Category Archives: Sidebar

Three Gorges Dam – see it quick!

If you want to see the Three Gorges (the Qutang, Wuxia and the Xiling) before they are lost for ever – as a result of the controversial dam project on the Yangtze, you should aim to see them before November 1st 2002.  After this date, there will be a diversion around the Three Gorges and the Yangtze will not be navigable until after the flooding has taken place in 2003.

Earth From the Air

This is a fantastic free open air exhibition planet, a series of large scale photographs of amazing natural landscapes by Yann Arthus-Bertrand at the exhibition at the Natural History Museum, Kensington. If you can't get to London it's worth taking a look at the websites: earthfromtheair.com or yannarthusbertrand.org

Open from June 20th to end September 2002.

Itchy Feet Events presents African Adventure

Venue: Slug & Lettuce, Fulham Broadway

Date: Wednesday 7th August, 7pm

Price: £4 on the door £2 if pre-booked

Special Guest – Paul Goldstein

Tales from the Bush: An African Journey.  Come and join Paul Goldstein as he recounts tales from the dark continent. After countless visits across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia he has a wealth of knowledge on the area.  As a prize winning photographer (2nd Royal geographical Photographer of the Year 2001/2002) and guide his presentations are illustrated with dazzling images and outrageous and hilarious anecdotes.  He is not a fan of mainstream travel, especially hordes of safari-suited package holidaymakers in zebra striped minivans, nor does he care much for luxury hotels. He gauges countries on their people and wilderness areas, not by the amount of food guzzled at lunch buffets with 'untraditional' local dancing.  Don't say you weren't warned….!

Also representatives from EXODUS, SNOW & ROCK, and other Africa experts.

To book or for more information see www.itchyfeet-uk.com or email info@itchyfeet-uk.com or call Dave on 07900 975 413

St Helena – tourism coming!

St Helena is a British Dependent Territory; a tiny island in the Atlantic, midway between Africa and South America.  Around 5,000 people live there, bolstered by 36 births last year.  Some 40% of the population work in the UK, the Falklands or Ascension Island.  About 800 tourists visit the island each year, and the occupancy of the hotels and B&Bs averages around 15%.  At present, the only way to reach St Helena is by the Royal Mail Ship St Helena, and this only arrives six to eight times a year. 

Does all this give you the idea that not a lot happens on St Helena?  Well, you could be right, that is, until recently.  Plans are afoot for a £102 million ($163m) 10 year construction project to build an airport, runway, a five star hotel, golf course, and luxury villas.  St Helena Chief Secretary John Styles is reported to have said: “Access is crucial……St Helena will be an absolutely niche market.  We will attract the wealthy tourist who wants to stay in a superb gold estate on a far flung island, or tourists interested in the environment and history, including the legacy of Napoleon, who spent his last years here.”

Globetrotter Travel Award

Under 30? A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?

Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?

Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we'll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!

Tribute to Thor Heyerdahl

When the Beetle was a very small Beetle one of the first books about travel she read was by Thor Heyerdahl, the world-renowned explorer and archaeologist. He must have fired the imaginations of millions with his exploits, trying to recreate the journeys of people from past times.

He was born in 1914, in Larvik, Norway and from his earliest days, he was an enthusiastic nature lover, and became a voracious explorer. His first expedition was to Polynesia in 1937-1938 when he was studying the origins of the island's life, that he became convinced that human settlers had come with the ocean currents from the west just as the flora and fauna had done. In 1947 he decided to build a replica of the aboriginal balsa raft (named the “Kon-Tiki”) to test his theories. In 1947, Heyerdahl and five companions left Callio, Peru and crossed 8000 km (4300 miles) in 101 days to reach Polynesia (Raroia atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago). Thor Heyerdahl managed to demonstrate that the ancient Peruvians could have reached Polynesia in this way.

Following the success of the Kon-Tiki Expedition, in 1952, Heyerdahl organized and led the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to the Galapagos Islands, where it was demonstrated that once again, the people of South America had the means to travel much further than archaeologists had previously believed. In 1949, he continued his research on ancient navigation and turned his attention to the ancient reed-boats made of papyrus. These boats were deemed insufficient to cross the Atlantic as the reeds were believed to become water-logged after less than two weeks on open water.

Heyerdahl believed that contemporary science underestimated the ancient vessels and undertook to prove this by experiment. In 1969, he bought 12 tons of papyrus and worked with experts to construct an ancient-style vessel. The result was a 15 m boat which was launched at the old Phoenician port of Safi, Morocco. In the spirit of cooperation, Heyerdahl embarked under the UN flag with a crew of seven men from seven countries. The papyrus craft, Ra, sailed 5000 km (2700 nautical miles) in 56 days until storms and deficiencies in the construction caused the team to abandon their target only one week short of Barbados.

Thor Heyerdahl died in June of this year, aged 88.

Fave Websites of the Month

One for backpackers! BUG – the Backpackers Ultimate Guide – is a comprehensive network of websites that include forums, an online ride sharing service and extensive destination guides to Australia, New Zealand and Europe that include transport information and over a thousand independent hostel reviews. You can find the home page at bug.bz, or go straight to the ride sharing service at bugride.com . The destination guides to Australia, New Zealand & the Pacific and Europe can be found at bugaustralia.com, bugpacific.com and bugeurope.com .

BUG also publishes an email newsletter every two weeks that contains travel news, an overview of upcoming festivals and information on updates to the BUG websites.

Tax Free Shopping in New York

In an attempt to boost the city's flagging post-11 September economy, the mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, has declared tax-free shopping days for people who shop downtown, where businesses have been hardest hit. A new study – requested by New York members of the US Congress – has found that the 11 September attacks cost the city $83 bn. Mr Bloomberg announced nine days of tax-free shopping over the next three months. “From Soho to the Lower East Side, from Chinatown to Battery Park City, I encourage you to spend your money – tax free,” said Mr Bloomberg.

The first tax-free stretch of three days will start on Sunday, to be followed by further three-day tax holidays in July and August.

Whatever people – tourists or residents – buy in shops and restaurants in Lower Manhattan will be free of the 8.25% sales tax, so long as purchases exceed $500 in value.

Travel Tips

If you have a mobile phone that works overseas, it's not a bad idea to take it, even if you have no intention of using it for phone calls. In case of emergencies, you can use it to send SMS text messages.

Got any travel tips for the Beetle? Then e-mail them to: the Beetle