The Globetrotters eNewsletter

Welcome to eNewsletter February 2010

Hello all,

A belated happy new year and return to the eNewsletter to you all. I�ve been back from South America for three weeks or so and have finally managed to get back into the swing of a working life & catching up with Globetrotters

And how was South America ? Absolutely superb…we managed to visit most of our wish list and enjoyed so many sights & sounds ! Starting with new year in Mendoza, crossing over the Andes to Santiago in Chile, we then headed up across the Atacama desert to the salt flats at Uyuni, Bolivia. The last week we biked & trekked our way up through the forests to Machu Picchu � stunning scenery all round and well worth all the aching limbs. We even managed to avoid the floods & mud slides that have plagued the Cusco, Peru area…though I would have quite liked to have been evacuated by helicopter to conclude the adventure !

As ever South America is full of life, the people are friendly & the scenery is outstanding…whether it be the beach, the forests or the mountains. I�ve included a few photos of some of these highlights we were lucky enough to enjoy

Picture by The Ant : Salt Flats flag stand, Uyuni

Moving on, quite a few of you have been busy as well some very interesting projects & ideas during the winter…it�s good to see & hear of so much energy:-

The London branch hosted a travel advisors stand at The Adventure Travel Show, http://www.adventuretravellive.com/, Victoria in London. Twenty plus members attended both days and spoke to many a would be traveller about all manner of possible trips…the possible range of where you could travel to & how was stunning, even in these economically troubling times. Whilst the owners ran the show on a very tight budget, it was good to see some of the old ethos behind the show return…as the show is now owned once again by Martin Anslow & team. A big thank you from the club side goes out to Dick, Jacqui, Paul & Tim at the Stanfords stand for much of the behind the scenes organising…

Charles Egan, club member & author of �The Killing Snows� will speak at 2pm at the Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith on Saturday 6 March � see http://www.irishculturalcentre.co.uk/?q=events for more details.

Delia Cardnell, club member, is exhibiting at The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours exhibition, from 21st April to 1st May at the Mall Galleries (next to Admiralty Arch) and would be happy to show anyone around who is interested. Showing six paintings, this year the exhibition features abstract landscapes from her travels in Britain – mainly the West Country. Delia�s web site is www.deliacardnell.com and features most of her key artistic details.

Hot news of the press and from regular club member & extraordinary traveller Neil Harris regarding a significant change to visas visits to India:-

This is the page that gives information on the new 2 month rule: http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/notices.aspx My experience (two visa in the last 4-5 months) is that if you are doing anything other than a simple one visit to India, fill the form in online, then make an appointment at your local ‘centre’ taking copies of everything relevant, air fares, booked holidays, accommodation etc. At least it’s better than having to queue at the Indian Consulate to get a number to go into the queue inside.

Hope that’s of use.

Neil

That�s all for now � here�s to another exciting year of travel adventures and enjoy what we�ve put together for you in this latest edition…

The Ant
theant@globetrotters.co.uk

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February meeting news from the London branch

A very busy February meeting (and catch up in The Sun public house afterwards) saw the 120 plus audience entertained & informed by two very enthusiastic & knowledgeable speakers. Both were new to the club but by listening to the number of questions and the general chat afterwards I think Anita & Odette went down as two of the best for a quite some time…

Anita Sach from Silk Steps spoke on �Vietnam & Cambodia – Through a Bamboo Curtain�. A regular visitor to Vietnam & Cambodia as tour leader, guidebook writer and with Silk Steps, Anita’s talk covered her personal experiences and must see places to visit.

Odette Fussey spoke on the �Trans-Siberian Railway – The Magic & the Myths�. Steeped in cultural contrasts, diverse in its history, and legendary in both scale and content, the Trans-Siberian Railway is one of the iconic journeys. It is also shrouded in misconceptions, guided by elements of bureaucracy and, ultimately an experience best suited to those who relish engaging with all facets of travel.

Details of the London branch�s forthcoming meetings, through to July 2010, can be found at http://globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon10it.html

The London branch 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, contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 7193 2586, or visit the web site: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

January meeting news & picture from the Chester branch by Hanna & Angela

The meeting in the Governor Museum was very well attended by over 50 people making this, the second and most successful so far, of the bi-monthly talks organised by the Chester branch of the Globetrotters Travel Club.

This Saturday, 30th January, there were two talks. The first was about the popular holiday destination of Croatia and its Islands, given by Vic Blundell who lives there part time on the Island of Brac, and the second, on the stunningly beautiful National Parks of the USA and Canada given by Photographer Kevin Jones who toured 22 parks in 2007. The talks, included professional power point displays with beautiful pictures, music and well presented information about the subject. Question and answer sessions also provided further specific information for those who are thinking of travelling to these locations and refreshments were served during the interval where enthusiastic discussions took place.

Our next meeting will be on Saturday March the 20th in the Grosvenor Museum, 25-27 Grosvenor street, Chester, CH1 2DD…doors open 1pm for a 1.30 start. The talks will be:-

Latin America by bike: speaker Clive Parker

A journey through Bhutan: speaker Mike Jones

Tickets £2 including refreshments

Contact Angela or Hanna for further information of this and future events at Chester via email at chesterbranch@globetrotters.co.uk

Meeting news from Ontario

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

The Ontario branch 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.

Write in (1)�The birth of a lesbian holiday resort – Bamb�

After years of participating wholeheartedly in the rat-race, raising children, seeing them off to university and contemplating another 20 odd years of ploughing the same 9-5 furrow, the opportunity to escape seemed too good to miss. Susanne and I had embarked on the adventure of acquiring a holiday villa in Spain some 7 years earlier (and it truly was an adventure … but that�s another story!). Our villa was a place to enjoy holidays with the kids but never a home. But we always loved Spain. Not the Costas, where the Brits and other northern Europeans enjoy their annual two weeks in the cultural no-go-zone of a package holiday. But the real Spain. And yet just as close to the airport and beaches as any of the package destinations. Iznate is a charming quintessentially Andalucian white village. The locals expect us to learn Spanish and not the reverse. It�s not as sophisticated as Britain, that is if our rat-racey lives can truly be called sophisticated. Their main occupation is farming � traditionally raisins, used to make a divine brew called Malaga Dulce. Increasingly the land is being turned over to avocados and mangos � perhaps things are getting a little more sophisticated! � but it�s still farming all the same.

And the seaside towns around here are a million miles away from Marbella or Torremolinos. They don�t appear in any package-holiday brochure. These places are where the Spanish come on holiday. And boy do they know how to enjoy themselves ! It all seems to revolve around eating ! Andalucia doesn�t just have amazing weather (all year round). It is also blessed with stunning scenery � mountain range after mountain range, tailing off into the sea. It is drop dead beautiful. And then there is the culture, the history. This place was seriously important in the history of Europe, Christianity, Islam and even Judaism. Living here, being able to imbibe the history of Andalucia is intoxicating. Andalucia�s four great cities are right up there in the ranks of all the great cities of Europe. Seville�s Alcazar and Giralda are stunning. Cordoba was once the largest city in Europe and a hotbed for scholarship, noted for its tolerance across all religious groups. Granada, the last stand of the Moors, is home to the most celebrated Muslim palace in the world. And Malaga City has its share of delights, with its Roman Amphitheatre, Alcazaba and Gibralfaro, not to mention its more recent claim to fame as the birthplace of Picasso.

So we got the bug � Andalucia became a home from home … and when the kids flew the nest that was it. But how to make a living in Spain when one�s lingo is far from fluent? You�ve got to create your own way in life. Enter Bamb� ! We fell in love with the place as soon as we saw it. The moment we returned to the UK our house went up for sale. Bamb� is perfectly proportioned and situated for a small hotel. We now live at what was our holiday home in Iznate and commute the 10 minute drive to Bamb� on the outskirts of the next village along, Benamocarra.

Prior to bringing up the children we regularly used to take our holidays in lesbian establishments � in Key West (yes, we loved Pearl�s or Rainbow House as it was then) and at many places throughout the UK. It engenders such a sense of freedom and relaxation that a mainstream hotel never can, however �gay-friendly�. We had a vision for our lesbian oasis and in pretty much every respect Bamb� fitted the bill. Prior to its new life as a lesbian centre for relaxation and sun-worshipping, Bamb� was a large but simple finca � indeed, apparently some years ago it doubled as the hostelry where all the local farmers stopped by for lunch. We knew we needed seclusion � if we were to create a lesbian oasis it had to be away from prying eyes. And Bamb��s nearest neighbour is � km away. But don�t get me wrong � this is not some place for debauchery � it is a respectable establishment where our guests can feel fully at ease to be themselves � nothing more !

We knew the location and its views had to be sublime � and with 360^o views from the Montes de Malaga to the Sierra Tejeda to the coast at Torre del Mar, the panorama from Bamb� is simply breathtaking. Having always enjoyed self-catering holidays ourselves, we wanted to offer not just bedrooms but fully self-contained suites for our guests. The finca that was to become Bamb� was perfect for such a transformation. We managed to create 7 generous double or twin suites from reorganising the interior of the finca � each with its own kitchen, bathroom, front door and outside seating area. And the exterior of Bamb� was perfect too � with spacious terraces around much of the finca – there was plenty of room for a large pool, communal areas, a central bar and barbecue, and many private corners. And so, after many months of a stressful and occasionally nightmarish renovation project, Bamb� was born … exactly as we had envisaged.

We have always been fairly exacting and demanding customers when it has come to the holidays we have taken. We expect style, quality, good housekeeping, accessibility and a great location. And we have made the same demands of ourselves in developing and running Bamb�. One day we�ll write a novel about the whole experience … but right now we just want to share it with you.

Calling all lesbians, from near and far, come and enjoy this little paradise we have created. We have only just opened � 2010 is Bamb��s inaugural year. Come help us christen Bamb�. One day we hope to be as famous as Pearl�s! Isn�t it about time we Europeans started to learn to enjoy ourselves as much as our American sisters. Exclusively lesbian hotels are the future � places where we can truly relax and be ourselves. Come share it with us.

For more details see www.bambu-resort.com or reservations@bambu-resort.com.

Article submitted by Catherine Potter, co-owner of Bamb� with life partner Susanne. Catherine is 46, Susanne 42, both originally from the UK but for many years great lovers of the culture of Spain.

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Click here to join & become a Globetrotter or contact membership@globetrotters.co.uk for more information.

Write in (2)�Revisiting Gangotri June – July 2010 by Raja at Adventuremania Himalaya

In 1966 my uncle, Sujal Mukherjee and his friends had formed a club, based in Calcutta, called “Gangotri Glacier Exploration Committee” (GGEC). For over a decade after that they kept organizing expeditions to Gangotri glacier complex, to peaks such as Kedarnath, Satopanth, Bhagirathi, Mandani etc. This year in June – July 2010, I am organizing a trek to the head of Gangotri glacier. We plan to start from the temple of river Ganga at Gangotri and finish near the mighty walls of Chaukhamba, from where the Gangotri glacier originates. This is a pilgrimage for me and will certainly be a grand adventure for anyone who joins me.

This expedition will take about 4 weeks from Delhi. Whether the Himalayan glaciers will vanish by 2035 or 2053, we don’t know for sure. But one thing we know, as a fact, that the glaciers are melting and retreating alarmingly. You gotta see it to believe it ! This trip can be a eye opener for some those…who would like to believe in ‘Global Cooling’ !!!

On another note, (but related to this topic) 3 years ago, I had started a porter shelter and medical post at Bhujbas, near the snout of Gangotri glacier (http://indiaporter.tripod.com/)..national park fees and current regulations were not in favour our little project. This was supported by IPPG (www.ippg.net) and Dr Jim Duff knew what was happening. But its NOT a thing of the past. This year’s trip will also give me another opportunity to re-look and restart the project, that we long desired, at Bhujbas. Having a medical post and free night shelter for the porters’ up there certainly deserve a second boost. If at all I am able to form a group for this adventure, profits made, will go to rebuild and restart the shelter at Bhujbas.

I have set a departure date for this trek on June 28, 2010 from Delhi. Would be more than glad to answer and supply further info if anyone finds this project interesting !

The false colour image shows the Gangotri Glacier, situated in the Uttarkashi District of Garhwal Himalaya. Currently 30.2 km long and between 0.5 and 2.5 km wide, Gangotri glacier is one of the largest in the Himalaya. Gangotri has been receding since 1780, although studies show its retreat quickened after 1971. (Please note that the blue contour lines drawn here to show the recession of the glacier�s terminus over time are approximate.) Over the last 25 years, Gangotri glacier has retreated more than 850 meters, with a recession of 76 meters from 1996 to 1999 alone.

Official website: www.adventuremania.com
Upcoming trips blog: http://adventuremania-india.blogspot.com
Raja’s personal blog : http://himalaya-raja.blogspot.com

Mac says�

Regular contributor Mac ruminates on the world of travel & some of his adventures along the way.

This time round he�s pondering over Budget Travel Magazine

asking its readers to name which they think is the most beautiful city in the world. The results will be in their October edition but they have already had many responses and they seem to be going something like this:-

Paris seems to be the winner with something like 20
Vancouver had something like 16
Prague got about 10
Florence, Italy about 7
Rio De Janeiro about 8
Capetown, South Africa about 6
Venice about 13
Sydney about 4
Oia Santorini (on island of Santorini) about 4
Dubrovnik about 3
Istanbul about 2 (should have had more)
Seville about 2
Charleston South Carolina two
Barcelona, Spain (maybe 2)
Santa Barbara, California 2
Cinque Terre (think five towns on coast in Italy ) 2
San Francisco, California 2
St Petersburg, Russia 2
Hong Kong 2 (should have had more)
Edinburgh, Scotland maybe 2
Positano, Italy maybe 2

As I said this is not a scientific list

You might want to make up your own list…I will mine later. Add any cities you wish. I think many just voted for their own home town.

My choices would be Rio De Janeiro, Hong Kong, Paris, I will refine list later. Can you think of any cities left off that you think

should be considered and which ones do you think should be dropped ?

Mac � my choices would be, in no particular order of preference:-

� New York
� Istanbul
� Rio de Janeiro
� Florence
� New Orleans
� Perth/Freemantle
� Varanasi, India
� Bangkok
� Capetown
� Halifax, Nova Scotia
� Prague

The common denominator is that they are mostly places I�ve visited with long standing friends on long trips or as part of quick escapes ! The sights, tastes & sounds still resonate and I would head back to all of them at a moment�s notice…

The Ant

Help offered

Hi,

at the Adventure Travel Show we came to an agreement with The Travel Bookshop that we have free entrance to their weekly talks…there would normally be £3 entrance fee). Members need to show their Globetrotter membership cards.

All talks start at 7pm and it is recommended to book a place in advance by emailing: post@thetravelbookshop.com or saara@the travelbookshop.com or ringing them on 020 7229 5260

Their website is www.thetravelbookshop.com to find out about the talks. Upcoming meetings for February are on 23rd and 25th.

Also Wanderlust has offered a free copy of the book “Weird World” for any Globetrotter members who subscribe to Wanderlust.

Best wishes,

Francesca

Publicity and PR officer, Globetrotters club

Write for the eNewsletter

If you enjoy writing & travelling, why not write for the free Globetrotters eNewsletter ! The Ant would love to hear from you: your travel stories, anecdotes, jokes, questions, hints and tips, or your hometown or somewhere of special interest to you. Over 14,000 people currently subscribe to the Globetrotter eNewsletter.

Email The Ant at theant@globetrotters.co.uk with your travel experiences / hints & tips / questions. Your article should be approximately 1000 words, feature up to 3 or 4 jpeg photos and introduce yourself with a couple of sentences and a contact e-mail address.

GT Travel Award 2010

Next award � I believe that the deadline for receiving applications for the first award in 2010 is 30 April, but I will confirm ASAP once I have heard from the busy organisers J

Background – A member of Globetrotters Club and interested in winning a £1,000 travel award ? Know someone who fits these criteria ? We have up to two £1,000 awards to give out this year for the best independent travel plan, as judged by the club�s Committee.

See the legacy page on the club�s web site, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent, travel trip. If your idea catches our eye we’ll take a closer look at what you�re proposing !!

Web sites to muse about travel to:-

From Francesca Jaggs re the oil company Chevron & the indigenous peoples of Ecuador – http://www.avaaz.org

From Matt Doughty after visiting the Adventure Travel Show in London at the end of January:-

sarah outen – round the world solo rower… http://www.sarahouten.co.uk

Ali Hendessi from Kootch Adventure talks knowledgeably about Iran http://www.kootch-adventure.com/

Leigh Purnell – round the world in a black cab http://www.itsonthemeter.com/

Riyals to Kwatcha

Need to convert a currency ?

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.

Welcome to eNewsletter December 2009

Hello all,

Welcome to the final eNewsletter for 2009 As I’ve sat putting this edition together, it struck me that there’s quite a lot to tell you about – from headline news, to busy branch meetings and through to the regular features. It’s good to have a steady stream of news & events to talk about, even though it can sometimes be a mixed set that I have to pass on, namely that:-

Unfortunately Anne Mustoe, intrepid round the world cyclist and well received Globetrotters’ speaker, has died after a short illness whilst travelling through the Middle East. The Times newspaper wrote this quite detailed article about Anne’s life, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6935356.ece, but many of us remember her, more personally talking about finishing her career as a head teacher and setting out on a new life of travel. From her first journey & a very different learning, through to speaking as a seasoned & outgoing presenter, Anne came across to her audiences as someone who thoroughly enjoyed finding out about the world.

During February 2010 the following travel writing and photography celebration, http://www.travellerstalesfestival.com/, is being held at the Royal Geographical Society in London – various ticket prices will gain you access to a wider range of talks, workshops, films & debates but be aware there is limited availability.

Also a quick reminder that during February & March 2010 The Destinations Holiday & Travel Show is being held at London & Birmingham�see http://www.destinationsshow.com/ for further details

Regular artist & club member Karen Neale is exhibiting her latest watercolours at Southwark cathedral in London�see her web site for more details – http://www.karenneale.co.uk/ . A few of the London members visited Karen on her opening day and got to enjoy some very familiar pictures of London, along with some more unexpected views. If you can call into the cathedral refectory between now and the end of January 2010, as there’s plenty to stimulate your senses.

The German Globetrotters Club (dzg) has published a timetable of almost all globetrotter gatherings in 2010 on their website: www.globetrotter.org. Everybody can download it free of charge. Contact Christel Loock finanzen@globetrotter.org for more details, including advertising any meetings not already listed.

That’s all for now – thank you for all your contributions this year…I shall be quiet for a few weeks now, as I’m heading back to South America – this time with the aim of crossing from Mendoza in Argentina through to Lima in Peru. Hopefully I won’t experience the adventures Mac describes but I should have plenty to write about. Enjoy Christmas & the New Year, in whichever way you to choose to celebrate and happy travelling to you all�

The Ant

theant@globetrotters.co.uk

November & December’s meeting news from the London branch

November’s very entertaining speakers were:-

Mark Smith — “The Man in Seat61”. Mark worked in various roles within the rail industry for many years and started his own website www.seat61.com as a hobby – it has proved so successful that it has now become a full time job ! The website aims to help people who want to travel by train or ship and get all the information they need to do this from one source. Since it was set up in 2001 in has won many awards, including: Wanderlust Top Travel Website in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and First Choice Responsible Tourism Award in 2006. Mark has since written a book based on the development & stories of his very original website.

Joff Summerfield — Pennyfarthing World tour. On his 3rd attempt after two and half years on the road and over 2,000 miles, Joff completed his “world journey” in November 2008 on a Penny Farthing cycle ! Through his talk Joff shared his unusual journey, with Globetrotters, which took him through Europe, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, China, Tibet, India, USA and Canada. Many of the audience were particularly intrigued by how he mounts the back & copes over difficult terrain without brakes or gears.

See Joff’s website http://www.pennyfarthingworldtour.com for more details.

December’s speakers were quite different in their stories:-

Neil Rees – From Chesham, Bucks to Chesham, New Hampshire. Returning speaker Neil journeyed to his hometown’s namesake in USA, whilst on a trip to North America and in his entertaining style Neil enlightened us on the similarities & differences between the two Cheshams.

Rob Lilwall – Cycling the extremes. Travelling alone & by bicycle through the thick jungles of Papua New Guinea and the lonely passes of Afghanistan, Rob returned to Globetrotters to this time focus on these two of most exciting & dangerous parts of his 30,000 mile cycling home from Siberia expedition.

See Rob’s website www.cyclinghomefromsiberia.com for more details.

And now for something a little more personal J Here are some of the London Globies at The Sun Tavern after December’s meeting�considering all manner of topics. Thank you to all of them for another enjoyable meeting and credit to Tony Annis for producing the photos�

Figure 1 : Peter & Tracey considering…

Figure 2 : Listening or watching ?

Figure 3 : Globies & technology !

Figure 4 : Francesca mid food�

Details of the London branch’s forthcoming meetings, September 2009 through to July 2010, can be found at http://globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon10it.html

November meeting news from the Chester branch

Saturday the 14^th November saw the first meeting of the Chester Globetrotters Club now held bi-monthly at the Grosvenor Museum on Saturday afternoons. After introducing the benefits of the society, Kevin Brackley, from Globetrotters London branch [and the club’s organising committee], related his exploits in Laos and his travel by local transport to visit some of the fascinating sights of the country.

Later this was followed by Kevin Jones, who travelled overland to the Middle East as part of a two man photographic team. His journey, which covered 25,000 kms throughout the Arab peninsula and took six months to complete, was the subject of the slide show as well as the book he has written entitled “Inshallah, Odyssey to the Middle East”.

See http://www.telemationpublishing.co.uk/books.htm for more details of Kevin’s journey.

Next meeting details…

The next meeting on Saturday 30^th January 2010 at the Grosvenor Museum, Chester will include:-

“National Parks of the USA & Canada.” An illustrated talk by Kevin Jones on his 3 months photographic tour

“Croatia, the Mediterranean as it used to be”. Vic Blundell will give a slide show about the sights that make this currently one of the most popular holiday destinations on the Adriatic Sea.

Contact Angela or Hanna for further information of this and future events at Chester via email at chesterbranch@globetrotters.co.uk

Meeting news from Ontario

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

Write in (1)�Top reads by Matt Doughty

After enjoying a number of different writers listing out their Top Ten Writer’s Read in recent editions of the Geographical magazine, http://www.geographical.co.uk, I thought I’d attempt my own list. Most are travel orientated and most have been reread more than a few times J I’m not sure whether there’s any other common themes – probably it’s a mix of enjoying their writing styles or having travelled to the locations talked about.

The Sinbad Voyage by Tim Severin, published by Hutchinson & Co. One of my first travel reads – a very boy’s own adventure but it fired my imagination about what travel could show me, crucially as at sixteen I had not even been out of England. Tim totally immerses himself & his team into different cultures & peoples, whilst realising a fantastic project from start to finish. His writing style depicts the joy of travelling itself – from planning, through the journey and onto a wider world that he has not seen before.

The Last Grain Race by Eric Newby, published by Picador. Newby, one of the first modern era travel writers, talks about his time spent on the four masted steel barque Moshulu’s last voyage in the Australian grain trade in the 1930s. Its sea journey feels hard, uncomfortable – as Eric stumbles his way around the globe as a novice deckhand. Whilst I found his technical sailing difficult to follow at times, I did undertake a couple of my own ship journeys…aboard the Malcolm Miller around the Canary Islands & aboard the Soren Larsen down to New Zealand. After those journey I understood more about his adventure and how other worldly being away from land for days can be and yet how much camaraderie can develop in such a confined space.

Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene, published by The Bodley Head. Unusually a fiction that grabbed my attention and whilst not an out & out travel story, it does use travel to expand the lives of the two main characters as they cross Franco’s Spain. Eminently readable and quite intimate in the development of friendship that was freed from limitations by being on the road.

A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines by Anthony Bourdain, published by Bloomsbury Publishing. It is Bourdain’s account of his world travels — from the perspective of eating exotic local dishes and trying to experience life as a native in each country. The book was recommended to me by a friend and appealed to one of my reasons for travelling…the enjoyment of different tastes and foods, though many of Bourdain’s ingredients wouldn’t pass my lips !

Long Way Round by Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, published by Little Brown Book Group. Probably like most, I watched the TV program and then indulged in the book – their journey around the globe is a simple premise itself but I think the appeal lies in it being a motorbike journey by two friends, who despite their star studded lives, encounter similar travel ups & downs to many of us who set out on some trip. Particularly resonating is Ewan reminding himself more than once that he has to leave behind his London suspicions & scepticisms towards strangers & difference circumstances.

Annapurna, The first 8000 meter Peak by Maurice Herzog, published by Dutton. I bought this mountaineering epic at the Pilgrims Bookshop in Thamel, next door to the Kathmandu Guest house – I wanted to anticipate my forthcoming trek up to South Annapurna Base Camp. Little did I realise Herzog would cause so much controversy after he returned to France in the early 1950s…many critics and colleagues have since accused him of playing up his singular role at the expense of the other expedition members.

Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simon, published by Penguin Books Ltd. After Long Way round I finally got round to reading this now classic…Its very intense & detailed in reflecting his experiences, particularly around his time in Africa and California – Ted manages to convey his daily life around his motorbike and their interactions through the world they pass through.

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee, published by W. W. Norton & Company. Second time around I thoroughly enjoyed Lee’s account of travelling from his ‘Cider with Rosie’ rural upbringing on to a quite different & more complex world…his travels through England are unusual and talk of an England I’ve never known. Lee’s writing is very open and I found I recognised much in his sense of heading up to London & beyond..

A time of gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor, published by John Murray (Publishers). Another classic that I’d heard of but knew nothing about ! What fascinates me is not only his descriptions in travelling in the 1930s but the historical backdrop Patrick is passing through, as Europe heads to war. Fermor is another who leaves behind a way of life I’ll never experience and two more volumes await me as he completes his epic walk to Istanbul.

Join the Globetrotters Club

� UK – 1 year £15.00, 2 year £28.00 , 3 year £39.00

� Worldwide – 1 year £18.00, 2 year £34.00, 3 year £48.00

There is also a growing list of retailers who provide club members with discounts on a range of products – these are listed in each edition of Globe.

Click here to join & become a Globetrotter or contact membership@globetrotters.co.uk for more information.

Write in (3)�feedback & comments from eNewsletter readers, as told to The Ant

feedback & comments from eNewsletter readers, as told to The Ant

Dear Sir,
I read the article by Tony Annis and was impressed by its information and astute observations about cycle touring in New Zealand. Just one or two points. By far the best guide to cycling in New Zealand is a local, reasonably-priced, guide called Peddler’s Paradise, www.paradise-press.co.nz I also run a free non-affiliated website for cycle touring in NZ www.cycletour.co.nz

Your own website is excellent.

Cheers,

David Stillaman, New Zealand
Re article “Write in (3)…Peter Gostelow is off again !” from the August 2009 eNewsletter

Author : Henry J. Reitz

Email : shellmanhenry@sbcglobal.net

Peter. . .As we say in California, ‘You made my booty squeese’. I like your spirit and enjoyed the photography. I am also a Globetrotter with 85 countries to my credit and four circles of the globe. There were many photos I recognized as places I have been to and especially liked the ones up the Indus valley and the beauty of the inhabitants. . .Credit to Alexander.

Please enjoy Namibia, it is truly a last frontier and some of the nicest people you will ever meet…That is where I grew up and ran away from as a kid in 1958 to become a ‘Trotter’.

Be safe, my spirit is with you

The Globetrotters eNewsletter

Mac says�

Regular contributor Mac ruminates on the world of travel & some of his adventures along the way

This time round he’s recalling Peru, via a few anecdotes:-

One time employees of the US State Department chartered a plane for a sightseeing holiday in Peru. As they needed more to fill plane they allowed some non employees to go at a reasonable price. Two of us from AFRH went. When we got to Cuzco my friend from the home got sick in the middle of the night from the altitude and all he could say was “Mac Oxygen”. I ran to the desk and hollared oxygen and they summed up situation immediately and brought oxygen giving him a gulp at a time. When he came to I said Hampton (his name) if you had died I didn’t know how I was going to get you down from this Mountain and back to the home. So I told him I was going to tell that his dying words were that he wanted to be buried up here with the Indians.
At the airport leaving Peru a couple that worked for Blue Cross who we had became friends with were having some Inca Cola when she decided she wanted to look at the jewellery in display. She was a tall stunning blonde and wore a fancy shawl over her shoulders. They brought a card with jewellery on it and one piece got caught. It was then explained to me that the vendor called over the police and they arrested our friends for stealing jewellery. I went up to the pilot and explained what happened – they said they already knew as the Embassy had phoned them. They took her to one jail where there were some prostitutes that had been picked up and took him to a different jail. The lady allegedly “jewel thief” later said that the prostitutes were very nice and sympathized with her. The couple when they did get out of jail had to pay their own way back to the States etc. They got even with Peru though as they wrote up in detail about the incident and it was published in the Seven Day Adventist paper to warn tourists to skip looking at the jewellery at the airport !
Another on the trip told me that one time before she had been in Peru and a nice dressed gentleman struck up a conversation with her as she was waiting for a taxi. He offered to help her and she turned away and the diplomatic gentleman and her luggage were gone…Ha.

Write in (2)�The Adventure Travel Show, London by Dick Curtis

Long time club member and London branch stalwart Dick Curtis informed the December meeting that The Adventure Travel Show is changing format once again for 2010. This time round the original owners will be hosting the show at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Victoria, London – over the weekend of 29-31 January 2010.

See http://www.adventureshow.co.uk/ for more details including ticket prices and programme details.

Additionally Dick is looking to organise a group of members to stage a travel advisors stand at the show, with the organisers’ blessing. As in previous years we get space to offer non partisan travel advice, tips & stories to would be travellers as they try to make sense of all the information the show offers. Many members have spent time huddled around a map discussing a round the world route with a member of the interested public – its almost as fun as going yourself ! So if you’re interested in being part of Dick’s team either get in touch with him directly or send me an email at theant@globetrotters.co.uk

Help wanted

From Tiannah Viechweg at Twenty Twenty TV:-

Hi,

We are currently making a programme for Channel 4 in which we are following 4 families on their travels. At the moment we would really like to get one more on board. Through the films we hope to highlight just how rewarding, educational and most importantly possible it is to go travelling with the kids. I am trying to get in touch with families planning a gap break ideally for 3 months or more.

Our hope is that the programmes will inspire more parents thinking about this kind of trip to actually take the plunge and get involved around the world. We also want to highlight the positives of this kind of experience has on a family unit and the educational benefit for children. Each family

would be left with a unique travel-log of their journey.

We don’t plan to be with the family the entire time but would provide them with a small camera to record the events with us dropping in at certain key points along the way, because this is an observational series we feel that this is the best way for each of the families to really own the films. Each family will also get the opportunity to watch the programme before they air.

I am trying to spread the hunt for families as wide as possible, as you can imagine it’s a bit of a needle in a haystack trying to find people so any help at all would be greatly appreciated. If you know of anyone planning anything at all then I would love to hear from them. Please let me know your thoughts.

Tiannah Viechweg

Twenty Twenty Television

0207 284 2020

Visit our website at http://www.twentytwenty.tv

� From Glen & Lois Pattison in Canada:-

my wife and I have just completed “the world” of travel, A to Z. It has taken us 30 years and about 100 countries but we have recently completed the alphabet (no X) and wonder if there’s a club anywhere that might have formed with that goal in mind.

Regards

glpattison@telus.net

Write for the eNewsletter

Start a branch�

If any Globetrotters member would like to start a branch, whether it is in Aberdeen or Zanzibar, see our FAQ or contact our Branch Liaison Officer via our web site at Meeting FAQ.

GT Travel Award 2009

Next award – the closing date for the next award is 31 October 2009, so get those applications in as soon as you can !

See the legacy page on the club’s web site, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent, travel trip. If your idea catches our eye we’ll take a closer look at what you’re proposing !!

Web sites to muse about travel to:-

Web sites to muse about travel to

from Francesca Jaggs – looking into saving travellers money – http://articles.mercola.com
from Francesca Jaggs about different travelling expeditions – http://www.pioneerexpeditions.com/
rom Travel Mole, reporting on Frommer’s Top Ten Destinations, December 2009 – http://www.travelmole.com/

Welcome to eNewsletter October 2009

Hello all,

I�m back from a very enjoyable trip to the Bordeaux region of France where we managed to catch an almost a perfect week of sunshine, fine food, excellent wine tastings and some challenging mountain bike rides. Ile de R� http://www.holidays-iledere.co.uk/ made for a relaxing weekend by the coast before we headed inland, towards St Foy le Grande and a friend�s converted barn. It was an excellent escape throughout and the only mishap came as I slid off my bike as I sped too cockily round a gravel covered corner � I was very quickly reminded about the foolishness of not concentrating at all times J

Compared with my gentle trip though, eNewsletter readers & contributors have been very busy themselves during the last month or so…planning and organising travel on a wider, more adventurous scale:-

Jennifer Barclay who first went to South Korea in 2000 and travelled around the country for three months before writing MEETING MR KIM: OR HOW I WENT TO KOREA AND LEARNED TO LOVE KIMCHI, published last year. This year, in late September, she went back and was able to visit Jeju Island (Jeju-do), south of the mainland — and had an unexpected encounter with the famous diving women � her article below, Write in (1), is an excellent & personal account.
The club itself has new branch starting up in Chester (UK), enthusiastically organised by Hanna Bastiaansen and actively supported by the Committee…see Write in (2) for further details of its first meeting
travel shows in London are getting ready for their busy season in the New Year and the first to come to our attention is perhaps one of the largest – Destinations� details are listed below in Write in (3)

That�s all for now � thank you for all your contributions this time round…I�ve even been able to keep a few interesting items back for the next edition. Keep travelling & keep writing…

The Ant

theant@globetrotters.co.uk

October meeting news from the London branch

After this year�s Annual General meeting we were straight into two very different and equally enthralling talks � our first at the newly refurbished Church of Scotland�which is now a lot more welcoming to visitors !

Lois Pryce – Lois on the Loose – Alaska to Ushuaia, Solo by motorcycle.

Lois Pryce left her job at the BBC to ride her motorcycle from Alaska to the tip of South America, alone � this talk was about what happened along the way and what drives her. See Lois�s web site for fuller details of this trip and what she�s been up to since – www.loisontheloose.com.

Dan Bachmann -The Karamojong: Forgotten Tribes

As the club�s winner of the first 2009 travel award, Dan spoke enthusiastically about �On a far corner of Uganda live the Karamojong – a group of people who live by a unique culture that has existed for hundreds of years, but they now face the influence of the outside world coming from multiple angles. This talk will leave you hanging about the fate of these people where the modern world is as much as a threat to existence as a key to survival.�

Details of the London branch�s forthcoming meetings, September through to December 2009, can be found at http://globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon10it.html

The London branch 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, contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the web site: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

Meeting news from Ontario

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

The Ontario branch 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.

Write in (1)�WHERE�S THE CATCH ? LUNCH WITH THE WOMEN DIVERS OF JEJU ISLAND

By Jennifer Barclay, author of Meeting Mr Kim: Or How I Went to Korea and Learned to Love Kimchi (www.authorsites.co.uk/jenniferbarclay) October 2009

The morning air is humid and salty, the sea calm, a silvery blue. The beach is so close I can�t resist a swim. As I turn towards Jungmun, where dunes covered in lush green foliage trail down to a soft pale sand beach, I spot the diving women like seals in their black wetsuits, out in the ocean off the sharp black rocks, visible by the orange buoys from which they suspend the catch. They come up for air every couple of minutes, then dive back down again. One is walking up to shore, carrying a heavy net sack filled with shellfish on her back.

The haenyeo, or women divers, have been diving for abalone, sea urchins, sea snails and other seafood here on South Korea�s Jeju Island for over three centuries. While the men went to sea in fishing boats, women learned to dive, sometimes from the age of six. It�s a dying culture, however. There are still 5,000 women divers in Jeju, but their average age is 65; young women are no longer learning the skills required to dive all day without oxygen tanks to depths of ten metres or more.

Although I visited the haenyeo museum, I didn�t expect to see the female divers themselves, just around the corner from my hotel. I came to Jeju to walk in the lava tubes and up the dormant volcano of Hallasan, both UNESCO world heritage sites. The forest-covered national park covers a large part of the island and is Korea�s biggest ecological treasure. Semi-tropical Jeju, the biggest of the islands and known as the Hawaii of Korea, has a population of half a million, and has been a self-governing province since 2007. Popular with visitors from China and Japan � and Philippinos, who come here to see snow in the winter � it is barely known to the west, and yet English is widely spoken. �We love having you here� say signs in English everywhere. Except for July and August, the beaches are practically empty, while activities include walking the coastal paths, golfing, horse riding and attractions such as the �humorous theme park� Love Land.

Meanwhile, in spite of all this twenty-first century activity, the haenyeo divers survive mainly through their wits and the strength of their communities. In the old days they would build a shelter and a fire, and in the evenings the older women would pass on their skills to the younger women. Although wetsuits have replaced the cotton suits they used to wear (with adjustable buttons for diving when pregnant), they still dive without breathing apparatus, going down ten to twenty metres for one or two minutes. Surfacing, they let out a whistle-like shriek to exhale the carbon dioxide and take in oxygen for a minute before diving again.

These incredibly strong women haul in their catch on the rocks, then still dressed in wetsuits they�ll hustle in a good-humoured way for customers here by the beach. Go In-ho is the oldest haenyeo in this community. She started at fifteen years old, and has been diving for seventy years. She looks hale and hearty.

�If my health stays good,� she says, �I�ll keep going for another five years.� For eight days she works here, and for eight days she works in the barley fields. Jeju-do cannot grow rice and its fields are protected from fierce storms by dry-stone walls built with volcanic rocks. The island is known for its �three plenties�: wind, rock and women. The men didn�t always come home from fishing on the treacherous seas around Japan and Russia.

Tables are set out right by the water�s edge, and several customers are already eating and drinking at 10 a.m. One of the haenyeo in a heavily patched and darned wetsuit takes a fish from a bucket, de-scales it and slices it up with a sharp knife, cleaning the board with a hose. She pulls out an octopus, hacks off the black ink sack and puts it in a pot on a little stove. Here�s your locally sourced food, freshly prepared � it doesn�t get much fresher. The chef�s kitchen is right here at your feet. Having served the food she takes the banknotes and stuffs them into the diving mask on her head.

We sit down, and Go In-ho gives us a plate of whelks, which Dami shows me how to wind out of their shells using a toothpick.

In the UK we�ve got perfectly accustomed to eating sashimi when it�s cut into soft pink and white squares, but Korean raw fish restaurants always look more like pet shops, piled with bubbling tanks where odd-looking creatures lurk and writhe. The fish in the tubs here, meanwhile, barely notice they�re out of the water before they�re chopped up and on a plate. We take a small snapper, which comes still with skin and a few little bones, but Koreans aren�t fussy about that. And we eat white slices of raw squid head with sesame oil.

I�ve vowed to be adventurous on this trip. I look into the tank and can�t bear to ask for the octopus, although I love it. Koreans eat baby octopus while it�s still alive, which seems unnecessarily cruel to me (�Yes, but very tasty,� according my guide). No, it�s time to conquer my fear of one of Korea�s favourite seafoods: sea cucumber, which looks like a big fat spiky caterpillar.

I try not to watch as In-ho squats on her haunches, grabs a sharp knife and firmly chops up the little black creature, removing its white insides. And suddenly there it is, plated up on the table. I daub a piece liberally with hot sauce. It�s a bit like oyster, really. Once you get over the idea of it, it�s like eating a raw taste of the ocean. Not bad at all. And when you think it�s been caught by a woman who�s been free-diving for seventy years, you feel like a bit of a wuss being squeamish.

According to the folk rites, Yeongdeung Halmang, the guardian goddess, visits Jeju-do on the first day of the second lunar month to sow the seeds of the sea creatures, and every year shamans still perform ceremonies here. Although in many ways South Korea is more advanced and prosperous than much of Europe (the most connected country in the world with the fastest broadband, a subway system in Seoul where you can use your mobile phone), they are fiercely proud of their traditional heritage. So it is sad that women are no longer learning to dive, although I�m sure there are easier ways to earn a living. I go for my swim and wonder what it�s like in a wintry storm.

Join the Globetrotters Club

UK – 1 year £15.00, 2 year £28.00 , 3 year £39.00
Worldwide – 1 year £18.00, 2 year £34.00, 3 year £48.00

There is also a growing list of retailers who provide club members with discounts on a range of products � these are listed in each edition of Globe.

Click here to join & become a Globetrotter or contact membership@globetrotters.co.uk for more information.

Write in (3)�The Times presents Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show

Destinations, the UK�s favourite holiday and travel show is back at Earls Court (4-7 February 2010). Now in its 16th year, the Show provides travel inspiration and a wealth of choice for those looking to plan their next escape. Whether looking to venture a little further off the beaten track, or simply after inspiration on new ways to discover new places, Destinations offers everything from short breaks to awe-inspiring holidays such as round-the-world trips and life-changing career breaks.

Those tired of being armchair adventurers � viewing the world through the television, books or the internet �can head down to the event to meet travel companies face to face, have a chat with expert advisers and even tailor-make their next trip.

There are hundreds of travel ideas for all tastes and budgets, many with exclusive show offers. Is it time to do something different? Why not experience the spirituality in the mountains of Italy�s Valle d�Aosta, trek up Kilimanjaro, or lounge on a tropical Thai beach? Whether travelling solo, as a couple, family or group, there�s something to suit everyone at the Show.

Highlights include the Meet the Expert Theatres. The theatres feature travel personalities including: top explorers, adventurers, writers and photographers giving first-hand accounts of legendary journeys of adventure that will fire the imagination.

Speakers already confirmed for Destinations London include John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor and Rebecca Stephens, the first British woman to climb Everest & The Seven Summits. John Simpson will be recalling how he spent the early part of 2009 taking part in the BBC programme Top Dogs: Adventures in War, Sea and Ice. Speakers at Destinations Birmingham include Mark Cawardine, zoologist, environmentalist, writer, BBC TV presenter and wildlife photographer.

London Show

Ticket Prices: £10 in advance, £12 on the door

Venue: Earls Court 1, Warwick Road, London SW5 9TA

Telephone: +44 (0)871 230 7141

Opening Times:

Thursday 4 February 2010 10am – 8.30pm (late night from 5pm)

Friday 5 February 2010 10am – 5.30pm

Saturday 6 February 2010 10am – 5.30pm

Sunday 7 February 2010 10am – 5.30pm

Birmingham Show

Ticket Prices: £8 in advance, £10 on the door

Venue: NEC, Birmingham

Telephone: +44 (0)871 230 7141

Opening Times:

Friday 5 March 2010 10am � 5pm

Saturday 6 March 2010 10am � 5pm

Sunday 7 March 2010 10am � 5pm

The Times is the official title sponsor of the shows. For further information, high resolution images or interviews, contact Laura Leveson, Smith & Monger Specialist PR and Marketing Consultants Ltd.

T: 0208 964 6744 Laura Leveson laura@smithandmonger.com or Rhona Templer rhona@smithandmonger.com

Mac says�

Regular contributor Mac ruminates on the world of travel & some of his adventures along the way

This time round he�s busy off finding more articles & trivia for us to enjoy over the coming winter months. Come back soon for more meanderings�

Write in (2)� Chester, UK, now has a new Globetrotters Club organised by Hanna Bastiaansen

We are delighted to announce that our new branch of the Globetrotters Club in Chester will have its inaugural club meeting on Saturday 14th November 2009. The meeting will take place at The Grosvenor Museum, 25-27 Grosvenor Street, Chester, Cheshire, Ch3 2DD. The museum is just a 15 minute walk from the Chester railway station or you can catch the free bus into the city from the station by showing your rail ticket. See http://www.visitchester.com for more details of how to find the museum.

The meeting will be starting at 1.30pm, with the doors opening at about 1pm. After a brief introduction about the club the meeting will run as follows:-

Kevin Brackley, long term club member and current Membership Secretary, will talk about a recent journey he made to Laos and South East Asia
There will be an interval for tea, coffee and time to chat
After the break we will have a talk by Kevin Jones about a journey through the Middle East made in the seventies

Entry will be £2 and it includes coffee and tea.

For more information contact Hanna Bastiaansen who is running the Chester branch by email on ChesterBranch@globetrotters.co.uk

Help wanted from Ellie Dell’Aglio – Heart of Brazil Exhibition at the Penny School Gallery.

This is just a reminder that the Heart of Brazil Exhibition is on at the Penny School Gallery, Richmond Road, Kingston upon Thames, Tuesday to Saturday 11.00 to 4.00, until the 21st November.

Sue Cunningham will be giving talks in the evenings of the 22nd October, 2nd and 19th November from 7.00 to 8.30pm.

Emily will be playing her composition ‘Into the Amazon’ live on the evenings of the 21st October and the 11th November, 7.00 to 8.30pm, when Sue will also be at the gallery.

These events are free of charge, but there will be an opportunity buy one of the prints, to make a donation to Tribes Alive/Indigenous People’s Cultural Support Trust or just enjoy a glass of wine

Contact for further details – ellie@anglobraziliansociety.org

Write for the eNewsletter

Start a branch�

If any Globetrotters member would like to start a branch, whether it is in Aberdeen or Zanzibar, see our FAQ or contact our Branch Liaison Officer via our web site at Meeting FAQ.

GT Travel Award 2009

Next award � the closing date for the next award is 31 October 2009, so get those applications in as soon as you can !

Web sites to muse about travel to:-

from Tony Annis � the Anglo Brazilian Society in the UK can be found at http://www.anglobraziliansociety.org/

from Jennifer Barclay � African Bew Ha Ha…A Tea Tour through Britain and Africa in Search of the Ultimate Cuppa at http://www.abhaha.com/

from Mac � a Blog on how to go backpacking around the world, budget travel, gap year travel advice and many helpful travel related articles at http://www.travmonkey.com/

Welcome to eNewsletter September 2009

Hello all,

Now that we�re into a new season of the London Globetrotter�s branch meetings, its time for quite a catch up as there�s plenty happening travel wise at the moment. In the articles below you can see who our first speakers were at the London September meeting, you can enjoy feedback readers, you can enter a competition, you can learn more about the Cook Islands and Mac takes us on a shopping trip for those on a budget ! You can also log on to the club�s web site, www.globetrotters.co.uk, to discover the forthcoming program of speakers in 2009/2010.

Hot off the press – for those of you that might be interested & inspired there are two items of news regarding round the world cyclist Mark Beaumont. The first is that Mark is off on a new adventure�this time he�s journeying across the Americas �see http://www.markbeaumontonline.com/ for details. And secondly it seems that Mark no longer holds the record for cycling round the world�Londoner James Bowthorpe has claimed that honour � see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8264580.stm for further details !

That�s all for now as I�m trying to get ready for a brief trip to south west France � we�re off looking for some late autumn sun and a chance to ride mountain bikes in new surroundings. I�ll see you in October, hopefully with some interesting tales & no mishaps. In the meantime keep sending me your articles, feedback and general comments�I tried to read and work with them all.

The Ant

theant@globetrotters.co.uk

September meeting news from the London branch

Emily Ainsworth – 2008 RGS/BBC Journey of Lifetime winner – The Romance of Reality: An Exploration of Mexico from the Inside Out, Travelling with a Family Circus

In 2008, Emily Ainsworth, a 22-year-old Oxford graduate in English, ran away to the circus in Mexico. “No tigers here, because Humberto’s niece got eaten by one of them, but they do have an elephant which plays the harmonica. She’s decided that she doesn’t like me. She picked me up with her trunk, just like they do in cartoons, but instead of putting me on her head, she threw me in the mud and tried to stamp on me. I was very unimpressed. But I think she’s behaving badly because her tamer ran away the other night…” As Emily and the circus hopped from city to city, working through the night to pitch on the scrubby hinterlands, she learnt more about the role of transformation in the circus and the people who worked there. Characters included the female circus performer who danced her way through the evening shows, and then worked for her mothers’ quesadilla stall until the early hours, to fund her degree in international relations. For five generations audiences have paid their pesos to watch performers under the patched canvas of the Circo Padilla family’s tent. Emily was lucky enough to see what went on when the curtain fell and the lights went off.

See more details via http://www.rgs.org

Tracey Murray – From Bauhaus to Bastei, Travels in the former East Germany

Globetrotter�s very own Committee member Tracey Murray took us on a trip around the former Eastern Germany to visit a number of World Heritages sites and parks. Tracey described how easy it was to use buses, trains & cycles to view the many sites and showed us some excellent photos. I think we got to hear more interesting aspects about that region than we expected � Tracey obviously enjoyed the architecture, the surprisingly stunning national park scenery and even managed to sneak in references to local breweries & public houses. The audience were also impressed that Tracey put together this excellent talk at very short notice, as one of the booked speakers had to pull out at very short notice !

Details of the forth coming meetings at the London branch, September to December 2009, can be found at http://globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon10it.html

The London branch 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, contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the web site: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

Meeting news from Ontario

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

Write in (1a)�comments & feedback from eNewsletter reader Derek Clark Picture courtesy of Derek Clark : Perfect Pitch

Picture courtesy of Derek Clark : Perfect Pitch

Hi Ant

I’ve been receiving the newsletters for awhile now and thoroughly enjoy them.

I’m no globetrotter myself. I went to Switzerland three times in the early ’60’s and have been to Paris twice in the late ’90’s. I don’t like flying and find that I have no great desire to visit foreign parts although I have a vague plan to travel the Roman roads of Europe when my wife retires in four years time.

I am, however, very interested in the history of England and Wales and I travel about cycle camping. I am no great shakes as a photographer – I use my compact camera as a diary – but here is a photo from last year that won me a prize in the Perfect Pitch section of the Camping and caravan Club competition.

I hope that is of interest

cheers

Derek Clark

Write in (1b)�comments & feedback from eNewsletter reader Richard Stuttle

August 2009

Hello,

I am contacting you regarding Caroline�s Rainbow Foundation new website, we are re launching the site after six years in operation. We are registered UK charity working to raise awareness of the importance of safe travel to young people, whether they are going aboard for independent travel, gap years, organised tours or simply visiting a different country.

We established Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation after the tragic death of Caroline Stuttle in 2002 in Bundaberg Australia whilst travelling on her gap year. Aimed at young travellers, CRF works with the education sector, The Foreign Office and other organisations, trusts and charities to provide easy accessible and helpful information about safe travel. In particular the charity provides information about personal safety abroad and encourages young people to recognise and prioritise life�s values where ever they maybe in the world.

We are looking to give specific travel/personal safety information to a country or city in our Global Guide; other new features include podcasts and travel stories with safety tips, our �Time of Your Life� DVD and recorded presentations we give in schools and colleges to promote travel safety awareness and the importance of following your dreams.

The new layout for our site means that it is a great foundation for the expansion of travel safety information, the Global Guide will only grow, all our information has been gathered by researchers that have travelled to the places and experienced the culture and local customs. If you would like to contribute to the site in the way of personal and travel safety information please contact us.

Kind regards

Richard Stuttle

Founder

PO BOX 216

YORK

YO42 4WZ

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Write in (1c)�comments & feedback from eNewsletter reader & regular contributor Mac

Several things in the May 2009 Globetrotters E Mail Newsletter (besides what countries I liked, disliked etc Ha!) interested me. I would be interested in hearing other Globetrotters likes, dislikes etc..

Finding out from Jennifer Barclays visit to Tilos (Greek Island) and her telling that years ago Elephants, when water was shallow, came over from Africa to this island. They became smaller to adapt and they became just one half of a metre tall (I would like to know their diet). As I had just read Culture Shock, Saudi Arabia by Harvey Tripp and Peter North (which was excellent) it interested me that you get to hear of it in England and can see the TV series.

I am doing a lot of travel reading but not much travelling.

Thanks for remembering me. Mac

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Click here to join & become a Globetrotter or contact membership@globetrotters.co.uk for more information.

Write in (2)�Press Release: Cook Islands Travel Guide Now Online

The Cook Islands chapter from Moon Handbooks South Pacific is now online at http://cookislands.southpacific.org/

I updated the information during a visit to Rarotonga after the 2004 edition was published, so what�s on the web is more up to date than what�s in the printed book. The 125 pages of my Cook Islands Travel Guide contain 15 detailed island maps and town plans, plus dozens of photos and line drawings. Many of the pictures are from my most recent trip while others appeared in previous editions of my guidebook.

The material has been specially adapted for the internet and I removed guidebook-style details such as telephone and fax numbers which can be easily checked online. The accommodations listings are grouped according to price with six pages devoted to Rarotonga and four for Aitutaki, organized geographically.

There are clear maps of Aitutaki Atoll, Aitutaki Island, Arutanga, Atiu, Avarua, Mangaia, Manihiki, Manuae, Mauke, Mitiaro, Penrhyn, Pukapuka, Rarotonga, Suwarrrow, and the Cook Islands.

Navigation is easy with top and side menus, plus a full site map. Many of the maps are clickable to more detailed maps and the highlight pages are linked directly to specific references. A search box is also provided.

These features make the site as easy or easier to use than a printed book. This is the seventh of the 15 chapters from Moon Handbooks South Pacific to go online, after the Samoas, Niue, Pitcairn, Tokelau, and Wallis and Futuna.

contact@southpacific.org

Write in (3)��Around-The-World Travel Adventure Competition, Dates Set for 6th Annual Event That Crowns The World�s Greatest Travelers”

Vancouver � CANADA: Save the date for the 6^th annual around-the-world travel adventure competition that crowns The World�s Greatest Travelers. The world�s only open international travel adventure competition known as The Global Scavenger Hunt� that circles the global over three-weeks, is set to begin April 9^th, 2010, is now accepting applications for the 25 Team limited open competition slots.

What: The Global Scavenger Hunt is the annual around-the-world travel adventure competition that takes Teams on A Blind Date With The World� while performing culturally-oriented scavenges in off the beaten path destinations.

When: April 2010, over three-weeks between April 9^th and May 1^st. Teams will travel from the West Coast to the East Coast-�the long way!

Who: Limited to 25 Teams of two. Entry fee include all international airfare, First Class hotels, 40% of meals and special event gear. Travelers will be interviewed for suitability! Single travelers are welcome to apply. Travelers from 45 nations have previously applied for this truly international travel competition.

Prizes: The World�s Greatest Travelers� trophy and crown. Winners are invited back to defend their title for FREE.

Where: A circumnavigation of the globe that touches down in at least 10 countries; that may include: Peru, Brazil, Japan, China, Cambodia, India, Jordan, Morocco, Kenya, Portugal, Greece and Italy. (These are only potential 2010 countries as The Global Scavenger Hunt is truly A Blind Date With The World� for all its participants because travelers won�t know where they are going to until at least 3-hours prior to each departure.

Why: Bragging rights, trophy and Teams will be traveling 1 million kilometer to help raise the $1 million goal for ongoing charity micro-loans and elementary schools building programs in developing nations like: Kenya, Sri Lanka, Niger, Bolivia, Sierra Leone and Ecuador, among others.

How: For additional information visit GlobalScavengerHunt.com to apply, or call GreatEscape Adventures at 1.310.281.7809.

Press Contact: Pamela Finmark �310.281.7809 or mediarelations@GlobalScavengerHunt.com

Mac says�

Regular contributor Mac ruminates on the world of travel & some of his adventures along the way

This time round he consider where to find the best flea markets, via Gigi Guerra and Rachel Mosely, September 2009 in budget Travel Publication:-

MEXICO CITY – La Lagunilla

Cuban antiques and centuries-old religious relics can be snapped up for practically nothing at this 500-year-old Sunday market that is, inexplicably, still under the radar for most out-of-towners.

When: Sundays

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY – Trist�n Narvaja

Beneath the chaos of this Sunday event (think caged tarantulas and blaring music) lies order: Each corridor has a distinct specialty, like records, used books, or leather goods�three of the market’s strengths.

When: Sundays

MOSCOW – Izmailovsky Market

The hokey onion-domed fa�ades on this suburban weekend market belie the genuine treasures you’ll find here. Look for nesting matryoshka dolls, Soviet military regalia, and handmade Central Asian suzanis and rugs.

When: Saturdays and Sundays

PARIS – Porte de Vanves

Less touristy and much more affordable than the famous Clignancourt market, this weekend affair is stocked with choice tabletop pieces (like Pernod carafes and bistro ashtrays) worth digging for.

When: Saturdays and Sundays

S�O PAULO – Pra�a Benedito Calixto

Founded in 1987 by artists looking to sell their work, the Saturday Pra�a Benedito Calixto market has evolved to comprise an even split of the new and the old; delicately fashioned porcelain dishware sits next to piles of retired metal store signs.

When: Saturdays

ATHENS – Monastiraki Market

No Sunday in Athens is complete without a stroll through the narrow passageways of Monastiraki, where you can dig through piles of old coins and hand-painted icons�all with the Acropolis in view.

When: Sundays

BEIJING – Panjiayuan Market

The doors open at 4:30 a.m. at the chaotic weekend version of this daily bazaar, with more than 3,000 stalls displaying jade jewellery, ceramic teapots, and Mao posters.

When: Daily

BERLIN – Flohmarkt am Arkonaplatz

The stately canvas-and-wood stalls lining this square each Sunday house an assortment of melamine tableware, textiles with geometric patterns and glazed mid-century stoneware.

When: Sundays

BUENOS AIRES – San Telmo Market

Many of the embroidered textiles, estate jewellery, and chandeliers at this Sunday market in the city’s tango district were brought over by the waves of Italians who immigrated to Argentina in the past 150 years.

When: Sundays

CAIRO – Khan el-Khalili

Since the late 1300s, these dusty stone corridors have hosted an array of merchants with finely honed specialties: copperware, gold jewellery, and carpets, in particular. Now, new pieces mix in with antiques.

When: Daily

LISBON – Feira da Ladra

Known as the “Thieves’ Market,” it dates back to the 12th century, when stolen goods made up the bulk of the stock; today’s (legit) merchandise, set out Tuesdays and Saturdays, includes old cameras, stamp collections, leather-bound books, and transistor radios.

When: Tuesdays and Saturdays

LONDON – Portobello Road Market

The more than 1,000 dealers snaking up Notting Hill’s main thoroughfare every Saturday are (unofficially) divided by theme: Upper end for furniture and household wares and the lower for clothing and jewellery.

When: Sundays

Help wanted J

From Hubert Burgess:-

I will be travelling to Sydney AUS. from the 7th October till the 27th to the World Masters Games; any suggestions on reasonable accommodations?

Email your suggestions to hubertburgess19@gmail.com

Write for the eNewsletter

If you enjoy writing and travelling, why not write for the free Globetrotters eNewsletter! The Ant would love to hear from you: your travel stories, anecdotes, jokes, questions, hints and tips, or your hometown or somewhere of special interest to you. Over 14,000 people currently subscribe to the Globetrotter eNewsletter.

Start a branch�

If any Globetrotters member would like to start a branch, whether it is in Aberdeen or Zanzibar, see our FAQ or contact our Branch Liaison Officer via our web site at Meeting FAQ.

GT Travel Award 2009

Next award � the closing date for the next award is 31 October 2009, so get those applications in as soon as you can !

See the legacy page on the club�s web site, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent, travel trip and we’ll take a look at what your proposing !!

Web sites to muse about travel to:-

� From Paul Roberts:-

For commercially based assistance on visa & immigration related issues for those who want to move, travel and work overseas – www.globalvisas.com

� From Dick Curtis:-

Not strictly travel related but fun from a GT stalwart of many years – http://www.rugbynetwork.net/main/s96

Riyals to Kwatcha

Need to convert a currency ?

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.

Welcome to eNewsletter August 2009

Hello all,

You might have received an email from me recently – apologising for being very late with this latest edition…despite my tardiness I hope you enjoy what we’ve put together, as it’s a catch up from many different aspects of our travelling worlds. Summer in London and the wider country has been thoroughly enjoyable

This time round we have quite an eclectic mix included…a bumper catch up on the London branch’s activities, a special offer from Footprint books and news from Channel 4 & Peter Gostelow. We’ve also got an update on the club’s travel award for 2009, including the announcement of a winner and we catch up with regular Mac as he wanders to Tonga

One final item that I’d like to share with you. It is now over a year that Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary passed away and one of the many commemorations is an announcement that The Sir Edmund Hillary Medal will next be awarded in 2010. This medal was authorised by Sir Edmund and is a project of Mountain Legacy, a Nepalese non governmental organisation – it is awarded to those engaged in projects perennially constrained by limited funding, as way of offering crucial support. More details can be found at http://www.hillarymedal.com/, including a history and ways to get involved. A fitting tribute to a man and a country he was thrilled to be part of..

That’s all for now… your summers and feel free to send through your news, articles & anecdotes…we’re always looking for more to talk about

The Ant

theant@globetrotters.co.uk

June meeting news from the London branch by Padmassana

Luke Freeman – A Drovers view of Madagascar Luke’s talk was based on the time he spent with the cattle drovers, who take the long horned cattle from the highlands to markets on the coast. Cattle are currency in Madagascar, they can even be seen on the bank notes. These young men hope to earn enough from this hard existence to set themselves up in life. The Drovers carry only the basic’s, a blanket, polythene sheet which they use when it rains and as a shelter at night, cooking pot and some clothes. They buy food from markets along the way, though often end up having to pay for what their cattle steal from the same markets as well. As well as the obvious hardships, the Drovers also have to deal with local bandits, who raid villages. The Police also have check points where they check the cattle’s “Passports” and paperwork, each cow has its own document and woe betide the drovers if it doesn’t all match up. Luke is an Anthropologist and has come to the conclusion that in many ways the drovers of Madagascar are responsible for helping maintain the country’s cohesion and common language, despite the diverse ethnic make up of the country. One surprising fact about Madagascar is that its population eats more rice per person than any other country on the planet.

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3645594.stm for more details…

Our second speaker was Ed Gillespie whose talk was called “Around the World without the aluminium sausage!”. Ed set out to travel around the round with his girlfriend emitting as little carbon as possible. His original idea was to parody Phileas Fogg and go “RTW in 80 ways”, but he soon realised this would involve lots of animals! But in 381 days Ed managed to travel 45,000 miles via 31 countries emitting just 1.8 Tonnes of carbon. He left the UK by ship for Spain, then travelled across Europe by train to Moscow, across Russia to Irkutsk where his Scottish girlfriend was delighted to find Irn Bru being in a supermarket! Through China and then by cargo ship to Japan and Hong Kong, before resorting to buses on the backpacker routes through south east Asia. After a stop in New Zealand to visit his cousins, he travelled by rust bucket across the Pacific to Mexico and buses through Central America, before finding a container ship heading for Dover and home.

Ed is the founder of Futerra http://www.futerra.co.uk/

July meeting news from the London branch by Jacqui Trotter

For the end of the season London meeting, we had the traditional Members’ Slides to entertain us and this time around we had as many new speakers as returning favourites. All provided the audience with a varied range of excellent journeys and adventures, illustrated with some stunning photos:-

Eric Hayman : slides and memories about the extensive steam rail network in Ireland that he travelled in the 1960’s, often by hitching a ride with the driver. A wonderful insight into times gone by and the life of those who lived nearest to the tracks.

Delia Cardnell : A colourful glimpse of Delia’s trip to Vietnam and especially her interactions with the children and families she met there.

Jacek Obloj : These fascinating portraits from a trip to Morocco showed both Jacek’s interest in the human face but also a close up and intimate look at a colourful and varied people in black & white.

Suneel Kaur : A recent trip to India to visit the Jain temples near Bundi provided the subject for this presentation. History, culture and lots and lots of steps added to the attraction of this ‘off the tourist trail’ site.

Liz Cooper : Beautiful close-up photographs of the insects, birds and animals of Thai and English islands. A timely reminder that it is not always necessary to travel a long way to see beauty in nature.

Kevin Brackley : A trip to Sweden to practice his yoga gave Kevin a fine opportunity to explore the quirky sculpture & art that seems to litter the urban landscape of Stockholm. Who could miss the Shrek roof decoration or the stickered bin?

Nick Preston : Katoomba and the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia, was the source of Nick’s inspiration. Waterfalls, Adam Lindsay Gordon, the Three Sisters and lots of leafy bush spoke of sun and warmth and Nick’s love of travel.

Neil Harris : the Crimea. Florence Nightingale, the charge of the Light Brigade, Yalta, Soviet architecture, beaches and the Russian naval base whose lease is almost up, all came up for a mention. Once a favourite vacation spot for the elite of the USSR, the Crimea is now the summer escape for Ukrainians, with package tourism starting to discover that the beauty & history of the region i.e. a real selling point.

Details of the forth coming meetings at the London branch, September to December 2009, can be found at http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon09it1.html

The London branch 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, contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

Meeting news from Ontario

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

The Ontario branch 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.