Issue 12
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Links in this issue may be out of date | Issue 12 |
COMET - APRIL 1999 - ISSUE 12 For people who like their travel news down loaded, not loaded down. Brought to you by Lonely Planet: http://www.lonelyplanet.com IN THIS ISSUE Upgrades - Re-boot Your Guidebook The Scoop - A Handful of Headlines Soapbox - Get On Up New Mail - Reader Riddle In The Spotlight - Who's Driving This Bus Anyway? Top 5 - Vegie Nirvana Comet Poll - The Best Place In Town Compass - Internal Orienteering Q & A - Talking Turkey Link - Another Cheesy Quiz Two Cents Worth - Going Grey In Dreadlocked World You Said It - Tall Tales & True New On the LP Web Site - Remote May Float Your Boat Face to Face - LP in the Flesh Talk To Us - Tell Us How We're Doing *** UPGRADE ON ECUADOR News From Authors on the Road Ecuador has been hopping recently: in 1998 alone its currency was drastically devalued, a new president was elected, and a border dispute with Peru was settled. Add to all this myriad natural phenomena afflicting the country and you have a new landscape through which to travel. The good news for the interested and thrifty traveller is that Ecuador's currency problems have led to a drop in nearly all prices except for transportation. Re-boot your Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands guidebook with more news from LP author Conner Gorry: http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/upgrades/up-ecu.htm Re-charge another LP guidebook, from Hong Kong to Mongolia: http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/upgrades/index.htm *** THE SCOOP News That Changed Someone's World This Month 1. Japan Airlines banned smoking on all international flights recently, but introduced 'oral gratification' for passengers tempted to light up in the loo: a small, cigarette-shaped plastic tube supposed to help suppress the urge to smoke. 2. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warned of tensions between islanders in Guadalcanal, the largest island in the Solomons group, and advised that, although travellers and expatriates are not believed to be targets, anyone planning to set off to remote areas in Guadalcanal should keep an eye on the situation for news that might affect their safety. 3. Philippine Airlines (PAL) resumed its daily service between Cebu and Iloilo, daily services between Cebu and Davao, and Cebu and Bacolod, and flights (five times a week) to the Cotabato area via Awang Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat. 4. Australian officials asked tourists not to visit the devastated Western Australian town of Exmouth as residents continued to clean up after Cyclone Vance. Exmouth still has few essential services and road blocks have been set up to allow only residents and tradespeople in and out. 5. Islanders on Vanuatu's Pentecost Island began building towers in preparation for 'naghol' (land diving), a ritual leap from 20m-high towers by local men and boys who have only two long, springy vines to break their fall. Naghol, held during April and May, is believed to guarantee a bountiful yam harvest. Tours to dive sites can be organised from the capital, Port Vila, although tourists are not permitted to dive; a bungy jump in New Zealand might be the next best thing. 6. The wave of violence that flared in Turkey when Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan was arrested last month continues. In the latest incident, a suicide bomb attack in Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping precinct of Taksim Square claimed 10 victims. This followed a suicide bomb attack in the eastern province of Van in early April. 7. Portugal announced changes to its telephone number system effective from 1 November: the initial zero will be dropped; numbers will now be nine digits long; all Lisbon numbers will start with 2, the Porto number will start with 22; numbers in the Algarve will start with 82; and mobile phone numbers will start with 9. 8. Russian authorities prepared for a clash with environmentalists when they admitted they were considering a proposal to allow hunting in the Pribaikalsky National Park on the shores of Lake Baikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 9. In India, more than 5000 police assembled in the Punjabi holy city of Anandpur Sahib in preparation for a fortnight of festivities expected to attract about five million Sikh pilgrims - about one quarter of India's entire Sikh population. The celebrations mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of the religion's militant branch, Khalsa Sikhism, and police fear they may be sabotaged by hardline Sikh separatists waging an ongoing struggle for an independent Sikh homeland. Although the Punjab is now safe for travel, a decade of separatist Sikh violence beginning in the early 80s claimed up to 10,000 victims, ending with brutal repression by Indian authorities. 10. Laos unveiled plans for a rail link between it and Thailand, to begin construction by mid-year. At a cost of US$33 million, the track will cover the 14km from Vientiane to the Friendship Bridge that connects Laos to Thailand. Other projects already under construction include a track between Vientiane and Luang Phrabang, and between Luang Phrabang and Boten. News from the rest of the planet: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/scoop *** SOAPBOX The Pick of the Thorn Tree 'Call me naive,' says the aptly named Naive Traveler on LP's on-line bulletin board, the Thorn Tree, 'but who decides which countries are politically correct to visit and which are not? Has some worldwide organisation ... compiled an official list with ratings?' Amy wonders why some people who travel widely in South-East Asia 'blast others for going to Burma' rather than 'any other country with a history of brutality and repression, like China and Indonesia.' Kathleen doesn't believe in telling people where to go, but offers some advice on how: 'go with your eyes, ears and hearts wide open', she says. And Jeff, well he reckons the boycott advocates are better off at home as they're 'nowhere near open minded enough to enjoy' travelling anyway. Weigh into the debate: http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/thorntree/seamain/abtt.htm Or start a topic of your own: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorn/thorn.htm *** NEW MAIL Jeffrey Salinger, a Comet reader with perhaps a little too much time on his hands of late, sent us this puzzle: Somewhere in Latin America there's a magnificent set of ruins spelled with eight letters. Using those letters (no more than once each), create three words of different lengths - seven, five and four letters - that are either places (anywhere in the world) or especially prevalent phrases heard by many backpackers in Latin America. All cheats and those easily defeated should scroll down to the end of the newsletter immediately to find the answers. The rest of you should probably go get a drink before you start... *** IN THE SPOTLIGHT Transport With the Human Touch Public transport is something to be treasured when travelling. Short of car hire or package tours, a city's trains and buses are usually the only practical means of packing in the sights in a brief period of time. Without inexpensive public transport, many of us would find the cost of travel prohibitive. It's a bit surprising, then, that public transport systems around the world are so different and, often, so difficult to navigate. In Melbourne, Australia a new ticketing system was recently introduced on the wide-reaching public transport network. Machines now dispense and check your tickets. Remnants of the old labour-intensive system remain, however, and the blend of old and new makes legal navigation almost impossible for travellers. On trams, the cheapest type of ticket allows travel on any tram within two sections. The problem is that nobody, even locals, can tell you how far a section extends. Plain clothed ticket inspectors wield a cracking whip but, on this issue at least, even they will cut a confused traveller some slack. In London, the ticket machines in tube stations are relatively simple to use, which is quite an achievement given the multi-level complexity of the transport system. But it's the old red double-decker buses that give travellers joy: they're peopled by people who'll gladly sell you a ticket. Dealing with a real human - someone who can answer your questions and dispense directions with your change - is something that most newcomers to a city really appreciate. It's an increasingly rare experience in the West these days. In St Petersburg, on the other hand, people still dominate the public transport system - for better or worse. On the train network, the old babushkas run the stations as the Soviets used to run their Union: with military precision and antiquated ideas. In fact, if it weren't for the pink knitted hats, you'd swear these old ladies had been hand-picked by Stalin himself. Sitting in booths at the bottom of 100m escalators, these relics of Bolshevism spend their time making announcements over the crackly PA system, all the while keeping their eyes peeled for errant youth. If you put a foot wrong, they'll get you. But if you have the correct change, or at least hold up the correct number of fingers, you'll get where you need to go. The buses in St Petersburg are a little more chaotic, but getting caught by a roving inspector without a ticket will see you hauled off the bus and cornered for an on-the-spot fine or the occasional bribe. If you've got a ticket, you must validate it. Not for Russia the high tech magnetic strip readers common in many countries; metal hole-punches stuck to the bus walls do the job just as well. If you're on a crowded St Petersburg bus (there is no other kind) and a stranger taps you on the shoulder and hands you her ticket, it doesn't mean you're getting a free ride. It's your job to pass the ticket to someone else even closer to the rusted metal hole-punch. And if you're closest, by the time you reach your destination you'll certainly feel like you've worked for your ride. In Beijing, the buses share a crowded quality with their Russian counterparts. And again, the old style people-power approach to fare collection applies. The conductors (a title that seems inappropriate given its connotations of order and precision) hurl themselves bodily into their task, waiting until their bus is fuller than is scientifically possible before cutting a swathe down the aisle demanding fares. Even if the bus reaches your stop before the conductor has reached you, you won't escape with a free ride. She'll hang out the window and berate you until you cough up the tiny fare. Faced with such ferocity, nobody would dare attempt to run. Somehow, some day, the conductor will track you down. Although personal contact with petty officials in foreign countries can be nothing short of terrifying, there is still something satisfying about dealing with a living and breathing person. Even if automated public transport systems work (and apparently somewhere in the world they do), they can never deliver the kind of specialised assistance bewildered travellers need. Even if it's just a bemused conductor frowning as you decimate their ancient and beautiful language, at least you're not hiding behind your map and letting machines take care of the cultural exchange. *** TOP 5 John Goodman's Top 5 Easiest Countries for Vegetarians 1. Turkey: Although few Turks are vegetarians and lamb is plentiful, most of the mezze dishes contain no meat. 'Etsiz yemek' means 'eat without meat'. 2. Vietnam: Even nominally devout Buddhists here eat vegetarian during the full and new moons; monks are full time vegetarians. To indicate that you 'eat purely', say, 'Toi an chay'. 3. China: Tofu is readily available and Buddhist monasteries often feature vegetarian restaurants. 'Wo bu chi rou' means 'I don't eat meat', but the Chinese definition of meat does not always include poultry or fish, so it is useful to also specify what you do want to eat: 'doufu'. 4. Thailand: As in Vietnam, Buddhist traditions here include vegetarianism. Men can say, 'Phom kin jeh'. Female vegetarians say, 'Dii-chan kin jeh'. 5. India: Lots of dishes based on legumes. This is a country in which the concept of not eating meat is well-established; in almost any restaurant, half the dishes are vegetarian. Phonetic Hindi for specifying your vegetarian needs is 'Main shaka haari huun'. We sent John the LP guide of his choice. Earn one for yourself by emailing us a Top 5 on ANY travel-related topic that we like enough to publish in the next issue: comet@lonelyplanet.com.au *** COMET POLL The World's Best Backpacker Hostel Last month we asked you to nominate the world's best backpacker hostels, and we were hoping to bring you a nice neat Top 10 list to pack with your undies next time you go travelling. But you inundated us with so many suggestions we've decided to bring you the top picks in various regions over the next few issues. We'll kick off with Australia & the Pacific, as the most popular hostel worldwide with Comet readers is from this region: The Treehouse in Mission Beach on the north coast of Queensland, Australia. Here's why Brad Breitbach gave it his vote: 'The Treehouse ... was one of the coolest, cleanest, best kept, friendliest, quietest, swingin'est stilted rainforest abodes I have come across. It was like staying in someone's home. The pool was cleaned daily and there was no closing time - perfect for that late night dip with a new acquaintance. (There was a) fire pit away from the hostel to carry on the festivities into the wee hours. And if you are short on cash and want to chill in the rainforest after following "the trail" up the east coast, the owner was always keen on exchanging work for accommodation. I planned to stay for three days and ended up staying a month.' Here's what we say about the Treehouse in the LP guide to Australia: 'The Treehouse, an associate YHA hostel, is in Bingil Bay, 6km north of Mission Beach. This popular and very laid-back hostel is in an impressive timber stilt house surrounded by rainforest, with a pool, bikes for hire and good views over the forest and the coast. A bed in a six-bed dorm costs $16, doubles are $40, or you can pitch your tent on the lawns for $10.' Other hostels in the region that were popular with Comet readers included: Crocodylus Village near Cow Bay in the Cape Tribulation area of Far North Queensland; the Mt Cook YHA Hostel and Paradiso Backpackers in Nelson, both on the South Island of New Zealand; and the Vakaviti Motel on the Coral Coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest Island. *** COMPASS How's Your Sense of Direction? It's after midnight and you've just teed off on the 18 hole golf course that is the main tourist attraction of twin towns separated by a river. Within half an hour you've lost your ball in another country, yesterday, and by the end of the round you've crossed the international border and time zones four times. Think your internal compass is working? Name the golf course as well as the towns and countries in which it's located and the river that separates them, and we'll put you in the running for one of 20 new Lonely Planet guides to Finland. Email us at: comet@lonelyplanet.com.au The following 20 people wrote to us all about (though, disappointingly, not in) the Gullah language, a pidgin of American English and West African dialects spoken by about 250,000 people in the South Carolina Lowcountry and Sea Islands of the USA. They picked up the new LP guide to the USA for their trouble: Andrew McIntyre, Andy Holten, Arash Zeini, Beth Duncan, Brian Reus, Brithas Sarathy, Christian Cornila, Enrico Ribaldone, Harry Kong, Jaco Hoff, Johanna Hedmark, Joseph Chua Kient Teck, Kim Cruz, Linda Ballou, Marcel Pechr, Margot Costigan, Michelle Der Ohanesian, Panu Zoller, Ross Everson and Tara Glover. *** Q & A Barbara Rutledge asked recently for the lowdown on travelling from the USA to Turkey with a laptop PC. According to the author of the LP guide to Turkey, Tom Brosnahan, it's no drama. 'I've travelled to Turkey numerous times with my trusty little PowerBook and never had a problem,' he says. 'In recent years, I haven't been stopped much by customs in Istanbul. I just walk through the "green light" line; they have the right to spot check and, when they do, there's no problem even though I'm carrying a laptop and about $1000 of camera equipment. 'Coming back to the USA (is) absolutely no problem. I've never carried invoices, never worried about the Netscape encryption thing and have had no problems. The laptop is hardly a secret. I'm usually pounding away on it in the waiting areas ... 'All Macintoshes, including PowerBooks, can be plugged into either 110 or 220 volt outlets, no adapter needed. But if you have an IBM-compatible laptop, you may need a power transformer. 'Turkish plugs are of the European type. Adaptors are available but rather than hassle with getting one on the spot buy a kit before you go. 'In the better hotels the phone may have a US-style RJ11 jack, but in guesthouses it'll probably be a three-pronged Turkish-style arrangement. If you want to use your modem you'll have to find an electrical shop, buy a plug and cord and make an adapter, or visit a cyber cafe and ask for help - Turks are very helpful in just about every way.' *** LINK Funny, we thought there'd be more Wuthering Heights fans among you who might have picked up the link between ling and bog heather: they're two of the species of heather found in the North York Moors, the largest expanse of heather moorland in England. The lucky THREE winners of the new LP guide to Britain (shame on the rest of you, shame) were: Ingela Karlsson, Marcus Lodwick and Walter Wornick. Redeem yourselves this month and we'll reward you with the chance to win one of 20 copies of LP's new guide to Portugal. Simply tell us what Fornos de Algodres, Celorico da Beira and Carrapichana have in common. Email us at comet@lonelyplanet.com.au with your answer, and don't forget to include your name and postal address. *** TWO CENTS WORTH Several travellers, like Bev Burgess, have written to Comet recently asking for 'more articles for the over 50s'. We know lots of people this age are keen travellers - at least half a dozen of them also write guidebooks for us, including Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler! We write stories about the experience of travel and presume that our audience will be made up of travellers of all ages. We'd love to hear from you, though, if you're over 50 and can tell us about questions and topics that are important to you which general travel stories and all-ages guidebooks don't seem to address. We also want to hear about your experience of life on the road as an older traveller: is age an issue for you; how did you discover travel and what keeps you going when your body and bank manager tell you to give it all up; what are the perks and piss-offs of being a grey haired geezer in a scene overrun by dreadlocks; are older travellers overlooked or discriminated against, even inadvertently, on the road; where are the places you've felt most at home despite or because of your age; and what advice would you give to other travellers, both over and under 50? Email us at comet@lonelyplanet.com.au and we'll publish some of the best contributions in an upcoming issue. *** YOU SAID IT Recent UNVERIFIED Reports & Tips From Travellers AUSTRALIA (An extract from an account of hiking the Overland Track in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania) ' ... The hut was packed with sodden hikers. Every available rafter or piece of string had wet clothing hanging from it. A mountain of wet boots were stacked around the fire. The humidity was heavy; nothing could dry in this atmosphere. We wandered about looking for a place on the sleeping shelves to lay our bags out. A narrow space was found; other hikers came and adjusted their belongings to make room for us. I found it fascinating to watch other hikers cooking up their culinary delights. A variety of stoves were used: metho, petrol and gas. Some people were gingerly experimenting with their cooking apparatus for the first time. My modified metho stove flared up wildly and startled other bush chefs beside me. Our meals became a little monotonous - usually pasta or rice dishes. Other hikers were amused by our four loaves of rye bread. They weighed 1kg each. The bread became stale and crumbly but tasted so good toasted on the coal fire and topped with peanut butter, cheese or jam. One man with a bushy beard cooked up felafel and exotic dishes to impress his Swedish girlfriend. A lone Japanese Hiker carried only fresh potatoes and rice.' - John Ward, Australia (Mar 99) CAMBODIA 'Having just returned from two weeks in Cambodia, I wanted to pass on a warning about (a scam at Angkor Wat) that ... cheats UNESCO out of thousands of dollars. The guesthouse operators/moto drivers in Siem Reap will all offer to pick up your $40 pass to Angkor in advance for you. There is no charge and they will indeed pick up your tickets with no trouble. However, the pass you receive will be 'recycled'. Passes are taken from visitors at the end of their trip, the dates stamped on them are removed with nail polish remover, and new ones are stamped on (again). The $40 you hand over to the moto driver will be split between him and the gate staff, who are more than willing to cooperate, and UNESCO gets nothing. Having heard about this before I arrived, I insisted on buying the ticket at the gate myself, and felt quite pleased with myself for doing the right thing. That was until I noticed, two days later, that exactly the same thing had been done to my pass; the gate staff obviously have a stash of their own! The only answer is to encourage people not to hand over their tickets to anyone in Siem Reap. My moto driver gave me all sorts of stories about why he should have my pass but it really isn't necessary. I found, "No, sorry, I want to keep it as a souvenir", worked quite well as a response.' - Wendy Silva, UK (Mar 99) THAILAND While staying at a guesthouse in Bangkok, my boyfriend and I noticed a letter on the notice board about visiting prisoners in jail. It told us how to get there and gave a list of (a few) prisoners, as you must have a name to tell the guards. Four of us went to the jail, basically out of curiosity, and visited two English guys. One guy had 40 years and one had 100 years, reduced to 40 years by the King's amnesty. The visit was quite interesting but it was sickening to hear about the horrendous conditions and tales. They have up to 23 men in one cell, bathe in water straight out of the river and are locked up for 13 hours a day. They can buy food in the jail; if they donÆt, they get fish-heads in rice (the guards eat the fish) or bean sprouts in water. You're allowed to take them clothes and books (they're not supplied with a uniform). There is also a prison shop where you can buy cigarettes, coffee and fruit; they can consume these or use them as currency. If nothing else they'll appreciate these and a chat, as I should imagine most of them don't get many visitors. It seems many backpackers read the notice and think about visiting but, not knowing what to expect, are put off. I would urge anyone who's thinking about it to go. - U Whilton & P Lawrence, UK (no date) Take me to your reader. For more tips, news & opinion from travellers: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/letters/postcard.htm *** NEW ON THE LP WEB SITE Destination Pitcairn Islands - okay, the islands' population wouldn't fill a bus and you need to luck onto a passing yacht to even get there, but in an increasingly small planet, remote may really float your boat: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/pac/pit.htm Destination Central African Republic - leave your faint heart at home to experience a gobsmacking A to Z of African wildlife, forests from here to sunset and the mighty fine shine of banana wine: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/afr/car.htm Lonely Planet partners with Austcare to help rid the world of landmines: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/austcare/index.htm Coming soon: new guides to Scotland, Edinburgh, Spain, Barcelona, Croatia and Istanbul: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/prop/newlist.htm#out You can find Lonely Planet on the Web: http://www.lonelyplanet.com On AOL (keyword: lp) And on Minitel (3615 lonelyplanet) *** FACE TO FACE For a full list of places to press the LP flesh this month: http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/pro-events/index.htm *** ANSWERS TO NEW MAIL Palenque (eight letters) is the name of the ruins; 'que pena' (seven) means 'what a pity' in Spanish; Nepal (five) is a country, obviously; and Pale (four) is a village in Burma. *** TALK 2 US Is Comet the greatest thing to happen to travellers since a broke Swiss soldier decided to hock his knife, or about as useful as a backpack full of wet matches? Let us know how we're doing: talk2us@lonelyplanet.com.au *** SUBSCRIBE & UNSUBSCRIBE Subscribing and unsubscribing to Comet is dead easy. Do it all from your desktop. To subscribe: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/comet To unsubscribe: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/comet/uncomet.htm Don't have Web access? Send us an email and we'll do it for you: comet@lonelyplanet.com.au *** Lonely Planet produces two different newsletters: Comet (monthly via email) and Planet Talk (quarterly via snail mail and bookshops). If you're currently on the mailing list for Lonely Planet's quarterly printed newsletter, Planet Talk, but would prefer to receive Comet instead, let us know: comet@lonelyplanet.com.au *** COPYRIGHT All material in Comet is copyright (c) 1999 Lonely Planet Publications. All rights reserved. Although we have tried to make the information in Comet as accurate as possible, the authors and publishers accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person using this newsletter.
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