Scuba diving is the fastest growing sport in the world, each year the number of certified divers doubles. Travel to another world is not just a slogan that many dive centres use to attract the client, it’s true….. to dive is like a dream. Floating underwater is like meditation, yoga or living solitude on a lonely island. You hear nothing, only the bubbles, you feel complete freedom when you are scuba diving. The fish could be your enemy, but in the Greek waters there are only friendly species. Diving in Greece is very popular, the locals like doing it and being a favourite holiday destination……… let’s not forget the tourist. Since the government released some strict rules, particularly about the archaeological places, scuba diving is growing rapidly and in almost every tourist place you can find a diving centre.

On the southernmost point of Europe near the village Plakias on the island of Crete you will find several diving centres. There’s one that opens all year.

Plakias lies opposite the legendary island of Gavdos, where Odysseus spent seven years with the goddess Kalypso. Gavdos is the most southern island of Europe, but there’s no diving centre, only a shepherd with some sheep and goats.

During the wintertime Plakias is a lively little fishermen’s resort. Here you’ll find supermarkets, rooms for rent, restaurants, bars, a doctor, a pharmacy, a post office and a cash machine.

The medieval Town of Rethymno on the north coast is only 45 minutes by car.

Crete in the winter offers a subtropical climate with average day temperatures seldom lower than 16^o C and on a good day above 20^o C. The island has an average of 300 days with sunshine per year. January and February is the rainy season (good for the farmers) but the tropical showers seldom destroy your whole day. God is taking an hour of your time and you can enjoy the sunny hours afterwards.

Being the cradle of Europe there are many historical places that you can visit. There’s Knossos, the archaeological Museum, and there’s the green countryside with botanical beauties that you’ll find only on Crete.

The friendly Cretans are working in the olive groves or picking the oranges, so Crete is alive during the winter and there are not so many tourists. The locals have time for you and if you like it “siga siga” (no stress) than you should visit Crete in the winter.

The island offers all sorts of activities, like guided walking tours, biking tours, you can rent a car for your trips and let’s not forget the diving excursions.

A good contact point is a local adventure club named Kalypso Rocks Palace.

Let’s stick to the diving where we started this article.

There are dives from the shore or boat starting from an old natural (pirate) harbour that is situated near Hotel Kalypso Cretian Village. The diving scenery here is perfect and the visibility underwater is 20-25 metres, making the Libyan Sea the clearest ocean of Europe.

You’ll see plenty of fish: Groupers, Octopus, Shrimps, Sea Stars, Sea brass, Sponges, Morenos, Corals, etc. Look for them in the numerous small canyons, caves or along the mountain walls. Crete is not comparable with top diving destinations, but by European standards it’s a very good location.

Your gear can be provided and on request accommodation in the hotel or in a pension in Plakias for a reasonable price.

If you are interested tin diving or comming to Crete to look around, please contact the Kalypso Adventure Club www.kalypsodivingcenter.com or email: info@kalypsodivingcenter.com

Update: Kalypso diving centre tell us that any readers of this e-newsletter are eligible for a discount of 10% on diving.

Here in the UK, we’ve just had our traditional bonfire night, on November 5^th, to celebrate the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot. We’ve been doing this off and on, barring wars, since 1605. Each year either on November 5, or the weekend closest, people get together all over the UK to light bonfires, burn effigies of “guys”, and set off fireworks. Increasingly, people go to public organised bonfires, rather than have one in their back garden, as the public display fireworks are far more spectacular than anything one could put on at home. We are talking amazing pyrotechnic displays!

But what is it all about? The Gunpowder Plot was an attempt to kill the anti-Catholic King James I, King of England. The alleged perpetrators were a group of four Catholic aristocrats and Guy Fawkes who was a soldier. Their plan was to lay barrels of gunpowder in the cellars of the Parliament Buildings to be ignited the following day, on 5^th November when King James, his eldest son, Prince Henry, and Queen Ann were to attend the opening of Parliament. The aim of the conspirators was, once the king and his family had been assassinated, to propose someone else who was more sympathetic to the Catholics in the UK.

So how did they set about this? The first attempt at tunnelling into the cellars of the Parliament from nearby lodgings failed as water from the River Thames waterlogged the tunnel. Instead, one of the gang used his influence to gain access to cellars beneath Parliament, and somehow, they managed to smuggle in 36 barrels of gunpowder. However, there were problems: the King kept postponing the opening of Parliament, so he was never around to blow up, and secondly, because of the time delay, the gunpowder was going mouldy, and more had to be bought from overseas, to ensure that it would explode.

So what happened next? Just before the big day, someone sent a letter to Lord Monteagle a former Catholic sympathiser, warning him to stay away from the opening of Parliament on November 5^th. Lord M immediately passed the letter to Robert Cecil, the King’s Chief Secretary, and even though the gang of five knew about the letter's existence , and that they had possibly been rumbled, they still went ahead with their plans. Guy Fawkes, a soldier, was volunteered to stay overnight in the cellar with the gunpowder and set light to it at the right moment. On the night of 4^th November, after a thorough search of Parliament, Guy Fawkes was found hidden, along with the gunpowder in the cellars. He was tortured and the other members of the gang were found and along with Guy Fawkes were tried and sentenced to death in St. Paul's churchyard in January 1606. Later, four of the conspirators were executed at the Old Palace Yard, Westminster. All eight men eventually identified as being part of the plot were hung, drawn, and quartered, the standard punishment for those convicted of treason.

People coming here from the UK and elsewhere expect South Africa to be just like the UK. It is just not so. With the advent of the new ANC government things have changed a lot. Everybody can go anywhere they want to. Crime was restricted to certain areas in the past but not so anymore.

The major problems such as bombings, etc., have stopped now and are hopefully gone for good. People here don't have any major gripes in that they need to kill people anymore. There is still a lot of petty crime (as in all large towns and cities) but in the city centre (it's the same here in London – Beetle) all streets are monitored by cameras so this acts as a deterrent.

It is safe here although, like in any big city, from time to time there are incidents, such as muggings and opportunistic theft. As I said in my first article, do not set yourself up as a tourist, rather try and blend in. The following rules are applicable when visiting any large city, whether it is Cape Town, London, New York or Bangkok:

• Carrying large camera cases and having lots of jewellery showing is a recipe for trouble
• Do not walk about on your own in lonely places and if you do watch what is going on around you.
• It's better if there are two or more people together
• Lonely roads and alleyways are problems everywhere.
• Be aware of where you are or where you intend to go: certain areas are more dangerous than others, and one should do one’s homework before venturing out to these places.
• Going to places such as the townships by yourself is a no no. Have a tour company take you in and show you around.

There is a wide range of good accommodation in Cape Town from 5 star to bed and breakfasts, and as far as I know service is good all round. Speaking specifically of Cape Town, service is excellent, the food is first class and you certainly will experience value for money here; there is much to come to South Africa for.

Geoff Fairman is the editor and publisher of Banker's Oldboy's Ezine, a free publication posted via email to your home computer weekly. To read more articles on Cape Town visit:

Brerrabbit-subscribe@topica.com

The Miss World competition is still to go ahead on 7 December. Although 5 delegates have withdrawn: Miss Costa Rica, Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa and Panama there are still over 100 delegates to “compete”. The Nigerian Government, desperate to play down the controversy surrounding Amina Lawal's sentence, (having a baby out of wedlock (no penalty imposed on the father)) has given assurances that it would intervene to save her once the legal process has been exhausted.

Amina Lawal, meanwhile, is said to have asked participants not to boycott the Miss World contest because “a lot of resources had gone into organising the pageant and it should go ahead”. She reportedly told press: “I heard of the boycott threat, but I just think they should come because nothing happens without God's permission”. She also added that she has not been pressurised into speaking against the boycott.

Muslim groups are annoyed that part of the pageant is being held during the holy month of Ramadan. An official of one Muslim group in the city of Gusau said protesters were planning “black prayers” and a “spread of plagues of curses and bad luck on the Miss World organisers and participants”. (Perhaps they could organise some positive prayers and good thoughts for Amina Lawal.)

ThisDay, a Lagos based Nigerian newspaper recently published an article which said that the Prophet Mohammed would probably have chosen to marry one of the contestants if he had witnessed the beauty pageant, which Nigeria is hosting next month. This sparked off riots by thousands of Muslim youths who have rampaged through the suburbs of Kaduna, burning tyres, attacking churches and setting fire to buildings. Schools and businesses are closed, but meanwhile, Miss World soldiers on.

Update: after four days of violence, relief and civil rights workers say that more than 200 people are now known to have died in violence between Christians and Muslims in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna. As the disturbances reached Nigeria’s capital, Abuja (and how many of you thought that Lagos was the capital of Nigeria) the venue for the Miss World competition has now been changed to London. It is estimated that more than 1,000 have been injured and more than 11,000 made homeless in the clashes. Civil rights activists said more than 20 churches and 8 mosques have been burned down in the city as well as a number of hotels.

The competition is scheduled to go ahead on 7 December, but in London.

President Obasanjo needs Muslim support when he goes to the polls in a couple of months’ time and does not want to jeopardise his chances of being re-elected. Where does this leave Amina Lawal? A vocal supporter of a contest that shows women in states of undress? Until Miss World has come and gone? And then what? How can this be allowed to happen in the 21^st century?