For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

Ontario meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.

Gautam Chatterjea is a travel consultant, planner and organizer of exotic holidays. He can be reached at info@indiadreamtours.com

It’s been a passion that has repeatedly taken me to the Himalayas since my childhood and each time it was a discovery of the incredible that enchanted my senses. People who love the mountains know how mesmerizing the sylvan or the snowy folds are, when you traverse through them. Travellers who go for Himalayan destinations often make the gaffe of choosing the crowded hill stations for holidays. Indeed these developed destinations are good with general conveniences, but they certainly compromise on natural ambience that the unspoilt locales in the Himalayan offer in abundance. Here is where one discovers the true nature of this enchanting land in its people, culture, ecology and serenity. And the precious, friendly attitude of Himalayan people is always found reassuring for the traveller. Such sentiment hasn’t faded out among the people of rural Himalayas in most part of its 2500 kilometre stretch, although in some areas, despite their innate hospitable nature the hill people these days are a bit wary of bad elements, violence and extremism, entering their domain. This is how the innocent altruism of hill culture is run down by the antithesis in urban cultures.

I lived in Delhi, and Himalayan destinations were not too far away, which gave me the opportunity to escape to the hills as often as I could. Friends often asked me if I were not bored visiting the same environment over again. It was hard to explain to them that no place in the Himalayan grandeur was the same and each area was an independent canvas portraying the nuances of the spot. It was evident that those who questioned my sanity of repeatedly visiting the hills, in their personal visit didn’t open up enough to absorb the sights, sounds, feels and mood of the place, and realise its charisma. The great Himalayan wall with the highest peaks in the world is shared by five Indian states besides Nepal and Bhutan. Beyond the wall lies the Tibetan plateau. In this arc people and cultures present different shades of lifestyles, each one robustly fascinating in its nature, and amazing in appeal. The people from Ladakh in Kashmir, for example, would be so different in their way of life, their attire, their language, culture and religion from their counterparts in the Kashmir valley just a few hundred miles away. So are Himachal, Uttaranchal, Nepal, Sikkim Bhutan and Arunachal characterised distinctly by their culture and natural ambience and each region offers a new revelation.

Picture by Gautam Chatterjea : Kashmir meadows	Picture by Gautam Chatterjea : Shikara lake side

I have been visiting the Himalayas untiringly all my life and my quest for more never ends, simply because surprises of Himalayan glory never ceases. Unlike the heritage locations in cities and towns around the world, where, after a short visit you could feel ‘I have seen enough of it’, the Himalayas would always spring up relentless attractions to keep the visitor thirsting for more. Exotic is the word that truly describes the Himalayas.

To finish these musings…there is the story of a French woman Diane who fell in love with the charms of Himalayas and on her fourth holiday in the region, Sikkim this time around, she met a Bhutia youth whose politeness and way of life appeared so refreshingly different to her own. She was charmed by the man of Himalayas and romance blossomed soon enough. Knowing that the tradition and culture of the land allowed nuptial bonds only within the tribe, yet unable to accept the imminent parting on the conclusion of the tour, she enquired if he would accept her as his wife. He and his family gained the consensus of other villagers for their marriage and Diane became the Bhutia wife. And they lived happily in the glory of the White Mountains…

In a previous edition of the eNewsletter I asked if any of you had helpful tips, anecdotes or information on travelling to Antarctica…to help me investigate trip. Well Harold very promptly sent me this mine of information and I thought I’d share it with you all – maybe we can get something of a thread going here…

Thanks very much Harold,

The Ant

I haven’t been to Antarctica, but I hung around Ushuaia for a week with a friend in middle or late November of ’06. We had heard that you could get last minute cruises for as little as half price if you went straight to Ushuaia. It was true! We were offered a $6000 cruise (11-days) for $3000. There are many companies and many different cruises. We had researched it all on the net beforehand and knew just what we wanted. Most cruises there were deeply discounted, but seldom down to half price. We wanted to see South Georgia Island, especially the spot where Shackleton landed his small boat before crossing the mountains to the whaling station. That particular cruise was discounted only 25%, so we decided not to go. Some cruises never step foot on Antarctica, just look at it from a distance, maybe land on an outlying island or two. Do you want to see penguins? If so, what kind, what species? We wanted to see the King Penguins, which would have to be another season, not November. Great penguin (another species) viewing on a short, inexpensive day trip out of Punta Arenas, Chile, which used to be the richest city in the world per capita. If you go there, see the Shackleton Bar in the best hotel on the central plaza. And see the rich man’s house a block away, now a museum. Don’t sign up for a trip to Torres del Paines Nat. Park from Punta Arenas. Take a bus to Puerto Natales, find your own hotel (starting around $10) and book a trip to the park from there, so you get a longer day in the mountains. Or rent a car for the day in P.N., but car rentals in Chile are double the cost in Argentina. Usually they won’t let you take a car across the border. A great cruise along the fiord west of Puerto Natales costs $50 for the day, but a better price can likely be negotiated at the dock the day before. The day includes a lunch stop at a working sheep ranch. Bring your own lunch and save a bundle, then use your lunch time for pictures of the abundant bird life and the sheep dogs. You’ll see two glaciers that come off the Southern Ice Cap. One reaches the sea, and you can get within a half kilometre. Bring rain gear. Icebergs on the sea. Torres del Paine is truly spectacular, but your chances of seeing the Torres are only about 10-20%, due to constant fog and overcast. We lucked out.

Back to Ushuaia. I found a hostel for $10 a night. My friend opted for one at $60. Talking with the locals, the town is booming, with a 30% increase in tourists each year, so prices are going up fast, and the season keeps getting longer and longer. We thought we were early enough to beat most of the tourists, but before we left my hostel was full up and booked for the rest of the season. So do get a reservation. My place was the cheapest in the whole city (50,000), yet plenty adequate. Nothing lacking. I doubt anything in Ushuaia would be sub-par. The whole place is new. Almost nothing old or run-down. Place is cold and rainy most of the time. And windy, very windy. Take the ski lift to the top (about 2000′) and look for the pet “eagle” at the little cafe on top. He’s free to go, yet hangs around. Good pictures. Otherwise not much of interest in the area for me. It’s worth a day, no more, unless ya gotta stay, looking for deals to Antarctica.

I’m not a member [of Globetrotters], but was for several years in the 1960’s. Write if you got Q’s.

Harold Dunn

San Diego, California

A request from Laura that might appeal to our well travelled members – can you help?

I am a final year undergraduate student studying joint honours in Events Management and International Tourism Management at the University of Gloucestershire, UK, and I am currently focussing my dissertation on the niche area of voluntourism within the tourism industry. My dissertation researches voluntourism and the possible negative consequences it may have had on host communities since its increase in popularity in recent times. My study aims to provide recommendations to sending organisations on how they can ensure the continued welfare of host communities and environments, as well as educate their voluntourists adequately before departure. Since the proliferation of organisations sending tourists for their own financial gain, as well as tourists regularly going for their own personal pleasure (to satisfy their own emotional needs rather than the needs of the host community), I feel this is an important contemporary issue.

To ensure I receive an adequate response from a wide range of voluntourists, I am researching adequate sources to distribute the questionnaire and I wondered if your members [/readers] would complete the survey? I have made the questionnaire available online through a link that can also be emailed to participants directly. Please find further details here:

http://FreeOnlineSurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=ezuhyppzkz03hpf412979

If you are able to help in any way it would be greatly appreciated, and I would be more than willing to share my research and findings with you once the study is complete.

Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind Regards

Laura Oultram
University of Gloucestershire

A request from Andrew that might appeal to & help our well travelled members – can you help?

Climate change is exposing more outdoor enthusiasts heading for activity holidays in Europe to a potentially fatal tick disease than ever, warn leading scientists. Higher temperatures and more rainfall across central Europe are creating perfect conditions for ticks to thrive in countryside areas, according to the ISW, a group of experts investigating Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE).

“It is believed that the life cycle of ticks will increase in the next few years, and as a result the geographical distribution of ticks will expand and population density will rise,” said Professor Jochen Süss of the ISW. Tick Alert, a campaign to raise awareness of tick disease has launched ‘Tick Watch 2008’ – the first-ever public survey about ticks in the UK and abroad – and is asking ramblers, campers and outdoor pursuits lovers to take part (visit www.masta.com/tickalert and click on the link). The survey aims to find out if ticks are spreading and becoming more common, if people have had problems with ticks on holidays in the UK or Europe and whether ticks are being spotted outside the main spring/summer tick season. A spokesperson from Tick Alert said: “We hope that by encouraging people to ‘think ticks’ when they are out and about in the countryside that they will be more aware of the potential disease risks from tick bites and take adequate precautions to protect against them.”

The number of TBE cases requiring hospital treatment in Europe rose to 13,000 last year, a 30% increase on 2006. Every year in the UK up to 3,000 people suffer a tick infection and the Health Protection Agency reports that the number of laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales almost trebled to 768 in 2006. Scotland alone has seen a tenfold increase in numbers over the last decade with 177 cases reported in 2006.

Notes:

• The Foreign Office advises that visitors to TBE endemic regions seek advice from their local surgery or clinic – well before travelling.

• TBE endemic countries are: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

• Lyme disease areas of the UK are: Exmoor, the New Forest, the South Downs, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, Thetford Forest, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Moors and the Scottish Highlands.

• Ticks are found typically in rural and forest areas from late spring and throughout summer. At-risk groups include all visitors to rural areas of endemic countries, particularly those participating in outdoor activities such as trekking, hiking, climbing, cycling and camping.