Stop press, the NY October meeting has been cancelled.
For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates, click here at our website.
New York meetings are held at The Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher Street(btw Greenwich Stand Washington St), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm.
Aviation enthusiasts, get ready! Air France is set to auction 200 parts from its retired Concorde fleet at Christie’s Paris auction room in October. After 27 years of service, everything from the famous nose cone to smaller pieces of memorabilia will be for sale. The proceeds will go towards children's causes supported by Air France. As a price guide, the famous drooping nose cone is estimated at EUR10,000 (USD$11,000) to EUR15,000 but prices for other mementoes, such as photos and models are as low as EUR20. There are no reserve prices, so everything must go.
What is it: Giardiasis is a diarrhoea illness caused by a microscopic parasite (Giardia intestinalis) that lives in the intestines of people and animals. It can occur anywhere in the world, although it is most frequent where water is not clean.
How do I get it: transmission occurs from ingestion of contaminated food or water or from exposure to faecal contaminated surfaces and from person to person by the faecal-oral route including homosexual practices.
What happens if I get it: symptoms occur approximately 1 to 2 weeks after ingestion of the parasite and usually last for over five days. Symptoms include Diarrhoea, flatulence, nausea, abdominal cramps, bloating, weight loss,
Diagnosis and treatment: the infection can usually be identified through a stool sample. A 7-10 day course of antibiotics, usually metronidazole sorts things out.
How can I avoid contracting giardiasis: no vaccination is available, so it is best to avoid drinking or eating food from utensils that may have been washed in contaminated water. To be sure, boil water for at least one minute – longer if at high altitudes. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water. Also wash your hands after using the toilet and before handling or eating food (especially for persons with diarrhoea). Avoid drinking untreated water or using ice. Wash and/or peel all raw vegetables and fruits before eating and use uncontaminated water to wash all food that is to be eaten raw. Avoid eating uncooked foods when travelling in countries with minimal water treatment and sanitation system.
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 Streetin downtown Torontoat 8.00 p.m.
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!!
Did you know, you can change the format of this e-newsletter? This e-newsletter is available in 4 formats:
1. This format with 2 columns.
2. A single column print friendly version available online, see the link in every e-newsletter (or click here).
3. The text only version, if you'd like your e-newsletter in plain text format, just send a blank email to The Globetrotters Webmaster with “Text+Enews” as the subject
4. Have a link emailed to you pointing to the online version, just send a blank email to The Globetrotters Webmaster with “Link+Enews” as the subject
Globetrotters meeting on October 11th at 2pm
If you like independent, adventuresome, fun, daring, exciting, “off the beaten path” travel, this club is for you. Our meeting begins at 2 P.M. Come early so you won't be late! Enjoy handouts, travel talk time, and door prizes!
Dates of future meetings: November 8th.
For more information about the Texas Branch or if you would like to help Christina, please contact texas@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates at our website (click here) or call Christina at 830-620-5482.
London based human rights group Amnesty International has openly criticised the government of the Maldive Islands and asked them to end what it calls systematic political repression. Amnesty says torture, unfair trials and abusive power by the security forces are endemic in the Maldives, contrasting somewhat from their image of romantic holidays on beautiful coral atoll islands with white sandy beaches.
Amnesty are asking for an urgent radical reform of the criminal justice system. One opposition website has said that the security forces detained more than 100 people, but other sources put the number lower.
A Sri Lankan teacher who spent three months in jail in the Maldives last year said it was common for inmates to be tortured – hung upside down on bars and beaten on their feet or submerged head first in water. He said after the beatings, the guards would throw sugar on the prisoners so they'd be bitten by ants in their cell, and he said political prisoners were kept in the same cells as ordinary criminals, where powerful lights would be kept on to make sleep difficult.
According to the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Bolivia is undergoing a period of social unrest. Since the start of the year there have been a number of fatalities. Roads are blockaded from time to time. You should avoid demonstrations at all times and should not attempt to pass through or go around roadblocks. Strikes and other civil actions can occur at any time and can disrupt transport locally or nationally.
Blockades intensified in mid-September and continue. Road traffic across the Altiplano from La Paz westwards, in particular up to Lake Titicaca, the Peruvian border, Oruro, and the Chilean border is subject to blockades or disruption at any time. La Paz to the Yungas is equally affected. Visitors are advised not to travel in these areas. Sorata has particular problems.
If you enjoy writing, enjoy travelling, why not write for the free monthly Globetrotters e-newsletter! The Beetle would love to hear from you: your travel stories, anecdotes, jokes, questions, hints and tips, or your hometown or somewhere of special interest to you. Over 7,500 people subscribe to the Globetrotters e-news.
To see your story in cyber print, e-mail the Beetle with your travel experiences, hints and tips or questions up to 750 words, together with a couple of sentences about yourself and a contact e-mail address to Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk