Tag: September 2002

Well, where do I start? I left the UK on Wednesday 24 April 2002 to
start a new life in Lisbon. My furniture and other worldly possessions
left the UK on the previous Friday to sail to Lisbon and were due to arrive
in port the day after I did – which meant that for the next few days I
was anxiously eying up the docks to see if I could see my container. Portugal
is renowned for its Bank Holidays and of course that week it had one,
which meant that most people take the following day and make a long weekend
of it – not very usefulto someone who is keen to know if her home has
arrived safely.

We eventually moved into a flat on 1 May, under the walls of Castelo
do Sao Jorge. It is on the top (fourth floor) with views over the River
Tejo (Tagus) and the lower part of the city. We were so lucky to get it
because flat hunting in this country is not an easy business. It is a
large flat as it has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining room
and sitting room. We also have a 2 foot wide veranda at the front as well
as a small outside area to hang washing, but the bonus is that we also
have a garden which backs up under the castle wall – luckily we are shielded
by lemon trees and vegetation.

The roads around the area are quite narrow and even more restricted
by the fact that the parking rules mean that you park where you can i.e.
on the pavement, against walls, often leaving just enough room for something
to go through – most cars (and some are very expensive) sports cars along
the doors and battered wing mirrors etc because of it. The pavements are
very bumpy as they are made up of small blocks of stone – high heels are
a definite liability – something with suckers would be more useful!

I’ve found a great store, it’s Spanish “El Cortes Ingles”
– a John Lewis and Waitrose over nine floors (John Lewis), basement
(Waitrose) and three underground levels of parking! And on Sunday we noticed
that they have opened a massive UCI cinema complex inside as well. The
shop also delivers!!!! Bliss.

The weather has been glorious and I cannot tell you what it is like
to sit at the dining room table and watch the sun go down over the river
and the 24 of April Bridge. It is also great fun watching all the ferries/car
ferries and cruise ships going up and down and backwards and forwards.
“The World” was in port a few weeks ago – that is certainly
some ship. Saturdays and Sundays there are quite a few yachts out as well
as speedboats. I keep waiting for a nasty accident as sometimes it looks
like they are on a collision course with the ferries. Oh and the last
ferries are at 2.30am – bit of a change from last bus from Swindon to
Malmesbury at 6.15pm!!

Tourism seems to have felt the effect of 11 September as the number
of cruise ships is certainly less than normal but at least it means you
don't get blown out of bed by them sounding their horns coming into
port at unearthly hours.

The whole transport system puts the UK to shame. Everything works and
properly. Even the trams that were built in Sheffield before or just after
the war still operate and look quite quaint compared to the huge new ones
covered in adverts for Kit-Kat and Sagres Beer. Prices are so low: a return
ticket for a 20 minute trip was 55 centimes – not even 1 Euro.

I am having Portuguese lessons three times a week, which is challenging
and trying to watch as many programmes with subtitles as possible. We
have cable TV, which means we get BBC Prime (good for catching up on Eastenders)
and BBC World.

Eating lots of fish – we found a wonderful place, a warren of rooms
(probably totally condemnable in the UK) and if you get in there early
(12.00) you can get a table. You sit very small (and rather uncomfortable)
wooden stools and for the princely sum of £7 ($10) for two of us,
we had a bottle of house wine, two soups, two fish with large salad, two
desserts, two coffees and two ports. Service is something that still has
a long way to go before it reaches what we would class the norm, so you
have to expect some Monty Python type situations occasionally, but in
general they like the English very much and find it flattering when you
choose to eat their home cooking.

We have had two water cuts – one totally unexpected which went on for
about nine hours (ugh) and one today from 9am – 6pm but at least
this time I was forewarned and able to store water so we could have drinks
etc. When it came back on it was a delightful shade of rust!

To contact Sally and find out more about Lisbon, e-mail:

Sallypethybridge@aol.com

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There are many diseases spread by the bite of infected insects. This
article focuses on methods of bite avoidance and therefore ways to reduce
not only the inconvenience of insect bites but also ways to reduce the
chances of contracting any one of the potentially life threatening diseases
including malaria that can be contracted this way

Different types of mosquito will bite at different times, for example
the mosquito that carries malaria predominantly bites between dusk and
dawn whereas the one that carries dengue fever (predominantly present
in Asia but also in the Americas an Africa) will bite during the day,
so good bite avoidance techniques should be employed whenever biting insects
are present.

There are several basic ways to reduce insect bites and these will be
considered in turn. They are to:

Ø Reduce general exposure to insects

Ø Apply repellent to the skin

Ø Use insecticides which are impregnated into materials such
as clothing or mosquito nets

Ø Remove insects from the environment using contact insecticides,
e.g., knock-down sprays or burners/mats

Reducing Exposure

This means reducing the amount of exposed skin that is available for
the mosquito to bite, therefore long sleeved shirts, trousers and socks
should all be worn. It’s also been found that the mosquitoes find
it more difficult to bite through loose as opposed to tight clothing.

Another way to prevent mosquitoes getting to your skin is to ensure
that you always sleep in a mosquito net, these should either have a very
fine weave to prevent any insect getting through no matter how small it
is, or a larger weave that allows air to circulate better but these should
be impregnated with an insecticide (see later)

Application of Repellents

There are many different types of repellent on the market but one of
the best is still DEET, when applied in concentrations of at least 20%
(many contain 40-50%) it is both long lasting and effective. It is safe
when applied to the skin but can damage plastics so its always advisable
to wipe your hands after application or you may find that when you go
to put your sunglasses back on you leave fingerprints on the lenses. It
will also sting the eyes and lips and therefore should never be sprayed
directly on the face but can be applied lightly using the hands. Citronella
oil and especially its derivatives are also very effective but citronella
oil on its own doesn’t last very long at all and would need to be
reapplied every hour or so.

Whichever repellent you use it is important to reapply regularly, its
difficult to say exactly how often but no repellent will last more than
about 4 hours or so (unless it is specially formulated into a slow-release
application) and factors such as humidity, wind and the amount you sweat
will all reduce effective duration but every couple of hours should suffice.
Its also important to cover all exposed skin, not forgetting the ears
or the back of the neck since mossies will always manage to find that
one little patch of forgotten skin and have a feast!

High strength DEET can also be applied to wrist and ankle bands to be
worn at high risk times and if these are stored in a little airtight bag
they will remain active for days before another application is required.

Use of Insecticides

The type of insecticide now most commonly used is called permethrin,
It’s available for application directly to clothing or in a much
stronger solution that can be used to soak mosquito nets and give protection
for up to 3-6 months. All nets should be treated where possible because
if even a single mosquito gets into your net with you it is trapped for
the night, with only you to feed on. It can land on a non treated net
for a rest and then return to you for a further meal. When sprayed onto
clothing it will effectively kill any insect that lands on the treated
clothing and thus prevent the mosquito from biting you for up to two weeks.
This method of bite avoidance is advisable for those individuals who find
themselves particularly susceptible to insect bites or are in areas of
particularly high risk of disease transmission. When using these products
it is advisable to avoid contact with the skin whilst still wet, but once
dry it is totally safe for humans and it is impossible to tell whether
clothing has been treated or not. It doesn’t even smell unlike DEET
that used to be used to treat clothing and nets

Removal of Insects from the Environment

These are generally ways to kill insects present in rooms etc. Knockdown
sprays are very effective and readily available and the best way to use
them is often to spray the room before you go out in the evening and let
the insecticide do its work whilst you are enjoying yourself. Alternatively
if you have an uninterrupted electricity supply, plug in products that
release permethrin-type insecticide into the room throughout the night
are very effective. They rely on a small heating element that will either
vaporise fluid or heat little mats that in turn release the active ingredient
into the room, again harmless to humans and virtually odourless. You can
also purchase coils that burn releasing the insecticide, these can produce
small amounts of smoke and fumes and should therefore not really be used
in enclosed environments, they are however very useful when eating outside.
A small piece of a coil (one coil lasts about 10 hours) burnt under the
table will keep the mossies away from your ankles – one of the most
popular areas for biting insects. Air conditioning will also reduce the
number of bites you get during the night if you have none of the other
options since lower temperatures do not encourage the mosquitoes to feed
and the constant flow of air makes it more difficult for them to find
you.

Formore information, visit the Nomad Travel website:Nomad Travel or call the Travel Health
Line: 0906 8633414 (calls cost 60p per min) to discuss your travel health
queries with a medical.

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7^th September 2002 London meeting Review
by Padmassana

We had two excellent speakers who both captured the essence of the countries
they talked about with some fantastic photographs.

Our first speaker was Marion Bull who showed us the N’Afjer
plateau in the Algerian Sahara. This area is the site of the world’s
oldest rock paintings, some dating back 12,000 years. Marion explained
that although UNESCO protects the paintings, many have been damaged over
the last few years by Arabic graffiti, and as there have been few tourists
to this area, the government has not protected them. The slides of the
rock paintings Marion showed us depicted prehistoric scenes of long extinct
animals, pastoral scenes of grazing cattle, newer pictures of what appeared
to be a boat and fishermen and paintings of chariots being pulled by animals.

This area of Algeria is also the site of The Forest of Stones, which
look like streets and stretch for 35 miles. These “streets”
of rock have spectacular pinnacles, which Marion said were difficult to
photograph due to the shadows cast by neighbouring towers of rock. But
Marion did these wonderful formations justice with her colourful slides.
We were lucky that Marion was able to show us these wonderful images,
as when she was leaving the area her plane had a little mishap, and she
had to spend another night in her sleeping bag on the runway tarmac.

Our second speaker was Julian Webster who treated us to some
glorious images of India. These included pictures of the Ganges high in
the Himalayas, right down to India’s southern tip, showing us a
lifeguard complete with a pointy “Go Faster” swim hat! We
saw colourful images of religious India including temples in Kerala, Buddhists
in the north, Christian nuns and Oracles who treat the local people with
their magic. Julian moved onto India at work, from the washing Ghats in
Bombay (Mumbai), where we saw clothes being beaten clean on stones, Fish
markets, Railway station bookshops with English sounding names and even
the office of “The World Famous Sex Therapist”! Julian finished
with some of the classical images of India such as holy cows and the Taj
Mahal.

On Saturday 5^th October, Eamonn
Gearon will give a talk called “Walking to Siwa – and
then staying there!” This features solo camel trekking in the Libyan
desert and life in the Egyptian oasis of Siwa, past present and future.
This is an extract from just one of Eamonn's expeditions in North
Africa – he is already planning his next to Sudan/Liberia.

After the break, Tahir Shah will give a talk entitled “In
search of King Solomon’s Mines.” Tahir is the third generation
of his family to become obsessed with King Solomon's mines. He travelled
to Ethiopia to a remote cliff face monastery where visitors are pulled
up by rope, the ruined castles of Gondar, to rock-hewn churches of Lalibela,
an illegal gold mine, and the hardest leg to the accursed mountain of
Tullu Wallel, where legend says the shafts to the entrance to King Solomon's
mines. All class competition for Rider Haggard's classic adventure
novel!

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. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back
on Saturday 1^st September. For more information,
you can contact the Globetrotter Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or
visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk

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Philippe continues his tale of diving and exploring Curacao with his
family.

Harry and his wife, Ann-Marie, have done all in their power to help
us achieving the best diving around the island. They have lent us all
equipment necessary including tanks to do some shore diving around the
island and God knows that, around Curacao, there are several luscious
beaches (e.g., “Klein Knipbaai”, “Playa Porto Marie”
or “Playa Jeremi”) with astounding coral reef diving, down
to quite extreme depths (that is, if you want) and very good facilities…for
the after-dive relaxation.

The club boats have also taken us to some very good diving places not
far from the hotel. One of these places was called the “Mushroom
Forest” and, when diving there, we had the feeling of wandering
in the middle of a forest of giant mushrooms, except that they were coral
formations under which we could often glimpse lobsters and moray eels.

Easy Divers’ philosophy is based on the following principle: once
you have established your credentials, you are free to dive the way you
want, under your sole responsibility. This philosophy, in addition to
the boat taking you to excellent spots, to the skipper giving you a good
pre-dive briefing and to the boat picking you up at the end of your dive
wherever you are (i.e. you do not have to navigate back to the boat),
was what European divers like us needed to do exciting dives.

The club was also offering all expected facilities and more, like nitrox,
a locker to store away your equipment to dry, a bar on the beach nearby,
showers for after the dive, all books necessary to identify what we had
seen (a special mention about Paul Humann’s and Ned Deloach’s
“The Reef Set” books which is probably one of the best books
ever made to precisely identify what you are going to see or what you
have seen: definitely a must have!) and refreshing fruit salads to pick
from while discussing your dives with your buddies, lying on deck chairs.

Furthermore, the diving club was conveniently located on the beach of
a resort (the Sunset Waters Beach Resort) which was providing very good
accommodation, food and all other amenities to make the rest of the trip
enjoyable, including a casino, a swimming pool and a mini-golf. There
were even some activities organised for the kids like movies, sea kayak
trips or water-polo tournaments so they definitely have also been able
to make the best out of their stay there.

Apart from Park Cristoffel which is supposed to offer some very good
hiking, Curacao also offered a few interesting things to see on the dry
over-the-water side of the island:

· Willemstad (the capital) made for an interesting tour with
its Dutch inspired houses, its floating rotating bridge, its floating
market (as nothing grows on Curacao, except Aloe Vera which has been cultivated
there for a very long time, all fruits and vegetables are imported from
the nearby Venezuela);

· A South-African Boer has opened an ostrich farm, which gave
us the opportunity to discover the life of ostriches and even to taste
them in the form of juicy steaks and sausages;

· The Kura Hollanda Museum about the Black Culture and Holocaust
was also a highly interesting moment in the trip as it enabled us to understand
more about the history of Black people in the Caribbean islands and in
the USA, with, among other things, an outstanding highlight on the slave
trade;

· Last, Curacao Seaquarium displayed some very interesting tanks
and creatures, taking advantage of the sea close vicinity to display,
among other things, nurse and lemon sharks, tarpons, groupers and rays
in almost natural environment with a possibility for divers to interact.

All in all, a very pleasant trip to “one of the best kept secrets
of the Caribbean islands” which I would definitely recommend to
divers travelling with their families.

If you would like to contact Philippe about diving or info on Curacao,
his e-mail is: philippe.sigal@bnpparibas.com

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14^th September 2002 Texas branch meeting Review
by Christina Smith

Two wonderful presentations were enjoyed by the 18 in attendance. Emily
Naberhaus, a regular attendee, discussed and demonstrated packing
techniques for a week or a month.

Sue Howell, a soon to be regular attendee, introduced the group
to her new business Vacations Unlimited Travel, Inc. Everyone had
time to share their travel stories and dreams, and do some networking
before the meeting ended. Two door prizes were given.. More than half
of the group continuedtravel conversation over a few beverages and a bunch
of peanuts at the Hoity Toit.

On October 12th at 2 p.m, resident photographer Chris Schorre
will present a slide show and provide travel facts about Croatia. As always,
everyone is invited to the New Braunfels Public Library in New Braunfels,
Texas to meet with fellow travelers.

Organizer of the Texas branch meetings Christina Smith says: “The
monthly meetings are the exact support I need in dealing with the travel
bug that bit me early in life. My desire and obsession for travel takes
center stage. Fortunately the fellowship of other travelers on a monthly
basis continues toenhance my addiction. I love this wonderful support
group”. The Beetle says a big thank you to you, Christina for
making the Texas branch what it is today – down to your enthusiasm
and dedication!

The Texas branch members have decided to take a trip together! Plans
are being developed for a group excursion to the Copper Canyon in Mexico
for Spring 2003.

Future meetings: October 12and November 9th

A reminder that Texas meetings will start one hour earlier, at 2pm and
not 3pm.

Meetings are held at 2pm 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

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When I was a little girl and the trees seemed too big for me I was first
taken to Red Square by my farther. It is a wonderful feeling to realize
how beautiful and different could be the Country you live in. Being about
five years old I was lucky to have captured this sensation and later on
it only became deeper.

I remember looking at the glowing Kremlin stars and feeling that I was
in the center of the whole world, of the universe. I am a student of Moscow
University now and I still have this feeling. When twilight comes the
Kremlin stars are the first to be seen, and only then Mars, Venus and
the North Star.

I have always adored Red Square (Red in Old Russian meant beautiful).
Being the symbol of the Country, a famous sight it is at the same time
the place that helps you to remember where are your roots and that you
belong here. It is amazing how one place could embody so many ancient
monuments and edifices from different epochs: from the 16th up to the
20th centuries.

Faces of Moscow are many and various and your vision of the city depends
on the way you look at it.

To the left of Red Square leads off Varvarka Street. If you happen round
in it, the close company of the golden domes of ancient Churches, the
Old English Court, the Chambers of Romanov boyars of handsome originality
will let you feel a merchant of the epoch of Ivan the Terrible, dressed
in long red caftan and wearing boots of coloured leather with silver lining
at the heels.

And if you shall go a way down you are sure to be enshrouded into a
special patriarchal atmosphere, which the stones of this district –
Zamoskvorechye (Beyond the River district) – still breathe. In the 16th
century this territory was used to grow fruit and vegetables for the Tsar’s
table and for a long time it was settled only by poor peasants and craftsmen.
This area commands a beautiful view of the Kremlin. The Kremlin…
here I recall one story.

Some time ago I worked with Italian tourists and we were exploring the
center of the city. After we had seen the Kremlin, which took about a
couple of hours, one of them asked me: “Look, we’ve been here
nearly all day long, we’ve seen so many churches and gardens and
I am dying to see one more famous place. Could you tell me where is on
Earth that very Kremlin, please? Where is that building? ”. I could
not help laughing. He was asking me to show exactly what he has just seen.
I told him so. Kremlin is not just one building, but a huge complex of
fortification walls, towers, churches and gardens.

The highest point of the city – Vorobievy Hills (Sparrow Hills)
is the sight for the main building of Moscow State University founded
in the times of Tsarina Elizaveta. The observation platform situated on
the same place commands a splendid view of entire Moscow. On a good day
the city is laid out before you like an opened book: the Olympic dome,
the home to the Olympic Games 1980s is the first thing that strikes the
eye. The seven famous skyscrapers seen from afar give an original look
to the city silhouette and emphasise its radial-circular layout.

Your ideas of turning into an aristocrat for a while are likely to take
shape in Prechistenka Street. It preserves all of the stages in the city’s
history. There are white stone chambers, noblemen’s mansions and
luxurious houses for rent created with outstanding taste. So never mind
you might notice this dignity look on the faces of your companions –
they must have come under the street’s spell.

On a fine summer day through the opened windows there might even seep
out the sounds of the grand piano and young ladies’ great babble
of conversation about preparing for the ball.

Every street has its own story to tell you. You just have to listen
to it and keep your mind open on things. Each of us can find something
of interest here.

From my mind a peculiar feature of Moscow is that this city maintaining
eminent architectural ensembles of the bygone days manages to mix it with
pure European signs of human achievements – prestigious hotels and
fashionable restaurants, luxurious clubs and extravagant boutiques, which
only adds a special flavour to it.

The title of this text holds certainly true of Moscow. The city is so
huge that you may live in it your whole life and still not know it, still
learn something new about it every day. But this is the stuff of life
– to learn and let yourself be dazzled by the new, isn’t it?

Katia says: “I am studying foreign languages at Moscow University
and I'm enjoying it very much as my profession is connected with people
– that's why I've been an interpreter, tourist guide. And I love
communicating with people from different countries, helping them to learn
more about Russia, its history and culture”.

For more information, or to contact Katia, please e-mail her on: engmaria@mtu-net.ru

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Fate has a strange knack of intervening in your live when you least
expect it. 1999 had been the worst year of my life ending with the death
of my father after a long drawn out illness. I just wanted to get away
from everything. I didn’t care where it was so long as it was hot
and I could sit on the beach, relax and recover. So I found myself in
The Gambia for the first time in late December 1999. I loved The Gambia
immediately. Although not scenic, I was captivated by the warmth and friendliness
of the people. I had travelled extensively in Africa before but there
was something indefinable about this place that drew me like a magnet.
All I wanted to do was relax so I would rise early and lay on the beach
for a couple of hours to set me up for the day. I enjoyed being on the
beach early, most tourists were still in bed and the peace and the early
morning sun revitalised me. I did not want to be sociable so I read or
feigned sleep. However, I could not help but be fascinated by one lady
who also at on the beach every morning. She was always surrounded by Gambians.
They encircled her, sat on the bottom of her sunbed, chatting away. They
called her Mama Africa. As the days passed my self-imposed exile began
to waver and my curiosity surfaced. Who was she? Why were The Gambians
always flocking around her? Why did they call her Mama Africa? In the
end I could stand it no longer and I approached her and asked her my questions.
That long conversation was to alter the course of my life. Mama Africa
and her dynamic daughter Debbie worked tirelessly to collect medical equipment
which they shipped to The Gambia in a container every year. They were
also involved in collecting items for the schools and the emergency services.
She gave me her address and I promised to try and help. Over the next
ten months I collected items towards their next shipment. The more I came
to know them both, the greater the respect and admiration I had for both
of them. They worked tirelessly for The Gambia. The project was by this
time expanding so rapidly that Debbie took the decision to amalgamate
the medical, educational and emergency services under one umbrella to
become an official charity. Thus GO GAMBIA was born. I was asked to become
a Trustee and took on the responsibility of Sponsorship Program Administrator.
We now run an educational sponsorship programme for 200 children as well
as providing desperately needed equipment for the schools, hospitals and
the emergency services. GO GAMBIA continues to expand and has become one
of the great passions in my life. I could go on forever about it but it
would be easier to log on to our website where our work is explained in
detail. Go Gambia website Fate led
me to that beach in The Gambia in 1999. I often look back and think how
strange it was that a conversation on Banjul beach turned my life upside
down when I least expected it. Any Globetrotters members interested in
sponsoring a child’s education or who can assist the project in
any way can contact us through the GO GAMBIA website. Alternatively, you
may contact Rosemary by e-mail on: rahamblin@hotmail.coms

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Darrell from Washington, DC, wrote in: “someone who visited both
Prague and Bratislava before Czechoslovakia split should get credit for
two countries. Likewise, chalk up two countries if someone visited East
and West Germany separately before 1990”.

Del from Texas says: “Easy, it counts if the part that split was
visited”.

Henry from Hawaii says: No, one could count two countries if both Prague
and Bratislava were visited before the split. It is the territory that
counts since it is pretty much the same regardless of who owns it at any
given time. A purist would argue that it would require visitation when
the current state was in operation and one could agree with that view
in order to keep the counting as standard as possible.

Nick from London wrote in to say: I liked the What Counts as having
visited a Country? section in the newsletter this month. Years ago I visited
a couple of bits of Yugoslavia, and I would note that as several countries
now.

Our webmaster Paul sent in a link of the official ISO country list,
for worldly travellers to tick ‘em off! Take a look at
http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/prods-services/iso3166ma/02iso-3166-code-lists/index.html

This month’s question, from Nick from London is: I would be
interested if people think it counts if you have visited a country for
a stopover.

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Most visitors to Cape Town arrive by air and land at Cape Town's
International Airport. The International terminal has recently been upgraded
and facilities are good. The airport is about a twenty minute drive from
the centre of Cape Town along the N2 freeway. For those brave people who
like to drive themselves it is easy to hire a car as most car hire firms
are represented at the airport.

Anybody who is used to driving on the right is in for a surprise. We
don't! The Brits taught us to drive on the left. Please remember this
as you could find yourself in trouble on the roads. BEWARE of the taxis.
They drive like maniacs, stop anywhere and don't stop at traffic lights.
The roads in and around town are good and well sign posted. If you know
where you are going you should not get lost. That's easily said, I
still get lost sometimes. You know us men, we don't like asking for
directions.

Cape Town has three major access roads to get you in and out of town.
The N1 which takes you to the north and the suburbs of Parow, Bellville
and onto Paarl and the winelands if you keep on going. The N2, takes you
along De Waal drive down Settlers way to the airport and Somerset West
and if you keep going to Mosselbay via Sir Lowry's Pass. To avoid
peak traffic do not drive along these roads from about 4.30 onwards in
the afternoons. The third is the main road which takes you south through
all the suburbs of Cape Town to Simonstown. Plenty of traffic lights,
stop start driving and pedestrians. For shoppers there are some large
shopping centres to visit.

Century City (Canal Walk) is the biggest and is found just off the N1
highway about 5 kilometres out of town. Here there are hundreds of shops
to browse through. Do yourself a favour and wear your walking shoes when
visiting Canal Walk. You will walk for miles and are sure to get sore
feet. However, there are many restaurants and coffee shops to visit when
you get tired, trust me you WILL! It is enormous with two levels and two
shopping malls on each level. A shop-a-holics dream come true! While you
are there take a boat ride on the canal and visit the bird hide on the
island.

Cape Town itself has plenty to see and do. If you want to avoid driving,
take a bus to the waterfront and visit the shops restaurants and pubs
there. Many of the larger chain stores you find at Canal walk (Century
City) are also represented at the Waterfront. The V & A Waterfront
as it is named is part of Table Bay Harbour and is still used as a working
harbour. Like boats? Take a cruise. Fancy a trip to Robben Island? They
also leave from the harbour.

Cape Town has many places of interest within walking distance of the
city centre.

I will list a few below.

· Museum and Planetarium found in the Gardens.

· The Gardens and the Art Gallery.

· Oceanarium in the Waterfront.

· The Castle of the Cape of Good Hope found close to the railway

station.

· Green Market Square with its permanent flea market.

· St Georges Cathedral.

Cape Town is relatively safe with most areas being monitored by surveillance
cameras. There are however, those who will try their luck, so please keep
all jewellery and valuables hidden under your clothing. It is not safe
to walk around by yourself at night. It's Ok at the Waterfront, but
not anywhere else. If you are driving keep your doors locked at all times
and do not leave valuables where they can be seen, even when you are in
the car.

The South African currency is Rand and cents. A British pound is the
equivalent of about R16.00 and a US dollar about R10.50. If you are visiting
Cape Town in summer, bring lots of beachwear and a hat. The sun is very
dangerous. On the beaches use plenty of sunblock to prevent bad sunburn.
Be careful of the rip tides on some of the beaches if you decide to have
a swim.

Enjoy your trip. See you soon!

Geoff Fairman is the editor and publisher of Banker's Oldboy's
Ezine, a free publication posted via email to your home computer weekly.
To read more articles on Cape Town visit:

Brerrabbit-subscribe@topica.com

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