Lahore is located 288 km from Islamabad. This capital of the Punjab is a city of gardens, parks and educational institutions with a rich heritage. It is an ancient town rich in historical monuments, including Mughal architecture. Lahore is considered to be the cultural capital of Pakistan.

Places of interest include the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, Old City Shrine of Data Ghanj Bukhsh, Anarkani Bazaar, Wazir Khan's Mosque, National Museum, Sikh monument, Minar Pakistan, the mausoleum of Jahangir, Nur Jahan and Asif Khan, Shalimar Garden, Jallo National Park as well as (some two hours drive from Lahore) there is a world's largest man made forest Chhanga Manga. Lahore is famous for folk dances (dhamal) with drum beating in a traditional way at shrines with a totally different essence of mystic surroundings. Visiting countryside and villages is an excellent experience near Lahore. Lahori people are very hospitable and this hospitality leaves unforgettable impression.

Badshahi Mosque

The city next crops up in literature in connection with the campaigns of the Turkish dynast Mahmud of Ghazni against the Rajas of Lahore between I00I and I008. Around this time it established itself as the capital of the Punjab and thereafter began to play an important and growing role as a centre of Muslim power and influence in the subcontinent. Its heyday was the Mughal era from the early sixteenth century onwards and, as Mughal power began to decline in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Lahore suffered a concomitant period of ignominy and political eclipse. It was here, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, that the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh declared himself Maharajah of the Punjab and allowed his troops to desecrate many of the city's beautiful Islamic shrines- including the Badshahi Mosque which was, for a while, converted into a powder magazine. By the time British occupied Lahore in I849, one writer moved to describe the city as 'a mere expanse of crumbling ruins'.

Lahore Fort

Nearby, the massively fortified walls of Lahore Fort speak eloquently of the centuries of passing history that they have witnessed. The fort antedates the coming of Mahmud of Ghazn i in the eleventh century, was ruined by the Mangols in I241, rebuilt in I267, destroyed a gain by Timurlane in I398 and rebuilt once more in I421. The great Mughal emperor Akbar re placed its mud walls with solid brick masonry in I566 and extended it northwards. Later Jehangir, Shah Jehan and Aurangzeb all added the stamps of their widely differing personalities to its fortification, gateways and palaces.

The fort encloses an area of approximately thirty acres and it is possible to spend many hours wandering there, lost in contemplation of times gone by, trying to reconstruct in your imagination a way of life that the world will never see again. The buildings within its walls are a testament to the gracious style of Mughal rule at its height, in which every man knew his place and courtly behaviour had been refined into an elaborately stratified social code. Much of the architecture reflects this code. From a raised balcony in the Diwan-e-Aam, or Hall of Public Audience, built by Shah Jehan in I63I, the emperors looked down on the common people over whom they ruled when they came to present petitions and to request the settlement of disputes. Wealthier citizens and the nobility were allowed to meet their emperors on a level floor in the Diwan-e-Khas, the Hall of Special Audience-which was also built by Shah Jehan, in I633.

Shalimar Garden, Lahore

Another magnificent remnant of the Mughal era, also partially vandalized in the late eighteenth century by the invading Sikhs, is the Shalimar Garden which stands on the Grand Trunk Road about eight kilometres to the east of the old part of Lahore. “Shalimar” means 'House of Joy' and, in truth, the passing centuries have done nothing to detract from the indefinable atmosphere of light-heartedness and laughter that characterizes this green and peaceful walled retreat. A canal runs the entire 2,006 foot (6II meters) length of the garden and from it 450 sparkling fountains throw up a skein of fresh water that cools and refreshes the atmosphere, making this a favourite place for afternoon walks for the citizens of modern Lahore. Lahore is rightly regarded as the cultural, architectural and artistic centre of Pakistan; indeed, the city is so steeped in historical distinction that it would be possible to spend a lifetime studying it without learning everything that there is to learn.

Hameed's areas of specialisation include documentary filmmaking, being a conservation leader from the WWF College for Conservation leadership, graphic design, teaching multimedia Arts at national college of Arts and he is a regular travel column contributor to an English speaking Pakistani newspaper. For more information on travel in Pakistan, Hameed is happy to answer any e-mails: hameed@gandhara.org

If you are looking for a friendly, clean cheap backpackers in Lahore, Hameed recommends the Regale Internet Inn in Lahore. E-mail: Regale_internet@yahoo.com

This month we will have two guest speakers. Chris Schorre, our own resident photographer, will present a slide show of Spain. Christina and Susan will recount their recent trip to Madrid.

Future meetings will be held on December 14th and January 11th.

Mark your calendars.

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

Ask most of the people around you: “where is Mauritius?” and they probably could not tell you. And yet the famous writer Mark Twain said: God created Paradise, and copied Mauritius. I am a Moroccan citizen lady, and by recent marriage to a Mauritian citizen, and I am now in Mauritius.

MY WAY is a famous song.

MY WAY OF SEEING MAURITIUS, is another story.

Mauritius is really indeed a beautiful island in the Indian ocean, near the east coast of Madagascar and South Africa. The main industry of the country is tourism, and tourists come from everywhere in the world, and all throughout the year, as there is really no winter here, and the weather is always temperate.

The tourism sector is well boosted and organized, and whatever type of tourist you are, you always have what you want in terms of accommodation and rates. It is very easy to get a good accommodation at even 4 Euros per day per person, in an apartment, studio, bungalow and you can also be accommodated in 5 stars hotels and suites.

If you browse any search engine over the internet and put “Mauritius” in your search box, you will be surprised to the number of information available and to see the number of companies, selling and servicing the Mauritius tourist business.

Unlike other places, Mauritius has lots of activities and places to interest tourists, for example, you get the best of many lovely beaches, interesting sightseeing tours that will lead you for example to the unique spot of 7 coloured earth in the world, situated at Chamarel, beautiful nature forests and waterfalls.

Mauritius is a cosmopolitan island where there is harmony of race. On the island, white people, Creole, Hindus, Muslims and Chinese live peacefully. Each race has its own culture, and it is very visible while going from one place to another, seeing the temples, churches, mosques. People in Mauritius attach great importance to religion.

For the short time that I have been on this island, I have seen the following:

You should always bargain and never accept the first price that is quoted to you. Whether it is for the airport taxi, or whatever goods you purchase, and you will see after the transaction that it was really worth bargaining.

Lots of native people are attracted to tourists and never miss an opportunity to make friends with you. It depends of what you want, but they already know what they want from you! Many Mauritians are proud to be in the company of blondes! (Beetle watch out!) Mauritians are very helpful – ask anything and they will try and help you.

There is also another side of Mauritius, which most of the tourists do not see: there is another way of seeing Mauritius, to live as a Mauritian with a Mauritian. You will see his difficulty for struggling to get his living. The salaries are low and prices have gone up. The gap between the rich and the poor has never been as wide as it is now.

Anyway, I am in Mauritius now, and one thing I want to recommend to you, is that you must not forget to do is to taste the dhull purri and farata, which is in a sense the national food, served on the street as a kind of fast food.

Yours from Mauritius

Fatiha Mray.

If you would like to contact Fatiha for information on Mauritius, please e-mail her on: cbspride@intnet.mu

This street was featured on the cover of Oasis' ‘What's the Story? Morning Glory' LP, and is also home to a tiny market in the heart of Soho.

Soho is that rather strange little area in central London occasionally described as London's infamous sex district. This is where you can find (if you are looking!) small rooms high above the street corners dimly lit by a red light bulb with a cardboard sign in the window saying “model” and there are the last of the seedy sex shops and tourist rip-off peep shows. At night time, you can see couples walking arm in arm, on their way to one of Soho's famous watering holes.

In the day time, the area is fascinating and home to many TV, PR and film production companies and has many extremely good restaurants and Berwick Street Market. Tucked away between Oxford Street and Old Compton Street, Berwick Street Market is renowned for its quality fruit and vegetables. Here you will find from Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm clusters of cheap and colourful fruit and veg stalls, as well as lots of off-beat record shops.

Dotted along the market are some stalls with great specialist foods, such as fish, cheese, sausages of all kinds, herbs and spices as well as a fabulous stall selling all manner of nuts and dried fruits for peckish (hungry) shoppers. There are some semi-interesting interesting shops that line the market where you can buy spangly belts, flared trousers and “recreational” pipes.

Address: Berwick St, Soho, W1

Getting there: exit Piccadilly Circus tube station, walk up Shaftesbury Avenue and then turn left into Rupert Street. At the top of Rupert Street, just past the small market area, cross Brewer Street and walk along Walkers Court, past the Raymond Revue Bar and you'll emerge into Berwick Street.

Bus Routes: 7, 8, 10, 25, 55, 73, 76, 98

Nearest Tube / Rail Station: Piccadilly Circus Open: Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm

Muir's Tours is committed to travel with concern for the environment, the indigenous people and of course our clients. Our name was inspired by John Muir, the “Father of Ecology”. We are a non-profit organisation with proceeds going to various charities. Your custom will provide us with funds that are passed on to various charities and projects.

We are looking for any help we can get, but most volunteers fall into one of two categories. The Casual Volunteer (CV) who will commit for at least a month and the Long Termer who will stay at least 1 year. We offer the casual volunteer on most of our projects food and accommodation at low cost and practical / logistical assistance with travel. All CVs must pay their own costs – these are minimal (e.g. in India US$6 / £4 per day for food and basic accom, US$21 / £15 train – Delhi / Dehradun / Delhi) together with a registration fee of US$75 / £50 to help with our admin costs.

The options are quite varied and the more popular locations are detailed below.

North India – In Dehradun and Dharamsala we are developing ways to help the Tibetan people help themselves. In Dharamsala there is a well established craft workshop and guest house and we are planning to set up others. We also need people to help promote the sale of crafts back in their home country. We want to establish homestays – a short holiday living with local people – in the areas around Dharamsala and Dehradun. Research work is needed to identify additional suitable families / homes.

Near Dehradun in the small village of Rajpur is a home for Tibetan children (mostly orphans) that have escaped by foot over the Himalaya from Tibet – we want to support this establishment by sponsoring individual children for their education. You can help immediately by suggesting to friends and relatives that they sponsor a Tibetan child, most of whom are orphans. If you know someone who is willing to pay $ 21 / £15 per month to educate, house, feed and clothe a young Tibetan, please let us know.

North central Nepal – near the Tibetan border in and around the village of Panglang. There is accommodation available in a local home and in the tourist periods of March / May and Sept / Dec there is the luxury of a riverside camp at additional cost. The camp is a permanent set up which is a base for rafting and kayaking. Some prior study of the language would be required as there are interpreters available some of the time only, but a limited vocabulary would not be too great a problem.

Mid central Nepal – near the town of Pokhara in a Tibetan Refugee Camp. There is accommodation available in a local home or in the community owned guest house. The camp was set up in 1962 following the Chinese invasion of Tibet and is now well established with brick homes, a fine monastery, a school and a carpet factory. The NKF has English speaking Tibetan staff permanently in the camp, so Tibetan language study is not necessary.

Mongolia – famous for it's horsemanship and yet it nearly lost its most precious horse breed. They are probably the last remaining wild horse species in the world. Przewalski horses almost become extinct with some horses surviving is zoo's. After careful breeding they were reintroduced in several Mongolian nature reserves. Only the group in Hustain Nuruu Reserve was successful. We need to monitor the horses to make sure they are adjusting to their new environment and to gain a better insight into their behaviour. You need to be able to work without assistance in tracking down the harems on horse-back and compiling data on their whereabouts and behaviour. You will need to help us encourage conservation awareness in the local communities.

Eastern Nepal – The Makalu – Barun area. We have a number of projects in this area in conjunction with The Mountain Institute (TMI) and the accommodation would be in local homes or lodges normally. Some prior study of the language would be required as there are interpreters available some of the time only, but a limited vocabulary would not be too great a problem.

To find out more, visit Muir's Tours website on: www.nkf-mt.org.uk or contact info@nkf-mt.org.uk

One of the best ways to discover some of the many views of and from this well known corner of north London can be located by heading up Highgate Hill, at the Archway junction of the A1. Since living in the area, I've completed this route many times and found whether I travel by foot, bus, car or wearily push my cycle up the steep incline that l always seem to see something different on my journey. A bonus to this journey is if it can be made at the beginning of an August's summer day…

My first thought is that I am crossing a boundary – in that I am leaving behind the modern and the utilitarian accommodation of transient London and heading off into a very slowly changing but more permanently rooted era. An initial signpost of this change may well be the tall gothic spires and high roofs of the now renamed Archway Campus, which still seems rooted in its original purpose of providing medical care. Or take the caged Whittington Stone, complete with perched cat on the pavement just before the modern Whittington Hospital, as a signpost. The statue itself is but a small 1935 tribute to commemorate the mayoral achievements of one Richard Whittington, but it talks of a shared history for London.

At the junction with Dartmouth Road, it could be said that apart from the volume and nature of road traffic nowadays, much of the surroundings are as they were at the turn of the 20th century, when London swallowed up villages like Highgate during its' suburban expansion. St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church and Retreat proudly stands on its 1888 roots and marks a good point to catch your breath and look back across London down towards the Millennium Dome and the southern cityscape. Cathedral in posture, its copper domes tower above the nearby Old Crown and the now defunct Presbyterian Church on Cromwell Avenue. From neighbours who have a longer association with the area I have heard stories of horses, their carriages and their drivers heading down the hill in unconventional styles, as their wheels and legs attempt to work their way across this busy crossing during snow and ice.

Along from St Joseph's is another landmark from that different era, Lauderdale House, which was renovated in 1893 to become a council operated venue. Nowadays it is a popular location for well attended weddings, craft fairs and views out across Waterlow Park – whilst the coffee could be better its' less busy nature is a welcome contrast. Facing Lauderdale is the imposing Northgate House with is walls struggling to support a large number of windows and the Ghana High Commission with its roof top cupola, arching lines and gated entrance.

The Channing Schools and the art deco Cholmeley Lodge welcome visitors into Highgate village proper and the high street. Local shops and businesses seem to stand their own corner against the undeservedly well located chain restaurants and ubiquitous estate agents !

Highgate becomes one of those weekend destinations that creaks at the seams during the Kenwood season or as people enjoy a summer day. One of my favourite aspects is that the 210 allows me to alight from the bus and almost walk directly through the front door of The Prince of Wales and to a very good pint, whatever the choice ! Other local recommendations include the frustratingly organised Highgate Bookshop, the Village Bistro and the precariously perched stall of Village Flowers.

To extend the search for views turn left into Hampstead Lane and proceed past the always green playing field of Highgate School and its' numerous red brick buildings. Once passed the faded blue sign of the mysterious Highgate Golf Club, you find yourself walking along under broad leaf trees to the entrances of The Iveagh Bequest at Kenwood – however rather than enter through the popular stables entrance, head towards the main gate. I found the simple pleasure of walking down the sweeping drive, towards the front of Kenwood House immensely appealing. This neo-classical house, remodelled during the 1760s to include an archetypal, stately frontage, was home to the 1st Earl of Mansfield…however it his heir, the 2nd Earl, that is to be thanked for commissioning Humphrey Repton's widely enjoyed landscaped garden. This pleasant perimeter of Hampstead Heath makes for a perfect spot from which to explore the 37 odd ponds, Parliament Hill and many superb vistas of the cities of London and Westminster. Depending on the day's clarity, attempt to locate Canary Wharf, the ever majestic St Paul's, the London Eye and the Telecomm Tower at the very least ! And remember that in spite of busy periods, the main Kenwood House makes itself available for excellent afternoon teas…

To prolong your pleasure, avoid the exclusive, brash wealth of the gated Compton, Courtenay and Bishops' avenues and follow Hampstead Lane further round the heath towards the still splendid Spaniards Inn and beyond towards Hampstead itself. For those that wish to return down back down the hill, the 210 can be caught from almost outside the main house and a pleasant journey can be drawn to a close in an unhurried manner !

Matthew is happy to be contacted by email chair@globetrotters.co.uk or at the monthly London meetings.