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Our Friends Ryanair

Ryanair has carried out its threat to scrap services between London and Brussels’ Charleroi airport, in an escalation of its battle with the European commission over illegal state aid from the Belgian authorities. In its summer schedule, it was revealed that its eight daily flights between the two cities would end on April 29. Ryanair blamed the EC’s ruling this month that the airline’s landing deal at Charleroi was illegal. Rivals say that the route may have been hit by competition from rival airlines and Eurostar.

Ryanair has banned eight passengers for life for compromising passenger and crew safety by smoking on board. The eight people were on different flights, and all cases have been referred to police.

Never let it be said that we are always horrible about Ryanair. Here’s a website where you can see some positive comments about our friend: http://www.ciao.co.uk/ryanair_com__77254 This website allows you to enter your views, pros and cons about using Ryanair. All three of the pros that the Beetle saw when she looked at it were to do with price – it’s cheap, the cons say impractical deals, no meals on board and a slow website.

For the sake of balance, here’s another website where you can record your own Ryanair misery story: Stories include luggage not being on the same flight as the passenger and all the hassle involved in getting some sort of recompense from Ryanair, money taken without confirmation and comments about the way Ryanair operate – little things, like using premium rate telephone numbers if you want to contact them and lack of e-mail address. It’s sober reading.

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Write for the Globetrotters monthly e-newsletter

If you enjoy writing, enjoy travelling, why not write for the free monthly Globetrotters e-newsletter! The Beetle would love to hear from you: your travel stories, anecdotes, jokes, questions, hints and tips, or your hometown or somewhere of special interest to you. Over 8,000 people currently subscribe to the Globetrotters e-news.

To see your story in cyber print, e-mail the Beetle with your travel experiences, hints and tips or questions up to 750 words, together with a couple of sentences about yourself and a contact e-mail address to Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

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A Hiking Guide to Easter Island by David Stanley

Ask me which Pacific island has the most to offer hikers and I’ll probably answer Easter Island. Here on an island 11 km wide and 23 km long you’ll find nearly a thousand ancient Polynesian statues strewn along a powerfully beautiful coastline or littering the slopes of an extinct volcano. Getting there is easy as Easter Island can be included in Oneworld’s round-the-world Explorer airpass, and a fine selection of inexpensive places to stay and eat awaits you.

The legends of Easter Island have been recounted many times. What’s less known is that the island’s assorted wonders are easily accessible on foot from the comfort of the only settlement, Hanga Roa. Before setting out see the sights, however, visit the excellent archaeological museum next to Ahu Tahai on the north side of town (the term “ahu” refers to an ancient stone platform). Aside from the exhibits, the museum has maps which can help you plan your trip.

The razon-backed ridge on the ocean side of Rano Kau crater.The first morning after arrival, I suggest you climb Easter Island’s most spectacular volcano, Rano Kau, where Orongo, a major archaeological site, sits on the crater’s rim. But rather than marching straight up the main road to the crater, look for the unmarked shortcut trail off a driveway to the right just past the forestry station south of town. It takes under two hours to cover the six km from Hanga Roa to Orongo, but bring along a picnic lunch and make a day of it. (If climbing a 316-meter hill sounds daunting, you can take a taxi to the summit for around US$6 and easily walk back later in the day.) Once on top, you’ll find hiking down into the colourful crater presents no difficulty. It may also look easy to go right around the crater rim, but only do so if you’re a very experienced hiker and have a companion along as shear 250-meter cliffs drop into the sea from the ridge.

Another day, rise early and take a taxi to lovely Anakena Beach at the end of the paved road on the north side of the island (you should pay under US$10 for the 20 km). A few of the famous Easter Island statues have been restored at Anakena and you could go for a swim, although the main reason you’ve come is the chance to trek back to Hanga Roa around the road-free northwest corner of the island. You’ll pass numerous abandoned statues lying facedown where they fell, and the only living creatures you’re unlikely to encounter are the small brown hawks which will watch you intently from perches on nearby rocks. If you keep moving, you’ll arrive back in town in five or six hours (but take adequate food, water, and sunscreen). This is probably the finest coastal walk in the South Pacific.Anakena Beach, starting point for the northwest coastal hike.

Almost as good is the hike along the south coast, although you’re bound to run into other tourists here as a paved highway follows the shore. Begin early and catch a taxi to Rano Raraku, the stone quarry where all of the island’s statues were born. This is easily the island’s most spectacular sight with 397 statues in various stages of completion lying scattered around the crater. And each day large tour groups come to Rano Raraku to sightsee and have lunch. However, if you arrive before 9 am, you’ll have the site to yourself for a few hours. When you see the first tour buses headed your way, hike down to Ahu Tongariki on the coast, where 15 massive statues were re-erected in 1994. From here, just start walking back toward Hanga Roa (20 km) along the south coast. You’ll pass many fallen statues and enjoy some superb scenery. Whenever you get tired, simply go up onto the highway and stick out your thumb and you’ll be back in town in a jiffy.

An outstanding 13-km walk begins at the museum and follows the west coast five km north to Ahu Tepeu. As elsewhere, keep your eyes pealed for banana trees growing out of the barren rocks as these often indicate caves you can explore. Inland from Ahu Tepeu is one of the island’s most photographed sites, Ahu Akivi, with seven statues restored in 1960. From here an interior farm road runs straight back to town (study the maps at the museum carefully, as you’ll go far out of your way if you choose the wrong road here).

A shorter hike takes you up Puna Pau, a smaller crater which provided stone for the red topknots that originally crowned the island’s statues. There’s a great view of Hanga Roa from the three crosses on an adjacent hill and you can easily do it all in half a day. A different walk takes you right around the 3,353- meter airport runway, which crosses the island just south of town. Near the east end of the runway is Ahu Vinapu with perfectly fitted monolithic stonework bearing an uncanny resemblance to similar constructions in Peru.

A fallen statue on Easter Island's south coast.Easter Island’s moderate climate and scant vegetation make for easy cross country hiking, and you won’t find yourself blocked by fences and private property signs very often. You could also tour the island by mountain bike, available from several locations at US$10 a day. If you surf or scuba dive, there are many opportunities here. A minimum of five days are needed to see the main sights of Easter Island, and two weeks would be far better. The variety of things to see and do will surprise you, and you’ll be blessed with some unforgettable memories.

David Stanley is the author of Moon Handbooks Tahiti: Including the Cook Islands http://www.southpacific.org/tahiti.html which also contains a full chapter on Easter Island. His online guide to Easter Island may be perused at http://www.southpacific.org/text/finding_easter.html

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Meeting News from Texas

The next Texas Globetrotters meeting will take place on Saturday March 13th when we look forward to a talk from Southwest Airlines.

The location for the March and April 2004 meetings will be changed, (tax season), so watch your e-mail for the updates.

For more information about the Texas Branch: please contact texas@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates at our website (click here) or call Christina at 830-620-5482

If anybody would like to enquire about meetings or help Christina, please contact her on: texas@globetrotters.co.uk

Sicily – Agrigento by David Cross

On arrival at Agrigento I thought I had dropped a bad clanger. I had not booked thinking February should not present too much by way of problems. However the very first thing I noticed in Agrigento were signs of an international carnival. It was indeed the end of a two-week international festival, ‘Mandolo in fiore’ [almond blossom] but I obtained a ground floor en-suite room at the very first place I tried – at a very reasonable price! This was Concordia in the Piazza San Francesco. Another plus mark for the Concordia is that its guests get a reduction at the good restaurant next door, La Forchetta.

I headed straight for the Valley of the Temples. This is about two and a half kilometres below the town and about half way is the purpose built archaeological museum. I headed for the eastern temples. I don’t know why the Greek settlers found it necessary or desirable to build so many Doric temples so close together – perhaps to avoid spite from jealous Gods? – but I am heartily glad they did.. On the eastern side there are three wonderful buildings, the Tempio de Ércole, the Tempio de Concordia and, furthest away, the Tempio de Giunone. The one in by far the best state of repair – or reconstruction in parts – is the middle one which apparently enjoyed a spell as a Christian church from about the sixth century. However I found the slightly wooded site of the nearest to the road, the Tempio di Ércole contributed to making this a pretty alluring place. All the way along the main path, there are empty tombs and other minor remains on the left side [opposite the temples] and there is much to make it apparent that the festival of almond blossom is perfectly timed.

The following morning the final procession of the festival took place. I took the chance of a quick wander around the town itself. A set of steps led from almost opposite my hotel up to the Via Atenea but the roads up on the other side were mainly unstepped, though very steep. Although Agrigento is statistically one of the poorest cities in Italy, Via Atenea itself gives no sign of this and some of the shops are quite elegant. Eventually the procession set out and very spectacular it was. Some of the costumes were glorious and many of the little children watching were most attractively arrayed. I followed behind to get a bus back down to the temples; no such luck – that’s where the procession was heading and the buses had accordingly stopped. I walked down, stopping at the museum en route.

This is a really excellent place. The British Museum in London is the only place where I have seen a collection of Greek vase to equal the ones there. There is a sort of indoor courtyard and towering up above the height of the first floor is a ‘telemone’ reassembled from pieces, a sort of column with a sculpture of a man holding something up. It is HUGE! Anyway I headed on down for the temple area and there, where the bus had stopped, immediately under the Tempio di Ércole, they were setting up a structure for each national delegation to perform in an outdoor concert. I went to see the western temples first. These are not anywhere near the same as the others, more ruined like a vast ancient historic demolition site but it was interesting after seeing the models in the museum, to imagine just how vast the Tempio di Giove would have been, had it ever been completed. There is another telamone here, lying unattended and possibly seeming even more majestic for this reason.

Later, tired and hungry I started the walk back up the hill. I was far from beating any speed records but I made it and settled down for a rest in my hotel before eating. I woke to the most fearsome bangs and realised that they were from the festival’s final firework display. I simply had to watch and there was a space just along from the hotel which gave the best view I have ever experienced of such a display which was lighting up the sky from far below near the temples. Wow.

I had noticed an interesting place to eat up a small alley on the other side of the Via Atenea. This was La Corte degli Sfizi in Cortile Contorni and I would recommend it to anybody; I must admit to a definite weakness for antipasti and the plate given here to help yourself to the buffet type spread meant that the first course was like a full meal. However the other courses were equally good. I was sorry to be leaving Agrigento but I knew I had seen its best and I never like to stay for an anti-climax. In the morning I took the bus west for Sciacca.

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 episode – Sciacca, Caltabellotta and Selinunte

The Inca Trail Closed Feb 2004

The Inca Trail is the most famous trek in South America and rated by many to be in the top 5 treks in the world. It is 26 miles (45km) long culminating at the lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu. The trail is usually covered in four days, and you arrive at Machu Picchu at sunrise on the fourth day. Whilst you don’t have to be super fit to do the Inca Trail, it helps to be in good shape as the highest point of the trail is 4,200m. Most people hike the trail from April to October, when it is drier. The peak tourist months are July to August, so if you are planning your trip during this time, it may be advisable to make advance bookings of both trek and hotels.

Each year, the Inca Trail is closed for one month during February. This is in the middle of the rainy season, so would normally be very quiet anyway.

The number of people allowed on the Inca Trail at any one time is limited to 500. This figure includes trekkers, guides, assistant guides, cooks and porters. Out of the 500 people, it is estimated that around 220 people are trekkers. The maximum group size is 16 people. Groups of more than 10 require a guide and an assistant guide.

Contrary to popular belief it is still possible to undertake the Inca trail without the services of a tour operator. If you have a group of less than 8 people you can hire the services of a guide. The guide must be professionally qualified and must also accept responsibility for the group. The guide will have to purchase the Inca Trail trek permits in advance for the group. The downside of this is that if you hire a guide you will have to carry all your own equipment such as tents etc and you will have to cook for yourselves since you are not allowed to hire additional trekking staff such as cooks and porters. The guide must comply with all Inca trail regulations including carrying first aid equipment and emergency oxygen. In reality making such a contract with a guide is difficult since tour operators are not interested in hiring out their guides and the majority of the best guides are contracted to work for the tour operators.

The adult Inca Trail entrance fee is US$50 which also includes entry to the ruins of Machu Picchu. Students under the age of 26 years old in possession of a valid International Student Identity Card (ISIC) receive a US$25 discount. Youths under 16 years old also receive a US$25 discount. Children under the age of 12 years old are not charged an entrance fee.

http://www.incatrailperu.com says i f you are searching the web for information about the 4 day Inca Trail you’ll find hundreds of tour companies offering this popular trek amongst their services. Many of these companies are acting only as agents for the relatively few specialist trekking companies that actually operate the trek. Prices for the 4 day trek start at US$240 per person for a basic service (including entrance fees and return on train) and can climb anywhere up to $1000 depending on the service and comfort on offer.

A good and valuable resource for anyone thinking about doing the Inca Trail says that purchasing the trek directly with a local tour operator in Cusco can often be less than half the price of buying the trek in your own country through an agent. However, great care should be taken in choosing a tour company especially using the internet. The page “Choosing a Trekking Company” has been written to help you avoid many of the pitfalls. The Beetle reckons that this is a pretty good resource to check things out with.

Source: http://www.incatrailperu.com

The Daily Telegraph Adventure Travel & Sports Show, London Olympia (16th-18th January, 2004) by Silja

So, what was it like? Well here is ‘the tour’ of the good, the bad and the best.

The exhibition was on three floors, dominated by trade stands selling pretty much what you’d expect, like holidays, trips, equipment, and activities for hot places, cold places, anywhere you care to mention. “Have a Go’s” included scuba diving in a large paddling pool, but there was nothing to see except blue walls and the instructors legs, and they weren’t worth getting wet for. The glider simulator was popular as was the polystyrene ‘ice’ wall. You got to wear all the gear, ice boots, picks, helmet the lot. I saw quite a few nervous women being coaxed up by young and handsome instructors. I’m pretty sure the same women went back three or four times! Kids had their own climbing wall and were all over it like demented squirrels.

Good bits were free calendars from National Geographic and an excellent photo gallery. Poor bits were coffee at £1.60 a cup and no decent end of show bargains. There was a distinct lack of ‘chill out’ space. In fact the Globetrotters stand was the only place with table and chairs where I felt you could sit, relax and chat to fellow travellers, like Dick, Iona and Matt.

There were six talk rooms and a colossal 82 were scheduled over the weekend. I was truly spoilt for choice, but concurrent sessions meant hard choices. I managed 15 talks and that was going it some. Many were ”what to see“ and “where to go”, places like Peru, Japan and others were more about the journey on two or four wheels or on foot (or with a mule) and even longer RTW on a kite or a horse. The practical talks on photography, health, travel writing, survival, gap years and volunteering were standing room only.

Overall the talks were excellent but some stood out for other reasons. One speaker sat with his back square to the audience. I was tempted to usher out the audience – he would not have noticed. Timekeeping wasn’t special either. I made a mental note to write to the organisers and ask them to brief speakers on the basics, or better still pay me to give them a lesson.

Best in show? The talk titled ‘Near Death’ by Benedict Allen, the explorer. He sported a pale blue shirt and beige trousers, the ‘relaxed, crinkled’ look. Launching straight in, without notes, he recounted anecdotes from his many expeditions. Stunning images of people, animals, scenery, claustrophobic and desolate by turn, flicked upon the screen. We lived with him being shot at, learning jungle skills from children, taking part in rituals, struggling with stubborn camels and making difficult decisions. Like having to eat his dog to stay alive. ‘He was my friend’ He added quietly. I wondered how desperate I’d have to be to eat mine and couldn’t help a huge surge of sadness.

Scary, funny, sad shocking, exciting and much more. He, in his kind and easy manner, guided and supported us through a world of experience and emotion. At the end I couldn’t work out why my eyes felt peculiar, dry, sort of. Then I realized. I hadn’t blinked.

I came away brimming with ideas, copious notes and lots of inspiration. I couldn’t ask for more than that.

Father Christmas Returns to Mikindani, Tanzania by Len Coleman

On a particularly warm and humid Christmas Eve Santa Claus came back to Mikindani for the third year running. Returning volunteer to the Trade Aid project Matt Maddocks once again donned the red robe, festive hat and fake beard to bring some excitement to the children of Mikindani. This time around, the Bedford army truck was adapted to become his sleigh by the decorative efforts of Emmanuel at the Boma. As we set off for an afternoon tour of the village, everything seemed quiet… was about to change.

The sleigh ride was accompanied by the sound of cheesy Tanzanian pop music and, having rented the most powerful sound system south of Dar, children all over heard us coming and came running. There were handfuls of sweets for the children, who followed the sleigh as it made its way around Mikindani and then headed on into Mtwara. Many of them broke into spontaneous dance-mode when we approached. As we made our way down to the far end of town I saw a large woman wade through the throng of children like a massive battering ram, take off her headscarf and try to use it as a net to catch all of the sweets. We tried to avoid her reach to get some sweets to the little ones, but she clearly had to satisfy her sugar fix and blighted our generosity for a few minutes. The atmosphere was jubilant and everyone was waving and laughing. Matt was relishing the role and the sight of him dancing on the back of the truck in front of hundreds of people is one I will not soon forget. When he then turned his back and proceeded to shake his derriere in true African style there were screams of delight and laughter from the crowd.

We went up the main road towards the boatyard, before looping round to Jangwani Street by the fish market. In this densely populated area the number of kids swelled and we had more than six hundred people following the sleigh. We then made our way towards the market and veered off to Haikata, where we were briefly attacked by a swarm of bees (not from the Boma hive!) before returning to Bomani Street. We passed the Trade Aid house and made our way in to Mtwara from there. Apart from subsequently breaking down in Mtwara whilst dressed like a bunch of prats, the event was a complete success. It was great PR, although, it being in Mikindani with a majority Muslim population, I did hear people asking each other what the significance of a ‘fat red bloke with a beard’ was. Matt was the star of the show and he pulled off a great performance; one that, dancing in front of so many people, most of us pusillanimous souls could only muster after three triple whiskeys and a jug of Stella. It was a great day for all and no doubt the children of Mikindani will look forward to the event next year…

For more information about Trade Aid, volunteers and their work, please visit their website: www.mikindani.com

2004 Travel Photographer Competition

The 2004 Travel Photographer of the Year competition opens for entries on February 22.

Following a successful first year in 2003, in which photographers from 34 countries submitted just under 10,000 images, this annual competition for amateur and professional photographers now features: four portfolio categories covering every aspect of travel photography; a Single Image category; a special Young Travel Photographer category; Student Awards and a remarkable £60,000 prize package.

Prizes include some travel and the very latest photographic equipment and software.

The photographer who demonstrates the greatest skill, diversity and creativity in two different portfolio categories will follow in the footsteps of 2003 winner Peter Adams, and earn the prestigious title of Travel Photographer of the Year and the satisfaction of being judged the very best travel photographer in 2004.

The winner and a companion will be able to take the photographic trip of a lifetime with their choice of a pair of round the world air tickets or two Business Class tickets to any one destination served by the Star Alliance network, the global network that brings together 14 of the world’s finest airlines. Added to this a £2,000 spending spree in a Calumet photographic store, plus Adobe CS Collection Premium and Video Collection software, to optimise the images they shoot on their travels.

Photographers aged 16 and under can submit four images on the theme ‘My World, My View’ which show what travel means to them. It’s free to enter and the prizes are fantastic. The winner receives a top of the range HP Pavilion Photosmart PC with integrated camera docking station and 6-1 memory card reader, plus a top-spec HP Photosmart digital camera, photo centric scanner and photo printer, a unique photography masterclass with renowned landscape photographer Charlie Waite, courtesy of Light & Land, and Adobe CS Collection Premium software.

The new 2004 competition categories are:

Peoples and Cultures Portfolio

This portfolio celebrates humanity in all its many guises, and the diversity that different cultures bring to the travel experience. Prize: the brand new, state-of-the-art Fujifilm S3 Pro digital camera and lens, a 22-day overland adventure for two through Kenya and Tanzania with Guerba, and Adobe CS Collection Standard software.

Essence of Travel Portfolio

This encompasses places, festivals, leisure, architecture, food, transport, tourism and history. Prize: the highly desirable new Hasselblad XPan II Pro panoramic camera; a 12-day fly/drive adventure for two people to explore Sweden with Discover the World, and Adobe CS Collection Standard software.

Spirit of Adventure Portfolio

This category allows entrants to capture the thrill of adventure – however large or small – that challenges the traveller. Prize: a once in a lifetime expedition for two people with Land Rover’s global conservation partner Biosphere Expeditions to the Tatra mountains in Slovakia; a custom-built website from web wizards Resolutions, and Adobe CS Collection Standard software. To prepare them for their expedition, the winner will also spend a day at one of Land Rover’s off-road driving centres.

Living Planet Portfolio

This encompasses landscape, the environment, and wildlife. Prize: the top-of-the-range Wacom Cintiq 18SX Interactive Pen Display with TFT monitor; a tour for two people around the stunning Galapagos Islands on board a motor yacht with G.A.P Adventures, and Adobe CS Collection Standard software.

‘Celebration’ – The Single Image Category

Entrants can submit one beautiful, uplifting image that captures the theme of ‘Celebration’ within the context of travel. Prize: a 10-day holiday for two to the photogenic Islands of the Bahamas, plus Adobe CS Collection Standard software.

Special Awards

Awards will be presented for the best three portfolio entries by students in full-time education, with the winners receiving leather print books from Plastic Sandwich, made in their choice of size and format and personalised with their names.

In addition, a number of special awards from Avery and Tribes Travel will be given for individual images nominated by the TPOTY panel of expert judges and the general public visiting the 2005 TPOTY exhibitions. Details will be announced later this year.

A chance to give something back

Another new element for TPOTY 2004 is the option to make a £1 charitable donation with the entry fee. The funds raised will be split between Tourism Concern and The Tribes Foundation. Tourism Concern is dedicated to campaigning for change in the world’s biggest industry – working to ensure holidays are as good for the people living in our holiday destinations as they are for us. The Tribes Foundation helps indigenous communities, preserves cultural heritage and ecological biodiversity in areas impacted by tourism outside the UK and encourages education in global cultural diversity within the UK.

Entry fees and closing dates

Photographers can enter as many categories as they like, as many times as they like. To compete for the title of Travel Photographer of the Year 2004 they must enter at least two different portfolio categories. The fee structure has been revised for 2004, making it more cost-effective to enter. Entry costs from just £5 for one portfolio category or up to four entries in the Single Image category, is completely free for under-17s and there is a discounted flat rate fee of £5 for students.

Entries are now open, and close on September 17, 2004. Full information and entry forms are available from www.tpoty.com or by sending a stamped addressed envelope to PO Box 2716, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 7ZN, England.