Donkeyshott & Xuitlacoche

From the Portfolio Travel Blog By Garth Johnstone  Inspired by the most recent, larger and excellent edition of “Slackpacking: A Guide to South Africa's Top Leisure Trails”, by Fiona McIntosh and edited by David Bristow, John Hall, the owner of Pleasant Places *Guest House in the Lidgetton Valley, believes the growing craze of slackpacking will catch on in the KZN Midlands in the New Year. Front Garden at Pleasant Places John wears the look of a quietly confident man when he says, “We'll get this up and running in January. The trails are 90% sorted and I've consulted and obtained permission from farmers, whose land the trail traverses. It's for people who want a challenging walk, but don't want to haul a heavy backpack around." Getting people to know about the charms and attractions of the Lidgetton Valley is a passion for John . . . and not just for the potential business opportunities.

...and the survival of Wikileaks won't depend on the accusation of a CIA plant that he didn't tell her his condom broke. We admire people who struggle to tell the truth in oppressive societies despite death threats. I admire a friend in Serbia who ran the news agency Beta and told the truth about what was happening in the face of the Milosevic government's threats. But if we can admire this openness on a national level then we should admire it even more in the lawless international arena where,  ELF subsidises and promotes a Coup d'Etat in Congo Brazzeville and answers to no one for this crime. Where wars are declared without justification and hundreds of thousands die. Where a company like Exxon Mobil can destroy the environment of the coastline of Equatorial Guinea with pollution and trick the local population out of petrol billions without possibility of redress. Where Thatcher's son can help to organise an attempted coup with such alacrity, it&

  Vienna best captured in words, in my opinion, by Stefan Zweig in his book: The World of Yesterday. Stefan Zweig

Paula Neumann, Regina, Else and Isidor Steinhardt

  Drawings by Edoardo di Muro, Former Women Fuelwood Carriers Association (FWFCA)  P.O. Box 2788, Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA

David receiving congratulations from the Rector, Dr Linstead and Viscountess and Viscount Falmouth

Russian partisans Stalingrad Tomb of Fascism Kalinka Song for Thatcher The Internationale Hasta siempre Commandante Che Guevara  Joe Hill Let my people go Peat Bog Soldiers Viva la Quinta Brigada