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Early November. I need WARMTH and SUN. Flights to Malaga are
cheap, temperature check on the web – 22-23°C, comfortable for walking.
SO I decided on Andalusia. No, I don’t speak Spanish but I am happy to
travel alone and try and chat to people as I go along.

On arrival at Malaga it was T-shirt weather. It was great to feel the
sun on my face, quietly sipping coffee and chilling out. Just the job:
I decided to head to Granada the next day, and, being typically British,
wondered about the weather: would it be too cold, Granada nestling under
the mountains. What a lovely city! No problem with the weather or so I
thought!! After a lovely day, as the evening closed I could physically
feel the temperature dropping by degrees.

Later that night, I shivered under 5 layers of blankets and dare not
move off the small patch I had managed to warm as the sheets were like
ice. Next day I set off early to visit the Alhambra. It was cold but that
meant that it wasn’t busy, giving me plenty of opportunity to absorb the
beautiful architecture and the ornate decoration. On my return I begged
for a heater for my room `but heaters aren’t supplied until the 15^th
of November (shades of Faulty Tower’s – the Beetle!) – oh yes they are!

The view of the mountains from the station next day was very picturesque,
all covered in snow! I headed away from the mountains – Seville had to
be warmer – but passing a digital display confirmed my worst fears, one
o’clock in the afternoon and only 10°. I found a spot out of the bitter
wind and actually got warm but you can’t see a city sitting down unless
you are cooped up in a vehicle – not my scene. I like to walk, explore
and discover the unexpected. Things got worse: the skin on my feet started
to crack up and the next day not only did I have sore, bleeding feet but
also a sore throat. I persevered.

After a day of sun but little warmth I decided to head south to Jerez
the next day. I spent ages looking for the tourist office that I located
after tramping through most of the streets and seeking directions from
half of the residents. Please note that it is not where the Lonely Planet
or the road signs say. They have moved it away from the centre and kept
it a secret from the locals! All I wanted was bus routes! After visiting
stables and watching the magnificent Andalucian horses being put through
their paces I could walk no further so found a bench in the sun and escaped
into fantasy with Harry Potter, supplied by a very thoughtful friend.

That night my nose turned into a tap and I shook from head to feet as
my cold took it course. It was no good I wanted to go home so next day
I headed, defeated, back to Malaga to try and get an earlier flight. There
was nothing till the following morning so I got a room near the station
ready for a 6am start. Hi Ho. This trip had definitely been jinxed. That
evening they decided to knock down the corridor around my room. I do not
speak Spanish but I think they got the idea of what I was saying!!! How
could my timing be so bad, hitting the week when all Europe was hit by
abnormal and extreme weather conditions. Needless to say, on arriving
back at Gatwick it was a pleasant sunny autumn day, warm for the time
of year……. Harry Potter was great fun…..

Poor sun-starved Gill, who wants the second HP now – my little Beetle
heart goes out to her! If you would like to contact Gill, to commiserate,
she can be reached on:gill.ward@virgin.net

In general travel and accommodation are expensive whilst food can vary
hugely in price from noodle bars both cheaper and considerably more nutritious
than MacDonald’s to city restaurant where the prices would flex anyone’s
credit to the limit. Most other activities are pretty reasonably priced.

Firstly, Japan is a country where the infrastructure works, if the timetable
says a train or bus will arrive at a given time, it will. Transport is
effective though expensive, buses and trains are clean, safe and regular
though mountainous terrain in many areas can still make journeys lengthy.
The language may be intimidating but most younger people can speak some
English and it is not difficult to learn a few important signs (numbers,
entrance, exit, toilet, place names etc.) or indeed the syllabary alphabets
(hirogana and katakana) which are widely used on signs for place names
(so are romaji in Tokyo and some major towns)

Tokyo: Like most large towns, expensive, cosmopolitan, polluted
and overcrowded Tokyo still retains a number of small temples and a few
other small historical buildings wedged between the skyscrapers. It is
worth visiting a few for the paintings and statuary, interesting architecture
and some insight into Japanese culture and rituals. I particularly like
the traditional Japanese and Chinese gardens, which are cheap to visit
and charming and beautiful to see, the imperial palace and gardens around
it are also a must see.

Kyoto and Nara, easily reachable from Tokyo, preserve
a lot more in the way of historic buildings, a reconstructed old castle
and a herd of tame, fat and diabetic deer at Nara are good places to visit.

Onsen: blessed or cursed with a great deal of geothermal energy
there are a large number of hot springs in Japan, these can definitely
be worth a visit, whilst I didn’t notice any health benefit I had the
rather beautiful experience of lying outside in a hot bath able to look
up at the moon and the stars between the clouds during a gentle snowfall.
Getting out was a little on the cool side however.

Kyushu: less developed than Honshu thus preserving more tradition
and a few pieces of undeveloped countryside. Also warmer if that interests
you and with much volcanic activity, some stunning crater lakes with brightly
coloured poisonous looking water and a number of opportunities to breath
some pretty poisonous air near the volcanoes. Pity the concession holders
at these places, I can stand breathing sulphuric acid for an hour or so
but how they manage it all the time I don’t now. Down at the Southern
tip of the island, at Sakurajima ash from the volcano can be taken
home in a small phial if you wish to relive the experience of grit with
everything. The other thing which is omnipresent here is daikon, these
giant white radishes are apparently very important to the locals’ diet
being a major source of vitamin C, and accordingly they make a remarkable
range of products from them, from simple shredded radish (OK), to Daikon
Schochu (a sort of whisky) and daikon jam, both of which are best avoided.

One of the most beautiful sights I remember from Japan is Takachiho
gorge. A slot canyon deep enough that the sun can rarely or never is seen
from the bottom. You can walk down to the river that flows through it,
hire a rowing boat and paddle up to the head of the gorge where a waterfall
enters. The water is crystal clear and the sides of the canyon are stunningly
vertical hexagonal columns of black basalt.

The Beetle says if you are thinking of travelling to Japan, you should
investigate buying a rail pass in your own country that gives you a considerable
discount. They are only available outside Japan.

To get in touch with the Travelling Stoat,
Then e-mail them to: the Beetle

The next meeting will be on January 18th at the the Woodsworth Co-op
: Ann Dohler will talk about her recent trip to Peru, the Galapagos and
the Amazon.

For further 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.

Toronto GT 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.

This report of the last London meeting on the 1st December is written
by Padmassana.

John Hornbuckle’s wonderful slides took us around Chile. He showed
us the wildlife and landscape of the country. Though John began with a
slide of an owl, this was a topical Harry Potter joke, he went on to show
us photos of birds that can only be found in the Andes and animals like
the Vicuna. He went on to tell us about Arica, which until recently was
the driest place on earth, Lauca National Park in northern Chile. We saw
photos of snow-capped mountains and volcano’s. John’s slides then showed
us the salt area of Salar de Uyuni and down to the far south via the hot
springs of El Tatio.

After the break, Denise Heywood showed us Vietnam, without too
many references to the war. She explained that over 60% of the population
were born after 1975 and showed us photo’s of the children, who are Vietnams
future. Denise showed us colonial French architecture, such as the Opera
House, which is a copy of the one in Paris and towns like Hoi An and Na
Trang. She also showed us the Cu chi tunnels left over from the war, which
are difficult for westerners to enter. These tunnels led into underground
schools, hospitals that the Vietnamese operated in during the war, there
are hundreds of miles of tunnels going as far as the Cambodian border.

Coming on 5^th January: Four Mini-Talk Presentations
and New Year Party – a programme of four twenty minute talks, offering
a format that aims to offer the opportunity for different, specialist
and off beat subjects and first time speakers.

After the meeting we will be having our annual New Year Party, please
bring a contribution of food and non-alcoholic drink

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court,
behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Gardenat
2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. For more information, you
can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit
the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk