This was our first trip to Bali and I have to say that the Balinese are in general the loveliest people, very gentle and welcoming.

Driving out there was a real experience though! It appears that the traffic laws (where there are any) don’t apply to the thousands of motor bikes on the road. It was common to have them coming at you in a one way street!

Prices are fantastic, it cost us about a fiver to tank up a big people carrier, they thought we were mad driving ourselves but once you get used to it and remember to use your horn as much as they do it’s not too bad.

Certainly a destination I’d recommend and will definitely be going back. Kuta is very touristy but get out of town and it’s a whole different world.

Joanne is from Canada and works with the Beetle. She has not been in the UK very long. She had never been to a bonfire night!

We explained to her that on November 5^th, 1605, the Catholic Guy Fawkes and some fellow conspirators, crept into the Houses of Parliament and stored lots of barrels of gunpowder in an attempt to blow up the houses of Parliament.

He and his associates were caught and taken away to the Tower of London and beheaded. Since this time, each year, on November 5^th, the entire country celebrate the foiling of this event (I know, it seems strange!) by having a bonfire with an effigy of Guy Fawkes and we have huge organized and private firework displays.

The public firework displays are always stunning! One of the best ones in London is at Primrose Hill and starts at 7.30pm on the closest Saturday to 5^th November.

Under 24? 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!!

The Beetle likes the UK Foreign and Commonwealth site – it has everything from employment opportunities to individual country reports – really interesting!

UK Foreign and Commonwealth

Sort clothes together and put them in different coloured plastic bags – helps you to find your socks as opposed to your T-shirts and also keeps them clean and dry when your back pack is accidentally dropped in the river/sea or when it rains and it is stored on top of a bus.

Back in 1959, when Frank from the US was in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia on Lebuh Chulia Street he saw a local Chinese Hotel named the Hang Chow Hotel and Restaurant, referred to by some of the other back packers as the Constipation Hotel.

Paying by credit card? Check the currency you think you’ve just paid in! Ensure that the currency you have paid in is clearly marked on the credit card slip and don’t forget to match it to your credit card statement when you get home – you may be in for a surprise!

Got any scam experiences you’d like to share with the Beetle? Then e-mail them to: the Beetle

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