Backpack
Network - Official Newsletter
General, October 2003
Volume 1, Edition 2
Dear
Travellers,
Welcome to our second edition of the Backpackglobe.com
newsletter. At present we are continuing with a general
newsletter for all interested parties. By the next edition
we will start sending the specific country or continent
information you have requested for Italy, France, Spain
etc. Please bear with us as we fine tune this process.
We hope you will encourage your travelling friends to
also join up and get some useful tips.
In this edition we detail:
- new hostels and hostel news
- travelling tales and expeditions
- travel destinations
- helpful travel websites
- new jobs + useful job links
- upcoming festivals
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NEW HOSTELS AND HOSTEL NEWS
We want to thank Niki and Sarah Joyce Uy who gave us
a number of reviews for our sites recently. Here are
the latest hostel reviews from our sites:
7 Santi, Florence (Italy)
by Niki
At first, I was willing to give this hostel a good review...
very spartan, but adequate and cheap. Our room had a
sink, and there were alright if not pristine wcs and
showers down the hall. But things quickly went downhill
as I realized two things: 1. the hostel is way out there,
requiring a bus ride to get into the center of the city.
This in and of itself is somewhat ridiculous, since
of all of Europe's cities, Florence is one of the most
walkable with the smallest city center. Also, bus rides
are even scarier than a ride in any taxi. Really. 2.
they apparently built this place on top of a swamp or
something, because we were EATEN ALIVE by mosquitos.
Seriously. I have never seen so many hungry mosquitos
in my life. By 8am the next morning, after closing the
window, killing 21 mosquitos and spending the rest of
the night sweating as we hid under sheets in our stiflingly
hot room, my boyfriend and I each sported about 8 HUGE,
swollen scratchy bites that didn't fade for a week.
It was HORRIBLE. I read other reviews later that mentioned
the problem... just wish I'd read one of them before
I went and saved myself the night from HELL. Skip this
one. Please.
The Shelter, Jordan Amsterdam, Netherlands
by Niki
My boyfriend and I were looking for a cheap, easy place
to spend our last night in Europe, and Shelter Jordan
more than came through. It's located in a lovely residential
neighborhood, fairly close to the city center (we walked
everywhere). The security is great, the staff was wonderful,
and the value can't be beat. We paid 18 euros each for
a dorm bed in a single-sex dorm with free lockers (and
there are little dividing walls to make the dorm into
private little clusters of beds). Best of all, included
was a HOT breakfast--like, an actual breakfast! pancakes
and coffee--the most food ANY hostel gave us! Their
little cafe had lunch, dinner and snack food at REALLY
cheap prices, and they give you free use of a shared
fridge and a microwave. Plus, there are a lot of board
games and books in the common area. Downside is that
a lot of the people there tend to stay in (half my dorm
was asleep/heading for bed at 10pm, and we got kicked
out the common room at midnight, which kind of sucked).
But for that price, who cares? Overall, we were totally
shocked at the amazing treatment we received. I would
definitely recommend staying here!
St. Christopher's Inn, Shepherd's Bush London,
England
by niki
At anywhere else, our double room (priced at about $80
USD after taxes and such) would be outrageously expensive,
but for London, not bad at all. Pretty spartan but very
clean... we had two bunk beds, a chair, a sink, and
a minifridge (a pleasant surprise!) our bathroom was
alright, but it had a push button shower and tended
to sort of flood the floor (which was concrete with
a drain, so who cared). The staff was very nice, and
the hostel has keycard locks so I felt very secure.
Overall nice location (right across the street from
the tube station), but staying in zone 1 would have
been nice. Breakfast was toast with jam and tea or coffee...
definitely not posh, but what can you expect? If you
can get a deal someplace else, go for it, but we were
very pleased with St. Christopher's.
Alp Lodge Interlaken, Switzerland
by niki
We ended up at the Alp Lodge because the Happy Inn was
too booked to extend our stay, and had no problems.
We paid 68 SFR for a private room with shared shower/WC
next-door... fairly nice room, only complaint was no
sink. I'm almost positive they have the same owners/management
as Happy Inn (they are right down the street from each
other), and we had the same good treatment by the staff.
Downsides: a little high price for the room, I thought;
also, the other guests seemed to be older people/families,
which was quite odd given the clientele at other hostels.
Overall, though, a solid hostel that you should have
no problems at... other hostels are simply a bit better.
Happy Inn Interlaken, Switzerland
by niki
No complaints here... price was reasonable (and our
double room ended up being a huge room meant for four
people with only the two of us!), good beds, clean rooms,
nice showers/WCs, great location, pleasant staff. We
wanted someplace a little quieter to stay so that we
could go out and party at the other hostels (Balmers,
Funny Farm) but come back to sleep--it worked out really
well (for a fun evening, go buy some beer at the coop
and take it to the Funny Farm bonfire rather than paying
a ton for their drinks). The other guests were all chill,
and the bar downstairs is cool. They also could book
any activity you wanted, altho we ended up doing it
ourselves through the wonderful push-button boards at
Interlaken West (canyoning--you gotta try it!) free
use of their lockers if you have your own padlock. Definitely
recommended!
We welcome all accomodation reviews. To read or add
them go to:
Worldwide
Italian
French
Spanish
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TRAVELLING TALES AND EXPEDITIONS
Latest from the Bolivia Expedition:
Francesco Magistrali and Paolo Maseroli completed their
hike through Bolivia successfully with just a few minor
problems. We are still waiting to get their final report
and photographs so keep checking our home page for details.
Click here
to read up on their journeys.
Australian Student in Los Angeles
Martha Goddard moved to Los Angeles from Brisbane on
a film and TV scholarship for 6 months and has been
detailing her experiences including meeting the set
of Friends! There are two online accessible at this
url
Travels through Peru
Another Australian, Lani Evans, has been in South America
for some time and recently did a rather gruelling trek
of the Canyon De Colca. You can read all about it here
If you have a recent tale (and pics) that you would
like to share with us please email us at editor@backpackglobe.com
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TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
We are continuing with a focus on the south-east Asia
/ Pacific region in preparation for a new site to be
released by the end of the year. Here's some ideas
for travel destinations you may not have considered:
Malaysia
This melting pot of Asian history, culture and religion
is a great destination particularly if you've got a
stop over on a journey to Europe from Asia/South Pacific
or you're travelling overland down from Thailand to
the Pacific region. For those concerned about SARS Malaysia
had no infections during the recent epidemic despite
it's close promiximity to Singapore. And it's kaleidoscope
of colour and life make it ideal for a visit. Most travellers
spend 1-2 days in Kuala Lumpur and head north or south
out of the country. If you've got time you must at least
stop off in Melaka (2 hours south of KL) or Penang (5
hours north of KL). Both are historic seaside towns
with a lot of history, great food, markets and old Arab
and Chinese homes. If you've got even more time the
trip to the Cameron Highlands and it's scenic tea plantation,
or take the jungle train to Khota Bharu and spend a
few days snorkelling on Pulau Perhentian. For the more
adventurous a short flight takes you across to Sabah
or Sarawak in the eastern section of Malaysia that borders
with Borneo, Indonesia. Highlights here include hiking
Mt Kinnabalu and staying with tribal groups in long
houses.
New Zealand
Summer (Dec-Feb) in New Zealand is a great time to visit
with many of the walking tracks opening up on the South
Island after a cold winter and generally warmer weather
all round. Some of the better tracks include the Milford
Trek (5-7 days) and the Routeburn (3 days) which traverse
forests, alpine lakes, mountain ridges and lush valleys.
But it's not ever hot so don't expect tropical Pacific
conditions! The south island has many scenic beauties
from the waters of Milford Sound near Queenstown and
the associated adventure activities nearby (Canyoning,
Bungy jumping, mountain biking etc), scenic lakes and
alpine vistas to glaciers like Franz Josef and seaside
towns. It rains a lot so come prepared! The north island
has much of the thermal activity (Taupo and Rotorua),
beaches (north of Auckland), Maori culture and developed
cities. For more information on New Zealand go to For
those with an interest in the European region here's
a few destination tips for you: Abetone, Tuscany (Italy)
This is an alpine region just north of Pisa and is a
good option for hiking in the hot summer months when
you want to escape the heat or skiing over the winter.
This is typically a winter resort and some services
do close down in the summer months but there are still
excellent restaurants and several budget accomodation
options including the excellent and friendly HI hostel
who can give you walking trails to follow.
Agrigento, Sicily (Italy)
This town on the far western coast of the island is
famed for its Valley of the Temples for good reason.
The remnants of the Doric temples constructed in the
5th century BC are in various states of ruin but some
survive relatively intact. This is one of the world's
major Greek archaeological sites and even non-archaeological
buffs will enjoy the stroll around the large site. For
more information go to Granada, Andalucia (Spain) Possibly
the most interesting of the Andalucian towns is Granada
for a number of reasons so don't spare it after you've
seen Seville and Cordoba. The Alhambra here is probably
the best example of Moorish architecture left in Spain
and dominates the city view. An entire day could be
devoted to wandering the palaces, residences and gardens
here. In town there is also the Moorish Albaycin district
with its narrow alleyways and tiny cafes, the white
washed streets of Sacromonte on the hillside dotted
with gypsy caves, excellent tapas bars (food free with
beer purchases!), Arab bath houses and tea shops, wonderful
markets and interesting churches. If you want a taste
of the mountains you can day trip to ski fields in the
winter months or enjoy some fantastic walking trails
through the Sierra Nevada.
San Sebastian, Basque (Spain)
This is one of Spain's most popular summer resorts and
a stronghold of Basque nationalist sentiment. However
people geneally seem more interested in lazing on the
beautiful crescent shaped beaches and swimming out to
the island in the bay is often the most popular day
time activity after a night out on the town. This is
a student oriented town and the night life is lively.
Head to the old town and the Parte Veja streets after
midnight. There are also a few cultural elements – the
free museum and the Monte Urgull with it's statue of
Christ. Tours, Loire Valley, (France) The Loire Valley
was home to kings and nobles from the 15th to 18th centuries.
They expended vast fortunes to turn the area into a
neighbourhood of stately homes (chateaux) and gardens.
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HELPFUL TRAVEL WEBSITES
As usual we are pleased to get you to check out our
sites:
BackpackGlobe - independent global
travel
BackpackItaly
- independent travel info for Italy
BackpackFrance
- independent travel info for France
BackpackSpain
- independent travel info for Spain
If you have found an excellent travel website send us
the link - editor@backpackglobe.com
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JOBS AND USEFUL JOB LINKS
Work Links
For work in Italy try "Wanted
in Rome" - a publication advertising jobs for expatriates,
many do not require any level of Italian and can include
cafe and bar work, nannying, or English tutoring.
TNT magazine
- advertises jobs mainly in the UK but occasionally
on the European mainland
The EduFind ELT
Job Centre - for teaching English Abroad
Working
Abroad
Volunteers for Peace
Teaching English as a
Foreign Language
Bulletin Boards
We regularly list new jobs on our bulletin boards. Check
out the link below for details or to add your own bulletin:
Worldwide
Italy
France
Spain
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UPCOMING FESTIVALS
Here are some selected highlights from around the world.
For more details email us at editor@backpackglobe.com
Australia
December-January (ends 1 Jan) Woodford Folk Festival,
Maleny, Queensland
The Woodford Festival runs from Boxing Day through to
the January 2nd each year in Woodford, Queensland, Australia
- an hours drive from Brisbane.
Canada
November - The Great Canadian Beer Festival is held
for two days in November each year in the Victorian
Conference Centre, Vancouver Island, Canada.
India
October - Diwali, festival of lights (all major cities
in India). Diwali is celebrated the length and breadth
of India and falls on the 15th day of the dark fortnight
of the Hindu month of Kartik (October / November) every
year.
Italy
October - Merano, Grape Feast
November - Venice, Feast of the Madonna della Salute
- procession crosses the Grand Canal via a bridge of
boats.
December - 7th, Milan, The Feast of St. Ambrose (Festa
di Sant'Ambrogio) officially opens La Scala's opera
season. A traditional street fair near the Basilica
di Sant'Ambrose, off Via Carducci. The Opera Season
is in full swing from December to June at La Scala in
Milan and elsewhere (particular places noted).
December - Bari, Nicholas Festival.
New years Eve, Rome, A rousing New Year's Eve celebration,
dubbed the Festa di San Silvestro, with fireworks in
Piazza del Popolo.
Mexico
November - Mexico's Silver Fair is celebrated in Taxco
from the last Saturday in November through the first
Sunday in December each year.
South Korea
October - Andong Mask Dance Festival. Location: South
Korea, Hahoe The Andong Mask Dance Festival is held
in early/mid October each year.
Spain
October 8-15 - Avila Festival of Santa Teresa.
Thailand
November - Third Saturday of November each year in Surin,
Thailand
United States
9-10 November - Macaroni Festival, Victoria, Texas The
Macaroni Festival takes place on the 9-10 November in
2002.
15-18 November - San Antonio Food and Wine Festival.
For information call: San Antonio Convention & Tourist
Bureau at 1-800-447-3372.
For more details go to some of these links:
European
Festivals
Festivals.com
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Hope you found our newsletter interesting and helpful.
The next edition is due in January. If you would like
to make any comments or see something different in the
newsletter email us at editor@backpackglobe.com
If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter
go to this url:
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For more information on travelling around the globe
check out our sites:
BackpackGlobe - independent global
travel
BackpackItaly
- independent travel info for Italy
BackpackFrance
- independent travel info for France
BackpackSpain
- independent travel info for Spain
BackpackOceania - coming soon!
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