The ubiquitous smartphone: fast becoming the ideal companion when abroad
Today, there are literally thousands of travel apps (or applications) on the market for smartphones. I’ve picked my top 10, some of which are free to download.
Have a look and see if you agree?
Classic car, Cuba
An iconic feature of Cuban roads, the classic cars of Cuba may become a symbol of the past.
Cubans will soon be able to buy and sell cars, ending the ban on trading cars bought after the 1959 revolution. President Raul Castro has decided to relax rules on Cuban car ownership, meaning locals can now buy or sell used vehicles freely for the first time in half a century. The new regulations also mean that Cubans can now own more than one used vehicle and will no longer lose their car if they emigrate.
It is thought that the move, along with new laws permitting home sales, are part of an effort to boost Cuba’s struggling economy, improving the private sector by moving hundreds of thousands of workers off the public payroll.
There are still some tight restrictions in place though, with the right to buy a new car limited to Cubans who earn some foreign currency, such as doctors, artists and musicians.
So will the much-loved, battered Chevrolets and Buicks disappear from the narrow streets and alleyways of Cuba? Probably not for a while, which will please tourists and photographers around the world.
If you would like to visit Cuba and wish to discuss your plans with a specialist you can phone our Cuba team on 01993 838 685 or visit the Cuba section of our website.
Puma with an armadillo in its mouth
Excellent footage of puma, armadillo and skunks has been captured by motion camera traps at El Remanso Lodge in Costa Rica.
The cameras were installed by a Wildcat Conservation Programme run by the Yaguará Project, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation which promotes bio-diversity conservation in Costa Rica and Panama to preserve and enhance the environment, ecosystems, habitats and endangered species.
Audley Food Festival 2011
Friday 23rd September 2011 was the date of the first ever Audley Food Festival and, as with anything food related at Audley, the event was tipped to be a merry affair!
The McCurdie family celebrate Christmas Day in the Masai Mara, Kenya
“Our visit to Malacca was an intriguing end to our visit to Malaysia, a country where numerous traditions, religions, cultures and cuisines meet and blend harmoniously.”
Nigel Wright, Malaysia“Our heads and hearts are full of the images, sights, sounds, and smells, but perhaps the most lingering image of all is the one of the Cambodian people.”
Valerie and Raymond Gatward, Cambodia“To have spent the time with the wonderfully friendly people of the Governor’s Camp among the enchanting wildlife of the Masai Mara made it an experience we shall treasure forever.”
Dr Ian McCurdie, Masai Mara in Kenya
These are just some of the comments we have received and which you can read in full in our Client Stories section of the Audley Magazine.
How to send us your Audley travel stories
It’s easy, if you’ve been on a trip with us simply click on this link and upload your text and photos. If you do you’ll also have a chance to win a £50 Bobbooks’ photobook voucher.
Due to the tailor-made nature of our trips we often send clients off on mini excursions to see nearby volcanoes, but nothing quite as exciting as this yet.
The volcano in question is Marum, which is in Vanuatu in the South Pacific.
Don’t forget to look at our 10 Volcanoes Worth Seeing magazine article. These are all volcanoes which you can see as part of an Audley tailor-made trip.
Message of thanks from the children
A husband and wife who recently returned from a tailor made trip to Nicaragua have received a special message of thanks from a group of local school children whom they visited during their travels.
John and Gill Farrington, who travelled with Audley to the Central American country earlier this year, made a donation following their visit to the school in Granada. This money was used to help build a much-needed toilet block for the children and to improve the on-site sanitation facilities.
This is the latest in a series of donations that the couple have made to projects in developing countries. During recent correspondence, they told me that they are always amazed by the improvements they see and the warm thanks they receive from the local people, and that it’s just a small way of saying ‘thank you’ for all the many kindnesses they have received whilst holidaying abroad.
During their recent trip with Audley, Mr and Mrs Farrington also got involved with a British team of volunteers from Hereford, who are helping farmers in the Nicaraguan highlands to grow new vegetables alongside their staple crop of coffee beans. This project aims to improve people’s diet and bring more income into the farms and the surrounding community.
To find out more about Nicaragua or to create your own tailor made trip to Central America with Audley, call one of our specialists on 01993 838 680 or visit our website at www.audleytravel.com/central-america.
Red-eyed tree frog, Monteverde Cloudforest
This morning I went along to another of our weekly client seminars, which this week was on ‘Discovering Costa Rica’. Although we are currently very busy in the e-Commerce department working on a new version of the website, I am really interested in Costa Rica having recently built a feature on Wildlife of Costa Rica, so went along to find out more!
Meeting sponsored child
After eight years, and many exchanges of letters and drawings, there came an opportunity to meet. And for one Audley traveller it was an opportunity too good to miss; an opportunity that crossed cultures and brought people together. An opportunity that now will always be recalled as a ‘cherished day’.
Mrs Sheena Walker-Roberts has been sponsoring a girl in Guatemala through international children’s charity Plan since 2001. Guatemala is a beautiful country with a vibrant ethnic Mayan culture. However, it is still recovering from the throes of a long civil war and discrimination against the indigenous population is rife. Plan has been working to tackle the inequality and poverty faced by Guatemala’s poor since 1979, and when Sheena decided to holiday there with Audley she seized the opportunity to find out just what that work entailed. What followed is a remarkable and emotional journey into a rural and isolated community and an extraordinary coming together of cultures and people.
Audley have just started a scheme in Costa Rica to support an indigenous community called “Boruca” located in the county of Buenos Aires in the Puntarenas Province. Around 50 women from the community make hand-woven items such as bags which we buy from them. The money goes directly back into the community and pays for the production and transportation of the items from their village to Buenos Aires city and onwards by bus. The women share the remainder of the money between them.
Upon arrival in Costa Rica Audley clients will receive one of the handmade items from the community along with a bit of background information about them.
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