Vacation Dreams

Category: Sidebar

  • Tibetan Women's Uprising

    If you were in London on March 12th,
    you may have joined the Tibet Vigil for prayers and speeches from 5pm
    to 7pm opposite the Chinese Embassy in Portland Place.

    This special vigil was in memory of 3,000 women who met
    in Lhasa in 1959 and the many thousands of women including nuns who are
    still suffering or in prison for declaring that Tibet should be free and
    refusing to denounce the Dalai Lama.

    There are regular weekly meetings in London to protest
    on behalf of Tibetans. For details, call +44 (0) 208 771 1822 ore-mail or see the web site:www.tibet-vigil.org.uk

  • Chernobyl

    The United Nations last week identified Chernobyl
    as being an eco-tourism venue of the future. Wildlife has started to
    come back to the area after the terrible radioactive contamination.
    Moose, red deer, beavers and lynx have all been spotted in the woods
    along with flowers and birds. Would you go?

  • Not to be Seen Dead In?

    The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
    in the UK is advising against all travel to Afghanistan, Iraq,
    Pakistan, Tajikistan and Yemen until further notice. Reprisals are
    also feared against Western travellers in other parts of the world
    including the Chechen Republic, East Timor, Indonesia, Macedonia,
    Somalia, the West Bank and parts of Albania.

    FCO Website.

  • Machu Picchu

    According to Alt Wire OmPlace, bad news could come
    to Machu Picchu. There is a proposal to build a funicular from Aguas
    Calientes to Machu Picchu to make the site more accessible and
    increase the average visitor rate from 2000 to 8000/day. UNESCO and
    other groups are lobbying to block the construction, which would cut
    a swath of rainforest down the mountain significantly deteriorating
    the view. Anyone remember the Celestine Prophecy? Source: omplace.com/

  • London's Wobbly Bridge is Open!

    Yes, the Millennium Bridge is open once again! It
    is the first pedestrian river crossing in London for over 100 years.
    The 325 metre bridge links St. Paul's Cathedral on the north bank
    of the River Thames to the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe
    Theatre on the south side of the river. Its taken 20 months and
    £5m ($7.5m) to add industrial strength shock absorbers to make
    the wobbly bridge walkable. But it is open, and despite the
    exceedingly inclement weather (hailstones and bone chilling wind),
    the Beetle and Padmassana made the crossing the day after re-opening
    in search of fish and chips at the local pub nearby!

  • Globetrotter Travel Award

    Under 24? A member of Globetrotters Club?
    Interested in a £1,000 travel award?

    Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award
    each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel
    plan. Interested?

    Then see our 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!!

  • Fave Websites of the Month

    The travel company part owned by Sir Bob
    Geldof:

    deckchair.com/

  • Travel Tips

    Putting a backpack in a large rice sack or
    specially made nylon sack is a great way of not only tidying away the
    handles, but also deterring potential thieves.

    Got any travel tips for the Beetle?
    Then e-mail them to: the
    Beetle

  • Request for Help with Food Survey

    Holly, originally from Austin, Texas but now
    living in Newfoundland is hoping that readers of the e-newsletter may
    be able to help her research for her doctoral thesis. Her thesis
    explores the ways in which individuals experience food as part of
    travel in Atlantic Canada.

    Holly has a short survey that anyone who has
    visited any of Canada's Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Nova
    Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador) can
    complete. There's also a web page that people can
    have a look at to find out more about her project, if they wish or,
    you can email Holly with any questions. To contact Holly for
    preliminary questions, and returning any completed surveys, is drpepper@warp.nfld.net

    Interview topics may include: 1) food choices at
    home and while travelling; 2) lifestyle considerations influencing
    food preferences; 3) extent of travel experience; 4) and expectations
    of travel. The data obtained from interviews and observation will
    form the basis of the thesis, and may also be used in published
    articles and/or book chapters, class lectures and public
    presentations. Anonymity will be maintained for any participants who
    wish it.

  • The Seychelles in a Nutshell

    The Seychelles are in the Indian Ocean, 1,000
    miles away from the African coast and the island of Mauritius. The
    capital is Victoria on the largest island of Mahe (17 miles by 5
    miles) and they are about 11 hours flying time from London.

    They consist of 115 tropical islands with some
    amazing wildlife, for example, the huge tortoises that freely roam
    some islands. The people of the Seychelles are called the Seychellois
    and are a mix of Creole, Indian, Chinese, French and British. It is
    not an easy or cheap country to travel around cheaply and most of the
    food is imported, making it quite expensive to eat too.

    A useless fact: the local beer is called
    Seybrew!