Category: archive

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.

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.

Which countries are represented by these flags? For the
answers, see at the end of the eNews.

1	2	3	4	5

A few days holiday to use and the hunt was on for a cheap
flight to a not too far distant city that I had yet to
explore. The Internet came up with a £50 flight to
Copenhagen, so I hit the buttons on the PC and the next
morning that nice little ticket came through the letterbox.

Despite being a cheapie, the Maersk flight departed Gatwick
on time and actually landed early. After collecting my bag,
it was quite a walk from the gate to the baggage area. I
bought a train ticket to Copenhagen Central Station, 25
Kroner, yep the Danes still use proper money, not silly Euro
Roubles! The efficient train takes around 15 minutes to the
city.

Next to find my hotel, the first thing to say about
accommodation in Copenhagen is it ain’t cheap. My hotel
The Cabinn was located a 10 minute walk south of the station
and cost around £50 night including a good quality
buffet breakfast. The rooms were small, but excellently
designed, though the beds are a bit narrow, I did role out
one night!

Well off to explore, first stop obviously the Tourist office.
They are extremely helpful, lots of information and maps. The
walking tours which leave from the Tourist Information at 10
am each day in the summer are excellent. They cost 75 Kroner
and take around 2 and a half hours. They are in English
explaining the city via its most famous son Hans Christian
Anderson. One tip is that you are better off doing the tour
on a week day as you can get into courtyards and see parts of
buildings not open at the weekend. You also learn gems such
as why the knee of the statue of Hans Christian Anderson is
so shiny, its because tour buses full of oriental visitors
pull up, and they sit on his knee to have their photo taken!

Nyhaven is what you see in all the postcards, a lovely area
full of sailing boats and little waterside cafes.

Another tour worth doing is the 50 minute boat trip that
leaves from Nyhaven (50 Kroner), you get a close up view of
the new Opera house and you get to see the Little Mermaid
statue from a different angle, you also get a riverside view
of the new “Black Diamond”, this love it or hate
it building is the National Library. The boat then heads into
the canals of the Christianhavns area. Christiania as the
area is known is home to an alternative community, which did
have a reputation for drugs, but has cleaned up its act to
some degree, though you can still walk down Pusher Street.

For a great view over the city it is hard to beat the climb
up the tower of the Trinity Church (20 Kroner), some great
views, but the protective fencing at the top does get in the
way of photos.

If you want to explore further afield as I did you cant beat
making the train trip to Helsingor up the coast to see
Elsinor castle, famous in Shakespear’s Hamlet, it is
expensive to enter, but the views around it are great. It was
during a wander here that the lovely sunshine disappeared and
a deluge of rain began, so I headed into Helsingor city and
visited the town's museum, which is quite interesting,
though there is little in English.

Another trip I made was west to Roskilde, this town is home
to a spectacular cathedral, but of far more interest to me
was the Viking Ship Museum (75 Kroner), there are Viking
ships, well bits of them in the museum and out on the water
are new ones built in the old way. You can walk around and
see the ships being crafted, there are areas where children
and the young at heart can try their hand at crafts from the
Viking era.

Back in Copenhagen if you want to chill out after all that
sightseeing The Rose Garden in Copenhagen’s second
biggest park, Valby Parken is the place. There are quite a
few themed gardens to wander round, number 3 has a maze and
another has a Japanese theme.

Copenhagen is perfect for a long weekend and if any of you
Globies are into Geocaching, there are around 20 to do in the
cities environs.

The Beetle had told me Copenhagen was a bit boring when she
had visited!

This is a picture of me in the Rose garden, Valby Park
Copenhagen. Beetle: where are the roses, Kev?

A few months ago, we invited Globetrotter e-newsletter
readers to send us their views on visiting Burma. One
of the responses we included in February 2004 was from a
retired British diplomat, Derek Tonkins. Since this
time, Burma Campaign have been in touch and provided an
alternative view on visiting Burma.

While there is much that is misleading and inaccurate in
Derek Tonkin's article 'Burma Revisited', no-one
can argue with the statement that “we should primarily
be guided by the wishes and advice of the Burmese
people”. However, the wishes of the Burmese people for
or against tourism cannot be gauged from a dubious survey of
anecdotal reports. In fact, with around 75% of Burma's
people making their living from agriculture, most people in
Burma have never met a tourist.

The fact is that the
call for a tourism boycott comes from Burma's elected
leaders. The National League for Democracy (NLD), who won a
landslide victory in Burma's 1990 election, remains the
only party mandated to represent the Burmese people and it is
a party that continues to draw the support and respect of
people inside and outside the country. Burma's Government
in exile, the National Coalition Government of the Union of
Burma (NCGUB), supports the boycott and it is a position that
has the backing of exile Burmese democracy groups around the
world.

Derek Tonkin's criticism of Aung San Suu Kyi for not
having “had time to discuss it [tourism policy]
properly” in May 2002, when she had only just been
released from house arrest, may leave him wondering what NLD
policy really is. However, a look at their official
statements will show that in 2003 the NLD confirmed that
“the present situation has not reached the extent that
tourists should be encouraged to visit Myanmar
(Burma).”

Burma's military regime has identified tourism as a vital
source of income and it is working hard to develop the
industry. According to the Ministry of Tourism, its top two
objectives in developing tourism are to generate foreign
exchange earnings and attract foreign investment. Compared to
its neighbours, Burma's tourism industry may be small but
it is still earning a cash strapped regime millions of
dollars every year. It seems odd that while Derek Tonkin is
arguing for more tourists to visit Burma, he also admits that
an increase in tourist numbers would help prop up the regime.
Such a rise in tourist numbers would also result in an
increase in investment to support that tourism. But
investment in Burma does not benefit the vast majority of
ordinary Burmese people. The regime spends nearly half the
government budget on the military but less than 44p per
person per year on health and education combined.

The article also fails to mention
that in Burma many human rights abuses are directly connected
to the regime's drive to develop the country for
tourists. Throughout Burma men, women and children have been
forced to labour on roads, railways and tourism projects;
more than one million people have been forced out of their
homes in order to 'beautify' cities, suppress
dissent, and make way for tourism developments, such as
hotels, airports and golf courses. And these abuses are not
confined to history. In February 2004, for example, Burmese
soldiers rounded up ethnic Salons, or 'sea gypsies'
who normally live on boats in the Mergui Archipelago, forced
them to live on land and to take part in a 'Salon
Festival' aimed at foreign tourists.

A further claim that “travel and tourism advance the
cause of democracy” is totally unsubstantiated.
Tourists in Burma rarely witness the internal repression so
prevalent in the country, indeed much of Burma remains
strictly off-limits to tourists. One tour operator to Burma
recently remarked “I regularly travel throughout
Myanmar and have never seen any of the abuses that appear in
the Western press”.

The typical tourist on holiday in Burma is there to visit a
beautiful country, look at the historic monuments and temples
and enjoy an exotic holiday destination. But even for those
tourists wishing to see Burma's problems for themselves,
there is very little opportunity to discover the realities of
life in Burma. Burmese people are not free to discuss
politics with foreigners and can face punishment or
imprisonment if the strict regulations for dealing with
foreigners are not adhered to. For example, in September 2004
two Japanese tourists were arrested for not obtaining a visa
within the country to visit a ruby-mine town in Shan State.
Their two Burmese companions were charged with laws relating
to hotel and tourism acts and their two Burmese hosts were
charged with failure to report the presence of strangers to
the authorities.

The people of Burma need our support and solidarity. We can
provide that support very simply by listening to Burma's
democrats and choosing not to holiday in Burma.

The Burma Campaign UK is part of a global movement for
democracy in Burma and is the only national organisation in
the UK dedicated to campaigning for human rights and
democracy in Burma. For more information on Burma
Campaign’s activities, see: www.burmacampaign.org.uk

As part of Trade Aid’s work in Tanzania, we aim to
promote a sustainable tourism industry in Mikindani area. The
following is the impressions of a trip to investigate the
tourism and tourism opportunities in Palma, Northern
Mozambique.

Palma is a small, fishing town set inside a large bay along
the northern coast of Mozambique. It is home to some 10,000
people, most of whom are supported by industries linked to
the sea. Like Mikindani, the place is quiet and peaceful and
its people and culture are dominated by the influence of the
Indian Ocean that surrounds it. In this way, what we expected
was something more akin to Mikindani but the reality was
quite different.

We arrived in Palma via two pick-up trucks and a boat across
the Ruvuma to be greeted by the dusty, sandy sight all so
familiar to us after our five months near Mtwara. However,
what struck us was the complete absence of the historic
buildings and NGO vehicles that dominate the landscape of
Mikindani and Mtwara. The vehicle on which we arrived was
virtually the only thing to pass through Palma during our
stay while the old colonial buildings that dominate the
visage of Mikindani were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps this was
why Palma almost had a more earthy sense of untampered-with
Swahili Coast. The charm of Mikindani lies in the huge
mixture of different colonial, native and trade influences
that have shaped its past and continues to shape its future.
With Palma, it’s great appeal lies in the idea that it
never was a settlement of great importance and so you feel,
when walking around that this is the natural development of
this part of the world.

There was no electricity or running water in the guest house,
no Boma to retire to for a cold beer and certainly no hint of
mobile phone signal and internet access but Palma itself was
all the better for this. These things, along with the
presence of brand names such as coca-cola and Pepsi are right
for the formerly upwardly mobile Mikindani, a place now
beginning to see a revival thanks to enterprises such as the
Boma, the brand new ECO2 dive school and the newly revamped
Ten Degrees South lodge. However, in a place such as Palma,
where people are living on less than a dollar a day and where
there has never been a glorious past to compare to that of
Mikindani, these things would simply be out of place. We saw
no other tourists during our time in Palma, which only served
to enhance the feeling of being part of a totally different
society. When following a regular tourist route, however
sensitive a tour company or hotel may be, you never get to
feel as cut off as this.

As part of our
time there we went to see a local group of women rehearsing
traditional Mozambique song (see picture, left). We were
merely walking by when we were invited to sit in on the group
during practice. Listening to the women and drums as the sun
set and the tide came in really will be a lasting memory of
my time spent in East Africa. Later that day we caught a dhow
(traditional African/Arabic sail boat) from Palma all the way
back to Mikindani. This again will stay with me for the rest
of my life as one of the most authentic experiences of the
lives people lead in this part of the world. These sorts of
experiences, however overused the cliché may be,
really are priceless. Money cannot buy memories and certainly
looking at the people of Palma or Mikindani, plays no part in
happiness or generosity. This sort of journey, away from the
beaten track and reach of the guidebooks is highly
recommended and, although not to everyone’s taste, will
provide lasting memories to anyone willing to embark on
them.

There are several different types of antimalarial medication,
the choice of which depends on such factors as area to be
visited, length of stay, your own medical history, medication
you may already be taking, type of holiday (hotel, cruise,
trekking etc).

These drugs can be loosely divided between the older
formulations (Chloroquine and Proguanil) and the more recent
preparations licensed for antimalarial use (Doxycycline,
Mefloquine and Malarone).

Chloroquine has been used for around 50 years and during that
time vast areas of the ‘malarious world’ have
become resistant. As a 4-aminoquinoline derivative
chloroquine prevents nucleic acid synthesis in actively
dividing erythrocitic malarial parasites and thus DNA
synthesis is affected. The drug is taken as two tablets
weekly on the same day of each week, Countries still
sensitive to Chloroquine include Costa Rica, Belize and
Mexico.

Proguanil is a Biguanide which is metabolised in the body to
cycloguanil, an active form that blocks the production of
folic acid and subsequent synthesis of DNA. The human
cells are not affected by this action except during pregnancy
where your doctor will usually give a folic acid supplement
to counteract a possible shortfall in the mothers cells.

As with Chloroquine there is widespread resistance now to
Proguanil and it is often given in areas where the traveller
is unable to take Chloroquine for some reason (such as
sensitivity to the product). The Chloroquine and
Proguanil when combined in one pack as Paludrine/Avloclor
travel pack form a more formidable antimalarial and can be
used in many more areas where the individual drugs would not
be effective enough.

In the Travel Pack of Paludrine/Avloclor produced by Astra
Zeneca the dosage of Proguanil is two daily which would be
taken at the same time and the Avloclor (Chloroquine) is two
weekly, also taken together. (A calendar pack gives an
easy format and prevents mistakes in dosage whilst
away.) Proguanil/Chloroquine is used in countries such
as Sri Lanka, Nepal and most of India. These
preparations can be purchased without prescription from
Pharmacies.

The ‘newer’ group of antimalarials are helping to
prevent malaria in areas where resistance has become a major
problem, the malaria parasites being incredibly adept at
mutating and hence overcoming the drugs used against them.

Malarone is Atovoquone and Proguanil combined to give a
combination of an antiprotozoal and a biguanide. The
dosage is one tablet daily for adults usually taken one or
two days before entering the malarious area, during and for
seven days on leaving. There is also now a paediatric
formulation for children.

Lariam (Mefloquine) is a 4-aminoquinoline (as in Chloroquine)
and in adults is taken as one tablet weekly. To check
for side effects your doctor will often prescribe these at
least two and a half weeks before travel, during and for four
weeks on return.

Last but not least is Doxycycline a well tried and
tested tetracycline antibiotic given as the hyclate.
This was found to have marked antimalarial properties as well
as being an antibiotic. It is usually given one
week before travel (if it has never been taken before),
during and for four weeks on return.

These last three products are prescription only and can only
be obtained from a Pharmacy on supply of a private
prescription issued by your doctor or travel clinic.
Depending on your medical history etc., your doctor will
decide which of these preparations are suitable for your
travels.

Chloroquine for example is not normally given if you suffer
from psoriasis or epilepsy. If taking Warfarin for
blood thinning always check this out with your doctor, and
likewise if pregnant or hoping to become pregnant then again
you must consult your doctor first before taking an
antimalarial drugs.

Your G.P. or Travel Nurse will check out the area you are
about to visit and together with medical history and
knowledge of the type of holiday will prescribe the relevant
antimalarial.

For prices and supply of any of these preparations you can
log on to www.travelpharm.com or ring
us on 01395 233771