The Globetrotters eNewsletter
eNewsletter Archive

Spotted by Globetrotter Steve: police in India’s Bihar state in northern India are so short of resources they are using a pack of stray dogs to protect themselves from Maoist rebels. A recent BBC report says that the 24 policemen are spending around 5% of their salaries to feed and keep the dogs who perform street patrols at night. “The dogs patrol and when they start barking we get alert and flash our torch” says one police officer. If you wondered what the newly adopted police dogs eat: the report goes on to say that usually, the dogs are served a mix of rice and pulses twice a day, but they are sometimes given chapattis and there are separate utensils and an open earthen oven kitchen for the dogs.

“We rely heavily on them and they’re very much part of our force to combat Maoists,” said assistant sub-inspector Mirza Matin Beg.

The latest edition of the Lonely Planet Guide to London says that
London has become “dynamic and forward-looking” full of
great places to visit, eat and stay, chic inner-city
neighbourhoods, excellent architecture and is therefore richly
deserving of its Olympic success. Previous editions of the London
LP have criticised London for being the home of dirty pigeons,
lager louts and hotels so awful “they made Fawlty Towers
look like a documentary''. London, according to the LP
appears to have become revitalized and buzzing. Did you notice?

The LP describes the following areas as being “new hip”
neighbourhoods such as Haggerston and Borough/Bermondsey, with
their foodie markets and creative communities. Hhhmm. Where is
Haggerston?

The Guide says eating out in London is as “diverse, stylish
and satisfying” as anywhere in the world and singles out the
“dazzling” eating of Marylebone High Street and the
culturally diverse Stoke Newington.

The downside: the London LP criticizes decaying districts like
“unattractive” Victoria and “plain” Pimlico,
while Chelsea has “lost much of its stylish oomph” and
Mayfair has become “the first port of call for tabloid
paparazzi”. They say that overpriced attractions such as the
London Dungeon - “a camped up gothic gore-fest rather more
underwhelming than even sceptics might suspect” and
“overrated” Madam Tussauds. And here's what all
Londoners already know: the Underground remains
“horrendously overpriced and crowded in the rush-hour”
while the new “Bendy-buses … lack style and grace”
and have fewer seats.

It’s a little recognised fact that Australia (as well as the US) is not a signatory to the Kyoto agreement to cut greenhouse gases. Australia’s meteorology bureau has found that 2005 was the country’s hottest year on record, prompting renewed fears of global warming. The average temperature was 22.89ºC - a rise of more than 1ºC from the average in previous years and the highest since records began in 1910.

If you have plans to visit Reunion in the Indian Ocean, be warned
that in late Jan 2006, France drafted 400 troops to help fight a
mosquito-borne virus there. The troops, already stationed on the
island, will join more than 1,500 people already engaged in the
campaign to eradicate mosquitoes. Some 30,000 islanders have been
hit by the Chikungunya virus since March, and officials say
thousands of new cases are emerging every week. If you think you
have it - it is not usually life threatening, though there is no
cure; symptoms include muscle pain and fever - seek medical help.
but is usually not life-threatening.

There are some differences to the Pop Idol that is shown in the
UK and the US: contestants can perform in any one of 80
languages, and performance can include telling jokes or dancing,
as well as singing. The Simon Cowell-alike judge? He has told
some singers that they have voices like donkeys or dogs.

Spotted by Webmaster Paul: href="http://www.centralpark.com/">CentralPark.com - your
first stop for information on Central Park and

The Central Park Zoo. Including extensive event listings, maps,
attractions, sports, activities, history and the CentralPark.com
store.

Globalbagtag the metal
luggage tag people are generously offering a rise in the discount
available to Globetrotters from 25% to 40% for our 60th
anniversary. Just go to their website and enter the code GLTC
into the box on the order page of the website

Need to convert currency?

Take a look at href="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/converter.html">The
Globetrotters Currency Converter - get the exchange rates for
164 currencies href="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/trav_cheatsheet.html">The
Globetrotters Currency Cheat Sheet - create and print a
currency converter table for your next trip.

Need help? Want a travelling buddy or advice about a place or
country - want to share something with us - why not visit our
Mutual Aid section of the Website: href="http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/mutual/">Mutual Aid

Carlos from Madrid wants to know if it is possible to take a
cheap courier from Spain to USA. If you know the answer or can
help Carlos, please e-mail him on: href="mailto:elnotax@gmail.com">elnotax@gmail.com

Once when diving in the Maldives, the Beetle noticed the boat
captain looking very interested in some strange rank smelly stuff
floating on the surface of the ocean. “Whale vomit”, he
said, “ambergris,” and proceeded to scoop it up in his
arms, so after a while I helped him. Now I know why.

Recently, an Australian couple who picked up a 14.75 kg lump of
ambergris from a quiet South Australian beach are going to get
richer as ambergris is worth up to $20 a gram. Initially,
ambergris is a soft, foul-smelling waste matter that floats on
the ocean. It is expelled from the tummy of the giant sperm whale
as a digestion aid, to get rid of things like the beaks of squid
that they cannot digest. After 10 years, it's considered
clean and it turns into a musky sweet perfume which is why it is
worth a lot of money to perfume manufacturers.