With the help of the local NGO we work with, the volunteers produce a newsletter of the latest news from the project. Here’s what they had to say in August:

Hello from Mauritius! This month has brought with it a new volunteer called Candy from the UK, seeing more amazing marine life, (some of which hasn’t been seen for a long time), exciting trips to various parts of the island, community work, and some temperamental weather! Every time we have been out, we have seen at least one species, and some days three! Turtles, Spinner, Bottlenose and Common Bottlenose dolphins, a Humpback whale and Pilot whales have all been spotted.

We have been very lucky to have had lots of close up experiences this month. One day we were the only boat in the lagoon with some bottlenose feeding and bow riding. It was very clear and only about 3m deep. We had a close up experience with 4 common bottlenose too, which included two juveniles and all were resting while moving south. The spinners have also been regularly spotted, and in huge groups of up to 80. They provide constant entertainment leaping, spinning and bow riding.

We carried out another turtle survey in Black river. The water was a bit choppy but we managed to spot 6 individuals. There was one very curious juvenile who came right up to us and checked us out.

 Towards the end of the month there was a report of a humpback whale sighting not far from where we were, so we headed out to try and find it but it must have been moving North pretty fast because it was nowhere to be seen. However, Imogen soon spotted a fin, and we realized we were amongst about 30 pilot whales, which included a huge male and a few calves! They hadn’t been seen since October 2009, so we were all very excited.

 The volunteers have also been doing a bit of community work this month, and helped to sand, varnish and paint parts of the tower at La Preneuse public beach. This involved cleaning up the sign for the public beach, and painting the canon on the top of the tower. Unfortunately there are no photos of us carrying out the work, because we got rather sticky and messy in the process!

We have also been on a day out to La Vanille Crocodile Park one weekend. We were surrounded by crocodiles, giant tortoises, monkeys, insects, and a baby goat! We then went down to Blue Bay and spent the afternoon snorkelling. There was a huge school of manini (which is a surgeonfish) swimming around us. Awesome!

 If you’d like to find out more about our project in Mauritius, click HERE

The NGO that we work with in Sri Lanka rescued a giant squirrel from a life of captivity. Since learning to live in the wild, Dodam (the giant squirrel) regularly returns to visit the guys at the eco-house in Wasgamuwa, which is the hub of their conservation activities in the area. Ravi, the founder of the local NGO, tells the tale of Dodam’s latest visit to the house:

Of course my tranquillity and bliss is not for long because I hear a loud thump just next to me ― to see Dodam the giant squirrel on the ground looking a bit dazed. Apparently the new roof construction has messed up his regular route over the roof. So there he was on the ground because he had miscalculated the new dimensions of the roof, distance between rafters and of course my shoulders. I guess non-life threatening short falls is all in a day’s work for an arboreal (living in the trees) animal such as Dodam. I picked him up and brought him over to my work desk where he quickly finished off my cup of tea. Talk about a quick recovery! I never knew that giant squirrels liked hot tea especially with Nestomalt! The things you learn in the wilderness!

Dodam, enjoying Ravi’s tea!

If you’d like to find out more about our conservation project in Wasgamuwa, Sri Lanka, click HERE

If you’d like to find out more about all our projects in Sri Lanka, click HERE

Going to China with Travellers? Well, there are just 2 things you have to make sure you do, you have been warned….

Peking Duck has the reputation of being the most delicious food Beijing has to offer. Eating Peking Duck is seen to be one of the two things you are absolutely supposed to do whilst in Beijing. The other one is climbing the Great Wall

The place that offers the best Peking Duck is the Quan Ju De Restaurant, which has outlets at Qianmen, Hepingmen and Wangfujing. It was established 130 years ago..

 At Quan Ju De, ducks are immersed in condiments unique to the restaurant and are roasted directly over flames stoked by fruit tree wood. The best roast duck is date-red, shining with oil, but with a crisp skin and tender meat. The chef cuts the meat into thin slices at table. Then the meat is served with Chinese onions and special sauce.

 Another famous restaurant offering Peking duck is the Bian Yi Fan (Cheap Restaurant), which opened in 1855, nine years earlier than Quan Ju De. At Bian Yi Fang, roasting is done in an enclosed container fueled with crop stalks.

 If you’d like to find out more about our projects in China, click HERE

We’ve just started working in Ecuador and wanted to share with you some photos from the spectacular Tungurahua volcano!

The volcano is located in central Ecuador, 140 Kilometres from our projects in Quito. It stands at a majestic 5,023 metres and is truly stunning. In the last 1,300 years Tungurahua has become active every 80-100 years. In 1999, after a long period of rest, the volcano started an eruptive process. The activity is not usually dangerous – the closest town (Banos) has been evacuated on a few occassions, but due to the  fantastic work of scientists, it is usually possible to gauge the exact activity of the volcano!

Check out these beautiful pictures from the last activity, in June 2010:

If you’d like to find out more about our projects in Ecuador, click HERE

The travel memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert titled EAT PRAY LOVE is now a major-motion picture starring Julia Roberts! She takes a year long adventure around the world to find herself and regain balance after a divorce from her husband. She travels to Italy, India and Bali to see the world and experience life through other cultures. The cultures she travels within and the people she meets along the way will shape her life and give her a new direction in mind, body, and soul …

The best news?! You don’t have to be Julia Roberts or have just gone through a divorce in order to have a similar adventure! Take a look at our projects and plan your own escape from your reality to renew yourself and give you life a bit of adventure!

If you’d like to check out the trailer for EAT PRAY LOVE click HERE

Would you like to join our Walking with Lions Project in Zimababwe??

We’ve had a cancellation which means there is a last-minute space available on this exciting project! The space is available from the 6th September for 4 weeks and is offered at a discounted rate of £2095.

This project is usually totally full over the summer months so we’re expecting this place to go very fast!!

If you’d like it please call us (+44 1903 502595), email us: info@travellersworldwide.com or fill in the booking form directly: http://www.travellersvolunteers.co.uk/bookingform.php

Don’t delay! It’s first come first served – the first booking form that we receive with a deposit of £190 will get the space!!!

 This space has now been filled but check with our Zimbabwe Project Coordinator for availability!

In China on August 16^th 2010  on the 7^th day of the 7^th lunar month the Chinese celebrate valentines day…

The Legend of Chinese Valentine’s Day
Legend has it that the seventh daughter of the Emperor of Heaven, a weaving maid, fell in love and married a cowherd. They were overindulgent in their love and neglected their farming and weaving duties, which angered the Jade Emperor. As punishment, he exiled them to opposite banks of the Silver River [Milky Way], and only allowed them to meet each other once a year on the night of the seventh day of the seventh month. This legend has been handed down for nearly two millennia.  The Chinese people believe that the star, Vega, east of the Milky Way, is Zhi Nu, and that Altair, on the western side of the Milky Way, is Niu Lang waiting for his wife. The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the only Chinese festival devoted to love in the lunar calendar.  Chinese Valentine’s Day traditions abound and this special day is celebrated differently depending on the Chinese province.

• Some of the many traditions include Chinese girls preparing fruits, melons, and incense as offerings to Zhi Nu, the weaving maiden, praying to acquire high skills in needlecraft, as well as hoping to find satisfactory husbands.
• Girls place sewing needles on water. If the needle doesn’t sink, it’s a sign of the girl’s maturity and intelligence and she is ready and eligible to find a husband.
• People in some Chinese provinces believe that decorating the horns of oxen with flowers will save them from catastrophe. Another tradition is for women to wash their hair to make it look fresh and shining.
• This festival is also known as Qixi, or sometime the Magpie festival.

 On Chinese Valentine’s Day, young lovers go to the temple of the Matchmaker and pray for their love and happiness, and their possible marriage in China. In the evening, people sit outside to observe the stars. On this night, Vega and Altair are closer together than at any other time of year. Chinese grannies say that if you stand under a grapevine, you can probably overhear what Zhi Nu and Niu Lang are saying to one another.

If you’d like to find out more about our projects in China, click HERE

If you haven’t heard about Ed Stafford’s amazing feat yet, you must have been living under a rock!

He’s the British Explorer that has broken records by becoming the first person to undertake the 4,000 mile trk along the Amazon River. He finished on Monday – it only took him 2 years!! He was joined on the trek by Peruvian forestry worker Gadiel ‘Cho’ Sanchez Rivera – Cho met Ed 4 months in to the adventure, he was only intending to stay guide Ed for 5 days, but ended up completing the expedition with him!

To read the full story of Ed’s journey, courtesy of CNN, please click on the picture below:

If you’d like to experience some of the adventure Ed had, check out our wonderful Amazon project in Peru. For more details click HERE.

It’s not too late to book onto an excellent value Travellers last minute tango course in Buenos Aires! All levels available for one to one tuition in this flamboyant capital. And if you can get out there for the end of August, you’ll be in for a BIG treat… the city is all about TANGO this month….

 From its earliest days as an alehouse dance among the poor dock workers of Buenos Aires, the tango symbolized the raw, steaming, erotic tension between a man and woman, irrelevant of era, social class or religion. Deep down in Buenos Aires where the rhythms of tango take over the streets for a seven day fiesta of heart racing music and sensual dancing far into the night. With countless free displays from the world’s best tango dancers and the city’s greatest orchestras, the Argentinean Ministry of Culture organises this extravagant free party in the birth place of the tango musical phenomena.

 13-31 August 2010 (annual festival) CALL US NOW! Tango classes and accommodation included!

 http://www.travellersworldwide.com/01-argentina/01-argentina-tango.htm

Jack Johnson plays live in Perth! http://www.enjoyperth.com.au/events/jack-johnson-me-bank-stadium Watch him strum away with a cocktail in one hand and a surfboard under your other arm – just as nature intended! Are you going to Australia? Fancy checking out some live music or festivals during your placement in Perth? You’re in luck – there are loads of events going on – all year round! From Enter Shikari to Gorillaz, to excellent theatre, flower shows and music festivals – check out what’s on when you’re there: http://www.enjoyperth.com.au/events/featured and experience a gig to remember.

If you’d like to find out more about our projects in Australia, click HERE