The Globetrotters eNewsletter
eNewsletter Archive

The villagers of Ngarambe, bordering the Selous game
reserve in Tanzanian had been allowed to sell hunting
licences and shoot animals for meat so they would no wild
animals would not destroy crops or menace the villagers.
The area is rich in wildlife of all types - elephants,
lions, giraffes, buffaloes and more. The government has
said that the community can no longer hunt on this land or
sell hunting licences to residents - instead a five-year
hunting licence has been sold to a private company.
According to BBC news, selling hunting permits is big
business - trophy fees in the 2004 season ranged cost
$4,000 for an elephant, $2,000 for a lion to $600 for a
buffalo.

We’ve all heard horror stories about the deadly
Australian funnel-web spiders. A new report in the Lancet
shows that deaths from spider bites are extremely rare.
Only 26 deaths from spiders have been recorded in Australia
in the past century. In comparison, there were 1,183 motor
vehicle deaths in 2001 in Australia.

Funnel webs are only found in eastern Australia and
there are at least 40 species. They are medium to large spiders, varying from 1-5
cm body length. They like to burrow in moist, cool,
sheltered habitats - under rocks, in and under rotting
logs, crevices, rot and borer holes in rough-barked trees.
In gardens, they prefer rockeries and dense shrubberies,
and are rarely found in more open situations like
lawns.

Last year China’s first person in space disappointed the
nation when he said he could not see the Great Wall of
China from space. However, photographs taken from space
appear to confirm that China’s Great Wall can be spotted by
the naked eye after all. So China’s schoolchildren who are
taught that the Great Wall is one of the only man-made
structures you can see can breathe easy again.

Thousands of toads in an area of northern Germany are
exploding. Seriously, this is not a late April Fool’s joke.
Scientists do not yet know why the toads are exploding, but
they are contracting some type of disease that causes their
body to expand to three and a half times their normal body
size - to bursting point. The BBC news report that the
toads’ entrails are being propelled up to a metre (3.2ft),
in scenes that have been likened to science fiction.

If any Globetrotters member would like to start a
branch, whether it is in Aberdeen or Zanzibar, please see
our FAQ or contact our Branch Liaison Officer
via our Website at "http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/meet_faq.html">Meeting
FAQ.

This is the latest advice from the "http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618386505">
UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Thailand: there
is a high threat from terrorism throughout Thailand,
particularly in the far southern provinces of Pattani,
Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla. We recommend against all but
essential travel to these four provinces where, since
January 2004, there have been regular attacks including
bombings and shootings. On 3 April, three bombs exploded in
Songkhla Province, one at Hat Yai International Airport,
one at a hotel and one in a shopping centre. Further
attacks against places frequented by foreigners, including
tourist resorts, could occur at any time.

Watch out for crimes of opportunity. Theft of passports
and credit cards is a problem. Passport fraud is high and
penalties are severe.

Penalties for possession, distribution or manufacture of
drugs are severe and can include the death penalty.

There has been an increase since January 2005 in the
number of reported cases of Dengue Fever, in particular in
Southern Thailand and the area near the border with
Malaysia. In a very small number of cases, Dengue Fever can
be fatal if left untreated. If you suffer from a fever
whilst (or shortly after) visiting Thailand, you should
consult a doctor.

Yes, you can now renew your membership or join the
Globetrotters Club on-line.

It is secure and you can pay by all major credit, debit
or charge cards. Transactions will be in Pounds Sterling
and your bank will convert this to your local currency for
you.

(If you are not familiar with British Pounds you can
find a rough exchange in your local currency on the payment
page.)

Membership costs are as follows:

UK/Europe (GBP £/Euro €)

• 1 year £15.00 (€24.00)
• 2 year £28.00 (€45.00)
• 3 year £39.00 (€63.00)

Worldwide Subscriptions (GBP £/USD $)

• 1 year £18.00 ($29.00)
• 2 year £34.00 ($54.00)
• 3 year £48.00 ($75.00)

Join now with our no-risk guarantee. If you find
that Globetrotters does not offer the advice and
information you need, let us know within 14 days of
receiving your first issue of Globe and we will refund your
subscription fee in full (there is no need to return the
magazine).

Join
today-Just Click Here!

As a member, you will be a part of the oldest travel
network in existence and have the opportunity to make new
friends who share your interest in travel. Once you are a
member, you will receive our annual membership that lists
all Globetrotters members around the world.

You can contact fellow Globies and even stay with some
of them or offer to put fellow Globetrotters from around
the world up yourself!

So, just "http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/join/join.php">click here
to join and become a Globetrotter!

Did you know, you can change the format of this
eNewsletter? This eNewsletter is available in 4
formats:

1. This format with 2 columns.

2. A single column print friendly version available
online, see the link in every eNewsletter (or "?print=y">click here).

3. The text only version, if you’d like your eNewsletter
in plain text format, just send a blank email to "mailto:text-enews@globetrotters.co.uk?subject=Text+Enews">The
Globetrotters Webmaster with “Text+Enews” as the
subject

4. Have a link emailed to you pointing to the online
version, just send a blank email to "mailto:text-enews@globetrotters.co.uk?subject=Link+Enews">The
Globetrotters Webmaster with “Link+Enews” as the
subject

If you have enjoyed reading this eNewsletter, why not visit the
Globetrotter website, href="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/">www.globetrotters.co.uk
and have a look at a copy of Globe, the bi-monthly printed
newsletter sent to members only.

We also send members only a listing of all members, their contact
details and countries visited and any help they can offer.
Globetrotter members network by using this listing to contact each
other in over 27 countries around the world to ask for travel
advice, and possibly even meeting. As a member, you will receive a
reduction on any Globetrotter meetings in your area, and will
entitle you to have free Globetrotter calling cards to give your
details to other travellers you meet while travelling.

Just US $29 or €24 buys you membership for one year. Contact
href="mailto:membership@globetrotters.co.uk">membership@globetrotters.co.uk
for more information.

Back in September last year, you may recall us reporting that
Ryanair were proposing to make in-flight entertainment available on
its flights. Passengers were to be charged £5 ($9.48) to access
films, cartoons and tv shows on portable lap top type units.
Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary who said in September
the units would become “as common as the in-flight
magazine”. These have been on trial since November and are
about to be abandoned. “It was lack of demand. They decided
not to follow it any further,” a Ryanair spokeswoman said.
Ryanair said it had not lost any money on the system, which was on
trial in only five planes before making a significant investment.
The latest money making wheeze is to have in-flight gambling. Watch
this space!

News comes of Ryanair selling
a brand of water called Blue Rock water, which costs £1.85 for a
500 ml. Reports state that this special Ryanair water isn't
from a pure mountain stream or highland spring - it is just
carbonated tap water. To purchase the same water from Thames Water
i.e. turn on the tap costs 0.06p per litre. The only difference
between turning on the tap in any London home and Ryanair's
Blue Rock is that the sparkling version has been carbonated at a
water treatment works in Beckton, East London, before being bottled
and labelled. While the label does not claim to be genuine spring
water, neither does it make it clear that it is tap water. Britvic,
which 'makes' Blue Rock, made exclusively for Ryanair,
claimed the brand was about to be replaced by a new product called
Pennine Spring, sourced from a natural spring in Huddersfield.