Tag: July 2002

Greetings from Antigua, again!

When last I wrote I was in San Cristóbal las Casas
and just started on my trip through Mexico, and here I am
ready to launch in to the second section of this trip as we
leave for Honduras tomorrow, and the last of the Mayan
ruins in our itinerary. Strangely I am not all
'ruined' out yet and am quite looking forward to
seeing the temples and stones of Copan on Monday.

The last three weeks have been excellent fun. My lads
have been good value and we are still getting on well so
that has helped to make the time positive. And the Ruta
Maya took us through some of the loveliest parts of
southern Mexico. We detoured down to the Guatemalan border,
in Chiapas, to explore a new road and visit the lesser
known sites of Yaxilan and Bomampac and they remain two of
my favourites due to the smaller size and the exquisite
carvings and paint work there. Camping for about half the
time, we cooked some excellent meals and stayed in lovely
places. Palenque was made more accessible by our excellent
guide, Ernesto, and Uxmal was made worthwhile due to the
fact that we missed most of the tourist hordes by being
there as the site opened. Chichén Itzá wa huge
and very touristy but very interesting. We then retired to
the beaches of the Caribbean, south of Cancun, for a couple
of days. Swimming in the turquoise waters there was lovely.
Throughout this time the food remained good and people
friendly. Our last ruins in Mexico were those at Tulum, a
small site built on the edge of the Caribbean and for the
worship of the dawn. I also went for a cavern snorkel
nearby – fun and blessedly cool after the heat and humidity
of the area.

We crossed into Belize with the minimum of fuss and
headed straight to Caye Caulker for two days of sun, sea
and relaxation. Although I managed to get sunburnt and not
to see a manatee (dugong family of sea-cow), we had a fun
time snorkelling, watching dolphins and wandering around
the small town. Back to the mainland and straight out of
Belize city. A short stop at the small but lovely zoo,
getting drenched in a tropical downpour, and then to San
Ignacio for two nights. During that time I did another
cavern tour – beautiful colours and formations – in a
canoe, and we all worried about a sudden closing of the
Guatemalan/Belize border due to a demand for back pay by
the ex-paramilitary forces who had blocked the roads in and
around the Petén area (i.e.: where we were headed).
Thankfully it was all settled quickly and we lost no time
but the prospect or retracing out steps through the north
of Belize and most of the parts of Mexico that we had
already traversed was not a welcome one.

Into Guatemala and the Petén area we had mid-summer
in Tikal, perhaps the most important and largest Mayan site
in Central America. Unfortunately the sun did not cooperate
and show us how all the buildings were built according to
the seasons and light directions but it was a brilliant
mornings ramble. I think I have climbed more stairs in the
last three weeks than I have climbed in the last three
years! We saw lots of wildlife and had another excellent
guide. Part of the film 'Return of the Jedi' was
filmed there and it was amazing to be high over the canopy
top looking into the greenness and seeing structure over a
thousands years old poking up through the trees. Wonderful!
From there we went to a place called Finca Ixobal, for
lovely food and a chance to rest and relax before
Antigua.

From there it was a straight drive to Antigua and more
great views of the volcanoes that surround this town. I
introduced my friends to a cafe that served eggs benedict
and we all indulged in good coffee and other delights to be
found here. Our travels also allowed me to revisit
Chichicastenango and Panjachal and from there revisit my
friends in San Pedro. I have revelled in the chance to feel
at home here as I know where things are and how the system
works – but from here on in it will be new territory.

The next four weeks promise to be full of adventure and
new experiences as we traverse the lesser known and less
touristy countries of Central America. Costa Rica is
perhaps the exception to that but to me it will be all new.
The other change will be the addition of a new member to
our group, a British lass who is due to arrive today. She
will be my roommate for the rest of the trip so …fingers
crossed we get on. There will be no more camping or cooking
off the truck though, as there are few places that suitable
between here and Panama City so it is hotels and
restaurants all the way. Should any of you get the
inclination, a real letter would find me in Panama City at
the hotel address on my list and I would love to hear from
you.

Thanks Jacqui and keep us posted!  If anyone
would like to contact Jacqui, her e-mail is: jacquitrotter@yahoo.com

What have you seen on your travels? Drop a line to the
Beetle! Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

This is a tale of how Trade Aid's Tanzanian Manager
perceived the UK on his recent and first trip over to
England.  Trade Aid is a UK charity whose aim is to
create sustainable employment in a particularly lovely part
of southern Tanzania, Mikindani, near Mtwara.

On the 14^th June, after a long
wait, our beloved Mikindani leader, Mr Dennis Willy Massoi,
arrived in England.  After Mtwara International
Airport, he looked totally shell-shocked at Heathrow,
particularly when it was pointed out that he was only in
Terminal 4, the smallest!  A quick excursion onto the
M25 was enough for him to decide that he didn't want to
drive in England (know the feeling?).  Two hours
later, after an M3 experience, he was dropped off in the
New Forest at my home.  He did notice that there
seemed to be more animals (horses, cows, pigs and deer)
running around than in Mtwara area.

That night he was taken to the Salisbury Bandari Club,
(also known as The Chicago Rock Café) which was full
of drunken ladies dancing on tables and celebrating Hen
Nights.  Dennis said it would never happen in
Mikindani.  On Saturday, suitably attired in an
England football shirt, Dennis watched the England-Denmark
game in a pub in Salisbury and seemed to enjoy the 3-0 win
as much as the locals.  After a few days with Jacob
Amuli in Taunton, Dennis returned to work at Trade
Aid.  Several exciting things had been lined up for
him, but probably the most interesting was the visit to
Tony Herbert's apiary in the Chalk Valley.  Clad
in spacesuits, we were still very nervous of the thousands
of bees who seemed oddly irritated at us opening the hive
and removing their honey.  It is hoped in the future
to have a beekeeping trial project in Mikindani under the
supervision of Tony.

Very, very early on Friday morning, we collected Dennis
from Salisbury, along with some former Trade Aid
volunteers, and headed for Stonehenge, to watch the sunrise
over the stones on the Summer Solstice. Dennis had probably
never seen 22,000 people all in one place before, and
especially not the eclectic group that gathers there each
year, with music, dancing, drums and fire eaters, children,
dogs, colourful costumes and some rather dubious practices,
all benignly watched over by the Wiltshire
Constabulary.  English weather was true to form and
the sun didn't so much rise as ooze into the lowering
clouds.  When we felt that Dennis had seen enough of
the spectacle, we walked the mile or so back to the car
through the teeming rain, and headed for Salisbury, and the
England – Brazil match.

After another Friday night out boogying, it was all
building up to the big Saturday night event at
Burgate.  We had around 100 guests who enjoyed a
marvellous African Buffet by Pompi Parry, after listening
to talks by Tony Herbert and Len Coleman.  Ian and
Nicola, recently returned from Tanzania, were there,
together with many ex-volunteers and visitors to
Mikindani.  The highlight was Dennis explaining what
he thought of England!  Apparently he had been worried
at Mrs Brian's absence.  “Who will do the
cooking?” 

The answer was Mr Tesco, convenience food
department.  These totally unhealthy items, pizza,
steak pies, fish and chips, Indian takeaways, combined with
those marvellous machines ' the Microwave and the
Dishwasher had him wondering “why on earth does anyone
in England get married?”  Good point Dennis,
I'm sure there is an answer to this tricky question,
but we'll have to think about it.  An excellent
evening raised about £850, which will be spent
entirely in environmental projects in Mikindani.

On the Sunday Dennis went up to London and saw all the
main sights from the London Eye.  On Monday he did a
bus tour to have a closer look, Buck House, Houses of
Parliament, Big Ben etc etc, all caught his eye.  By
around 4pm though he'd had enough of the culture and
was to be found in a pub near Trafalgar square. 
Before he returned to Tanzania on the Tuesday, we asked
what had made the biggest impression on him, was it the
Stonehenge Solstice, Heathrow, Houses of Parliament
etc?  None of these impressed him as much as the
Salisbury B & Q!  So many tools and building
materials under one roof, he couldn't believe
it. 

For more information about Trade Aid, volunteers and
their work, please visit their website www.mikindani.com

Sarah, an Aussie from Canberra has sent an update on her
European adventures.  She says: I have spent a few
weeks travelling by myself in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia and Hungary. In Italy I went to Venice, Florence,
Siena, Lucca and Sam Gimignano (which I still cannot spell)
and Trieste. Loved Venice, as you know, and other highlight
was the Tuscan hills outside of San Gim. I could have sat
there watching the seasons change, the hills are so
enchanting. Went ambling through grape vines and olive
trees for that authentic experience. Will be looking for a
job squashing grapes in a small Tuscan village after I have
finished working on a ferry in Venice.

If you are ever in the region it is extremely worthwhile
to do a little circuit around the Balkans, where the hordes
of tourists that populate Italy have not yet
penetrated.  Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia is a
quaint old town with a wonderful range of cafes and
beautiful old buildings among the willow trees on the river
bank. A day trip away is Bled, home of my favourite castle
for this trip.  Perched on a cliff overlooking a deep
green lake with an ancient monastery on an island,
sheltered by the surrounding Alps.

Then I caught the ferry from Rijeka in Croatia down the
coast to Dubrovnik.  Slept on the deck with the smell
of salt air and the warm breeze to lull me to sleep. 
The coastline is stark, with weather bleached rocks and
sparse vegetation, the darker green of coastal conifers.
And the water is so clear azure at the shore and a deep
blue as though someone spilt ink where it's deep. 
Wandered the old town of Dubrovnik, enclosed by fully in
tact city walls and escaped the heat to an island 10
minutes away, with rocky beaches and a deserted fort to
clamber in and imagine where the old cannons would have
been fired from the crumbling walls. 

The hot sun on the ground creating that smell of dried
leaves and warm earth that is so intoxicating and evocative
of summer. A chance encounter with some English lasses –
the Beetle! – (and a few bottles of wine) and I was off to
Sarajevo. A contender for my favourite city in
Europe.  Certainly the most interesting if not the
most beautiful.  Minarets and church spires share the
skyline and the architecture tells the stories of all those
different periods of history from Turks to Austrians right
up until the recent war.  Shrapnel marks still scar
the pavement and buildings are pockmarked with bullet
wounds, and yet the cafe lifestyle is thriving and
thelocals delights in strolling up and down the pedestrian
walks each balmy summers night. 

The tunnel museum tells the story of the tunnel, the
only link between Sarajevo and free territory during the
siege, and locals will tell you their stories of how they
lived during the war.  A place with a long and
interesting history currently transforming and adapting
itself once more. Next stop was Zagreb for my
birthday.  A stately city with many fine buildings and
yet more cafe lifestyle.  Friends joined me and we
celebrated my 103rd birthday by watching some crazy French
street performers doing a comical version of the magic
flute, complete with soprano and brass ensemble and full
audience participation. 

The other highlight of Zagreb was the annual animated
film festival, for something a bit different.Another long
un-air-conditioned train trip later and I was in Budapest
to meet another friend, wondering how many times I would
have to revise which is my favourite city in Europe. 
Rightly compared with Prague, the most beautiful feature is
the palace, castle and parliament buildings along the
river, that along with the bridges are beautifully lit at
night. We went to a small town on the Danube bend and
climbed to a castle before catching the boat back down the
river to Budapest.  Spent a lovely day at the hot
baths, and then enjoying a long meal on the river front as
the sun set on another beautiful summers day. And now I am
in London. 

The last four weeks of this trip will see me dashing
around the UK, catching up with friends and family. I will
also go to Scotland, having been unsuccessful in obtaining
a visa for Russia as well as to Ireland for a few days for
a South American truck reunion and to see some more
family. 

If you'd like to contact Sarah, her details are: sarahguise@hotmail.com

In last month's e-newsletter, we talked about Spain
demanding Gibraltar back from the British, and how odd this
was when they themselves had two territories in Morocco,
(Ceuta and Melilla) that the Moroccans would like
back. 

You may have noticed in the news that a couple of weeks
ago, on July 11^th, a small band
of Moroccan soldiers landed on the unoccupied Spanish
owned, but jointly claimed Island of Perejil (Spanish) or
Leila (Arabic) or Parsley (English) – unoccupied but for
goats, that is, and just 25 metres from the Moroccan
shoreline. 

They set up tents and put a Moroccan flag.  The
arrival was said to be to celebrate the King of
Morocco's wedding.  About a week after that,
Spanish troops arrived on the island, escorted by full
naval battleships and gained control from the Moroccan
army.  Now the Spanish troops have withdrawn from the
island and all is well again: foreign ministers of Morocco
and Spain have finalised a US-brokered (the EU was snubbed
in helping here) resolution to their dispute over the
Mediterranean island of Perejil.  Although both
countries claim the island, Spain says it had an
understanding that neither side would erect a permanent
camp there.  The return to the status quo does not
mean that Morocco has given up its claim to sovereignty of
Pereji.

Morocco was also hoping to take the opportunity to talk
about all the issues of contention between the two
countries.  These include the Western Sahara,
clandestine immigration and fishing, as well as the future
of the Spanish sovereign enclaves of Ceuta and
Melilla.  Spain said it was willing to talk about
anything except the enclaves.

Under a bridge in a vast city dominated by a powerful
empire, lives a giant troll. A short walk from the
beast's dark hiding spot stands a statue of a faraway
leader where the locals drink a potent brew for stamina.
This is not a hobbit town in Middle Earth. This is Fremont,
a suburb of Seattle, the self-declared Centre of the
Universe.

Since the Centre of the Universe was
'discovered' in 1991, Fremont has become known for
a growing collection of public art that all manages to live
up to the official motto, De Libertas Quirkas, or Freedom
to be Peculiar.

On a cold, grey day in April, a six block walking tour
is a great way to exercise the body and mind.  I
walked east from the colourful signpost that points to the
major attractions, 'LENIN 2 BLKS' in ochre and
'ATLANTIS 663 FATHOMS' in aquamarine.  A block
from the sign is a cold-war missile that once adorned the
side of a surplus store in nearby Belltown. Now painted
with the crest of the Fremont republic, the
'Rocket' is lucky to be there at all. The first
attempt to erect the rocket in 1993 failed, allowing the
locals to make a joke about the committee not 'being
able to get it up'. The rocket was finally installed in
time for the 1994 summer solstice and the liberation of
Fremont.  

A short walk north from the Rocket, amongst the pink
blossoms, next to the 'Taco Del Mar' sign, is a 16
foot bronze sculpture of Vladimir Lenin. Weighing 7 tons,
the statue is the only known representation of the Russian
leader that shows him surrounded by guns and flames instead
of holding a book or waving his hat. Lewis Carpenter, an
American working in Slovakia, found the statue lying face
down after it was toppled in the revolution of 1989 and
mortgaged his house to pay for the shipping back to the US.
Carpenter planned to sell the sculpture as the world's
most unique garden gnome. The statue is still for sale for
$US 150,000.

I was not wearing a long thick coat designed for Russian
winter, so I moved on to boost my energy the way the locals
do. In 'Still Life', a bohemian coffee shop,
artists, writers and students buzzed. The drug of choice
for these urban rebels was the same as the Microsoft campus
dwellers, caffeine. I was still getting used to the
super-brew and even with an asparagus and red pepper
omelette on thick brown toast I could feel my eyes jolt
open and my pulse speed up.

With the java beans aid I walked up the hill and under
the north end of the Aurora Bridge I found the Fremont
Troll.  Sculptured in 1990 by four local artists –
Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead
– who won a Fremont Arts Council competition, the 18ft
concrete beast munches on a full size Volkswagen Beetle and
leers at visitors with a shiny metal eye. As with much of
the community's installations, the Troll is a living
exhibit that reflects local feeling. In 1998, when a man
shot a bus driver causing the bus to crash off the bridge
into the apartment building next to the Troll, a glistening
tear appeared under his eye. The creature is also the guest
of honour at “Trollaween” every October.

The wind rushed up under the concrete pillars of the
bridge and bit deeper and colder than the cement
Troll's teeth ever could. The weather also drained the
colour of the faces of the five passengers 'Waiting for
the Interurban'. The cold aluminium statues looked
resigned to their fate, wrapped in the sporting colours of
a local winning team. I paid special attention to the face
of the dog with a man's face, brought about by a
dispute between sculptor Richard Beyer and aluminium
recycler Armen Stepanian, the one-time honorary mayor of
Fremont.

Trying to rid my bloodstream of caffeine, I walked away
from the centre, along the cycle path lining the edge of
Lake Union, past the houseboats made famous in Sleepless in
Seattle to the decaying metal structures of Gasworks Park.
In the shadow of the rusted boilers covered in bright
swirls of graffiti I looked back at the Seattle skyline as
the Fremont drawbridge tooted, cutting the republic off
completely from the city, just the way the locals liked
it.

David is trying to combine careers in internet,
marketing and travel. Travel Writing and Photography is one
of several projects he is currently working on. 
Information about other projects can be found at www.dmfreedom.com. 
David can be contacted by email at dave@dmfreedom.com