding it. Ha! The tailor pimps were better informed that
our intelligence. They would know our commanders name, when we were
arriving in Hong Kong and when we were to leave. One time in a hotel,
what we thought was the front desk phoned and said for us to have
our luggage out in the hallway by three o clock instead of four. It
was a con artist phoning. Our luggage was picked up and there went
our Hong Kong suits, souvenirs, military clothing. The works.

AFRH-W Stanley Sagura collects used eye glasses and volunteers to
go with a group including eye doctors to distribute them free to
needy around the world. I enjoy hearing about his travel
experiences. He was with a group of 38 in a tour that were taken to
the largest McDonalds in the world in Beijing, China. (Some had
gotten tired of eating Chinese food!) This McDonalds had 300
employees. Stanley counted 30 cash registers. They all ordered the
same items in advance and were taken to a second floor dining area
where they were all fed within five minutes! What service! We were
discussing the humorous signs we saw in Japan when the Japanese
print signs in English, obviously not their first language.

In Japan they have a drink something like Gatorade they call Sweat.
Actually Pocari Sweat. A small bottle of it in a vending machine
cost $1.65. They also have a drink called Calpis and a powdered
cream like coffee mate called Creep. They have a packaged
toothpaste brand of “College” toothpaste in the same
colours and layout as the “Colgate” brand. There is a
city in Kysushu by the name of Usa that manufactures table service
flat ware and had stamped “Made in USA” on it for export
until a Japanese agency Ministry of Industry and Trade stopped
this. Stanley saw a sign for a detour that read Please Go Sideways
and a sign wanting you to put your hand under the faucet that read
“Be near your hand when the water flows.”

One sign in a hotel stated “All the water in our hotel has
been passed by the Chef.” He saw a sign in a hotel near the
manually operated air conditioning that read “When you get hot
control yourself.” Control yourself, Mac! Sagara advises that
Japanese have difficulty saying “no.” If they disagree
they usually say “could you possibly be mistaken?” Or
something to that effect. If you ask: is Tokyo in that direction
(pointing) and it is actually the wrong direction you may possibly
get a “Hai” (yes.) You should ask “Which way is
Tokyo?” Answer: that way, (pointing in the right direction.)
To open McDonalds in Russia ,where they had difficulty teaching the
employees to smile, they first had to open an approved meat
processing plant at a cost of US $10m. Now McDonalds are in all
major cities in Russia and well patronised.

Country Statistics

Source: href="http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762380.html">http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762380.html

Answers to Flag Quiz