Vacation Dreams

Tag: April 2002

  • Music and Travel By Padmassana

    Music and travel have been synonymous since the hippies took their music
    along with them in the sixties. Certain pieces of music have the ability
    to remind of places we have been and the experiences we enjoyed there.
    Here are my top 5 that evoke cherished memories of my travels.

    Istanbul – “Mea Culpa” by Enigma, it was the first
    time I had heard this piece, as it woke us from our sleep as well pulled
    into Istanbul in a January snowstorm. It was a wonderful way to arrive
    in a place I had long wished to visit.

    Iran – “Silk Road, God is Good” from Lonely Planet.
    This haunting piece will remind anyone who has travelled in the Middle
    East, but for me particularly of Iran, of the early morning call to prayer
    resonating from the towers of the ornate mosques.

    Yangshuo – “Linger” by The Cranberries. One of my abiding
    memories of this lovely Chinese town is this song wafting out of virtually
    every Restaurant and backpacker hotel in the place. Whenever I hear this
    song on the radio at home it always evokes memories of China.

    Australia – “Highway” by Gond Wana Land from the album,
    “Let the dog out”. Our bus driver played this super album
    as we crossed Australia’s Red Centre, the didgeridoos providing
    a fitting accompaniment to the landscape that passed outside the window.

    France – “Anni Rose” by Tulka from the Buddha bar album
    by Claude Challe. This piece will always be a reminder of happy days and
    warm evenings in the south of France, while doing an Astanga course.

    Write in and tell us your musical memories and associations! the Beetle

  • London:

    6th April Kevin Morgan kicked off with a wonderful slide show
    of dolphins, whales and other marine and bird life ranging from Antarctica
    to the Bahamas! We all left feeling wiser and almost confident of being
    able to distinguish bottle nosed dolphins from spinners! His slides finished
    with an evocative tape of the sounds made by whales.

    After the break, Cass Gilbert showed us some fabulous pictures
    of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan (and other places ending in
    “stan” that the beetle cannot spell!) Amazingly, he completed
    this incredible journey by tandem, through parts of the old Silk Route,
    past ancient cities, churches, mosques, and markets, occasionally, with
    his female tandem partner cycling in veil and long trousers, much to the
    bemusement of many locals.

    London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind
    the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each
    month, except that due to public holidays, May’s meeting will be
    on Saturday 11th May at 2.30pm. June’s meeting will be held at 2.30pm
    on June 8th.

    For more information, you can contact the Globetrotter Info line on +44
    (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: http://www.globetrotters.co.uk

  • Ontario:

    The last meeting was on March 15: Bruce Weber talked about
    Yucatan.

    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.

  • Buddha’s Hair

    Back in March last year, archaeologists say that they found a miniature
    gold box believed to contain the hair of the Buddha. The box, thought
    to have been buried for more than a thousand years, was dug up during
    the excavations of a famous ruined pagoda in the eastern city of Hangzhou.
    The case was found in a cellar under the ruins of the famous Leifeng Pagoda,
    which was built in 976 AD but collapsed after repeated attacks by relic
    thieves in 1924. Reports said this is thought to be the second piece of
    the Buddha's hair found in China – a similar relic was discovered
    in the north of the country in the 1970s. The Beetle is unable to fund
    anything more about the hair such as where it might be on display.

  • The Conservation Experience – Australia, by Madeline Townsend, Australia

    Founded in 1982, Conservation Volunteers Australia is a national, non-profit
    and non-political organisation. CVA completes essential conservation projects,
    which could not be tackled without active community participation. The
    projects are as distant, diverse and unique as the Australian continent
    itself – for example, radio-tracking echidnas on Kangaroo Island;
    malleefowl surveys in Victoria’s Little Desert; construction of
    the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory; landcare projects in Tasmania
    and koala surveys in Queensland.

    Conservation Volunteers Australia welcomes everybody with a love of the
    outdoors and interest in the environment to take part as a volunteer.
    Our volunteers come from all over the world, including Korea, Denmark,
    Japan, Britain, Canada, USA and Germany. If you are looking for an opportunity
    to:

    · visit some amazing locations,

    · meet a broad range of people,

    · learn about the Australian environment, and

    · volunteer overseas

    then volunteering with Conservation Volunteers Australia and having a
    Conservation Experience is for you. The Conservation Experience is a six-week
    program especially designed for overseas visitors to Australia. It is
    the perfect way to visit some of Australia’s special places. The
    cost of AUD $966.00 (just AUD $23 per day – around £8.20)
    includes all meals, accommodation and project-related transport. You can
    join the Conservation Experience on any Friday (subject to vacancies),
    from any of CVA’s office around Australia. For further details,
    visit our website at www.conservationvolunteers.com.au
    or email info@conservationvolunteers.com.au
    or write to Conservation Volunteers Australia, Box 423, Ballarat Vic 3353

  • Texas:

    The May 11 meeting will meet at the library at 3 p.m., if you were not
    able to make the April picnic. The picnic went swimmingly – great
    weather, great company, good food – thanks to Christina for organising
    it!

    Meetings are held at 3pm
    at the New Braunfels Public Library, 700 E. Common Street in New Braunfels,
    Texas. The meeting ends at 5 p.m. If you would like to continue travel
    talk on a more informal basis, we plan to adjourn to the Hoity-Toit, a
    local New Braunfels establishment.

    If anybody would like to enquire about meetings or help Christina, please
    contact her on: texas@globetrotters.co.uk

  • Be on TV! Be a Contestant on Geo Quiz on the National Geographic Channel

    For the second year running, National Geo-Genius is a quiz show looking
    for a genius that loves travel and adventure, and knows their geography
    too. Juliet Morris asks the questions as contestants take part in a fast
    paced quiz answering questions about the world in which we live. Using
    the earth as a racetrack, contestants are challenged on their knowledge
    of the countries they pass through on a virtual expedition around the
    world. The ultimate winner will win the trip of a lifetime to the destination
    of their dreams. The series will be filmed in Southampton's Meridian
    Television studios between 14th and 24th June 2002. Anyone who is interested
    in finding out more information should contact Simon Paintin on 023 8071
    2527 or Beth Miller on 023 8071 2634 or alternatively click here to e-mail.

    Last year, our very own Globetrotter, Stuart, made it to the finals!

  • London Markets: Leadenhall Market

    In the 15th Century, Dick Whittington, who was the Lord Mayor of London
    at the time, designated this site as an official food market and it has
    been serving the people of London ever since. Archaeologists say that
    the site is on what was once a Roman Forum.

    It even gets a mention in Charles Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby, as
    a place to buy new laid eggs.

    The market's name was taken from a fourteenth century mansion with
    a lead roof. Traders from outside London were first allowed to sell their
    poultry here, then in 1377 cheese and butter. The City Corporation bought
    the house and estate in 1411, and in 1445 the newly built granary became
    a general market for poultry, victuals, grain, eggs, butter, cheese etc.
    The market and the mansion were both burnt down in the Great Fire of 1666
    and the market was rebuilt round three large courtyards. The first yard
    was mainly a beef market, but it also sold leather, wool and raw hides
    on certain days. The second yard sold veal, mutton and lamb; but fishmongers,
    poulterers and cheesemongers had stalls here too. The third yard was a
    herb market selling fruit and vegetables.

    Today, with its iron and glass architecture, an excellent example of
    Victoriana, Leadenhall has been the location for many a film, much to
    the bemusement of many a city slicker as this market is in Gracechurch
    St, close to Lloyds of London, in the heart of the City, London’s
    financial district. Today's market has high quality butchers and fishmongers,
    greengrocers, chocolate shops and bars, with high prices perhaps to reflect
    its location.

    The market is open Monday-Friday daytime, some shops and bars remain
    open into the evening. The nearest tube is probably Bank, but others close
    by include Liverpool St, Aldgate and Tower Hill.

    Next month: Petticoat Lane

  • Not to be Seen Dead In?

    Zimbabwe: although the presidential election (held on 9-10 March) is
    now over, there is still considerable political tension in both urban
    and rural areas of Zimbabwe. There have continued to be incidents of political
    violence, which have resulted in serious injury and deaths. We advise
    all British Nationals in Zimbabwe at this time to keep a low political
    profile, and to avoid unnecessary travel. Because of current uncertainty
    in the security situation, we advise against independent travel (particularly
    backpacking), and strongly recommend that visitors should travel with
    organised tour operators.

    Following the decision by EU Ministers on 18 February to impose targeted
    sanctions against Zimbabwe; we also cannot exclude the possibility that
    visitors from EU countries may become political targets. The leaders of
    the ruling party regularly single out Britain for fierce criticism, alleging
    British interference in Zimbabwe's internal affairs. British travellers
    may therefore be exposed to particular risk.

    We strongly advise all British visitors to take up-to-date advice from
    local contacts about any places that you plan to visit. It is possible
    that you could inadvertently be caught up in disturbances. It is difficult
    to predict when and where these may occur, and visitors should be alert
    to signs of trouble and avoid political rallies or similar events. In
    the event that visitors become aware of a demonstration or disturbance
    they should try to leave the area as quickly as possible.

    Source: www.fco.gov.uk/

  • It’s A Small World!

    While I spent last week in the shadow of Kilimanjaro the thought occurred
    to me, “Is anywhere still truly remote?” Though we were in the
    middle of Maasailand and a five-mile walk from the nearest town, Britney
    Spears still wafted through the air as we worked to lay the foundation
    for a Maasai health clinic. Though we have ants here so big they are used
    to close wounds (let them bite it, then twist their heads off), we have
    also brought modern surgical staple guns. Though people in the neighbouring
    shamba (village) were trampled by elephants last month, I saw one Morani
    warrior who kept his ear hole open with an Estee Lauder lotion bottle
    and used a dismantled Bic lighter as part of his headdress. In short,
    Rombo, in the far south of Kenya, is very remote and yet shockingly global.
    Likewise are the other Global Citizens Network volunteers with whom I
    am helping to bend metal for the clinic’s framework.

    Source: Building Clinic in Kenya Opened Volunteer's Eyes about
    'Remoteness'    by Sean Maurer / Global Citizens Network (via
    GoNomad.com)