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Category Archives: Sidebar
Outbreak of Malaria in Kenya
The Red Cross in Kenya has mobilised 1,000 volunteers to help cope with an outbreak of malaria, which has killed nearly 300 people. The outbreak has affected eight districts in the Rift Valley and the west of the country and follows a period of very heavy rains.
The Red Cross says that more than 150,000 people have contracted malaria since June. Young and old alike have been affected, with the death toll standing at 298. Most of those who have died have simply been unable to reach a hospital quickly enough to get treatment. The outbreak follows several weeks of very heavy rains, but quite why it has turned so deadly is not really known.
Mutual Aid
Can you help Caroline? Suffering from information overload, she would love some advice on round the world tickets, volunteer organisations in Australia, New Zealand, and Nepal that don't charge heaps of money to go volunteering, I'm 33 so this seems to exclude at least some of them. Plus I have no degree or profession so that excludes some more. Anyone had any experience of Involvement Volunteers UK, or the overseas arm of BTCV. Plans are to go to Australia in November time, do some volunteer work and then carry on doing the same in New Zealand and Nepal for hopefully one year. Also anyone got any views on how much of the itinerary to plan beforehand. Thanks in advance. Caroline cmather@care4free.net
Need help? Want a travelling buddy or advice about a place or country – want to share something with us – why not visit our Mutual Aid section of the Website: Mutual Aid
Come To Beautiful Rabaul – East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea by Steven Mago
When on a holiday to Papua New Guinea is must-see is beautiful Rabaul, a town well known for its native Baining fire dancers, live volcanoes, pristine wreck and reef diving, caving and above all, friendly local people.
The town was half buried during a twin volcanic eruption in 1994, but today, Rabaul has re-emerged as a tourist destination with a difference. There are few places where the dramatic consequences of the contrasting moods of nature can be experienced so intimately.
Sightseeing in Rabaul is memorable. From the near airport at Tokua, the drive takes you along a narrow road winding its way around the glittering waters of the Gazelle Peninsula, through coconut plantations, villages of thatched huts surrounded by colourful flowerbeds and tropical fruit trees that look out over calm waters.
Steven was born in PNG but now lives in Sydney Australia. He can be contacted by email to help with any queries on PNG or for ideas and help visiting the country.
More Funny Signs
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across
from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN
AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY
EXCEPT THURSDAY.
Hotel catering to skiers, Austria:
NOT TO PERAMBULATE THE CORRIDORS IN THE HOURS OF
REPOSE IN THE BOOTS OF ASCENSION.
Taken from a menu, Poland:
SALAD A FIRM'S OWN MAKE; LIMPID RED BEET SOUP
WITH CHEESY DUMPLINGS IN THE FORM OF A FINGER; ROASTED DUCK
LET LOOSE; BEEF RASHERS BEATEN IN THE COUNTRY PEOPLE'S
FASHION.
Supermarket, Hong Kong:
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WE RECOMMEND COURTEOUS,
EFFICIENT SELF-SERVICE.
From the “Soviet Weekly”:
THERE WILL BE A MOSCOW EXHIBITION OF ARTS BY
15,000 SOVIET REPUBLIC PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS. THESE WERE
EXECUTED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.
Write in and tell us your funny sign! Drop a line to the Beetle! E-mail the Beetle.
Tea in Pasadena!
Janice from L.A. suggests the Rose Tree Cottage in Pasadena for that great English cup of tea. The owners, Mary and Edmund Fry, (her husband Edmund dressed like Jeeves) run a delightful teashop in Pasadena and also organise tours. Including a trip to Kenya for tea and safari. Members of royalty and visiting dignities have all visited (and been photographed with the owners). The Rose Tree Cottage has also been named by Los Angeles Magazine as one of the best teashops in Southern California and was again featured in USA Today.
Britain's Jubilee Party
At the end of May, beginning of June, the UK was in party mode to celebrate 50 years of the Queen on the throne. Two public holidays added to the weekend lead to four days of celebrations. Street parties were held across the UK and thousands went to Buckingham Palace in the evenings for massive rock and classical concerts.
The English Tourist Council predicted that around one third of Britons took part in a Golden Jubilee event of some kind over the long bank holiday weekend. Also to celebrate the event there was almost 2,000 beacons lit across the UK and many more in all of the Commonwealth countries. The fact that the jubilee coincided with the start of the World Cup gave an extra boost to the festivities and resulted in far fewer (about 1.5 million people) people going abroad to take advantage of the 4 day holiday.
Not to be Seen Dead In?
India and Pakistan. Due to the risk of conflict between India and Pakistan, the FCO's advice is that they still recommend against all but essential travel to India. British nationals already in India should consider their need to remain in the country, but we no longer advise they should leave. Our advice for Pakistan also no longer recommends against all travel. But we continue to advise against all but essential travel. Because of the continuing high level of security threat internally in Pakistan, those who decide they must still travel should have confidence in the security arrangements made for the entire visit. We further advise all British nationals in Pakistan to leave unless they have a compelling reason to stay, and similarly have confidence in their security arrangements. The situation is likely to remain uncertain for some time. We will keep our travel advice under constant review and will not hesitate to change it if necessary.
Gibraltar Sovereignty
Not a lot of people know that John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married in Gibraltar, or that Prince Charles started his honeymoon there with Princess Diana. Gibraltar is, at the moment, a 3 square mile piece of independent territory in southern Spain overlooking Morocco with some 30,000 inhabitants.
The original settlers came from around the Mediterranean: from Malta and Italy. Both Spanish and English is spoken in Gibraltar and most of the population are, unlike Britain, Catholics. Back in the 18th century, Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain. Spain now wants Gibraltar back! In 1969, the people of Gibraltar included a proviso in its constitution that Gibraltar will only be returned to Spain if is population vote for this in a national referendum.
The Gibraltarians feel very passionate about not becoming part of Spain and Spain has been practicing all manner of restrictive practices towards Gibraltar, including causing a 3 hour wait to make a 100m drive across the border, even bribing ferry companies to move a few miles across into Spain to provide services to Tunis.
One has to consider the irony of this latest Anglo-Spanish diplomatic scuffle; true, Gibraltar with its geographical position almost at the mouth of the Med is well strategically placed, but equally, let's not forget that Spain maintains two separate territories in Morocco, which, strangely, Morocco wants back.
Free London Museums: The Science Museum
The Science Museum is vast and is a great place for both children and adults and there are many interactive displays that capture the imagination as well as being educational. However, it is so big, plan your day by identifying specific areas of interest so as not to spend too long – museum fatigue can set in fast! It is free, and the nearest tube is South Kensington. You could combine the museum with some therapeutic shopping at nearby Harrods or Harvey Nichols. Visit the website or tel: 0870 870 4771. Weekends are the busiest time since the admission fee has been scrapped, so try and visit during the week, if you can.