Coming up in this exciting issue: -

Karibuni News
Festive Trips – don’t miss our early booking savings
Snow Capped Adventures - skiing or snowboarding weekends
The Coolest Hotel in the World - literally!
London – exciting news on some top attractions
Gadget Corner
Walkie talkies for grown ups
Global Quickies – news and tips from around the world
Foreign Office travel advice



Karibuni News

“Christmas Orphans” Tour
With less than 45 days left to Christmas, there is plenty to do - make sure you have sent the cards, bought the presents, and booked your 5-day holiday getaway to Snowdonia!!

Yes, that’s right – after the hectic month of December isn’t it time to treat yourself to a relaxed Christmas in the great setting of North Wales.
We have a lovely group cottage as our base in the spectacular mountains of Snowdonia, and will be getting fully into the festive mood complete with Christmas tree, decorations and some high spirits (or wines or beers!) Enjoy some great days out with visits to slate mines, the historic, walled and castled Conwy as well as a mix of some great outdoor activities, including horse riding, walking, biking etc. We are all hoping for some snow over Christmas, as the white crown to the hills completes the magnificent setting – and makes the log fire seem even cosier!

See here for full details – and if you book your place on this trip before 3rd December, then you can enjoy a generous discount and just pay £230 – and don’t forget that’s all inclusive!


New Year Tour
This “early booking” discount is also available on the New Year trip with a pre-3rd December price of just £125 for a 3 day trip to North Devon – again all inclusive, and an ideal opportunity to welcome in 2002 in a fun seaside setting.

We start on Sunday 30th and explore North Devon coast – the fishing villages, and spectacular beaches and cliffs, before enjoying a dinner and night in Ilfracombe. Monday is spent discovering the beauty of the Tarka Trail – an off-road bike trail along a lovely river valley (so nice and flat!) with a great pub for lunch halfway along! Returning to town for dinner, and New Years Eve to welcome in 2002. A gentle start to Tuesday (!) and then it’s onto Exmoor before heading back.
A great value trip at just £125 if you book before 3rd December…don’t miss out!! Full details can be found here.


Snow Capped Adventures
Following our recent snow flurries in the UK we can be sure that winter is just around the corner – and I am sure you will agree how pretty everything looks under that white covering of snow? Well imagine a quaint, traditional alpine village surrounded by towering hills and mountainsides – its picture-postcard time, and this could be you in January!

Ski Weekends – if you are short on time but still want to experience the snow this year – then we have a solution! Our ski weekends give you 3 full days of skiing, but with ultimate convenience and ease. And you still enjoy all the benefits of the fully catered chalet in a lively and extensive resort! We have two scheduled departures of 5th and 9th Jan – and if you have a group interested, then please call us to see about other dates. Full details of weekends here

We are operating a luxury chalet in the resort of La Clusaz in the French Alps – and provide everything that you would expect from a traditional ski operator – cosy chalet, en suite rooms, fully catered including wine, airport transfers, facilities for lessons, etc - plus a bit more!
So if you have not yet booked your skiing or snowboarding trip then make sure you have a look here for the full details.

If you have not skied or snowboarded in Europe then we believe that you really must try and get out to the slopes this winter – and enjoy some of the best resort skiing in the world. The choice of runs is amazing, and the legendary après ski has to be experienced to be believed. All we can say is “do it”
Our Snow Capped Adventures offer amazing value for a top quality trip in stunning surroundings and are ideal for anyone looking to taste their first experiences of the French Alps.


The Coolest Hotel in the World – literally!

If you are bored with the usual bricks and mortar –imagine a hotel built from thousands of tons of snow and ice. Then imagine a cinema where the screen is made of ice – and an art gallery featuring ice sculptures – and don’t forget the bar where you enjoy a drink “in the rocks” from your very own ice-carved glass. If that sounds just too “cool” to be true then visit “Icehotel” in the little village of Jukkasjärvi in northern Lapland, (Sweden) to be truly amazed.

This fascinating structure is created annually and gives you the opportunity to stay a night in one of the 60 rooms, bedding down on your solid ice bed, covered with reindeer skins, and snuggling up in your specially provided sleeping bag – but also as much a part of the experience is the stunning architecture and facilities which have made this a favoured hangout of many famous people – including the Swedish royal family and celebrities. Enjoy a warming vodka drink in the famous Absolut Ice Bar or even take in a movie in the cinema – all within a building made from frozen H2O.

In November, the building (or should that be freezing) starts on the Icehotel and in December the doors are opened to the winter season's visitors. By the time the spring sunshine has done it’s work the Icehotel has melted back into the nearby River Torne.

Snow canons and steel forms are used in the careful construction, but many of the crystal-clear ice pillars and columns come direct from the nearby river – cut with special saws and local tractors. The resident artists and invited craftsmen then set about refining the interior - creating amongst other things: architectural details, windows, doors, columns, desks, beds, chairs, tables, lamps, and sculptures. Each Icehotel is unique – with the diverse styles of the numerous artists in combination with the characteristics of the ice resulting in many surprises as one explores from room to room.

From its modest one room start over a decade ago, Sweden’s Icehotel now boasts 4,000 sq. meters, using about 3,000 tons of ice and 30,000 m3 of snow. Last year this winter wonderland welcomed 11,000 overnight guests and over 33,000 day visitors.

This year will also see the second Icehotel – with a new venture just a 30min drive outside Quebec City in Canada. Similar in design it is being constructed throughout December and taking guests from January to March before it too returns to water! Just like its counter part in Sweden, Ice Hotel Quebec-Canada has two art galleries, a movie theatre and the famous Absolut Ice Bar.

Temperatures inside both the hotels remain around -5 to -8ºC even though outside it may get as low as -40ºC, and during the night you will be comfortable in your sleeping bag – with a cold nose supposedly all that you will feel – and only like when camping, they re-assure you!
You are awakened in the morning with a cup of hot lingonberry juice served at your bedside, and this being Sweden – a morning sauna is included along with the buffet breakfast.
In the Canadian version they have even thought of the potential “nightly bathroom visits” with heated bathrooms just a quick run away from your room!

Prices for a room in Sweden are SEK1960 (around £130) per room whilst in Canada they average around $200 Canadian (around £90) per person.
A Day Entrance fee to Sweden’s Icehotel is SEK100 (£6.50) per person.

For further details on either destination visit their websites http://www.icehotel.com/ for the original Icehotel in Sweden and http://www.icehotel-canada.com for the Canadian version

Icehotel Jukkasjärvi is in the far north of Sweden, about 200 kilometres above the Arctic Circle – the nearest town is Kiruna which has an airport and station etc. SAS has direct flights from Stockholm – taking an hour and half. RyanAir have flights to Stockholm – but beware they fly to airports some distance outside the city (although transport is efficient between them – do not expect a quick change of planes!)
It is also possible to get to Kiruna by train from Stockholm or Gothenburg - with 16 hours to take in the wonderful scenery. Details of rail service here

Canada’s Icehotel is a quick drive from Quebec City – which can be reached by direct flights with Air Canada – whilst British Airways and many of the US carriers have flights to Montreal. Search Expedia for some latest offers.


London News

Museums for Free
Many of the best museums in London are dropping their admission charges, and so you will be able to uncover some of the amazing artefacts and displays for free. Excellent news for visitors and residents of London alike - as you can now just “pop in” and take in the museums in smaller doses without feeling the need to get your money’s worth by spending hours looking at the exhibits.

The Victoria & Albert (V&A) will be free from 22nd Nov – and from 1st December 2001 it will be joined by the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Imperial War Museum and National Maritime Museum, along with the Royal Observatory (Greenwich), Queens House and Museum of London. There are no catches or restrictions, and admission is free for all ages on all days, although some of the extra attractions such as the IMAX at the National History will still have an admission charge.

Tate Britain
The Tate Britain art gallery has now re-opened with its new centenary developments– incorporating a new entrance, gardens and better visitor facilities – including a new shop, info desk etc. Along with this, several major new galleries are set to open at the Tate Britain.
Six new galleries have already been added to house visiting exhibitions – and five of the original have been refurbished and expanded. It also has free entry and is located a quick walk from Pimlico or Westminster tube stations. Full details here

London Eye
Although the dip in tourist numbers is a worrying trend for UK businesses – it may provide some good news if you have been thinking about enjoying the spectacle of the Millennium Wheel or the London Eye (or whatever you call that massive Ferris wheel overlooking the Thames in central London).
The attraction has been immensely popular, and it has sometimes proved difficult to get hold of tickets. What with the clear crisp winter days, and a lowering of visitor numbers this may be one of the best times to get your birds-eye-view of London from 450 feet up.
Tickets are £9 per person for the half hour flight. Also worth mentioning that you can reserve a capsule all to yourself for £300 off peak – and British Airways also have a whole host of ideas as to how you can use the capsules – from business meetings, to champagne receptions and weddings. Further details can be found at BA’s London Eye website


“Gadget” corner

Walkie Talkies for grown ups!
These compact devices are ideal for extreme sports enthusiasts such as off-piste skiers and boarders, mountaineers or rock climbers who can use them as safety accessories to stay in touch with buddies, especially where mobile phones often can't.
And of course you have the benefits of using a radio as opposed to a phone in that there are no license charges (except in Belgium and Switzerland strangely enough!), no airtime charges and they can be used in almost any European country.
We have found them particularly useful for skiing, when being split from your group can be at best frustrating (missing out on a lunch date!) or dangerous.

Motorola's smallest consumer two-way radio, the Talkabout T6222, is hitting the shops this month. Using standard AA batteries it should give you 6-8 hours continuous talk-time and 130 hours standby time. Re-chargeable batteries are also available with an extra pack.
It will work over distances of up to 3km which is fine for most groups, and includes many features now accepted as standard on phones – such as vibration mode, voice scrambling to stop eavesdroppers, hands free sets, belt clips etc
The new Motorola radios will cost around £69.99 each, but other cheaper sets can be found in high street shops as well as outdoor providers. In the UK – Argos stock a range.

Gadget Fair
Also – if you are a real gadget and gizmo fan, then you should get yourself over to Belgium for the Eureka Fair – on from Nov 13th - 21st at Brussels Expo Centre.
Over 2000 gizmo's, gadgets and new innovations from around the globe. Some brilliant, some utterly useless. Visit http://www.brussels-eureka.be/ for further details.

Global Quickies

Action on El Captain, Yosemite
Emergency services were on full alert last week after reports of a failed base jumper falling the 3,400 feet from El Captain in Yosemite National Park and bouncing off the rock wall and into trees at the base. Luckily though no one was hurt – and two climbers were later arrested and charged with “illegal air delivery” for having thrown their large climbing bag off the summit with an improvised parachute made from a rain shelter. They pleaded guilty and have been fined $100 plus the costs of the rescue effort staged for the red bag!

And in a totally unconnected piece of news – 2 climbers have scaled the same El Captain (the famous half dome which is one of the most popular climbing faces in world) in just 3 hours and 57 minutes – shaving 2 minutes of the recently set record. To put it into context the climb is usually done over three to five days.
Hans Florine and Jim Henderson were triumphant but Florine reported that he will return to "tidy it up a bit" and reduce the time again soon.

White Elephant
A round up of wild animals in western Myanmar (formerly Burma) turned up a very rare discovery – a real white elephant! The 8 year old bull elephant is believed to show all the signs of being albino with pink eyes, and very pale skin – which would make it only the second living example along with another animal in Laos.

Travel Advice
Even though we mentioned it last issue, we just wanted to reiterate the usefulness of the UK Foreign Office website for advice on any countries in which you are planning to travel. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office website is easy to use and contains full and up to date advice. In the light of all the recent events, it is even more critical that you should know all the facts and make informed decisions.

Well, that’s all for this time…I hope that you found it an interesting read. If you have any comments or suggestions we would love to hear from you.

As a final thought - if you’ve ever thought about taking a skiing holiday and seeing what the fuss is all about - then my only advice is to try it! Give it a go and see how exhilarating it can be – but beware, the fun and excitement can be addictive and seriously enhance your winter enjoyment! You have been warned….

Many thanks, and happy travels

Paul