Volunteers wanted for projects worldwide.

India Project, Karmi Farm Clinic

Nomad Travel Store is now seeking voluntary doctors and nurses for our charity clinic in India.  The clinic is based on Karmi Farm in the foothills of the Himalayas on the border of Sikkim.  We have spaces throughout 2005.  If you would like more information please contact Cathy on: cathy@nomadtravel.co.uk  The website of Karmi Farm Guesthouse is: www.karmifarm.com

Kilimanjaro Medical help Required

We're running a trek up Kili in conjunction with Cancer Research next spring and are looking for a doctor and a nurse (or two doctors) to accompany the trek (12-20 Feb 2005).  Do you know a suitable doctor who might be interested (and fit enough).  They would travel free of charge.  Please e-mail: markw@adventurecompany.co.uk or see: http:\www.adventurecompany.co.uk

Project Monitoring with Help Argentina

Help Argentina is a unique non-profit organization that works in conjunction with hundreds of other non-profit and social development organizations with the aim of strengthening the social sector as a whole. Most of the work will be done in the field working with beneficiary organizations, conducting surveys, delivering supplies, etc. Work place and hours are flexible. mpazmm@HelpArgentina.org

Social Work with CIPPEC Argentina

CIPPEC is a non-governmental organization working to promote equality and growth in Argentina. CIPPEC aims to make public institutions stronger, to make opportunities equal for everyone and to better the social situation for all Argentineans. Volunteers can work on a range of projects. Volunteers will work for four hours a day. vweyrauch@cippec.org

Inca Porter Project, Peru

The Inca Porter Project is looking for long term volunteers with fluent Spanish to staff their new training and drop-in centre. If you are interested, please see:  http://www.peruweb.org/porters/

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Rajasthan is a land where the vagaries of nature have settled to co-exist with the good cheer of its people.  The architectural grandeur of royalty and the tales of valour and chivalry are the essence of its very spirit. Rajasthan is a destination that enchants the visitor with every little discovery that is made, because the more one discovers, the more is the urge to stay on or come back.  It offers a unique destination for anyone’s holidays.

Jaipur, the first planned city of historic India, better known as the pink city and the Venice of east is a perfect combination of old and modern architect of India.  Pushkar is your host for rural, religion and culture of the region. The Thar Desert tells a story of men living in harmony with a hostile nature.  It is not deserted but contains a complete philosophy to live with the nature.  Ranthambore presents an opportunity for viewing wild life as you can experience the first hand the habitat of the king of the forest the tiger.  The following ‘tour’ is in two parts but shows how you can easily explore parts of Rajasthan.

JAIPUR

Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City, was founded in 1727 AD by the Maharaja of Amber Sawai Jai Singh. This remarkable city is considered a marvel of town planning.  Designed in accordance with ancient Hindu treaties on architecture, the Silpa Shastra, Jaipur follows a grid system and is encircled by a fortified wall.  The palace lies in the heart of the city and occupies the space of the central grid. The rest of the grids were cut across neatly by wide lanes, which divided the area into tidy, well laid-out rectangles of commercial and residential use. The fortified wall has eight gates (originally had seven) and was built for protection against invading armies and wild animals. Today the city has spread beyond these walls and reached neighbouring towns and continues to grow.

CITY PALACE

The city Palace complex is the most important landmark with its numerous outbuildings, courtyards, impressive gateways and temples.  Occupying one seventh of the walled city area, the city palace houses the seven storied Chandra Mahal (residence of the royal family), Mubarak Mahal, the Diwan-I-Am, and Diwan-I-Khas. The museum houses a rare collection of arms, carpets, costumes, paintings and royal paraphernalia. A notable exhibit is a pair of pure silver containers, which are the largest single pieces of silver in the world.

Across the road from the palace is the JANTAR MANTAR, one of the five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh, this one is the latest and the best preserved. A collection of complex astronomical instruments chiselled out of stone – most of which continue to provide fairly accurate information to this day – is the highlight of the observatory.

HAWA MAHAL (PALACE OF WINDS)

This adjoins the outside of the palace wall.  Built in 1799 this pink seven storied building overlooks one of the main streets and also provides some excellent views of the city.  Dedicated to the lord Krishna, it is shaped like a crown, which adorns the Lord’s head.  It has over 900 niches and is quite an unusual structure the likes of which are not to be found anywhere else in the world.

AMBER FORT

Set in a picturesque location, Amber is a fascinating blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture.  Built in the 16th century by Raja Man Singh, it sprawls on the hillside.  Built in red sandstone and white marble, the palace complex has some very interesting apartments, the likes of which are not to be found anywhere else in the country.  Jai Mandir, Sheesh Mahal, Sukh Niwas, Ganesh Pol are some of the prominent areas of interest.  The old township of Amber lies at the foothills of the palace and has an Old World charm, a character of its own.

PUSHKAR FAIR (November)

Held at Pushkar near Ajmer once in a year, better known by the name of Pushkar Cattle Fair, is one of the most colourful festivals of India. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy water of the Pushkar Lake. Legend has it that the lake appeared miraculously on the spot, where the petals of the lotus fell from the hands of lord Brahma. Pushkar has an atmosphere of an ancient town, peaceful and secluded but for twelve days of the month of KARTIK (Hindu calendar), it transformed into a spectacular fair ground.  The fair is an amazing sight to behold including street sellers showing off their dazzling range of wares in hundreds of roadside stalls.

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES

People come from different parts of Rajasthan to worship lord Brahma and take bath in the holy lake.  Pilgrims start coming in the early morning in groups singing the religious songs dedicated to Hindu gods to bathe in the Pushkar lake. The process continues throughout the day to turn into DEEPDAN ceremony.  The entire atmosphere reverberates with the ringing of bells.  At night, hundreds of small oil lamps placed on green leaves set the lake alight.  Shopkeepers keeps their shops open day and night for the last three or four days to keep the city alive.

CAMELS AND CATTLE

Worlds largest number of camel gathering is a spectacular seen that floods this area with thousands of tourist every year. The most spectacular site besides the animals is the day to day activity of the people who comes with the animals and spend the day and night under open sky. Horse races, camel races and other animal based events are organized by the organizing committee to choose the best animal of the fair.

If you would like to get in touch with Bhaghirath about touring Rajasthan, he can be contacted by e-mail on: vision21century@sify.com

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Planning a visit to London or already live in London or visit, well, Gordon regularly hosts get togethers for visitors and local people alike to go to the theatre and concerts, sometimes free and sometimes at reduced cost.  He also hosts suppers at selected restaurants – the picture shows a group of Gordon’s friends. 

To join Gordon’s friends’ group, click on this link:

Gordon's friends

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I was pretty taken with Cefalù. I had not expected it to have retained such charm since its advent to practically every tour firm’s brochure. My one disappointment was quite a major one, that the lovely cathedral, with mosaics older than those at Monreale [though nothing like as many,] was undergoing repair, a place of noise and dust with little mosaic actually showing. Never mind, you can’t win ’em all! Somehow I missed the quickest way to the bus for Castelbuono and I arrived in time to see the back of it as it left. It was right by the train station and, as Castelbuono was the very first stop and a train was almost due, I was not too worried. In fact my only worry was during the short train journey when I realised I had not validated my ticket! Fortunately nobody had told me that the station was nowhere near the town and that the walk was up a very long and pretty steep hill. I only had seconds to worry about this, as the fellow passenger who told me went on to offer a lift. We can have been only a little behind the bus!

My lift was to the tourist office who started to look for somewhere for me to stay that night. I quite fancied the idea of a b&b for a change and the price sounded OK until they phoned back to all but double it as I was on my own. No good. The next attempt was the only hotel in the little town, as far as I know, the Ariston. This was remarkably cheap and I left my luggage at the tourist office to carry on uphill to the castle before dropping down to the Ariston. The view, both of the town below and of the hills of the interior in the other direction confirmed the impression that it would be a good walking centre. However there was no time to weigh that up with only two nights left. I returned to the Ariston and the very cheap price came to seem explicable. The receptionist was playing cards with a couple of friends – they called to mind Manet’s famous painting in the Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Shortly after he had given me the key I heard them – all – leave the hotel and that was it. There was nobody else in the hotel from then until I left in the morning. I do not remember the name of the place where I ate. I suppose you might call it an Italian fast food joint but it was just what I needed – fast indeed but remarkably friendly. I should go again – just above the arch on the right if you want to find it!

So back in the morning to Cefalù on the bus to catch the train on along the coast. I had by now what I thought was probably a pipedream, that it would be great to take a boat out to one of the Aeolian Islands for a couple of hours if timetables permitted – and they seemed to. This time the mistake was not my fault. The departure board in the station had been changed from the time-table from the tourist office and I had to wait well over an hour for the next train – and pay extra for the privilege because it was called an express. It would hardly be reasonable for an Englishman to complain about the train service anywhere but this was actually as bad as ours at near their worst.

Thus I arrived at Milazzo very uncertain whether it was going to be possible to do anything. I discovered that by taking an aliscafo [hydrofoil] I could get just about an hour on Lípari. I am and I was very aware that an hour on Lípari is absurdly insufficient. On the other hand it was nearly an hour more than nothing and allowed a sight of Vulcano on the way – and the sea was like a mill pond. There was really no contest in my mind; I went and I am glad I did – though I should certainly like to go again for longer and see some of the other islands as well.

After the trip, reported in the next edition, I was rather too tired to walk up to the castle at Milazzo but it looked striking enough towering over the town. I was there at a time when the industrial smoke said to spoil the town so badly was absent and it seemed a good place. I stayed at the Central in the Via  del Sole, an ordinary little place with shared bathrooms, cheaper but otherwise much the same as several others. I ate at a sort of shop/cafe at the far end of town from a wonderful spread of antipasti type dishes – very cheaply indeed.

David was a keen walker, particularly on mountains before he developed serious heart problems in 1995. He has now adapted his holidays to what he is able to do and we are presenting his account of 12 days in Sicily over this and the coming months. Next two episodes: Palermo.

Next episode – Aeolians , Messina, Taormina.

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Near the Serpentine in Hyde Park, London, a place the Princess was always being seen in, not far from her home in Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens. The water ran and sparkled like a running summer brook through the marble stone and in other parts of this architectural Memorial the water was nearly still as a pond in a country village.

The Queen gave her speech, the VIP’s looked on, the press took pictures, the TV Cameras rolled – all looked pristine and somewhat cold in the Memorial empty of people.

The ceremony over, it opened to the public and suddenly it became what it was meant to be.  The sun shone, the temperature soared, the people filled the memorial, people from all walks of life and different parts of the world; dipping their feet and walking in the cool water.

Princess Diana was the “People’s Princess” and this water feature perfectly matches and catches her soul especially when full of visitors, whether they be locals or tourists, rich or poor. 

The perfect opening day was spoilt by a storm the next day that not only blew some trees down but also masses of leaves that blocked the drains and flooded the whole place.  We have a problem in Britain with leaves! In most autumns they land on the rails and cause chaos on the railways and nothing ever seems to fix this problem.  It also seems we always have problems with new constructions! The words bridge and wobbling come to mind!

However it is a great success and it will reopen in the not too distant future and I think: no, I’m sure Princess Diana will be looking down and smiling on seeing the enjoyment on the faces of the people below as they stroll and paddle about this relaxing place on a sunny afternoon.    

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he original author of Lonely Planet Cuba announces the launch of Cuba-Pictures.com, a 14-page collection of 126 travel photos of Cuba. All photos in this picture gallery are by David Stanley, who researched and wrote the first two editions of Lonely Planet Cuba, published in 1997 and 2000. Stanley first visited Cuba in 1975, and over the next four years he represented a Canadian tour company on Isla de la Juventud, at Varadero, and in Havana. Since then, he has revisited Cuba dozens of times.

A few of Stanley’s photos originally appeared in Lonely Planet Cuba, while the rest are published here for the first time. They offer a cross section of Cuba, with the emphasis on “real Cuban life” rather than the artificial world of tourism. The images are intended to convey the atmosphere of some very special places, and the warm, friendly people who call Cuba home.

Each page of pictures provides an introduction to a specific area, and all photos are fully captioned. The site also features a map of Cuba, a shopping mall with Cuban music, guides, and films, and a selection of travel links. http://www.cuba-pictures.com is now open to visitors.

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After a long trip via Kuala Lumpur and Phnom Penh finally got to Siem Reap. After dumping luggage straight out to Angkor Wat, spectacular place and surprisingly not many tourists. I had a driver and guide to myself, which meant we went at my pace as I was really tired. Luckily my driver provided endless bottles of cold water, as we wandered around the ruins. I got back to hotel and slept for 12 hours! 

Interesting hotel breakfast including croissant, bacon and chips! I think they had better get a bigger tea urn with me in residence though!  Went out to Angkor Thom, again very nice, but agree with you (Beetle) that Ta Prom is wonderful out in the forest with the jungle threatening to take over, a truly wonderful place.  Went up to see the sunset from a temple on top of a hill, but clouds arrived so had to go back down.  It’s the rainy season just beginning in middle of May and we had a big thunderstorm last night.

Then next day went to Banteay Srei, 30km from Siem Reap, quite interesting, especially with a musical accompaniment provided by a band of land mine victims.  Also took in some other temples as well Ta Keo and Banteay Samre.  A free afternoon after that, so I spent it exploring Siem Reap, a typical backpacker town, good fun and they have cheap CD shops.  Lots of souvenirs available, but only bought a few.

This was a great time to visit, as there were very few tourists, you could see everything and take photos without heads bobbing up in the way.

I wanted to go up in the static balloon over Angkor Wat, but I had to abandon that as we had a spectacular thunderstorm last night, so had a Thai massage instead while the heavens opened.

I was due to just transit Phnom Penh, but Malaysian Airlines cancelled my flight and put me on a later one, so rather than get bored in an airport for 6 hours my Angkor guide rang his mate in Phnom Penh, who picked me up from the airport and got me round the major sights in 3 hours, phew – the time I had between arriving at the airport and leaving for KL.  I visited the Royal Palace, which was closed, the National Museum, which was good as it has some of the carvings that are missing from Siem Reap, then to Wat Phnom and to Tol Sluong genocide museum and killing fields, which is gruesome, but has to be seen. I will never forget the “Skull map” of Cambodia or the cabinets full of skulls.

If you would like to contact Padmassana, he can be e-mailed on: Padmassana@globetrotters.co.uk

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