The Silk Route Motorcaravan Club.

Bulletin 91.

February 2002.
Translated by Christine O'Brien.
Edited for publication by Les Brook.

LAOS-VIETNAM.

Thursday 15 November, the temple of Wat Okaat, a very peaceful town where we go through the Thai customs. A ferry to cross the river and here we are in Laos. The formalities go quickly and easily on both sides of the border.

Here we are at Tha Fhaet, a much poorer town than in Thailand, no pavements in the streets, lots of wooden houses but also some fine old stone buildings, traces of French colonisation. The market is very well attended.

In Laos we are driving on the right again (it's been on the left since Singapore). Route 13 is bordered by characteristic mountains of limestone.

The next day we take Route 8 which passes through many villages, all with wooden houses. Generally the houses are on stilts, with a wide balcony or a large verandah at floor level. The roofs and walls are often made of woven leaves like matting. We drive along a tarred road (since it joins the Vietnamese border) through magnificent mountainous scenery to Lak Xao. This beautiful small town, with some fine stone buildings, has grown up over the last ten years. The market is large and interesting. The women vendors sit behind their stalls and remain seated while serving you.

On the evening of 16 November, we are at the Laos/Vietnam border. As our entry visa is for the 17th we remain on the Laotian side for the night. It is cold as we are on a 750m pass. We have travelled 3750 km since leaving Singapore.

The formalities of leaving Laos are quick enough, but on the Vietnamese side we are behind a group of tourists from Sweden, England and elsewhere, in a full coach and we have to wait for 1½ hours. The Vietnamese customs officials are the first to make us lift the bonnet so that they can check the engine and chassis numbers, but that goes off all right and we are in and out of the office quickly.

The road down is wooded for 40 km. At Pho-Chan, I am able to change some dollars for dongs at a jewellers for the usual rate of exchange. We are now in a cultivated plain. Kuh is not particularly interesting and we take Route 1A for Hanoi. With lots of cyclists and small motorbikes on the road, the horn is essential. The tall narrow houses alongside the road are built in a very specific style, with balconies or false balconies, and generally flat roofs. Many of the cycles are heavily laden: e.g. two live pigs tied to the luggage rack.

Samson, Thanbi Hoa, Van Lam for a boat trip in Along Bay. Hoa Lu is a ruined royal town with a beautiful temple. At Chua Huaong there are caves and many temples. Finally we reach Hanoi on Wednesday 21 November.

Hanoi is swarming with cyclists and with thousands of small motorbikes. With the help of Philippe Perdriau we find a hotel on the edge of the Western Lake. We'll be able to leave the camper there as we can't use it in town, and get around by taxi. In the afternoon of the 24th we leave for the north-west.

On Sunday 25th, we visit the Muong village of Giang Mo-Beinh Thuik, where the wooden houses are built on stilts. The rice terraces have already been harvested, the cottages have roofs of cut timber, there are sugar cane fields on the road to Sonla. We climb for 100 metres, then come down again; the stream running alongside the road is crossed by pebbled fording places where miniature turbines provide the local inhabitants with electricity.

The lake village of Mai Chau is populated by white Thais who sell large amounts of fabric articles they make themselves. The building at the hot springs of Suoi Musc Mong is rather seedy looking and offers no inducement to bathe!

We are now on the road to Dien Bien Phu. Magnificent mountainous landscape, lots of women in traditional costume, houses made of wood or bamboo covered in tiles or thatch.

On the evening of the 26th we are at Thuan Chau. Near the market a man invites us to park the motorcaravan in his courtyard, under a covered area, and offers us tea (not very good in Vietnam, being rather bitter). The weather is fine, the temperature pleasant. After a short visit to the well-stocked market where there are many representatives of Vietnamese minority groups in their own costumes, we get back on the road. Lots of bends in the road as we cross the Pha Din pass (1000 metres), plantations of trees grown for their oil and maize fields, lovely rice-growing valleys, buffalo. On the lower slopes we see manioc cut into narrow strips and drying. This is a sight we will encounter over and over again.

The next day we visit the museum of Dien Bien Phu. A fine presentation of the battle, with the bunker where Commandant Perot took his own life, a memorial to French soldiers in a well-maintained enclosure, Eliane Hill, the last point to fall into Viet Cong hands. When you see the site it is really difficult to understand how the French command could have chosen to retrench in this shallow basin which is surrounded by mountains and therefore dangerously exposed. Dien Bien Phu is now a fairly large town.

At Huoi Chan, women of the Kho Mu in traditional costume smile at us and allow us to photograph and film them. Muong Mai, home to the black Thai minority, then another village inhabited by red Hmongs. The women wear hairpieces made of real hair so that their hairstyles are huge.

After 58 km the road turns into a dusty track with little traffic. For the most part we eat in the 'Bom Pho', small, very simple restaurants where the food is good and cheap, from 10 to 20 Francs [£1-£2] per person.

On the 29th we take the earth and pebble road for Sapa, but leave it for the track to Sin Ho. This climbs high and the mountain landscape is superb. A number of small peaks of typical limestone formation. We return to an extremely dusty Route 12. In the evening we stop at Tam Duong, a place surrounded by small mountains. Lovely sunshine, pleasant temperature.

The next day, near Binh, we meet some Dao women who wear their hair in a pleat on the top of their heads, held in place by a kind of silver hourglass.

At Sapa (1600 metres) quite a few tourists. We try to make contact through the Internet, but without success. Men and women are in traditional costume.

Road to Bac Ha, tarred, magnificent countryside. Although we've been advised not to take the road to Can Cau, we go there anyway and don't regret the decision. The road isn't that bad and, in my opinion, the landscape, with its hundreds of peaks and its lovely terraced rice fields is possibly the loveliest in North Vietnam.

The market at Bac Ha is very large on Sundays. The ethnic minorities are well represented, Hmong in clothing of glistening colours, Thais. Not many tourists before 10 o'clock.

We return on the Hanoi road, intending to go to the lake and the national park at Ba Be. Route 279, which is marked on the maps, ought to take us there. But it doesn't exist! And for three days we journey across the region without managing to find the lake on the west! Finally someone shows us a track and, indeed, a signpost pointing to Ba Be. At last! But the track is bad and difficult, and finally narrows into a footpath. Impossible to carry on with the vehicle. Only 4 km to go and I give up the attempt! 600 km for nothing, we've wasted too much time.

We rejoin the main road, and on 5 December we come to Cao Bang in the evening. There's no parking lot and we make do with a hotel courtyard.

On 6 December we visit the police to obtain a permit to go to the falls of Thac Ban Gioc 60 km away right by the Chinese border. This costs 150,000 dongs (75 Francs [£7]). The road is tarred and crosses magnificent limestone rock formations. We arrive at 16.30. The falls are lovely but we're there in the dry season and the Quaj Son River is nowhere near full spate. At night we go back to Cao Bong.

Since 15 November we've had very fine weather, but today the sky is overcast. After starting as a tarred road, Route 4A towards Langson soon becomes a very windy track. After a stop for lunch at Dong Dang we reach Langson. We visit the cave and the temple of the Three Pure Men, both interesting sites. as long as the custodian, presumably anxious to end his working day, doesn't turn out the light without worrying about visitors! There we were in the dark, and if we hadn't got a move on, we might still be there!

At night we find a bare plot between two houses at Loc Binh. A quarter of an hour after we've parked, a Vietnamese man comes up to us. He tells us that we're on his land, that he's happy for us to stay there, and invites us to his house for a drink. The whole family are there, men, women and children. A 12-year-old child who speaks a few words of English and my limited vocabulary enable us to exchange a few sentences. We are offered tea and rice wine. We're also offered dinner but I prefer to decline the invitation.

8 December we're on Route Nationale 5 heading for Tien Jei and the bay of Along. Most of the road is in bad condition and tiring, with ruts and holes, but 8 km from Thu Yen we are back on tar. At Cua Ong, we take a ferry for the island of Van Don in the bay of Bai To Long, an extension of the bay of Along. After a 25 minute crossing, we find ourselves on the only tarred road leading to Cai Rong. The view is very lovely with limestone formations apparently swimming in the sea. We're tempted to take a boat trip. A Vietnamese woman who is in charge of a karaoke café tells us she knows of a boat to hire and takes us to the hirer on Sunday morning. After a fierce discussion, we agree to a price of 80,000 dong (40 Francs [£4]) and at 10 we weigh anchor for a 7-hour sail in Bai Tu Long bay. Although the sky is very overcast, that doesn't stop us admiring the hundreds of rocks that seem to rise from the water. The boat is fairly big and could have taken 6-8 passengers easily, but there are just the two of us with a crew of 5 men, all very friendly. A good day despite the miserable weather.

The next day we go back to the bay of Along. Nine hours sailing in the rain! A small cyclone passed over the middle of the country a few days ago, whence the rain and what almost feels like cold. It is as magnificent as the day before, though the coast of the isle of Ban Sen with hundreds of rocks like a row of organ pipes stands out.

Tuesday 11 December. At Along, Serge is finally able to pick up his emails and we get back on the road to Hanoi. We stop for the night around 50 km from the capital.

Wednesday, still in the rain and along a bad road-cum-track, we go to visit the lovely 17th-century pagodas of But Thap and Dau. At midday we've reached Hanoi and we'll be leaving tomorrow for the Laotian border, which we ought to reach on Sunday.

To be continued.

Michel Barbaudy

Eight Weeks in Australia, in a rented motorcaravan.

After a week in Darwin and the surrounding countryside, the plane takes us to Cairns where we picked up the vehicle. We're heading South: Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, then south-west to Melbourne, Adelaide and Alice Springs.

Then we attacked the roads: Oodnadatta, Marree, Broken Hill, Bourke and back to Sydney.

We enjoyed this smoke-free country (cigarette-free, that is), except in cases of fire! We liked the absence of litter. apparently visitors are more respectful of the environment here than elsewhere.

We were saddened by the sight of hundreds of kangaroos killed by drivers who, well protected by cow-catchers, have nothing to fear. And we're proud that we, at least, didn't contribute to the massacre even though these animals are so rash that on several occasions they blocked the road in front of us. But then we even slowed down for those lizards with blue tongues in red mouths which made such an impression on us when we first came across them. The kangaroos are amusing. When we go past and they're under the shelter of the trees they bound away to hide a little further off. And, as they're also very curious, they sit up to watch us. We spot their heads sticking out of the bushes.

In the north, we admired the impenetrable barriers of coral, the tropical forest, the crocodiles, the many birds, the huge sandy beaches, and we appreciated the water temperature when we bathed in the Pacific Ocean.

In the south, the parade of blue penguins will remain in our memory.

In the centre, the desert, the opal mines, the red sand, 200 km without meeting another car. Only kangaroos, cockatoos, eagles and crows for company.

In the nature park at Nutawintji, where we slept alone one night, Lucky Lucy, a hand-reared kangaroo, came up to us to be cuddled.

If you like nature and animals, make the most of Australia! For the moment, the people respect their environment.

To be continued.

Daniel and Danièle Meunier.

Seoul to Paris.

Around 18,000 km lie between the birthplaces of Mi-Ae and Jean-Louis, make-up artist and fashion photographer, who live and work in Seoul. But there's no need to cross seas and oceans to travel from one to the other: just the old continent.

Marc, their 7-year-old son, knows both France and Korea well, one starts at Inchon airport, the other at Roissy Charles de Gaulle. Between the two, from the aeroplane, he has glimpsed the Great Wall of China, and stars drawn on the surface of the Gobi by flocks converging on the wells.

Lilas, the youngest, is a year old. Her universe is limited to a studio photo of her parents in Seoul, and more recently to a customised bus which they use for exterior filming in Korea; as far as her transcontinental identity is concerned, she has everything still to learn.

Specification of the bus.

Basic: Hyundai Aerotown 1995 model, 35 seats, flat floor, without air-conditioning or luggage compartment.

Fitted vehicle: 11 seats - 1 large double bed (2 adults plus two children) - 2 single beds.

Electric equipment: Onan generator for American motorhome, silent, 7kW - Supplementary batteries 150 Ah 24V - Inverter to transform the output of the supplementary batteries into 220 V for when the generator is not on - Automatic voltage regulator to protect fragile equipment against variations in voltage from the generator and the converter - 50 Ah charger to recharge the supplementary battery when the generator is on - 30 litre electric water heater - 24 V pump for running water.

Cooking: 120 litre refrigerator, microwave oven, halogen hob, cooker hood.

Washing/WC: shower, chemical recycle WC.

Additional equipment: water reservoirs: clean water 400 litres, waste water 300 litres. Luggage compartment housing the generator and the water reservoirs. Roof gallery 3x2 metres. Platform with scooter: for speedy reconnaissance or shopping without moving the heavy vehicle, especially if the hairdressing/make-up team is at work or if the road ahead is dodgy.

Modifications needed for the trip: This vehicle, which has been adapted for local use in Korea, will have to be improved for long distance travel , some of which will be all-terrain and at altitude.

• Adaptation to air suspension. The present plate suspension is uncomfortable on indifferent roads and would not allow the passengers and one of the drivers to rest during long hauls.
• Adaptation of aluminium wheels of larger size and increasing size of mudguard.
• Replacing alternator for a more powerful model.
• Installing air-conditioning, as the first month in China will be hot (up to 40 degrees).
• General overhaul of the mechanics and chassis.
• Replacing the engine with a more powerful engine.
• Putting in a safety wheel.
• Overhaul or replacement of the generator.
• Making a white, translucent fabric tent for the travelling studio. This will allow an intimacy likely to appeal to voluntary models from heavily populated regions, while retaining the opportunity to use daylight. As the fabric can be juggled around, it is possible to use a natural backdrop, as long as spectators, who are sure to come flocking in some places, don't invade the horizon.

This bus, planned for exterior fashion shoots, is what the family plan to use for travelling from Seoul to Paris.

Itinerary.

The demilitarised zone between the two Koreas remains impassable by road, so the journey will begin in Seoul at the port of Inchon where they will embark on a ferry for Dalian in China near the North Korean border. Then they'll go towards Beijing along the shores of the Yellow Sea.

Passing south of the Gobi desert they will join the Silk Route, which will take them across the fantastic landscape of north-west China from Urumchi to Kashgar, then to the Torugart pass and the mountains of Kirghizstan.

Then there are the Kazakh steppes and what remains of the Aral Sea. They'll leave Kazakhstan and enter Russia on the shores of the Caspian Sea, travel along the Volga as far as Volgograd (Stalingrad). Then due west for southern Ukraine, by the Black Sea coast, as far as the Crimea and Odessa. The following stages will take in the major European cities: Budapest in Hungary, then Vienna and the Alps in Austria, Munich in Bavaria, Stuttgart, Strasbourg and finally Paris, croissants and all!*

The bus should have carried on as far as Le Havre to be loaded on board a cargo boat for Seoul, while the passengers returned by plane, but the outward trip went so well and Jean-Louis developed such a taste for travel that in the end they have decided to do the return trip in their bus.

* In fact, the weather was bad and our travellers preferred to go south and take a ferry at Sotchi which took them straight to Turkey.

Communications.

There are several methods of maintaining communications besides the antique snail mail.

Mobile phone.

Mobile phones can be used in over 100 countries around the world. The coverage is patchy and you can only expect it to work in major cities in the more out of the way countries. Your phone company (One 2 One, Vodaphone, Cellnet etc in the UK) may well have a web site with details in the international section of the countries with whom they have made arrangements. Your phone will need to be a dual band type (there are now triple band versions to include North America and one or two countries in South America) to enable it to operate in all the places we are visiting. You will also need to ask the phone company to switch on overseas roaming if it is not on already. Costs can be very high - you may also be liable to pay for the international leg of any incoming calls. Its even worse if you are phoning from one overseas country to another overseas country. It is advisable to keep your phone switched off while abroad. Make sure you have the phone company's voice mail service. You can then collect messages when you are able to make contact. You can use the mobile phone to send and receive text messages. This is a lot cheaper and useful for emergency messages but this service is not available in all countries.

If you have a laptop with a modem fitted then you can connect it to a mobile phone to send e-mails. This is how I am sending this message. You need a special cable to make the connection. These are available from mobile phone shops - they aren't cheap and prices vary. Ideally get your phone manufacturer's own cable not a copy as they are not so good. A few of the latest phones can connect using an infra red connection instead of a cable. The phone may need to have the port enabled. Similarly your laptop should have an infra red capability and the software must be loaded. Your phone will also need to be data capable (i.e. able to send data as well as speech). Check with a mobile phone shop for this information. You may have to change your phone. If so you might like to consider using Orange as your phone company. They are the only company in the UK at present who provide a high speed data link (28,800bps) compared to the others (9800bps). This speed will not necessarily be available in other countries and a data link may not be possible at all.

Satellite phone.

You can operate a satellite phone virtually anywhere in the world depending on which system you are connected to. Globalstar have started a new service covering central Asia (from 1 December). Their website is www.globalstar.com . There is also Iridium and Inmarsat which is usually more expensive.

The equipment is a bit more bulky than a mobile phone but not much. There are various ways to obtain one. You can buy a new one outright, buy a guaranteed second hand one, or lease one. The cheaper end of the new ones start around £1,500 and second hand about £1 000. If you search around the net you may find a bargain. You can get them from suppliers in other countries without problem. Leasing is fine if you only want one for a short time but for the length of our trip [to China - about 9 months] it is going to be even more expensive. The Ericsson R290 looks good. There is another phone just on the market called Thuraya which only weighs 200 grams and is capable of voice / fax / SMS / data9.6 / GPS in satellite mode as well as normal voice in GSM model. You can get details and prices from Jacques LUYTEN, a Belgian who runs Eurodis in Greece at mobilis@hol.gr.

The other aspect of the deal you need to look at is the on line charges. These aren't cheap and usually start around US$1.5 a minute. Again there are bargains to be found. Bear in mind that mobile phone costs are going to be as much in many places. The other advantage of a satellite phone is that they have a good resale value as long as you haven't dropped it! Some countries are a bit wary of satellite phones. You can use a satellite phone to connect to your laptop, send e-mails and surf the net.

Internet cafes and E-mails It is surprising but there are Internet cafes all over the world now. They are even in China in small towns, as my daughter found when she backpacked there. This is a cheap and effective method of staying in touch. It is not instant as you need to find a cafe or other place such as computer shop, travel agent etc but messages can be usually sent at regular intervals. A good site listing Internet cafes is www.netcafeguide.com.

One problem can be the keyboard and language configurations used. Most Internet cafes use American style keyboards but sometimes a local variety will be encountered when you will have to search for symbols such as the @ sign using the Shift, Alt or Ctrl keys. Even if you find the right keys the language configuration may mean you are keying letters which you do not expect. As a result even the email address will not be correct and your message will not be received. There is usually an icon in the bottom right corner of the screen showing the languages available. For example Eng/Tur would be English and Turkish. Select as appropriate.

When travelling use a Hotmail address for your email. This is provided through the web so that access to e-mail is available locally and avoids the need to make international phone calls to access your own ISP's e-mail service. You can also use a worldwide Internet Service Provider such as AOL and access their local service at local rates. They may well make a charge for this. Making the connection will mean either a mobile phone or finding an adaptor to suit a local phone socket.

You may wish to restrict your contacts to a few essential people. To do this set up a special on-the-road e-mail address which is known only to your selected contacts. Tell them not to send E-mails with jokes, virus warnings etc. One person could be asked to forward a diary message to non essential people. Make sure your travelling companions have your e-mail address(es) and that you have theirs.

Clive Barker.

Communications - The Most Economical Solution.

In effect radio communication enables you to get news to your family without any expense, but only if you hold a radio amateur's licence.

Personally, when I'm abroad I use the services of a friend who has the telephone coordinates of our families, and vice versa.

Before leaving we establish at what time and how often we'll enter into contact. This can't be 100% reliable as we have to take into account any fluctuations in broadcasting.

To achieve radio connection I personally use an Icom 706 MK2G tranceiver which allows me to send and receive on HF VHF and UHF. It measures 23 x 14 x 5, has an output of 100 W, and as it can also receive with more general coverage I can listen to RF1 (a French radio station) with it. It is powered by the cell battery in my motorcaravan, and the mobile antenna comes from Icom. This measures 2.30m high, and as it has an automatic box facility it can be tuned to all bands.

Many good wishes

It would be interesting to know what the exams [in radio-communication] are like now.

Jacky Baronio.

Planned Journeys.

Continued from Bulletin 90.

• AMERICAS : Robert RIFFONT, Serge HERVIOU
• SOUTH-EAST ASIA : Roger DEMONTES
• AUSTRALIA: Léon HUMM
• CANADA : Roger DEMONTES, Jacques MAHAUT (renting in situ - summer 2002 )
• CAP NORD : Gérard MULATON - Régis HAGNERE (July 2002)
• CROATIA : André BERTHALON
• UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, OMAN, GREECE, TURKEY : Claude RAVET
• SPAIN, PORTUGAL : Gilbert METZGER
• USA - MEXICO - GUATEMALA : René LAGORCE - Philippe DUMOULIN - Jo AUBRY (leaving mid March, would be happy to include a small motorcaravan to share the container)
• FRANCE : Jean-Claude LABAT (along the Marne, right bank!)
• GUATEMALA : Paul LECLERC IRAN : Philippe THEVENET
• LIBYA : Daniel BROS (if entry regulations become less strict)
• ICELAND : Louis JONQUOY (urgently seeking companions)
• SOUTHERN ITALY, SICILY, SARDINIA : Alfred BLANC
• MOROCCO : Denis MAUMIER (winter) - Léon HUMM - Maurice LHERBETTE-PRIOUX - Jean-Michel CHAUVET - Philippe THEVENET
• ROMANIA : Denis MAUMIER (summer)
• TUNISIA : Philippe THEVENET
• TURKEY : Jean-Lucien RODOLF

NB. These planned journeys are indications only so that contact can be made; they do not constitute a commitment. In some cases they will depend on the political situation, and if the same person has given several destinations this is usually because he or she is prepared to choose a particular destination if companions can be found.

Mauretania-Bound: Letter From Collonges-La-Rouge

Dear Monsieur Mahaut,

Our next plan is to go to the Atar oasis in Mauretania during the coming summer holidays. I crossed Morocco, the Western Sahara and Mauretania last year during a humanitarian mission going towards Senegal, but my wife was unable to come with me and I'd very much like her to experience the Mauretanian desert, if only to try and spot a certain Little Prince who wanders the place from time to time, or so I'm told.

If one or two couples from among the Silk Route membership were tempted by the same route, we could pool our resources and our information. The route is simple enough, but I have kept my notebook as a possible road-book.

It would sensible if the vehicles had four-wheel drive. This would make it much easier in soft terrain and dunes. Last year I crossed this part of the Sahara in a well-loaded two-wheel drive Saviem and I have to tell you that by the end I was much less fond of sand! We drive a UMM Alter TD fitted with a Logemobile fixed compartment which we find completely satisfactory: it is sturdy, mechanically simple and surprisingly comfortable.

If the rules of your Club allow for this, please could you make it known that we are looking for travelling companions for Atar and Mauretania from around 15 July to 15-20 August next?

Thanks again for your letter. We send our most cordial greetings and warmest wishes for 2002 that this will be a vintage year for you, your family and the club.

Philippe and Nadine LASSON-GENIN

In Syria

Having done very little mileage in Syria, and only having a one week visa, we decided to head for Palmyra, an oasis and second century city in the middle of the desert.

Naively we stopped for diesel and we were again hijacked by the pump attendant who insisted we meet his family for tea. Thirty six hours later we were permitted to leave the family! Our stay with them, however, was an amazing experience.

We were dressed in traditional garb so I was completely covered from head to toe. Huey then spent his time with the men whilst I was taken to meet all the women in the village. Being alone with the women was much more relaxing as we could take our scarfs off and chat about 'girlie' things ! Each woman had a few words of English so we were able to communicate.

I was shown extremely impressive huge wardrobes full of the most sexy nightdresses and lingerie I have ever seen! My shock was rewarded with a gift of a 70's style off-the-shoulder see-through peach mini nightdress!! The girl it belonged to was married, 15 years old, and very pregnant so did not need it as much as me!

…And In Jordan.

How do men know these things?

...we drove a little and parked up to sleep - not far from the West Bank. A couple of hours later we were woken by flashing lights and a knock on the door - Huey opened the door and two policemen were there pointing Kalashnikov AK80s at him.

Huey turned to me in surprise, exclaiming that they had AK80s and not AK47s!…

It makes you seriously think - if they can put one man on the moon, they should be able to put them all up there!

Clair Curran

Some Points About The 'Vie De Chateau En Ile-De-France'.

During the visit to Chantilly, the very interesting guide in the equine dressage centre suggested we visit two unique horses. The question is: how can they be unique if there are two of them? We saw one that was worth making a detour for, given its exceptional track record (it had even won the Derby). While the second, which had an equally exceptional history, was out walking and we didn't see it. Which means that the guide was right to use the words he did.

In the clearing of the Carnelle forest, near the little lake, was a post holding two black bin liners. In the middle of the post was a white sign with green letters reading 'Respect the environment! Please take your litter home!' So what use were the bin liners? The correct reply to this question will win you a visit to the forest at Carnelle.

Paul Gouwy.

International Travel Maps.

At the time of the Rambouillet AGM, Carl Hunter made a number of maps available for members. I rescued those which were left on the table after the meeting (Amazon Basin, the North-West part of South America, Salvador, Venezuela, Ghana, etc) and found them to be really good. I believe they cover every country in the world.

You can obtain information and order from International Travel Maps, 530 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4A5 Fax (604) 979-3621 Email: order@itmb.com www.itmb.com.

Addresses Supplied By A Guillard.

• Navifrance in Paris : info@navifrance.net
• Euromer in Montpellier : www.euromer.net
• Greek companies:www.greekislands.gr
• My information about Greece and Turkey: campingcar.enliberte.free.fr Sicily-Spain-Syria-Jordan, this month's accounts!

Conundrum: Who And In Which Year?

The Gérauds, 8 December ...

Thank you for your card, and you're very kind to want to speak of my travels in England. Unfortunately I can't send you any photos, they're all held up at L'Illustration…

We are the first to have taken an automobile through the loops of the Ganges (Calcutta-Chittagong), the Bengali-Burmese border (Chittagong-Akyab), the hills of the Arakan (Tangup-Prome). Since we were there, the mail which went by boat from Chittagong to Akyab is now transported on elephants along the trail which we opened up.

Here is the precise itinerary: Paris, Geneva, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Sofia, Istanbul, Ankara, Konya, Adana, Antioch, Beirut, Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Damascus, Palmyra, Abu Kamal, Baghdad, Hamadan, Teheran, Meshed, Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, Peshawar (Kyber Pass), Lahore, Delhi, Agra, Varanesi, Calcutta, Chittagong, Akyab, Tangup, Prome, Rangoon, Xen Tung, Xien-Rai, Luang-Prabang, Hanoi, Saigon.

Length of trip, 7 months. Departure from Holland in July (from France the 16th August) arrived in Hanoi in January - 22,000 kilometres.

Roger Drapier was the expedition mechanic. He stayed in Saigon, where he found a good job with cars. He has just written to tell me that he has renovated Jeannette, our lovely vehicle.

Between Chittagong and Akyab, we crossed more than 50 rivers without bridges, with buffalo, coolies, elephants, dug-out canoes, bamboo rafts, etc.

Enigma suggested by Paul Gouwy

The 1 January Bulletin Had A Print Run Of 500 Copies!

442 were sent out.

The family (mentioned by A. Chevalier [?], see page 8 of the correspondence) was very useful to me. On 25 December my daughter and Lucette folded the cover page (it wasn't possible to use the machine because of the colour printing) while I stuck on the labels. On the 26th Bob and Ginette Perdriau helped us insert the 2500 contents and put the 442 bulletins into envelopes. Altogether around 24 hours of work: not a professional job, maybe, but not bad for beginners! There are still 58 copies available for anyone who joins during the course of the year.

I still don't know (on 14 January) whether I'll be able to attach the members list to this bulletin. I'd like it to be as up-to-date as possible and there are still some people who are late responding.

Apologies to our customers! I was wrong to say that the T-shirts were available in sizes XL and XXL. We have only L and XXL left.

A penny saved is a penny earned! To thank you for the good wishes that came with your renewals, whether by mail, fax or mail, Monique Brouquet and I have retrieved the very lovely map of our sculptor Marcel Lecorre, and with his permission, we are offering you the chance to have it. Even in reduced format I believe you'll like it.

Change Of Programme.

For fear of finding no snow, we have given up Isola for Meribel. But so we don't lose our deposit, we'll be going to Isola in March. This may enable me to meet the organisers of the Cote d'Azur balade. I believe the volunteers will make themselves known to Serge Rousset, who has indicated his willingness. After the elections, or before? That is the question! Remembering that the best date for the balade in Wales looks like September.

Even if your English is limited, do go and look at the website silkroute.org.uk. It's terrific! With a translation of the bulletins, photos, etc. It's all there and in my opinion it's a good example to follow.