News

Autumn Weekend Tours
We have been able to confirm the trip details for the coming autumn, and the schedule of weekend trips is now available on the website.

Our last camping tour is the New Forest Adventure Weekend on the 14th September, after which we will be using some great bunkhouses and hostels to provide our accommodation. The tents will be back again next year to provide that great value and summer fun, but although we like our adventure – we still like some comforts! The places we stay are always close to the action and suitable for groups, and most have great views to wake up to!
Some of the activities have changed for the autumn, but it really only affects water sports which are not as attractive as it gets a bit colder! Many of the other activities are just as good if not better in the autumn, and still provide a fun way of seeing and experiencing the destinations. None of them are designed to be survival exercises and all groups so far have found them to add to the location and experience…which is good as that’s the idea!

Pembrokeshire
We have a new weekend trip that takes us to West Wales and the rugged beauty of Pembrokeshire National Park. For those of you not familiar with this area, it is famous for its stunning cliffs, sandy beaches and coastal environment as well as having Britain’s smallest city, St David’s. Our weekend reflects the magnificent environment with a great coastal walk, visits to St David’s and Pembroke Castle, the chance to try surfing UK style, and an exhilarating power boat wildlife and island trip taking in the caves, bays and cliffs as well as spotting porpoises, seals and the occasional whale. Yes, they can all be seen in UK, and they’re some of our best-kept secrets which you are welcome to share with us on the 28th September and again on the 9th November.

Festive Period
I know it’s a long way off, but just a quick note about Christmas and New Year trips. We are planning to run a couple of trips during the festive time – so if you and your friends don’t want to spend Christmas at home and would rather be in a beautiful place for a relaxing break – please let us know. Places will be limited (we can only fit so much turkey in the oven!) so that’s why we are starting to think about it now…
More details about where, when etc. will follow soon, but please drop us an email to info@karibuni.co.uk if you are interested.


Giveaway – Lonely Planet Books

Congrats to Wendy, Kin, Richard and Amanda who won the last batch of Lonely Planet books we gave away – and this time we have another 4 copies up for grabs.

To enter the prize draw, just send us an email to info@karibuni.co.uk stating the capital of Belgium…it’s as easy as that! The draw will take place on the 12th September.


BELGIUM – ideal short break destination?

You may be aware that the Eurostar goes to Brussels as well as Paris, but do you know the other city gems that Belgium has waiting to be explored on a long weekend trip?

Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent all share some common characteristics – historic, well preserved and interesting cities of a manageable size which are and all very user-friendly. With the strong pound (there are currently 61 Belgian Francs to the pound), now is as good a time to visit as any.
Getting there is easy, with a few reasonable choices. Eurostar return fares can be from only £59 (depending on offers) or you can fly with Ryanair for around £60 return or Virgin Express for slightly more. Background information can be found here on Lonely Planet.

We have picked some different attractions and ideas to look out for as you wander the streets – which in all 4 cities is arguably the best way to immerse yourself in the city, explore and take it all in. So remember your comfy shoes, and head off to sample the unique Belgian experience.

BRUSSELS
Being the capital city of Belgium and only 3 hours away from London by train, this will probably be your first port of call and there is plenty to see here.
Despite being the largest city of the four, nothing is ever too far away in Brussels and with the efficient buses and public transport everything should be reached within half an hour. A day bus pass is only 130 francs and good value – available from Tourist Information in Grand Place, which is also a good place to start your visit. The square itself is one of the finest in Europe, and undoubtedly a great place to watch the world go by.

Also – close to the Grand Place is the Brewery Museum which allows you to discover the secret of what makes the Belgian beer so special. With over 400 beers native to Belgium you can tell they take it seriously and it’s best to be pre-armed with the theory before you rush into the practical task of selecting a beer from the extensive “beer menus” that many cafes and bars offer. If it all gets too much there are several Irish bars to restore more familiar surroundings and tipples.
As well as the beer, Brussels is proud of its food, and now boasts more Michelin starred restaurants than Paris. The “Marche aux Poissons” in old Brussels has plenty of choice for restaurants and shops, with an unsurprising speciality of seafood and fish.

One other place worth a visit is the Belgium Comic Strip centre – home of Tintin, Snowy and the Smurfs. Their love for comic strip characters can be seen in the outstanding city walls – some of which are decorated with popular Belgian comic strip heroes.

ANTWERP
The city may be famous for its port (4th largest in the world, and 2nd in Europe!) or diamonds (85% of uncut diamonds are traded in Antwerp) but the character of this “big village” is noticeable – a very upbeat and vibrant city.
Antwerp has always been a place of exchange – being the “triumphal merchant city” of the 16th century, and the constant comings and goings of goods, ideas and people has led to a dynamic culture being embraced. Nowhere is this more evident today than in the trendy Antwerpen Zuid where a rough and dark warehouse district has been brought to life with lofts, shops, bars, boutiques and galleries along with the Museum of Fine Arts – full of many classical paintings from the city’s rich artistic heritage (Rubens, Van Dyck, Bruegel etc.).
With over 2000 cafés and bars Antwerp is well served to take time out – many of them sporting their street side terraces for ¾ of the year to meet the local’s apparent need to sit outside in a terrace to enjoy their drink. But – with views of urban landscape as appealing as the one surrounding the main square of Grote Markt you can see their point. The ancient city markets, halls and guild buildings provide a pleasant backdrop, and the open-air flower shop in Groenplats is quite a spectacle.
The night scene can be particularly lively and often quite spontaneous as the hottest clubbing nights keep things fresh by moving around and re-inventing themselves. For the hottest nights and most creative scene, keep an eye out for the flyers.

BRUGES
A popular city famed for its intricate network of streets and canals – many of which use the medieval city’s street plan to wind their way round the historic centre – Bruges just cries out to be walked through. With its meandering waterways, humped-back bridges and tiny alleys running to the canals you can see why the tag “Venice of the North” has been pinned on Bruges.
If you’ve used up a few calories walking - fear not as Bruges is a choca-holics dream, with over 50 chocolate shops in the city centre offering a huge range of delights. The Chocolate Line has pralines spiced with saffron, ginger, peculiar liquors and even curry! Also worth a test is the local prize winning beer of Straffe Hendrik.

But Bruges is far more than a beer and chocolate city with a fine mix of architecture and attractions. In 2002 it becomes a European City of Culture – and despite the city not really needing to make much of an effort to warrant this, it is working hard to promote and enhance the cultural enrichment of the city. An impressive new Concert Hall (state of the art, and so vast to be in stark contrast to its historic square setting) is a sign of how seriously the Belgium’s are taking this. Bruges is gearing up for a sustainable long-term reinforcement of culture in the city and looking beyond the inevitable rise in visitors that next year will see. However, the five-day opening party is bound to be something worth seeing at New Year.

GHENT
Ghent’s compact historic centre is a feast for the eyes. Many buildings stand proud as they did when Ghent was the capital city of East Flanders during the middle ages, and the docks and riverside provide great glimpses of medieval views.
The area along the River Lieve is lined with many historic markets and halls which are used today for their colourful but genuine food markets. As views go, the one from Saint –Michiels bridge contains many of the highlights – with church towers, the Belfort and cathedral behind riverside guildhalls. Also visible is The Gravensteen – Ghent’s castle carefully tucked into the main city centre and yet another building which survives unscathed.
As night falls, head for Oude Beestenmarkt where many new bars and cafes group together to provide a refreshingly modern atmosphere to this most ancient of places.


“Gadget” corner – Internet Cafes!

Well, not quite a gadget I know but email is fast becoming a vital tool for when we travel, and finding a decent internet café that does not break the bank can be hard. Which is why it may be comforting to know that EasyEverything have expanded their range of orange-clad cafés around Europe – they can now be found in the following cities:- Amsterdam x2, Antwerp, Barcelona x2, Berlin, Brussels, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London Madrid, Manchester, Munich, New York, Paris, Rome and Rotterdam – look up the maps and details before you travel on their site.

Also – remember to sign out completely when finishing your Hotmail or Yahoo session, as sometimes the next user could still have access to your address book, mails etc. Not good eh?


Global Quickies

A few quick snippets of news from around the world… including some bizarre flying experiences…

- An Edinburgh businessman who is over 6 feet tall booked a special seat on a plane with extra legroom. Later the airline called to say his seat was double booked and offered two alternative seats so he could stretch his legs.
He was quite happy with this compromise until the airline added they couldn’t guarantee the seats would be next to each other.

- British holidaymakers on a plane that was forced to make an emergency landing in Morocco got a strange, message over the intercom.
“This is your captain speaking. Is there anyone aboard who can lend me 50 quid. I’ve got to pay for the fuel. I’ve done my travellers cheques and they won’t accept my credit card”
The Air 2000 flight from Gatwick bound for Malaga with 166 passengers on board was forced to divert because of fog – first to Seville (where the airport was then closed) and then to Faro in Portugal – which was also fogbound. Running out of fuel the jet landed in Tangier to refuel but the credit card was rejected for payment. One passenger stumped up the cash and was refunded when the plane finally arrived in Malaga.


Well, that’s all for this time…I hope that you found it an interesting read.
And remember if you are feeling that there must be more to do at the weekends – then we have the perfect answer for you…get on any Adventure Weekend and start making the most of your time!
Just do it…


Many thanks, and happy travels

Paul