This month I thought I’d start off with a couple of different items and introduce you to two people who are professional travellers & who might be able to get you think about places you have experienced, near and far:-

With the generosity of travel author David Stanley I can offer you a chance to win your own copy of the recently launched 8^th edition of Moon Fiji - http://www.pr.com/press-release/45305. All we ask you do is email me, theant@globetrotters.co.uk the most original & yet correct answer to the question What is yagona and when might it be used? I’d then like the winner to write a review of Moon Fiji that I can include in a future edition of the eNewsletter.

Another promotion of a more local nature to Globetrotters! Artist Karen Neale and long term club member has her next exhibition in London organised…on 9^th, 10, 11^th of May she will be displaying a collection of her London landscapes across a number of formats – books, prints, paintings & cards. More details can be found on Karen’s web site at http://www.karenneale.co.uk/. Feel free to pop along at anytime over that weekend and be supportive!!

As you’ll see below this month’s edition features some of regular contributors and snippets of information but I’ve included articles from two new writing ‘teams’… Carol & Martin Noval who talk about trekking in Ladhak and Myrna & Gene Ginder who write about sailing at Christmas 2007 around Southern Africa. So if you’re unsure about submitting your article, take inspiration from the guys and send your writing through…I’m sure we’ll all be surprised by the results.

That’s it for now…enjoy your eNewsletter and the lighter evenings of summer/daylight saving,

The Ant

Bronwen Riley was our second speaker, she showed us that despite the preconceived ideas many people have about Transylvania in Romania that the area has much to offer apart from Bran castle and Count Dracula. Bronwen showed us some of the lovely countryside, castle type churches where hams used to stored in the towers and which also included cells where warring couples would be locked up to settle their differences for a week at a time, they either lived happily ever after, or one had probably murdered the other! There used to be many people of German descent in this area, said to be where the children of Pied Piper of Hamelin fame ended up. After the Romanian revolution most of the German population left for Germany. Transylvania’s forests are also home to wolves and bears.

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend. There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

For details of the forth coming meetings of the London branch, April to July 2008 - http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon08it2.html.

Ontario meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.

The small airport of Cruzeiro du Sul was its usual self, that is- buzzing with excitement, queuing that seemed to last forever, desperation of passengers trying to book in their baggage on a plane that was either late, or taken off without them - in fact, it reminded me of Heathrow back home. Amid all the noise, bustle and confusion in this chaotic place, I suddenly heard my name and saw a parting of the crowd in front of me and there suddenly face to face with me was Biraci of the Yawanawa - the tribe I had visited twelve years ago and I had talked about in the GT Club & written articles about for the eNewsletter and the Globe.

So while Benki of the Ashaninka was trying to get us on a plane out of this place, I had time to speak to Biraci about the Yawanawa tribe. Biraci was with a lovely lady from the Ivory Coast, called Anouk who had fallen in love with Bahia then Brazil and finally the Indians, while driving her old Beetle all over this exotic land. She later told me, “I’m white skinned, with a black heart and French passport”, and, I thought, a perfect figure. Tearing my eyes off this delightful sight, I turned and hugged my old friend as he then thanked me for what his tribe had read on the eNewsletter!

Since my friend Adam Baines and I had spent time with them all those years ago, they had become one of the most successful tribes in Brazil and what the tribe needed now, said Benki, “Was a good cost clerk to save wastage of their monies”. One boy born in the Yawanawa village had a remarkable talent for maths and IT – this was spotted and he completed his education at an American university. Whilst he was there he was taken to the White House on a visit to show him where the power of the world resided and for them to meet this remarkable young man. The young person showing him around stopped by his office to check his mail and said, “One day you may become someone of note and if you do, you just ‘Google’ your name and information will come up all about you” The Indian youth leant forward and typed in ‘Yawanawa’, up came the web site, & he then opened the GT eNewsletter article about the ‘Yawanawa’. He said, “At first we read articles just about ourselves and then began to read articles about travellers and places outside our rainforest home. The computer has opened an eye to the rest of this world and by using SKYPE the tribe can talk to their sons and daughters who are beginning to scatter across the globe”. This young man has just made his first TV documentary and hopes to enter the Sundance Film Festival in the next few years.

Biraci told me that all enjoyed my previous articles & they looked forward to reading more but he was then called away to sort something out in the town centre. Nothing surprising there, always a reason you can’t get out of Cruzeiro. A new international airport is nearly built and maybe we will be able to fly out of Brazil but will it still be a problem to fly into Brazil? Anouk glided between the crowds at the check- in and moved with the feline grace of a jungle cat through the forest of people. The young man with eyes as big as saucers took half an hour to check her in, even though she had no luggage and just a small back pack. She really was a member of what people call, the white tribe, in Africa. She flicked her mane of long blonde hair and disappeared into departures. Benki just said, “Don’t you think if we want to catch this plane, we should move ourselves, we could well be on the same plane”! We were and there hangs another story!

Use this link to learn more and/or register - https://www.skylineregistrations.co.uk/overseas/charity-booking.aspx?clientid=4643.

Mandie Gray (Community & Events Officer)

The production company behind award-winning shows such as The Choir, Brat Camp and That’ll Teach ‘Em is looking for families for a new documentary. If you’re planning a travel adventure with your children, and are interested in having your trip recorded for posterity for a major terrestrial channel, we’d love to hear from you. You must be based in the UK.

Please email your name, a daytime phone number and a brief outline of your proposed trip to cathoskin@twentytwenty.tv ASAP to find out more.’

Twenty Twenty Television is an established independent production company that has won a number of awards for programmes such as The Choir, That’ll Teach Them, Brat Camp and Lads’ Army. If you would like more information about Twenty Twenty and our award-winning programmes, please take a look at our website – www.twentytwenty.tv. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch either at cathoskin@twentytwenty.tv or on +44 20 7284 2020 if you have any questions for me or would like more information.”

Yes…you can renew your membership or join the Globetrotters Club online. 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:

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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! You will also receive a reduction on any Globetrotter meetings in your area, and will be entitled to have free Globetrotter calling cards to give your details to other travellers you meet while travelling.

So, just click here to join and become a Globetrotter or contact membership@globetrotters.co.uk for more information.

Leaving the Kullu Valley, we drove across the Pir Panjal Range over the magnificent Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet) and entered Lahaul, a land of mountains, glaciers, mighty waterfalls and rushing streams, Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples and prosperous villages growing hops and potatoes. We spent the night in an excellent mountain lodge in the small village of Jispa and next day, now in the heart of the Himalayas, drove across the mighty Baralacha La Pass (16,278 feet). That afternoon we reached our first campsite at Pang (15,695 feet) and met our crew, horsemen and horses. We would be a self-sufficient group for the next fifteen days. Our horses carried all luggage and supplies; we carried only light daypacks with water bottles and light jackets. Our wonderful local crew set up camp and prepared delicious meals, including fresh veggies and fruit. We ate and lounged in a roomy round dining tent. Lunch and treats were distributed along the trail. A great touch was a daily wake-up hot beverage delivered to our Gortex tents with a cheery “good morning.”

We set off along the river valley of the Phirtse Phu into the high-altitude lake region of the Changthang Plateau in Eastern Ladakh. Beautiful pinnacle formations, called hoodoos, lined the valley. The next day we continued walking along the river and the following day crossed our first pass at 16,250 feet with the 23,000-foot high snow peaks of Tibet lining the horizon. Along the way we met maroon-robed Changpa nomad men and women on sturdy, beautifully decorated mountain ponies. We camped near the large, brown yak wool tents of the Changpas, yak tail standards protecting them from evil spirits, and visited with them, sharing cups of butter tea and tsampa, roasted barley flour. The Changpas were very friendly and happy to talk with us and our local crew. They live tough but satisfying lives in this rugged terrain grazing vast flocks of pashmina goats, sheep and herds of yak on the rich grasses of the region which miraculously survive throughout the harsh winter.

We passed beautiful stone “mani” walls along our way, each stone a sacred offering carved with the mantra “Om Mane Padme Hum,” “The Jewel is in the Lotus,” the mantra of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara, and arrived at Tso Moriri Lake, a huge remnant of the ancient Tethys Sea that existed before India collided with the Asian mainland pushing up the Himalayas. Surrounded by cream-colored mountains and lush meadows, the lake is a vast expanse of amazing blues. The colour of the lake changed throughout the day depending on the light; at times parts of it seemed to disappear as if “captured” by the reflections of the tan peaks behind it.

The area around the lake is home to kyang (the wild horse of the Changthang), wild goats, marmots, giant wild hares and a great variety of birds including bar-headed geese, brahminy ducks, gigantic “bearded” vultures, terns and the rare black necked crane. Groups of kyang cavorted on the shores of Tso Moriri Lake, and that evening, after the horses had had their fill of rich grass, our horsemen tethered them, knowing that the wild kyang might come in the night to lure their tame horses away.

Next day it was a beautiful walk along the lake. Some of us took a “refreshing” break, jumping into the clear, chill waters. At the northern edge of the lake we reached the village of Karzok, one of those frontier places that looked as if it is at the end of the world – which it is. The weathered Karzok gompa (monastery) looks over the lake, incongruous solar panels “gracing” its roof. In the Karzok village market traders sat behind great piles of pashmina wool and goods from China. Large colourfully decorated thermoses and warm fluffy blankets were bargained over by the villagers and nomads. A wonderful line of huge, ancient, weathered chortens to the side of the gompa overlooked the village. We visited Karzok Doksa, a vast meadow outside the village, where groups of nomads make camp for the summer.

Leaving Karzok, we ascended the Yalungnayu La, at 17,550 feet, the highest pass on the trek; we gazed back at the expanse of the lake and the snow peaks stretching to the horizon. At the top of the pass were piles of gigantic horns of Marco Polo sheep and innumerable strings of coloured prayer flags stamped with mantras emitting vibrations of peace and compassion to the world below as they flew in the winds.

Crossing a few lower passes, we reached Tso Kar Lake and village. Tso Kar is surrounded by deposits of pure white salt, and the wetlands around the lake harbour abundant bird life. Continuing through spectacular nomad country, we encountered huge herds of sheep, goats and yaks, saw innumerable marmots, camped in flower-filled meadows on the banks of crystal clear streams and passed many ancient stone watch towers before reaching our destination at Rumste. Here we met our SUVs for the three-hour drive to Leh (11,880 feet). The capital of Ladakh, Leh was a famed stop on the old caravan route between India and Tibet. We visited gompas, colourful bazaars and a Royal Palace said to be the inspiration for the Potala in Lhasa, and the world’s highest polo field. We explored the narrow alleyways of Muslim bakers and ate hot breads fresh from coal-fired tandoor ovens. We drove out of town on day trips to famed Alchi and Thiksey monasteries.

For more than a thousand years Tibetan Buddhist culture and religion have flourished in Ladakh. The remarkably well preserved thousand-year old Alchi temple complex stands amid a grove of ancient poplar trees. There are gorgeously painted statues – three stories high – of Bodhisattvas; the walls are covered with stunning paintings of divine figures and scenes of ancient life. The sprawling 16th-century Thiksey monastery covers an entire hill and contains a huge golden statue of Maitreya, the Buddha to come. The views from the monastery’s rooftop terrace over the Indus Valley were spectacular.

It was a short flight from Leh to Delhi over the moon-land landscape of Ladakh with grand views of snow-covered mountains and glaciers. In Delhi we toured New Delhi with its impressive buildings of the British Raj. We rode in cycle rickshaws in Old Delhi and wandered the narrow, winding lanes of its colorful bazaars, visiting temples and the great mosque built by Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal.

Carol and Martin Noval live in India and have been trekking in the Himalayas for many years. This summer they are leading another small-group trek into Changpa nomad country – 28 June to 23 July 2008. For more information email them at: tripsintoindia@usa.net and visit their website: www.tripsintoindia.com.

As we were in South Africa at Christmas, our greetings to all of you are a little late! We were gone from mid-Oct. until the end of Jan. sailing as crew from Madagascar to Mozambique through part of the Bazarito Archipelago and on to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique before heading to Richards Bay & Durban in South Africa. The sailing vessel we were on was a 40′ sloop named “Juno” captained by Tom Hildebrandt, who had been on the boat since he bought it in Australia in 2004. School teacher Frances from San Francisco joined us in Madagascar and participated as crew until we reached Maputo. We helped with all manner of jobs whilst on board – from sailing the boat, scrubbing decks as well as the sides of the boat, stood watch, baked bread, cook meals, washed clothes in buckets on deck and helped with repairs as directed by the skipper.

On a small boat quarters are cramped, water is at a premium and mainly used for drinking & cooking, refrigeration is very limited and provisions are shopped for & brought to the dinghy and taken to the boat at anchor. On boats there is always something breaking down…just in the time that we were aboard “Juno” the boom broke off the mast, the windlass for bringing up the anchor chain quit working, the water intake plugged and the engine overheated & part of it melted! As a result we stayed tied up to the wharf in Richards Bay for a month while most of the major repairs were made. During this time Gene and I took off for two weeks to explore inland. Lyn from Malule Safaris took us to some wonderful nature reserves and escorted us personally through Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park, Dumazulu Cultural Village, the greater St. Lucia Wetland Estuary & Reserve and Kruger National Park. We saw white rhinoceros’s, elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, cape buffalo, hippos, crocodiles, nyala, duikers, water buck, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, hyenas, elands, steinboks, lions, leopards, and a great variety of birds. We also went up to the pinnacle at Blyde River Canyon to see the spectacular view from what is called God’s window. The day after our tour was completed Lyn took us to the farm where she grew up to meet her mom and dad and they invited us for Christmas dinner. What a treat!!!

We spent 6 days and nights at Imhambri Lodge in Meerensee which was a delightful place to stay. From here we were able to walk to the Methodist Church close by for a Christmas carol sing-a-long and a potluck Christmas morning service. They truly made us feel welcome. Back to the boat by the end of December and after two weeks we reached Durban, where we again were able to tie up to the wharf. Here we made friends with a number of the other yachties and were able to take real showers at their club. We also took a couple of day tours - one to The Giants Castle in the Drakensburg mountains to see the San bushman rock art paintings from thousands of years ago and the other to explore historic Pietermaritzburg & Howick Falls. The big thrill was to be zip lined on a canopy tour over the Karkloof falls and forest - what a ride harnessed and zipping along on the cable to eight different platforms.

We decided to get off the boat on 16th January and caught the backpackers Baz Bus to Capetown, where we had a marvellous eight days in Cape Town and then two days in Simons Town on the beach. Our spots visited list included the top of Table Mountain in the Cable Cars, a winery tour and walk through the Kristenbosch Botanical Gardens. There are frequent power outages in Cape Town and one night the tourists in the cable cars had to be rescued by the Search & Rescue team by crawling out the hatch on the top of the car and then being lowered down in harnesses & ropes to safety far below! Eating conjured up a number of good restaurants - my favourite being “Mama Africa” where I had crocodile kabobs and Gene had springbok steak! Our last two days were spent near the beach at Top Sails lodge in Simons Town where The Boulders National Park, spending a delightful day on the beach with the penguins, protected by the large boulders so the wind which always blows wasn’t quite as strong.

Love and have a very happy New Year! Myrna and Gene

Email The Ant @ theant@globetrotters.co.uk with your travel experiences / hints & tips / questions. Your article should be up to 750 words, feature up to 3 or 4 jpeg photos and introduce yourself with a couple of sentences and a contact e-mail address.

· “A change in circumstances has made it possible for us to travel to Spain this year, but in order for us to do so we need more access information we hope you can offer. I am 72 and very determined to travel. Five years ago I had a stroke that paralyzed my left side. I was able to learn to walk with a hemi-walker…I can walk I would guess 30 yards, sit a rest a moment and walk a bit more. But for many things I will need a manual wheel chair. Do you know to whom or where I can find a wheel chair rental in Madrid and Cordoba? I can also manage steps. I am banking on being able to use buses, trains, and taxies for hotels, restaurants, inter city transport…Hopefully you can help. Thank you in advance.” Mary King at dick.king@earthlink.net

· “Hi can you please advise on the best time of year to travel to New Delhi, Calcutta and Kathmandu. martina.collins@dfa.ie

See the legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we’ll take a look at it. Get those plans in, as the next Legacy deadline will be April 30th, 2008!!

Andy, the author, sees himself as a latter day hobo – some one who travels & works to experience new people and places. He lists many destinations, includes a blog and has many a tale to tell. So grab a coffee and let your mind wander over Andy’s adventures…

Feel free to reach Mac at macsan400@yahoo.com with any stories, questions or just to say hello…

· music with a difference - http://www.tuneyourworld.com/

· Moroccan music festivals - http://www.moroccofestivals.co.uk/

· What time is it? - http://worldtimeengine.com/

Take a look at The Globetrotters Currency Converter - get the exchange rates for 164 currencies The Globetrotters Currency Cheat Sheet - create and print a currency converter table for your next trip.

Anyway on with the eNewsletter – this month we have another varied range of articles sent in from readers, with some of the authors again being first timers. Enjoy reading those… you’ll be inspired to try your own hand to describe a recent journey or to recall a destination or journey that you particulary enjoyed. Feel free to send them to me at theant@globetrotters.co.uk. I do have to apologise to a number of regular writers for not being able to fit their latest articles in… run out of space already for March… Tony, Carole, Mary and Benjamin I will focus on April’s edition for you.

Enjoy your eNewsletter and make the most of the Easter break…

The Ant

The first speaker of February’s meeting was the Globetrotters membership secretary Kevin. Kevin talked about the pilot trip he did last year for the travel company ‘Gecko Travel’. Accompanied by just one other guest and the guide, Kevin described their adventures to some less travelled parts of Laos. Laos’ lack of infrastructure and the fact that it has no beaches means that it is less popular than its neighbours, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Consequently it is less touristy and has the advantage of being cheaper. On arrival Kevin instantly became a millionaire receiving more than 20,000 Laos Kip to his sterling pound ! The group’s entry point into Laos was via the Northern Thailand’s ‘golden triangle’. They flew to Chang Mai and continued to the border at Chiang Khong. Here they waited for visas to cross the Mekong River by boat to Huay Xai. Although Laos is poor, with notably tractor engine vehicles replacing the cars, tuk tuks and motorbikes of Thailand, many of the ideas are progressive. Kevin described their eco lodge accommodation ‘The Boat Landing’ in Luang Nam Tha, with his picture-postcard country cottages located in the peaceful old town.

From here the party trekked in the park, designated a protected area in 2005, to spot the tigers, leopards and elephants that live there. Kevin also described the fascinating chattering noises as the locals call to one another across the valleys. The main crop of the area is rice, which is stored in huts on stilts to prevent the rats getting to the food. Each village has one hut per family and one extra hut that everyone contributes to that is held in reserve in case one family is hit with difficulty. Kevin’s trip then took him south along the pot-holed road to Nong Khiaw. The local Hmong here earn an inventive living by charging vehicles to drive over the holes that they have filled in on the road! By contrast to the bumpy road it was the gentle Ou River that took the three travellers the 70 miles to Luang Prabang. Forty minutes north of Luang Prabang, where the Ou and Mekong Rivers meet are the Pak Ou caves. These caves are on two levels and are full of thousands of Buddha figures. From here Kevin travelled to Wat Xieng Thong where local saffron-robed monks invited him to the sunset half hour chanting. Here the trio left by plane to Vientianne. At the airport Kevin was amused to see the chalked-up departures board and even more amused when each passenger was weighed before departure along with their luggage !

Kevin’s Laos trip ended in Vientanne, the French inspired city that is home to Phat That Luang (Golden Lotus bud) - the national monument to Buddhism that dates from the 16^th century. The monument was destroyed in the 19^th century, by Thai invaders and rebuilt by the French.

Kevin’s final words to us were “go to Laos now and see the happy faces before anything changes”. He also negotiated a 5% discount on any Gecko holiday for fully paid up Globetrotters.

Jonathan Kaplan “Surgeon under Siege” Kuito in Angola’s central highlands

Our second speaker in February was Jonathan, who on many occasions has volunteered to travel to war-torn destinations, working without pay, in trauma medical wards. The trip Jonathan shared with us was in 2001 to Kuito in Angola’s central highlands. This part of the country had seen 27 years of war. Its once elegant Portuguese buildings (the Portuguese left in 1946) shot to pieces and many now just piles of rubble. Kuito and the surrounding area at that time survived on food aid bought in on eight planes a day. Even with this support most of the population were undernourished which Jonathan explains makes healing much slower. And yet Jonathan explains that his work in places such as Kuito has only increased his humility and respect for others who provide vaccination programmes or water sanitisation. The war, that started in 1975, was fuelled by the US supply of arms to Jonas Savimbi. Having failed in the country’s elections twice (1991 and 1998) the war persisted until Jona was killed in 2002.

Jonathan arrived in Kuito by plane that, in order to avoid the ground to air missile, rolled into a nose-dive above the runway, pulling up just before hitting the tarmac. Jonathan noted that other pilots had not been as skilful as he counted the plane wrecks that were scattered around. In Kuito, Jonathan worked for ‘Medicine San Frontiers’, a French organisation, and was there to cover for the incumbent surgeon while he took a holiday. This left Jonathan as the only surgeon for 160 thousand people, many of them wounded by war. However, he was supported by Angolan medical team and ‘Technos Medicin’, Portuguese medical staff, essential to the hospital. Jonathan explained that surrounding the hospital were critical feeding tents where children swollen by water retention caused by lack of protein were treated. Children were also treated in the trauma wards mostly from landmine injuries. He described how children were targeted with shiny objects or sweet placed on top of the landmines. This resulted in fewer soldiers on the battlefields as parents looked after their wounded children. It is estimated that it will take 100 years to clear Angola of these mines. If you would like to learn more about the places Jonathan has worked he has two books published – Contact Wounds and The Dressing Station, both published by Picador.

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

For details of the forth coming meetings of the London branch, April to July 2008 - http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon08it2.html.

Ontario meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.

Ilulissat, town of the Icebergs in Greenlandic. I had never visited Greenland before and all maps had seemed to have “no data” or described it as “unexplored”. I could tell you about my flight up the Kanger fjord, the most productive ice fjord in Greenland, with a loop around what the pilots call “The Matterhorn” and our surprising collection of blueberries from the tundra. And about my perilous climb down the ladder from the moraine and my scramble up onto the icecap, my hair-raising attempt to get a picture of a melt hole where, at only a hundred yards in, the icecap was already 90 feet deep. I’ve searched for musk oxen and consumed reindeer steak (to be a vegetarian is difficult in Greenland). Or the icebergs which reminded me of my own culture – Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, the Sydney Opera House, and Henry Moore’s sculptures).

Picture (Katharine Owen) : Boat on Kanger Fjord	Picture (Katharine Owen) : Sign Post to the World

I could contrast the security of London’s City Airport with the provincial railway station atmosphere of Kangerlussuaq, the airport everyone flies into before taking local planes or helicopters; towns and villages are not linked by road. Everyone knows everyone else, appears to have the same racial heritage – olive skin, black hair, small in stature by northern European standards. Even I quickly made the acquaintance of the map maker for Greenland; it is a huge land mass with a small community. Look at the Dali-esque red and green telephone cabins installed by the Americans in the 1940s and the huge signpost detailing the distance and direction to the North Pole, London, Tokyo and New York. I could describe all these things – but so could anyone else who had been to this part of the world.

Instead, I am going to take you into the home of my newfound friend, a Greenlandic lady, Johanne, I met on the local plane from Kangerlussuaq to Ilulissat. As I boarded, all eyes were on me - I was a foreigner, one who wanted to experience everything this new, desolate yet beautiful landscape had to offer. I asked one of the passengers on which side of the plane I should sit to get the best view of Ilulissat as I approached. Her English was broken but immensely better than my Danish let alone Greenlandic and her face kind, open and smiling. She found my enthusiasm coupled with fear of the unknown amusing. And as the approach was made to her home town, the most beautiful meringue icebergs came into view, floating effortlessly in a deep turquoise, supportive sea. And then Ilulissat came into view - a tiny township – each tiny house brightly painted, perhaps, to make a stance against the stark white and grey landscape.

Johanne asked where I was staying and, embarrassedly, I told her the Hotel Arctic (the poshest hotel in Greenland, owned by Air Greenland and my safety net). Johanne invited me to have tea with her and so, the next day, we sat down to fresh apple pie and cream, only three hours from the North Pole, in her cosy, brightly painted corrugated iron home, which reminded me of my grandfather’s home in North Wales, and exchanged cultures. The language barrier was overcome with her “word book”, Johanne translating into Danish then back into English. She was keen to tell me about the traditional Greenlandic culture, the hunting tradition which she and her husband relied on. He would go far to hunt for seal, every part of which was used for their everyday needs including the feeding of their huskies – nothing is wasted. She showed me proudly her traditional costume which she wears at Christmas, made of sealskin and extensive beadwork, all made by her, as is the intricate lacework in their home. She had mounted an exquisite – but sad to me – sealskin on the lounge wall; unlike the seal who looked up at our helicopter as we flew up the Kanger fjord, this had no eyes.

Picture (Katharine Owen): Inside Greenlandic home; Johanne in traditional dress	Picture (Katharine Owen: Greenlandic homes ; the sled and Huskies have right of way !	Picture (Katharine Owen): One of the many working huskies

Afternoon tea turned into dinner as Johanne’s husband was due to return from his hunting. I was invited to stay for the fish starter (she ate the eyes of the fish – they contain the most protein) and seal wrapped in bacon. My heart beat fast with trepidation as we prepared the seal, which actually has exactly the same taste and texture as liver and bacon. But I am from a different culture, I hardly eat meat, I am brought up to believe that we should protect seals. And yet if I had been brought up in Greenland, would I eat the same diet in order to stay warm? Johanne’s husband told hunting stories over dinner; I enjoyed hearing the unusual “clicks” of the Greenlandic language. Around the dining room was an impressive display of all the cups her husband had won in husky sled races. The hospitality I encountered was second to none. Not only had I been invited into this lady’s home, but I had also been given a tour of the town, shown her many huskies which are working dogs and not to be stroked; taken to meet her daughter-in-law, her nephews and nieces, all of whom offered the same welcome.

Before returning home, we sat together in the afternoon sun, outside the wooden church, overlooking Disko Bugt (Disko Bay) beyond which is Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, watching the icebergs drift by. So long as one is not too close to the sea (a tipping iceberg can cause a tsunami), I can think of nothing closer to heaven. And so I shall be going back to visit my friend, and to join her and the rest of the town in the church service I missed. This experience, combined with the rest of my visit to Greenland, proved to me that friendship can stretch beyond the boundaries of beliefs and traditions.

British Airways has called for a “root and branch” review of UK airport regulation after charges were allowed to be hiked significantly. The Civil Aviation Authority today publishing its decisions for price controls for Heathrow and Gatwick for the five years from April 1.

The maximum charges at Heathrow are £12.80 per passenger in 2008/09, an increase of £2.44 on a like-for-like basis, representing a 23.5% rise in real terms from the current (2007/08) price cap, with allowed charges subsequently increasing in each of the following four years by no more than retail price index (RPI) inflation plus 7.5% each year. Full article at… http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1127108.php?mpnlog=1&m_id=_rnT_s~~Av

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 £15.00 buys you membership for one year, if you live in the UK (overseas = £18.00 for one year). Contact membership@globetrotters.co.uk for more information.

According to its hundred-kwai entrance ticket, Zhouzhuang was founded in 1086, and “is just like a shining pearl among Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou”, the latter two cities being famous aqua-cultural destinations; Suzhou, in fact, is vaunted as China’s answer to Venice. Indeed, Zhouzhuang could be classed as part of Zhejiang Province’s Suzhou-Hangzhou-Lake Tai triangle, which is celebrated for its H2O-enriched landscapes. After more of the usual Chinese touristic tirades, the ticket boasts that “Zhouzhuang is on the Reserve List for the World Cultural Heritage,” and has received some other official recognition from the UN.

The amusingly inadequate tourist map indicates all the major sights and bridges in the town, although it gives no indication of the many intriguing hutong, or small lanes and alleys, which could make the place an agreeable day trip. Zhouzhuang’s “commercial zones” (shangyechu) are thoughtfully marked in orange, with the idea of attracting (Chinese) visitors, but since the entire town is a canal-laced tourist trap, such indications are unnecessary. As for its picturesque waterways, Zhouzhuang was, judging from the map, first built between South Lake (nanhu) and the Baixian River just north of it, after which its canals were dug in a grid down its main streets. Though hardly Venetian, the canals are pretty, especially with Chinese gondolas floating along under the arched bridges that span them. The stone pavements beside the canals are lined with booth after booth of vendors selling beads and T-shirts, graced by the occasional art gallery or ceramics shop to give some colour to the monotonous array of dreck. There are also many little restaurants and tea houses, but the prices are a little hefty for what you get.

Even if you decide not to visit Zhouzhuang, or even fly all the way to China (which can be a good idea), the description of the town’s sights on the back of the tourist map is a must-see. The introduction, which has no spaces after punctuation marks, tells us that historic Zhouzhuang was the home of the famous Chinese Writer [sic]. And the ancient cultural town in Soun [sic] China….The town is surrounded by water with many branching steams [sic]. Visitors from all over the world are intoxicated by its unique scenery, which is formed by lanes, alleys, meandering steams [sic], stone bridges and old residence [sic] with black tiles and while [sic] wells [sic?].

The back of the map continues by telling the anglophone visitor about such delights as “The Double Bridge”, “The Hall of Shen’s Residence” and the museum. The most priceless description of a historical site, however, is that of the “Mi Building”, where, in the early 1920’s, liu [sic] Yazi and Chen Qubing, Sponsors [sic] of Nanshe Community [no definite article or comma] had orgies here for 4 times, singing merrily and improvising poems in joyful mood [sic, sic, sic]. Also worthy of mention is the account of “Shen wansan’s Residences [sic]”, which merits being quoted in full:

It is located in the Dongduo (name of the place) by the South Lake, where Shen Wansan’s father and he inhabited in Zhouzhuang [sic] from the South Xun and gained fame and fortune rapidly [sic]. According to the record (talking about Suzhou) [sic] by Yang Xunming in Ming Dynasty: “Shen Wansan’s residence was in Zhuang Zhou [sic], only broken house and the big pines existing here [sic].” The elegance group rebuilt it in the former address according to its original style and features.

To photographically record your treasured memories of these storied sites, Zhouzhuang’s branch of Kodak Express has its advert in the back of the map’s lower right corner. At three kwai, both sides of the map are worth more than a physical trip to the place they illustrate, and can tell you more about the “real China” than a heap of tomes by economists, anthropologists, educationists and their ilk. Globies wishing to adore the place for more than a few hours can put up at the hotels in the northern half of the town, all faithfully marked on said map.

Email The Ant @ theant@globetrotters.co.uk with your travel experiences / hints & tips / questions. Your article should be up to 750 words, feature up to 3 or 4 jpeg photos and introduce yourself with a couple of sentences and a contact e-mail address.

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You need advice before you start trekking [or tramping as the locals in New Zealand call it]. You need to know about safety and the kinds of medical supplies to take with you. Valuable tips can save your life so learn them before you invest in any back-pack gear. Good back-pack gear can be found online. Search for the best possible brands. Don’t only consider price. Consumer reviews for backpacking gives you actual experiences from your fellow backpackers. Their opinions are invaluable. The length of back-pack trip can affect the type of backpacking gear you should take with you. You will also have to take into consideration the climate of the area you are traveling in. Pack your backpacking gear accordingly.

Dan Cavalli is an Australian and international businessman. He also writes articles about his second home, Queenstown New Zealand. If you really enjoyed this information and would like to know more about Queenstown, the adventure playground, go to http://www.backpackerreviews.co.nz or http://www.hippolodge.co.nz.

See the legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we’ll take a look at it. Get those plans in, as the next Legacy deadline will be April 30th, 2008 !!

On my trip to Egypt the guide said we could ride a camel but first we had to go inside the Cheops Pyramid the largest one. There are something like two million three hundred and three blocks each weighing two and one half tons. When inside all I could think of what if two million three hundred and three blocks come tumbling down on me in twenty seconds. Outside the guide told us how much to pay the camel driver and how much to tip. But the driver kept pulling at my leg asking for more money.

I was too busy pretending I was Lowell Thomas the explorer on my camel and ignored him as I gazed off over the desert. He finally got mad at me for “not listening” and dropped the reins - for one mad moment I thought he was going to kick the camel and send us both careening across the desert. As I got off “Coca Cola” both the driver and the camel spat on me. Maybe it was just the camel…but I guess he did not like Lowell Thomas. The driver when he found out I was American had told me my camel’s name was Coca Cola. I later heard him tell a Canadian that the same camel’s name was Canadian Club !

Mac goes on to reveal that “I will be 84 next month and because of health problems about the only travelling I do now is to the bathroom several times a night. I enjoy reading of others travel adventures however.”

Feel free to reach Mac at macsan400@yahoo.com with any stories…

SOUTH AMERICAN EXPLORERS - download of 30th anniversary special edition of SAE Magazine, click here to download your copy!

New online travel community - www.passportvillage.com - at this point you may see the ongoing construction but it’s a different take on travel

“I have just been reading the latest Globetrotters e-newsletter and I thought I would mention that my wife, my seven year old daughter and myself have just started a 20 month world tour (8 trips of 6-8 weeks away separated by 2-4 weeks back at home) and we are posting daily blogs and pictures at www.theultimatejourney.co.uk if anyone is interested” in where we are going and our views. Julian F O Ranger

Anyway on with the eNewsletter – this month we have another varied range of articles sent in from readers, with some of the authors again being first timers. Enjoy reading those… you’ll be inspired to try your own hand to describe a recent journey or to recall a destination or journey that you particulary enjoyed. Feel free to send them to me at theant@globetrotters.co.uk. I do have to apologise to a number of regular writers for not being able to fit their latest articles in… run out of space already for March… Tony, Carole, Mary and Benjamin I will focus on April’s edition for you.

Enjoy your eNewsletter and make the most of the Easter break…

The Ant

The first speaker of February’s meeting was the Globetrotters membership secretary Kevin. Kevin talked about the pilot trip he did last year for the travel company ‘Gecko Travel’. Accompanied by just one other guest and the guide, Kevin described their adventures to some less travelled parts of Laos. Laos’ lack of infrastructure and the fact that it has no beaches means that it is less popular than its neighbours, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Consequently it is less touristy and has the advantage of being cheaper. On arrival Kevin instantly became a millionaire receiving more than 20,000 Laos Kip to his sterling pound ! The group’s entry point into Laos was via the Northern Thailand’s ‘golden triangle’. They flew to Chang Mai and continued to the border at Chiang Khong. Here they waited for visas to cross the Mekong River by boat to Huay Xai. Although Laos is poor, with notably tractor engine vehicles replacing the cars, tuk tuks and motorbikes of Thailand, many of the ideas are progressive. Kevin described their eco lodge accommodation ‘The Boat Landing’ in Luang Nam Tha, with his picture-postcard country cottages located in the peaceful old town.

From here the party trekked in the park, designated a protected area in 2005, to spot the tigers, leopards and elephants that live there. Kevin also described the fascinating chattering noises as the locals call to one another across the valleys. The main crop of the area is rice, which is stored in huts on stilts to prevent the rats getting to the food. Each village has one hut per family and one extra hut that everyone contributes to that is held in reserve in case one family is hit with difficulty. Kevin’s trip then took him south along the pot-holed road to Nong Khiaw. The local Hmong here earn an inventive living by charging vehicles to drive over the holes that they have filled in on the road! By contrast to the bumpy road it was the gentle Ou River that took the three travellers the 70 miles to Luang Prabang. Forty minutes north of Luang Prabang, where the Ou and Mekong Rivers meet are the Pak Ou caves. These caves are on two levels and are full of thousands of Buddha figures. From here Kevin travelled to Wat Xieng Thong where local saffron-robed monks invited him to the sunset half hour chanting. Here the trio left by plane to Vientianne. At the airport Kevin was amused to see the chalked-up departures board and even more amused when each passenger was weighed before departure along with their luggage !

Kevin’s Laos trip ended in Vientanne, the French inspired city that is home to Phat That Luang (Golden Lotus bud) - the national monument to Buddhism that dates from the 16^th century. The monument was destroyed in the 19^th century, by Thai invaders and rebuilt by the French.

Kevin’s final words to us were “go to Laos now and see the happy faces before anything changes”. He also negotiated a 5% discount on any Gecko holiday for fully paid up Globetrotters.

Jonathan Kaplan “Surgeon under Siege” Kuito in Angola’s central highlands

Our second speaker in February was Jonathan, who on many occasions has volunteered to travel to war-torn destinations, working without pay, in trauma medical wards. The trip Jonathan shared with us was in 2001 to Kuito in Angola’s central highlands. This part of the country had seen 27 years of war. Its once elegant Portuguese buildings (the Portuguese left in 1946) shot to pieces and many now just piles of rubble. Kuito and the surrounding area at that time survived on food aid bought in on eight planes a day. Even with this support most of the population were undernourished which Jonathan explains makes healing much slower. And yet Jonathan explains that his work in places such as Kuito has only increased his humility and respect for others who provide vaccination programmes or water sanitisation. The war, that started in 1975, was fuelled by the US supply of arms to Jonas Savimbi. Having failed in the country’s elections twice (1991 and 1998) the war persisted until Jona was killed in 2002.

Jonathan arrived in Kuito by plane that, in order to avoid the ground to air missile, rolled into a nose-dive above the runway, pulling up just before hitting the tarmac. Jonathan noted that other pilots had not been as skilful as he counted the plane wrecks that were scattered around. In Kuito, Jonathan worked for ‘Medicine San Frontiers’, a French organisation, and was there to cover for the incumbent surgeon while he took a holiday. This left Jonathan as the only surgeon for 160 thousand people, many of them wounded by war. However, he was supported by Angolan medical team and ‘Technos Medicin’, Portuguese medical staff, essential to the hospital. Jonathan explained that surrounding the hospital were critical feeding tents where children swollen by water retention caused by lack of protein were treated. Children were also treated in the trauma wards mostly from landmine injuries. He described how children were targeted with shiny objects or sweet placed on top of the landmines. This resulted in fewer soldiers on the battlefields as parents looked after their wounded children. It is estimated that it will take 100 years to clear Angola of these mines. If you would like to learn more about the places Jonathan has worked he has two books published – Contact Wounds and The Dressing Station, both published by Picador.

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

For details of the forth coming meetings of the London branch, April to July 2008 - http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon08it2.html.

Ontario meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.

Ilulissat, town of the Icebergs in Greenlandic. I had never visited Greenland before and all maps had seemed to have “no data” or described it as “unexplored”. I could tell you about my flight up the Kanger fjord, the most productive ice fjord in Greenland, with a loop around what the pilots call “The Matterhorn” and our surprising collection of blueberries from the tundra. And about my perilous climb down the ladder from the moraine and my scramble up onto the icecap, my hair-raising attempt to get a picture of a melt hole where, at only a hundred yards in, the icecap was already 90 feet deep. I’ve searched for musk oxen and consumed reindeer steak (to be a vegetarian is difficult in Greenland). Or the icebergs which reminded me of my own culture – Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, the Sydney Opera House, and Henry Moore’s sculptures).

Picture (Katharine Owen) : Boat on Kanger Fjord	Picture (Katharine Owen) : Sign Post to the World

I could contrast the security of London’s City Airport with the provincial railway station atmosphere of Kangerlussuaq, the airport everyone flies into before taking local planes or helicopters; towns and villages are not linked by road. Everyone knows everyone else, appears to have the same racial heritage – olive skin, black hair, small in stature by northern European standards. Even I quickly made the acquaintance of the map maker for Greenland; it is a huge land mass with a small community. Look at the Dali-esque red and green telephone cabins installed by the Americans in the 1940s and the huge signpost detailing the distance and direction to the North Pole, London, Tokyo and New York. I could describe all these things – but so could anyone else who had been to this part of the world.

Instead, I am going to take you into the home of my newfound friend, a Greenlandic lady, Johanne, I met on the local plane from Kangerlussuaq to Ilulissat. As I boarded, all eyes were on me - I was a foreigner, one who wanted to experience everything this new, desolate yet beautiful landscape had to offer. I asked one of the passengers on which side of the plane I should sit to get the best view of Ilulissat as I approached. Her English was broken but immensely better than my Danish let alone Greenlandic and her face kind, open and smiling. She found my enthusiasm coupled with fear of the unknown amusing. And as the approach was made to her home town, the most beautiful meringue icebergs came into view, floating effortlessly in a deep turquoise, supportive sea. And then Ilulissat came into view - a tiny township – each tiny house brightly painted, perhaps, to make a stance against the stark white and grey landscape.

Johanne asked where I was staying and, embarrassedly, I told her the Hotel Arctic (the poshest hotel in Greenland, owned by Air Greenland and my safety net). Johanne invited me to have tea with her and so, the next day, we sat down to fresh apple pie and cream, only three hours from the North Pole, in her cosy, brightly painted corrugated iron home, which reminded me of my grandfather’s home in North Wales, and exchanged cultures. The language barrier was overcome with her “word book”, Johanne translating into Danish then back into English. She was keen to tell me about the traditional Greenlandic culture, the hunting tradition which she and her husband relied on. He would go far to hunt for seal, every part of which was used for their everyday needs including the feeding of their huskies – nothing is wasted. She showed me proudly her traditional costume which she wears at Christmas, made of sealskin and extensive beadwork, all made by her, as is the intricate lacework in their home. She had mounted an exquisite – but sad to me – sealskin on the lounge wall; unlike the seal who looked up at our helicopter as we flew up the Kanger fjord, this had no eyes.

Picture (Katharine Owen): Inside Greenlandic home; Johanne in traditional dress	Picture (Katharine Owen: Greenlandic homes ; the sled and Huskies have right of way !	Picture (Katharine Owen): One of the many working huskies

Afternoon tea turned into dinner as Johanne’s husband was due to return from his hunting. I was invited to stay for the fish starter (she ate the eyes of the fish – they contain the most protein) and seal wrapped in bacon. My heart beat fast with trepidation as we prepared the seal, which actually has exactly the same taste and texture as liver and bacon. But I am from a different culture, I hardly eat meat, I am brought up to believe that we should protect seals. And yet if I had been brought up in Greenland, would I eat the same diet in order to stay warm? Johanne’s husband told hunting stories over dinner; I enjoyed hearing the unusual “clicks” of the Greenlandic language. Around the dining room was an impressive display of all the cups her husband had won in husky sled races. The hospitality I encountered was second to none. Not only had I been invited into this lady’s home, but I had also been given a tour of the town, shown her many huskies which are working dogs and not to be stroked; taken to meet her daughter-in-law, her nephews and nieces, all of whom offered the same welcome.

Before returning home, we sat together in the afternoon sun, outside the wooden church, overlooking Disko Bugt (Disko Bay) beyond which is Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, watching the icebergs drift by. So long as one is not too close to the sea (a tipping iceberg can cause a tsunami), I can think of nothing closer to heaven. And so I shall be going back to visit my friend, and to join her and the rest of the town in the church service I missed. This experience, combined with the rest of my visit to Greenland, proved to me that friendship can stretch beyond the boundaries of beliefs and traditions.

British Airways has called for a “root and branch” review of UK airport regulation after charges were allowed to be hiked significantly. The Civil Aviation Authority today publishing its decisions for price controls for Heathrow and Gatwick for the five years from April 1.

The maximum charges at Heathrow are £12.80 per passenger in 2008/09, an increase of £2.44 on a like-for-like basis, representing a 23.5% rise in real terms from the current (2007/08) price cap, with allowed charges subsequently increasing in each of the following four years by no more than retail price index (RPI) inflation plus 7.5% each year. Full article at… http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1127108.php?mpnlog=1&m_id=_rnT_s~~Av

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 £15.00 buys you membership for one year, if you live in the UK (overseas = £18.00 for one year). Contact membership@globetrotters.co.uk for more information.

Email The Ant @ theant@globetrotters.co.uk with your travel experiences / hints & tips / questions. Your article should be up to 750 words, feature up to 3 or 4 jpeg photos and introduce yourself with a couple of sentences and a contact e-mail address.