The first meeting of 2008 was our usual 4 talks given by Members. Neil Harris took us to Bhutan, the land where GNH (Gross National Happiness) is valued higher than GDP. Though at a minimum of US$200 per day Bhutan is not a cheap place to visit. Drak Air is the only way in, so no cheap flights either. Neil showed us Bhutan’s national sport of archery and the spectacular Tiger’s Nest monastery. The Bhutanese wear their national dress because they want to, though Government employees have to. The Bhutanese seem to have a good standard of living compared to other Asian countries, though much of the work is done by Indian labour.

Tony Annis took us to Brazil, where he accompanied Ms Mitterand for part of his journey as she visited the indigenous people including the Ashanika tribe. Tony showed us the Indian villages, which are days away from civilization. Some villages do have a satellite telephone, so that the villagers can report logging raids from over the border, though they have to pay for any other calls. Despite the heat the, Tony’s helper still wore his national costume, which actually weighed over 7kg!

Janice Meek took us back to Asia where her son married his Indian bride in Hyderabad. Before the weeding Janice explored finding sights such as the “Black death Tower” a monument to the plague, though apparently you are not allowed to the top because Janice explained, people use the tower to commit suicide. The wedding itself took place over a number of days, with different ceremonies. This allowed time for Janice to be fitted with her own Sari and to choose appropriate jewellery. The wedding culminating in the happy couple picking a star, which will hopefully help to guide them through their married life.

Our last speaker was Dan Bachmann, who took us Goreme in Turkey’s Cappadoccia region. This fascinating area with its weird chimney shaped rock formations, out of which cave dwellings have been cut. Most have been abandoned, some are collapsing, but Dan was still able to show us the insides of many including caves made into Churches, another hill revealed a complete ghost town. Dan was surprised to find many Korean tourists visiting the area.

As is the custom the January meeting did not end with the last talk, instead Globies enjoyed their New Year’s party, many thanks to those who brought along food and drink and particularly to Jacqui Trotter for spending much of the afternoon in the kitchen.

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk

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.

After January’s reading January’s edition of the eNewsletter, Eleanor wrote in asking a whole host of travel questions. Can you help with advice, tips and thoughts ?

ï¿Â½ With the dollar being so devalued what suggestions do you [the eNewsletter readers] have to travel to London, Scotland and Ireland ?

ï¿Â½ Where can I find places to stay in these countries that would not break my bank account? Are there home exchanges available and a list of Bed & Breakfast lodgings that are affordable ?

ï¿Â½ Do you have any suggestions on how to get to Altumura, Italy to work at the La Sabranenque Restoration site, which is south of Bari ?

ï¿Â½ Has anyone been to the Amazon ? How did you arrange the trip? By yourself or through a travel agency?

To quote Eleanor “As you can see, I am new to this world of travel, but really want to get started before time runs out !”

Send your information and replies to ehborkowski@adelphia.net

If you enjoy writing, enjoy travelling, why not write for the free Globetrotters eNewsletter! The Ant 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 14,000 people currently subscribe to the Globetrotter eNewsletter.

To see your story in cyber print, email The Ant, theant@globetrotters.co.uk, with your travel experiences / hints & tips / questions. Your article should be up to 750 words, feature up to 3 or 4 jpeg photos and introduce yourself with a couple of sentences and a contact e-mail address.

“I’m going travelling whether you come with me or not!” Without this ultimatum from my partner I may never have stepped off the career ladder to circumnavigate the globe. In April 2006 my girlfriend and now wife took the plunge and left our comfortable jobs to travel the world for a year. It was the best decision we have probably made in our lives, so good in fact that we came back married.

I had never really written any poetry prior to my travelling but decided it would be a great way to document our trip, so I started writing poems in the first week from our hostel in the heart of Mexico City and I carried on until the last leg of our journey on the Trans-Siberian Express across China and Mongolia to Russia. Any way, we returned to the UK in March 07 and I eventually took the advice of my many travel companions and compiled my book which I self published through a online company (author house)

345 days, 16 countries, 4 continents, 3 hospitals, 2 wedding rings, 1 police station and a day lost forever. From burping Mexicans to BBQ rat in Laos, a leap of faith in Vietnam and an irate nun in Russia, my poems follow the ups and the downs of life of two novice travellers on the backpacker trail. I hope they make you laugh ? Make you ponder ? Make you cringe ? Or make you wonder… anyone would quit a comfortable job to circumnavigate the globe.

Let me take you on a taster trip around the world with some of my observations, the serious and the funny that will inspire you to either book the next flight to somewhere new or convince you to never go on holiday again. So whether you are a globetrotter or a ‘rather-not-er’, read poetry everyday or would rather play on the motorway, just sit back, fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the experience. Will these poems give you rhyming reasons to travel the globe…or not ?

If you like Graham’s poems and what to read more, his recently self published book ‘Around the World in 80 Poems: Rhyming Reasons to Travel the Globe… Not!’ is available from most online book stores or directly from his publishers www.authorhouse.co.uk.

You can find out more about the book by following the link http://www.authorhouse.co.uk

10% of any profits Graham makes will be donated to environmental charities.

Graham can be contacted about his book or any travel related matter at garelton@googlemail.com

“I have just got back from nearly 8 months travelling, having visited Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. I’ve written a little anecdote about the slow boats you take from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang in Laos…

Travelling on a local bus full of chickens in Thailand, journeying the length of Vietnam by train without another Westerner in sight, clinging on to the back of a moto-taxi in Cambodia – all great experiences to be had travelling around South East Asia. However, there is one journey to beat them all hands down – a 2-day slow boat journey in Laos! It’s an epic journey well-discussed by many a backpacker, including myself, who brave the slow boat as a means of getting from North-East Thailand (Chiang Khong) into Laos, and on to its charming former capital of Luang Prabang.

This mother of all journeys begins with an early start to beat the crowds at immigration. After a quick pay-and-stamp at Thai Immigration, everyone jumps onto long-tail boats that race you across the river to Huay Xai, Laos. After 3 attempts at a highly uncomplicated immigration form everyone is herded along to the ‘boarding platform’ (a mud-bank with wooden planks reminiscent of something out of Pirates of the Caribbean).

Now let the games begin. The boat itself is an old wooden number, apparently with a capacity of 75 people. I’m not too sure what Health & Safety would say about the boat ending up with about 110 people on it, but I guess that just makes the trip all the more ‘interesting’. As rumours swirl around about the length of the boat trip, the general consensus was about 7 hours on Day 1; the big question being whether the 2 hour loading process (yes 2 hours!) was part of those 7 hours. It wasn’t. Any images of nice, comfy seats should now be dispelled; the people last onto the boat make do with the floor whilst the early-birds have the perceived luxury of park benches big enough for half a cheek. Over the two days I had the ominous pleasure of both options, and in fact I recommend the floor!

After 7 hours meandering down the mystical Mekong taking in the beautiful scenery, muddy waters, jutting rocks and watching the people of Laos going about their daily business, you arrive in Pak Beng. What can be said about this mid-way stopover? Well I guess it can be summed up by the fact that every guesthouse owner warns you of the local thieves, then they themselves act as unorthodox chemists that offer herbal remedies not available being the counter in a town near you!

Day 2 is much the same as Day 1, with beautiful scenery becoming repetitive, jutting rocks becoming the speed-bumps of the river, and the constant drone of the engine becoming as painful as listening to a McFly record. Another 7 hours of this and the final destination is reached, albeit with a rather numb derriere.

This does indeed sound like the journey from hell, but it’s actually a rather enjoyable experience in a twisted way. The painful journey alongside random people makes conversation a must, and friendships inevitable. Also, there is definitely something about the Mekong, a vital artery that runs the length of SE Asia. Maybe it’s watching all those Vietnamese War films or something, but does have a certain charm. And then there are the blagging rights amongst travellers. Have you survived the Mekong slow boat? No? Well I have…

See Chris’s travel blog at www.travelpod.com/members/c-hampden