I am in New York and I opened Adelante Spanish School (http://spanishamerica.com) with my Partner, Monica Guerra, who manages day-to-day affairs in Quito. For free help in planning a Ecuador trip, arranging a room in Quito and especially to plan Spanish lessons please contact us (lee@spanishamerica.com in English or monica@spanishamerica.com in Spanish)

In my opinion Quito, Ecuador and Antigua, Guatemala are the best places in the world for a traveller to learn Spanish quickly and affordably and with a great deal of fun. There are hundreds of schools in either city and the competition keeps the quality high and the cost low. The cost of language instruction can be under US$5/hr for one to one instruction and you can experience room and board with a local family for about $15/day. Having experienced both I chose to start my venture in Ecuador.

Quito’s many schools are excellent and the instructors are experienced. You will find relatively few people who speak English inQuito but all are patient with foreigners making it very conducive to learning. You should have no problem mastering Spanish as long as you study. You don’t need to do or study anything before you go. There is a lot to distract in Quito. If you take classes for 4-5 hours a day, try to study for three hours or so either over lunch or at dinner. It is a great place and you will find the most difficult thing about studying is that there are many wonderful things to do in Ecuador.

Ecuador is a place where you can do a lot and don't need a formal plan, reservations, etc. It is very easy to decide to do something (visit: jungle, mountain, hike, colonial, market, coast) on a Thursday night, to get on a bus Friday afternoon and to find a hotel when you arrive. It is the best way to meet people and to make sure that your experience is the best possible. Furthermore, Spanish schools tend to be flexible and accommodating for the spontaneous traveller.

Small schools are less expensive and tend to offer more personal attention and a better immersion experience while more costly larger schools offer the opportunity to socialize with more American students and English speakers. If you want a large number of peers visit a large school as well as a smaller school.

Most schools specialize in one-to-one Spanish instruction. One to one immersion training offers the best way to rapidly develop your language skills. Most professors are skilled and experienced in engaging in interesting conversation with students that is gauged to their level and challengs them to improve at their best ability. Your professor should be able to tell where you need assistance and focus on that aspect of your language training. Discusssion in English can be a welcome relief but they do not often further the goal of learning Spanish nearly so well as struggling with Spanish. That is what immersion is all about. There are volunteer opportunities available in and around Quito. Schools work with organisations to arrange volunteer opportunities

Please contact lee@spanishamerica.com or monica@spanishamerica.com for information or look at their web site http://spanishamerica.com. We can pick you up at the airport even if you later decide not to study with us. We are also happy to discuss your plans and assist in arrangements without any fees.

Whitechapel is considered by some to be the heart of the East End of London and over the centuries has hosted Jewish settlers, Irish dock workers and Bangladeshi workers in the 'rag trade'. It’s a street market right opposite the Royal London Hospital, and you’ll come on to it from Whitechapel underground station as you exit from it. The road is so-named because it led to the white chapel of St Mary Matfelon, made from white stone around 1250. In the 19th century, Whitechapel Road was the most important market in the area.

So what can you buy there? It is run predominantly by Asian traders and this is sometimes reflected in some of the goods on sale e.g. sari material and herbs and spices. You can find bedding, jewellery, clothing, tools, fresh fruit and veg, electrical goods – all sorts, open six days a week from Monday to Saturday from 8.00 until 18.00.

Our guest speaker at our december meeting was Amy Gissen, who gave a great slide show and lecture about Myanmar, truly one of Asia's jewels.

For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates at click here at our website.

New York meetings are held at The Wings Theater, 154 Christopher Street (btw Greenwich St and Washington St), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm.

Believe it or not, storm chasing has become something of a hobby. So when the weather is bad, throw away that jigsaw, that book, that piece of embroidery or the TV guide, get your waterproofs on, grab a map and jump into your car! Oh, and don’t forget your camera or camcorder and mobile (cell) phone! The real storm “techies” fit thermometers, barometers, hygrometers and even anemometers in their cars.

Why do this? It’s a lot of fun – generated heart churning adrenaline levels and can involve you in some of the most beautiful sky scenes. According to the UK storm chasers club, people who actively chase tend to have “a sound meteorological knowledge of the atmosphere and storms including their behaviour and dynamics. It is this knowledge that keeps them safe: storm chasing can be dangerous if undertaken by inexperienced individuals both for themselves and others. In the UK the danger is even greater due to our busy and congested road networks. When you encounter a local storm these already bad road conditions will rapidly deteriorate with copious amounts of standing rain water, flash flooding and sometimes even a hail covering.

So how do you do it? Again, according to the British club, the trick is to attempt to forecast where thunderstorms may develop and then head to a favourable area. There are hundreds and hundreds of people including storm chasers who attempt their own forecasts using internet data. There are lots of websites with information including Westwind.ch they make surface pressure charts and upper air charts freely available. You can also get various lightning detection products (often called sferics products) and you can now get free hourly radar images on the BBC Weather pages. If you wish there is also data available on line but at cost. For example there is a better radar picture now offered by Avbrief but there is a fee. “The majority of us are TORRO members which means images we capture and information we gather is gratefully received and put to good use,” says a storm chaser from Holland.

There are storm chasing groups in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, all over the United States and Australia. The Dutch Storm Chase Team formed last year when the guys got together for a one-off chase that ended up so much fun they decided to make a regular thing of it. “We started that afternoon,” says Bernard Hulshof, a meteorologist with Holland Weather Services, “and drove to the west near Schiphol Airport where we saw numerous showers, beautiful showers, large rainbows and deep blue skies. It was heaven for us and later on we followed the storm to the province of Flevoland, in the centre of The Netherlands. By then it had become dark, the sun was setting and the storm was producing lightning. It was all very exciting and very successful for us.”

In the US, there is a region known as Tornado Alley that stretches from Texas northward to the Dakotas. More tornados occur there than anywhere else on earth, so this is naturally something of a mecca for storm chasers. “I can't think of any other place on earth which would be more exciting for storms than Tornado Alley,” says Harald of the Netherlands’ club. “The situation in America is perfect for storm development, it's unique in the world. You can get any type of storm if you have time for it. But of course,” he adds, without even a hint of irony, “it all depends on the weather.”

The Beetle found a couple of companies that specialise in storm chasing “tours” – if this interests you, you might want to check out Silver Lining Tours, owned by David Gold, a meteorologist and self proclaimed outstanding storm chaser. He says he will take customers to watch incredible super cells, awesome tornadoes, huge hail and wild lightning.

Texas-based Tempest Tours are taking bookings now for Storm Chasing Expeditions in the 2003 spring season. The company, headed by three veteran storm chasers (with more than 50 years of storm chasing experience), will lead six tours into Tornado Alley in search of nature's most spectacular weather. The tours take place in May and June, the peak of tornado activity in the United States. Tours will depart from Oklahoma City and in minivans. Veteran storm chasers typically drive 100-400 miles a day to reach their targets.

Stormchasing.com say“if you're looking for adventure, you'll love this thrilling storm chasing holiday in America. We offer “10-Day” and “5-Day” tours where you'll travel across a number of states. One of our vans is the most highly equipped chase van in Tornado Alley — unlike any other storm chasing van on the road.” They go on to say that they are the only storm chasing company that has “real-time” weather information 100% of the time, delivered by satellite technology to our storm chasing van. You will get to ride in that van and be part of the action as we chase down severe storms and tornados in America's Tornado Alley!!

Costa Rica, a tiny country that forms part of the land bridge between North and South America, is almost too good to believe. It has more species of mammals and birds than the continental United States and Canada combined, unmatched flora that includes over 3,000 species of wild orchids alone and a world famous national park system.

It is a land of natural treasures: lush green jungles and forests, steaming volcanoes, mountains, Caribbean beaches, and Pacific surf. You can explore miles of nature trails that access a variety of unique natural habitats, drive to the edge of a volcanic crater or through the deep, rich mountain jungle, or soak up the rays on a magnificent tree-lined beach.

Costa Rica is a paradise for orchids, butterflies and hummingbirds. Near San Ramón you can visit a beautiful Orchid garden full of the national orchid – La Guaria. On Sunday you observe the families hanging around and playing with their children. San Ramón and its surroundings offer a lot of fun and entertainment with adventure, beautiful nature and also culture.

Where are we talking about? Costa Rica's Central Valley is noted for its eternal spring like weather. The district San Ramón de Alajuela is the biggest district of Costa Rica and is situated on the end of the Central Valley just in the heart of Costa Rica. San Ramón is a pleasant small town about halfway between the capital San José and Puntarenas, just off the Carretera Interamericana that joins San José with the Pacific coast. When you leave the airport and take the autoroute to Puntarenas the first sign you see is the sign to San Ramón and takes about 45 minutes.

San Ramón is situated on the tenth degree of latitude and 3,280 feet above sea level. This provides one of the best climates in the world with all year long average temperature of 77 º F (25 º C). The perfect climate to promote or maintain your health and to relax.

San Ramón is known locally as the city of presidents and poets because several of them were born or lived here. It is a clear, green and safe area and offers a lot of activities like sightseeing to the museum and to the beautiful church. The museum has interesting exhibits of local history and culture. The church looks very similar to European churches and is a combination of gothic and roman styles. It was designed by a German architect and construction started in 1925. The altar was built in Italy, the tiles from Germany and the bells from France. Artisans from around the world and many Costa Rican artists contributed to its creation. The construction was finished in 1954.

So, where to eat? A new restaurant has opened which is excellent by any standards. The owner of Alirass is a native of San Ramon who has also travelled. Her fusion Costa Rican food is a must. Try the fish with avocado and cheese and save room for the excellent home-made desserts. The owner/chef Ligia has contributed a gem to her hometown.

What to do? Life runs slowly in this part of the world and you can relax and enjoy. Visit the central market, the weekly market, the park in the centre of San Ramón and watch the people talking in the street and hear the loudspeakers from a passing car announcing good shopping offers or activities for the next weekend. There is no hurry.

You find around San Ramón big waterfalls, bungee jumping, canopy tours, hot air ballooning, hiking in rainforest, bird watching, and horseback riding, tours with mountain bikes and a beautiful Spa. From this central position you can travel very easily to most of the volcanoes or beaches. Near San Ramón you can visit the “Reservado Alberto Manuel Brenes”, a large area with an incredible variety of fauna and flora.

Getting around: it is best that you don't expect perfect roads but you will see this as a part of the adventure. You drive slowly and have time to look around. Of course you always need more time than you expected. But there is no reason to hurry. You will be rewarded with unforgettable occurrences. You will see animals and plants you never have seen before in your life. Guides are always available to take you around and to explain the nature of the area that is new and eye opening.

Come join us in what is still a relatively undiscovered part of Costa Rica, a very special country in these turbulent times.

Where to stay to chill out: I run the Hotel and Spa Casaelena that is 6 miles from town at 3000 ft. altitude with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. We have 24 acres of landscaped grounds with a large pool with a steam room and solar heated jacuzzi. Spa services such as massage and pedicures are available. It’s a great place for peace and quiet, for couples who want a romantic get away or for groups who want a real spa experience: yoga, meditation, nutrition advice, massage, beauty treatments, acupuncture and chiropractor services. For more information, contact me, Helene on: casaelena@racsa.co.cr or visit our website:

www.costaricarelax.com

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.

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.