As soon as we get information on the annual barbecue we will let you know what happened! 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.

The Globetrotters Texas branch held their fifth meeting on Saturday, November 10. Attendence continues to grow, with 19 happy people at the meeting. Brad and Mamie spoke and shared slides from their travels to Afghanistan in the early 70’s. Their separate stories were fascinating. The group discussed favourite travel websites and travel magazines. Most everyone learned about something new.

The door prize was a two volume Encyclopedia of World Travel – a classic from 1973. How appropriate that Mamie was the winner, as her presentation was based on her travels in 1973! Following the meeting, 11 people adjourned to the Hoity-Toit, a local beer joint for refreshments and fellowship.

The next meeting will be December 8. Everyone is invited! Christina’s advice is to come early so you won’t be late! Handouts and refreshments will be available. Anybody want to help Christina or enquire about meetings, please contact her on: texas@globetrotters.co.uk

Found whilst gratuitously surfing http://www.nps.gov/bela/html/morebear.html The following is an extract of the advice given if you see a bear. The principle is: avoid being in contact with bears if you can. Give the bear every opportunity to avoid you. If you do encounter a bear at close distance, remain calm. Attacks are rare. Chances are, you are not in danger – most bears are interested only in protecting food, cubs or their “personal space.” Once the threat is removed, they will move on. Remember the following:

Identify Yourself – Let the bear know you are human. Talk to the bear in a normal voice. Wave your arms and help the bear recognize you. If a bear cannot tell what you are, it may come closer or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell. A standing bear is usually curious, not threatening. You may try to back away slowly diagonally, but if the bear follows, stop and hold your ground.

Don’t Run – You can’t outrun a bear. They have been clocked at speeds up to 35 mph, and like dogs, they will chase fleeing animals. Bears often make bluff charges, sometimes to within 10 feet of their adversary, without making contact. Continue waving your arms and talking to the bear. If the bear gets too close, raise your voice and be more aggressive. Bang pots and pans and use noisemakers. Never imitate bear sounds or make a high-pitched squeal.

Surrender – If a brown bear actually touches you, fall to the ground and play dead. Lie flat on your stomach, or curl up in a ball with your hands behind your neck. Typically a brown bear will break off its attack once it feels the threat has been eliminated. Remain motionless for as long as possible. If you move, a brown bear may return and renew its attack and you must again play dead. If you are attacked by a black bear, fight back vigorously.

Tibet is the land of spectacular mountains, majestic views, yaks and where Harry Potter is a subversive. My first experience of Tibet was coming into Gonkar airport over a barren, rugged landscape. As you come down the aircraft steps you feel the altitude, shortness of breath and a pumping heart. Once through immigration you collect your bag and have them x-rayed. This is where the fun starts, the stern woman customs officer couldn’t have cared less about my Lonely Planet and detailed maps, what caught her eye was my copy of Harry Potter. She spent twenty minutes turning every page, not that she could read it, before grudgingly handing it back in a semi dog-eared state.

It takes around 3 hours from the airport to get to the capital Lhasa. Two enormous gold yaks stand guard on the first roundabout and on the left is the Potala Palace. The city has been taken over in every way by the Chinese, only 5% is still Tibetan. This 5% is centred around the Barkhor. The Barkhor is a lane which surrounds the wonderful Jokhang Temple. You can spend hours wandering(Clockwise) around the market, which is mainly full of tourist kitsch, you can buy a complete set of monk’s robes or an “Antique” in the wonderfully named “Ancient Thing store”!

After doing the Kora or circuit, stroll into the Jokhang which is usually packed with pilgrims, some of whom have travelled hundreds of miles, for their once in a lifetime visit. You will remember the Jokhang’s ethereal quality, incense and prayer wheels long after your visit. Go up to the roof for a fantastic view of the Jokhangs golden roof, look across to the Potala and see the city spread out below. The Potala Palace takes a good five hours to visit. The Potala is a warren and is best visited with a guide and a torch. Without the aid of a guide the hundreds of chapels would have no meaning and without a torch you would miss the frescos down the dark passages. The Norbulingka Palace, where the Dalai Lama fled from, can be seen in an afternoon, you can see where the Dalai Lama slept, lived and meditated, all just as he left it, 1950’s furniture, old radiograms and even his bath with the “Made In England” still visible.

Food in Lhasa is not for gourmets and vegetarians may starve. The Dunya Restaurant, run by a Dutch couple during the summer months is worth a visit, a mixture of Chinese and Western dishes are offered in pleasant surroundings.

Lhasa is a fascinating city to visit, just make sure you get there, before the Chinese take over the remaining 5%.

Kevin can be contacted on Kbrackley@yahoo.com
Next week, Japan by the Travelling Stoat!

Twelve countries will introduce Euro notes and coins on 1 January, 2002: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

The UK, Denmark and Sweden, who are also members of the European Union, are not part of the Euro area and neither are any countries outside the EU, for instance Turkey and Switzerland. Euro notes will be identical for all countries and usable in all EU countries.

Each EU member country will produce their own coins, with one common side and one national side, but they can be used in any of the Euro area countries. Cash dispensers will dispense Euro notes and national notes and coins can be used until 28th February 2002, except in the Netherlands, Ireland and France.

Euro notes can be purchased from most banks and Bureaux de Change from 1st January 2002. If you have existing foreign currency for EU countries, unless you intend to visit these countries very early in 2002, you should exchange them now.

Don’t wait too long as you will not be able to use old currencies by March 2002 at the latest.

Source: http://www.fco.gov.uk/