Tag Archives: April 2005

Meeting News from Texas

Due to bereavement in Christina's family, we regret to say that Texas meetings have stopped pending further notice. If you have time to spare and would like to take over Texas meetings, please contact the Beetle on: beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

Being Careful: Thailand

This is the latest advice from the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Thailand: there is a high threat from terrorism throughout Thailand, particularly in the far southern provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla. We recommend against all but essential travel to these four provinces where, since January 2004, there have been regular attacks including bombings and shootings. On 3 April, three bombs exploded in Songkhla Province, one at Hat Yai International Airport, one at a hotel and one in a shopping centre. Further attacks against places frequented by foreigners, including tourist resorts, could occur at any time.

Watch out for crimes of opportunity. Theft of passports and credit cards is a problem. Passport fraud is high and penalties are severe.

Penalties for possession, distribution or manufacture of drugs are severe and can include the death penalty.

There has been an increase since January 2005 in the number of reported cases of Dengue Fever, in particular in Southern Thailand and the area near the border with Malaysia. In a very small number of cases, Dengue Fever can be fatal if left untreated. If you suffer from a fever whilst (or shortly after) visiting Thailand, you should consult a doctor.

Fave Website

Spotted by Mac, a new travel website: http://www.travelpost.com/

London's Open House

Every September the annual Open House London event takes place and this year the dates are 17th & 18th September 2005. Over 500 buildings are opening their doors to everyone and turning the capital into a living architectural exhibition. And it's absolutely free! Last year, the Beetle and Padmassana braved the cold autumn air and set off to see if we could get to go inside the famous Gherkin – the tall, glass clad bullet shaped building. It could have been the early hour, or the lack of copious amounts of coffee, but coffee, we could see the gherkin but could we find it? It took an age to get there! By the time we got there, around 9.45am, the queues were breathtakingly long, as Padmassana's photos show.

So, instead, we went to the Bank of England and we joined a guided tour there. It was excellent! Believe it or not, the site of the Bank of England, which has been located in Threadneedle Street since 1734, covers a massive 3 ½ acres – who would have thought it! We moved down a very majestic staircase to some beautiful state rooms downstairs and through the gardens and up again to the rooms that are used to hold meetings with visiting officials to discuss monetary policy. The tour ended in the Bank's museum which is fascinating and includes a gold bullion bar, encased in bullet proof glass, of course, which Padmassana had a go at lifting through the specially designed hole for people to touch the bar. You can visit the museum any time and it is free of charge. The museum is open Monday to Friday, 10.00 – 17.00, Christmas Eve, 10.00 – 13.00 but is closed at weekends and on Public and Bank Holidays.

After the Bank of England tour, we visited one of the livery companies near Smithfield market and after a fry up at the Beetle's favourite 24/7 greasy spoon café, we headed up to St Pancras and joined a tour run by Arups, the consulting engineers responsible for building the new ST Pancras train staton which is to be the new home of the Eurostar as well as a new and upgraded train station for regional trains.

All photos are by Padmassana. We are looking forward to this year's Open House and maybe this time we'll be better organised to go and visit the Gherkin!

If you'd like more information about this years' event, then take a look at the official website, which also runs other architectural tours during the year: https://www.openhouselondon.org.uk/

Exploding Toads

Thousands of toads in an area of northern Germany are exploding. Seriously, this is not a late April Fool’s joke. Scientists do not yet know why the toads are exploding, but they are contracting some type of disease that causes their body to expand to three and a half times their normal body size – to bursting point. The BBC news report that the toads’ entrails are being propelled up to a metre (3.2ft), in scenes that have been likened to science fiction.