The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have the following to say about Indonesia: we advise against all non-essential travel to Indonesia. (Which is a great pity as the Beetle is going to Bali very soon).

There is a high general threat from terrorism in Indonesia. We continue to receive information that indicates terrorists are planning further attacks, including against Westerners, throughout the country. If you are already in Indonesia you should consider leaving if your presence is not essential. If you choose to remain in Indonesia you should exercise extreme caution in public places.

You should avoid large crowds and demonstrations, particularly in the run-up to the Presidential elections on 5 July and 20 September.

The dengue fever mosquito is found throughout Indonesia including in Jakarta. Visitors should be aware that there has been a significant increase in reported cases of Dengue Fever in Jakarta over the last couple of months. People should take elementary precautions against mosquitoes.

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a Flight Attendant on a Northwest flight announced

“Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted.”.

From a Southwest Airlines employee:

“Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 245 to Tampa. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don’t know how to operate one, you probably shouldn’t be out in public unsupervised.

In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small child, pick your favourite.”.

A drunken woman looking for a place to sleep slipped past security and onto an aircraft at Aberdeen Airport in Scotland where she dozed unnoticed for several hours, sparking a review of security.

BAA, the airports owners, said that it had launched a full investigation after the woman — reported by a newspaper to be a scantily clad stripper — scaled a fence and boarded a private jet. A UK tabloid said that 22 year old Soraya Wilson was discovered eight hours after she passed out in the plane’s cockpit. She is reported to have said: “I don’t know who was more embarrassed when they found me, the security men or me, because I was just wearing my knickers and a little top when I woke up.”.

Need to convert currency?

Take a look at The Globetrotters Currency Converter — get the exchange rates for 164 currencies The Globetrotters Currency Cheat Sheet — create and print a currency converter table for your next trip.

Spotted by our webmaster:

1. Does the crew sleep onboard?

2. What time is the midnight buffet?

3. Which elevator takes me to the front of the ship?

4. Do you generate your own electricity?

5. Is this island totally surrounded by water?

6. Is the water in the toilet salt or fresh?

7. What language do they speak in Alaska?

8. What do you do with the ice carvings after they melt?

9. How high above sea level are we?

10. How do we know which pictures are ours?

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

Police have busted a gang who used their jobs as baggage handlers at New York’s John F Kennedy Airport to avoid inspection of mail bags filled with cocaine and transported on commercial planes from South America. Police officers officials announced that detectives arrested 13 people and seized USD$400,000, five vehicles, three guns and 110 pounds (50 kg) of cocaine in a series of raids. They were part of a drug trafficking and distribution ring believed to have sold more than 1,300 pounds (600 kg) of cocaine a year in New York with a street value of USD$75 million. Last November, 23 mostly airport employees in the New York area were arrested on charges of conspiracy to smuggle tens of millions of dollars of cocaine and marijuana into the country on international cargo and passenger flights. Cocaine was bought in Guyana in South America and sent to New York on commercial airliners. The members of the gang who worked as baggage handlers circumvented inspection of mail bags containing the cocaine. Profits from the gang’s cocaine sales were returned to Guyana where other gang members laundered the cash.

Here’s a little Beetle quiz based on capital cities. See how many you get right! Go on, have a guess!

What is the capital city of the following countries:

1. Botswana
2. Gabon
3. Armenia
4. Turkey
5. Norway

For the answers, see at the end of the e-newsletter.

The Beetle is often asked for advice on how to go about getting a job teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) overseas. My best advice is to look up TEFL courses in your area and get qualified as an English teacher, and then get some experience. This website has a huge number of jobs for qualified TEFL teachers and provides career advice etc.

http://www.tefl.com

If you have a travellers tale that your aching to tell. Then why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites” section of the Website and share it with the world. Travel Sized Bites