Bulls will no longer suffer a slow, painful and terrifying death in Catalonia’s bullrings.
History has been made this week with the Catalonian Parliament voting to approve an amendment of the current animal protection legislation and ban bullfighting within the region. MPs voted resoundingly in favour of a ban and it will come into effect on January 1st 2012.
This inspiring result came about because of a long and hard-fought campaign. A campaign that has been based on a simple act: people speaking out for animals, calling on politicians to turn those voices into votes.
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You are in position and awaiting that ideal instant when the sun dips down to the horizon and says its final farewell to the day. You gently click on the camera shutter and hope for the best, but instead you get a mediocre photo that doesn’t do the stunning scene justice. So how can you shoot better sunsets? World-renowned photographer Steve Davey sheds light on the subject…
“Somewhat like lemmings we all seem to flock to sunset points around the world to fire off a phenomenal number of sunset pictures. Clicking away like our lives depend on it, we fill countless memory cards with pictures, yet many of us come away disappointed with the pictures we shoot. They are either too dark, or too light, or just too boring.
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December and January bring the longest days of summer in Antarctica, when you can see penguin chicks hatching, seals sunbathing on ice floes and whales feeding in the nutrient-rich waters. With all this going on, Intrepid traveller Liz Grady gives you 5 good reasons why you won’t want to see the sun set of this adventure of a lifetime…
1 – 24hr sunlight – When I woke the first morning in Antarctica, peering through the window to see bright blue sky and a seal on an iceberg was enough to get me out of bed. Puzzled that no one else seemed to be up I tracked down a clock, only to realise it was 2am! It’s a challenge to wrap your mind around 24 hours of daylight, but it is a blessing when you discover how much there is to explore in this surreal environment.
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There is something very special about seeing the world awaken and as Intrepid Express reader James Fenneberg discovered, few places can put on a sunrise show like Kenya…
“It’s 5.30 in the morning and I can already feel the heat of Africa. There are monkeys playing outside the window and the sky is dotted with the last remaining stars of the night. As the truck starts up, that oh so familiar sound on safari, it wheels us in darkness to an opening, where in the distance there is a hub of activity. A group of locals and a rather beardy ex-army fellow are inflating a huge hot air balloon.
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As Intrepid marks its 21st year in the travel game, co-founder Geoff Manchester (Manch) sits down with Jen Hall, Intrepid UK’s Online Sales Manager, to reflect on some of his most memorable Intrepid moments. From spending time with mountain gorillas to eating pig blood salad… and the reasons why he’s still very passionate about the Intrepid way of doing things…
1. What’s the most amazing thing you’ve seen, that you think should be on everyone’s ‘bucket list’?
Seeing the mountain gorillas in Congo, Uganda or Rwanda. Being carefully watched by the gorillas from just metres away, observing their hands which are just like ours, watching the young gorillas annoy a silverback, having an adult gorilla come an sit right next to me while my fellow travellers tell me not to move so they can take photos. There was no way I was moving!
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Sometimes souvenir shopping is a dilemma: is the money that you’re spending on a handmade gift actually going to the person who made it? Intrepid’s Laura Carroll shares her local Mongolia know-how so you can be assured that your purchase is ethically sound…
“Tsaagan Alt, a fixture in the shopping street just south of the State Department Store, is a wool cooperative set up by a Norwegian-Mongolian partnership. High-quality wool and felt goods are produced in the countryside according to traditional techniques, then brought to Ulaanbaatar to be sold at the shop. Felt slippers, coats and hats abound for every taste, and the quality of all the products is exceptional. To learn more about them, visit www.mongolianwoolcraft.com.
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In ancient times all roads led to Damascus and even though camel caravans no longer take this route, if you are in the market for an amazing bazaar experience, follow Intrepid’s Jessica Lee into the winding alleyways of Syria’s capital city…
“They say that as the Prophet Mohammed stood on the mountainside looking down on the city of Damascus he decided not to enter, because he only wanted to visit paradise once and that was when he died. Even today it remains a remarkable city that mesmerises our group as we weave our way through the crowded entrance of Souq al-Hamidiyya and enter the milieu.
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Where better to treat yourself to great travel experiences at bargain prices than in Thailand? Express reader Cathy Ellis has a special Bangkok shopping spot where you’re sure to find the perfect souvenir…
“My favorite place to get lost in the moment is Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok. It is a monstrously huge collection of stalls filled with everything you can possibly want to buy, plus a few things you didn’t know that you needed.
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Intrepid Express reader Rhiannon Szmidt thought the only buzz on her birthday would be from the mosquitoes and bugs of the Amazon, but as it turned out, her new-found friends had other plans…
“Having left England on my big adventure only days ago; my birthday started out as a bit of a non-event. I’d only joined my Intrepid tour the day before, so no one even realised it was my birthday at first. But everyone found out on our long bus journey to the Amazon Jungle in Ecuador.
I was really looking forward to living in a dilapidated hut with my mosquito net as my only protection…but when we got there I couldn’t have imagined anything more beautiful.
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