From the UK Foreign Office: “The Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health — on the basis of information from the World Health Organisation — has strongly advised the UK public to defer travel to Hong Kong, Beijing, China’s Shanzi province China and Toronto in Canada for the time being due to the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome”. The situation in China is being kept under careful review. Travellers are advised to monitor the FCO website and the Department of Health website regularly. Further information on SARS is also available on the World Health Organisation website (www.who.int)
Tag Archives: April 2003
Mutual Aid
Felicity would like help on staying in the Hawaiian Islands. She says she would like to stay and work on one of the Hawaiian islands for say a period of about 4 to 5 months after her exams. Can anyone help her with some info about visa’s, jobs, accommodation, weather, when it’s best to go, etc. Felicity can be contacted on: felicitybishop@hotmail.com
David from PA, USA says: “I have a small boat (850 LBS) in Van Nuys California at my brother’s house. I live in Pittsburgh, PA. I am willing to pay someone’s gas expenses if they are travelling across country and are willing to bring my boat east. What newsgroups would I post something like this on? I am new to newsgroups and would appreciate any help you could give me in getting my boat east”. If you can help David, please e-mail him on: dave43pa2003@yahoo.com
Need help? Want a travelling buddy or advice about a place or country – want to share something with us – why not visit our Mutual Aid section of the Website: Mutual Aid
Free London Museums: Leighton House
Leighton House Art Gallery & Museum, the former home of the great nineteenth century classical painter Lord Leighton is now open to visitors as a mixture of stately home and art gallery. An impressive collection of high Victorian art is on show here, along with various contemporary art exhibitions. The house itself is also a dramatic sight, with its ebony woodwork, ornate mosaic flooring and exquisite Persian carpets.
Address: 12 Holland Park Road
Telephone: 020 7602 3316 Admission times: Mon-Sun, 11am-5.30pm; Closed on Tuesdays Admission: Free
Website: leightonhousemuseum
So You Think You.re Well Travelled?
Here’s a little Beetle quiz based on airport codes. See how many you get right! Go on, have a guess!
Which cities are served by airports with the following codes:
For the answers, see at the end of the e-newsletter.
MEETING NEWS
Meeting news from our branches around the world.
Globetrotters Travel Award
Under 30? A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?
Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?
Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we’ll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!
Have you got a tale to tell??
If you have a travellers tale that your aching to tell. Then why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites” section of the Website and share it with the world. Travel Sized Bites
Meeting News from London
Globetrotters meeting on 5th April by Padmassana
Our first speaker Thomas Bourne showed us slides of Chile, Patagonia, Antarctica and South Georgia. Thomas had spent his gap year on board a 55ft ketch as a “Cabin boy”. He started his voyage in Chile, showing us wonderful views of the Chilean lakes, volcano’s and the San Rafael glacier, which is the earth’s furthest glacier from its respective pole. Thomas also showed us the local wildlife including sea lion, dolphins and albatrosses. He sailed south in his boat and called in at Ushaia. This seemed a veritable metropolis after weeks at sea. After rounding Cape Horn and transiting the Drake Passage he headed down to Antarctica, reaching a very impressive 66 degrees and 3 minutes south. We saw pictures of massive tabular icebergs that had weird shapes carved out of them by the elements, though Thomas pointed out that it was the small “bergy bits” that float just under the surface that are a more serious threat to the safety of small craft travelling at 6 Knots. Our final views were of South Georgia, which has been visited by less than 100 yachts. This made Thomas feel that he had been very privileged to have spent 12 months doing this exciting trip.
Our second speaker was one of Padmassana’s favourite travel writers, the intrepid cyclist Anne Mustoe. On this her second visit to the Globetrotters Club, Anne took us from Kathmandu in Nepal to Kandy in Sri Lanka, following the route of the epic Indian Ramayana story. Anne’s journey took her via many of India’s famous sights including The Residency in Lucknow, where 2000 Britons were killed during the Indian mutiny. Anne couldn’t see India without visiting Agra and the stunning Taj Mahal. Anne introduced us to her Agra rickshaw driver on whom she took pity and ended up doing an impromptu shopping expedition around Agra in order that her driver received a 5 Rupee tip from each shop, which went towards the daily hire fee of his vehicle. Anne continued south often staying in less than desirable accommodation, however she occasionally splurged such as when she stayed at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, where the doormen had the opportunity to “park” her cycle instead of the BMW’s and Mercedes that they were more used to. Anne took a number of British winters to complete this epic trip down India before eventually ending up in Sri Lanka her goal accomplished. Visit Anne’s website for more details www.annemustoe.co.uk
Coming up: Saturday 10th May
Windy Baboulene – The Blue road Windy left school at 16 and travelled the world for 4 years working on cargo ships. The “hilarious and bizarre” true story of his adventures has been published entitled “Blue Road” and is the foundation for his talk. John Harrison – Amazon adventures John has made seven canoeing expeditions to the Amazon, besides travelling lengths of the Niger and rivers in Europe and North America. His expeditions travel without radio or back up, exploring some of the Amazon’s remotest tributaries with the old style “risk-adventure” approach. John has chaired RGS Tropical Rainforest workshops, written “Up the Creek” an Amazonian Adventure, been the subject of a TV documentary “John Harrison Explorer” and has made several programmes for BBC Radio 4.
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 in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk
What Counts As A Visit
Kevin from the UK wrote in to say: “I think it depends also on whether you need a visa to actually set foot in a country e.g. when I came back through Saudi last Xmas, there were lots of people in transit from India, but you cannot get out of Jeddah airport without a Saudi visa. Whereas Changi airport in Singapore actually gives you a free city tour if time allows between connecting flights. So you will in my book have visited Singapore, even if it is only for 4 hours”.
Any more comments, anyone? E-mail to the Beetle
Travel Quiz
Win a Frommer’s guidebook on Seattle 2003. See www.frommers.com for info on Frommer’s guidebooks.
Some people have said the quiz is difficult, we say do some research; try google.com or Ask Jeeves, if you need help with the answers.
The winner of last month’s Moon guide is Andrew Hindley.
Meeting News from New York "Ladakh: The last Shangri-la?"
“Ladakh: The last Shangri-la?”
“In the forbidding terrain of the Himalayas, a robust people embellish their frugal lives with rich endowments of faith” (Thomas J. Abercrombie, National Geographic). Experience the beauty of this exotic land through a slide show by Kenneth Axen, PhD, research scientist, graphic artist, and serious amateur photographer.
For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates, click here at our website.
New York meetings are held at The Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher Street (btw Greenwich St and Washington St), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm.
Why Yoga is Like Travelling
Some thoughts by Padmassana, likening travel to yoga – or the other way round!
He says: “When you travel you are thinking about what you are seeing, where you are going to stay, how you are going to get there, the people you are with. You are absorbed in where you are at that moment in time, not thinking about the past or far into the future. In yoga you are thinking about the practice, the breath, the foot positions and the bandhas. As with travelling, you have so much to think about, you are absorbed in that moment.
In both yoga and travel, you are enjoying being where you are at that time and the clarity of mind and general happiness; you leave behind all the daily worries. I think that yoga has become a substitute for travel for me, for the 48 weeks a year when I am at home”.
You can contact Padmassana by sending an email to padmassana@globetrotters.co.uk
Meeting News from Ontario
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.
Mediterranean Bookings Down
The tourism industry has been heavily hit by the current conflict in Iraq. Holidaymakers are avoiding Turkey and Cyprus and indeed, the most of the Mediterranean. Muslim countries, such as Egypt and Turkey, or those that have suffered recent terrorist attacks, such as Kenya, are the worst affected.
Destinations as far away from the war zone as Spain are also suffering. It looks like family bookings are the hardest hit, with six out of ten who went abroad last summer not yet having booked for this year.
People who are travelling appear to be shortening their holidays. The number of fortnight breaks booked in the UK for this year has fallen by half while the number of one week stays is down by only 20 per cent. Travel Trade Gazette deputy editor Ian Taylor said: ‘It is clear Easter is likely to be poor by industry standards and family bookings probably won’t come back in large numbers until a ceasefire.
You can contact Padmassana at padmassana@globetrotters.co.uk