Delights and Dangers of Wildlife - Safety in Northern Australia, South Africa and Singapore's Safari, and food, fur, and fashion in the USA and worldwide

 

Back garden in Hatch End, London, England, with two foxes. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Cahill crossing in Australia is notorious for its crocodiles. Just looking at the pictures puts me off. They are building a better crossing but meanwhile people are ignoring signs.

Looking closer, I see it is not a riverbank at all. It is a low crossing, a bit like stepping stones pushed together, enough for a tough car to drive acrosss, slowly.

Apparently one can got trapped in the river and the occupants had to swim past the cross to safety on dry land. Safety  from water the minute you are out of the water. But safety from crocodiles - only if you stand well back from the river!

In the UK earlier this year we received a parking fine, a sign hidden behind wheelie bins, in a road where other people parked. My husband had said: 'Everybody else is doing it.'

That doesn't defend one person from being endangered - or all of them.

Signs are not enough. Firstly, not everybody can read English. 

Secondly, not everybody can read. 

Thirdly, people think they can jump back, or believe crocodiles stay in the water and the edge. Children and adults don't realize the reptiles jump onto land. 

Fourthly, time to put up a barrier. If it is costly, find sponsors. 

It is natural to lean over water to have a look. Build viewing platforms with binoculars back from the edge. To make signs more effective, display statistics of people killed. Make fines for standing by the edge.

The signs don't protect you, if there is nowhere to retreat or stand safely. 

I walked along a boardwalk pier in Singapore. At intervals there were places where you could stop and look out. But crocodiles or other creatures could leap up. I never did that again. 

I can entertain myself, and grand children, eating ice cream or fruit and watching films. We don't need to run around crocodiles playing dare.

Eating Funny Food

I have eaten lots of funny food. Crocodile. In the USA . Was it the USA.  Yes, now I remember - they gave me a certificate to prove it!

Wichetty Grup In Australia

I tried wichetty grub soup  in a restaurant in Perth. Its selling point was the unusual foods.

South African Safari & Lion Park

I have been on a late evening Safaris (South Africa) where you see very little in the twilight.

At a lion park we were warned not to get out of our car. Afterwards, I researched.  I learned that a Japanese family had got out of their car to pose their children next to baby lions. Resulting in a human fatality.

Singapore farmed Crocodiles

I have been to a crocodile breeding farm in Singapore.

The Night Safari in Singapore is a compromise. The animals can roam freely. The pedestrian visitors are separated by a deep gorge. The travelling vehicle visitors are kept in moving and camouflaged trains. 

Camouflage clothes

Wearing Wild Animal Clothes

Useful Websites

Australian Museum Wichetty Grubs

TESTING, TESTING - Double Vaccinated, tested three times, And Back Through Changi Airport, Singapore 2021, contrasted with UK 2020

 How has travel changed in a year? My last big round trip was travelling from the UK to Singapore (travel to UK for our son's wedding - after months of rearranging venues and numbers of guests and renewing paperwork)

FIRST Round Trip UK UGUST 2020 

Last year, in August, at the Writer's Summer School in Swanwick, Derbyshire, one of the teachers was wearing a lanyard saying that she was exempt. Fine for her. But I just had to hope that everybody else was safe.

On the first night I sat at a circular table of six. The next night my position was usurped by a late arriving pair of guests. I felt a second class friend. 

However, later, when I learned that one of the group had contracted the virus, I felt that the situation had worked in my favour. I did understand the point of all the testing and precautions.

Singapore Quarantine

Back in Singapore, on arrival, in 2020, I had to quarantine in a four star hotel for two weeks. At great expense. 

Meals arrived on the room doorstep like airline meals. Included in the cost. 

Plus the cost of the tests to be released from the hotel.  In addition to the cost, the test needed to be released was nasty. The masked lady jabbed up my nostril four times and I jumped and screamed. Eventually my husband came over. I asked them to try the other nostril and another assistant. My husband held my hand and kept saying. "It's ok. Just keep still."

I dreaded the repeat.

2021 London, UK - LESS QUARANTINE BUT MORE TESTS

However, my next round trip in 2021 was easier. My experiences before departure from Singapore consisted of a test. The only hiccup was going home to get our passport for the paperwork. 

Then after we paid IN ADVANCE yet again, we found the test had been posted to us, so we did the test in a kit on arrival in London. It went into a special postbox for fast collection, round the clock.

Postal Test In UK

In London after arriving we self quarantined at home. We had received postal tests. These tests which require you to dab your throat and then your nose. 

The third test, to depart from the UK to Singapore, was another cost, but no physical stress. We had a test nearby, in a room behind the local chemist - what Americans call pharmacy).

Fourthly, the test on my return to Singapore was much easier.

Priority Designated Post Boxes

Post in a designated postbox. Presumably with frequent collection times. We managed that. The box outside the post office was a designated box.

Food Shopping

For a couple of days we lived on food we had brought with us in a Cool Box from Singapore. Then we got negative test results so we could go out shopping. And take trains.

Train Travel

In London Underground signs said everybody had to wear masks on London transport. About half to two thirds of passengers did so. 

Private Wine Lunch - Sanitizer

When my husband arranged a wine tasting lunch, we asked for a sanitizer at the door to the private room. We had arrived early to allow for any extra arrangements - or travel delays.

No Double Dipping

 We did not allow people to dip their hands in the bowls of almonds and cashew nuts. We asked for bowls for the nuts, then for spoons. 

I went around, masked, doling out 4 to six nuts slightly above into cupped hands without letting the spoon touch anybody's hands. 

London and Heathrow 2021 October

The third test, to depart from the UK to Singapore, was another cost, but no physical stress. We had a test nearby, in a room behind the local chemist - what Americans call pharmacy).

Singapore

Fourthly, the test on my return to Singapore was much easier.

We booked tests at the pharmacy near our home which was a blessing. Because we arrived to find we needed our passports. We had to send one person home to fetch them. (The same thing had happened in Singapore, you may recall I mentioned earlier. We should have remembered.)

We had to show our paperwork for the previous test, the booked flight, the passports.

Singapore 2021 - Changi Airport

Back in Changi, our flight passengers on arrival were kept separately through passport checks, collected luggage from our flight's carousel, then on a marked route to a linked area.

It was like a hospital, but also the entrance to a Disney area, with up and down barriers. The passengers were almost outnumbered by the numbers of masked marshalls in blue protective overalls.

1 We had to show forms that we had registered for our tests. 

2 Then to pay for the tests. 

3 Then to have the test. PCR test.

PCR Test

PCR is polymerase chain reaction.

I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't like the tongue presser used to keep my tongue out of the way before the throat swab. I immediately gagged and said, 'Oh, dear, now you have to do it again.' 

'I've already done it.'

The nose swab was equally quick.

All over in a few seconds. Nothing like as bad as previously.

The longest delay was waiting for an oversize cab to transport my husband's bicycle.

Good thing I had not worried, unnecessarily about the jab. I had decided not to worry. I had recalled reading that worrying does not help.

To our surprise and delight, only four hours later the results came through. Negative. We could send one person out shopping for food.

At the mall you needed your phone to show your negative test. First at the mall entrance. Then at every shop you entered. You need your mask, and your local money. Don't dash out without your phone.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymerase_chain_reaction

About the Author

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time on bha.learncool.sg  

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 

Please share links to your favourite posts. 

Look for bargains worldwide, especially on Singapore trains and buses

Bargain advertisements are all around. When you go to a foreign city, at the airport, hotel, restaurant or bus, as soon as I see a free newspaper or magazine I pick it up. When I first started doing this I would lighten my load of paper by tearing out and throwing out the advertisements.

I saved the article to hear about local sights I should see, the history of historic buildings I should see, grisly murders in dangerous areas I should avoid .- and if I had to wait at a station I had reading matter and information to share.

Save Or Throw Away?
Later, it was often the other way round. I would jettison the articles about luxury shops I could not afford to visit, local minor celebrities I would never meet. I kept the advertisements for two for one offers on entry to public buildings, transport passes, one off exhibitions and nearby restaurants offering a free glass of wine.

This is what I do nowadays, even when coming into my home cities (London and Singapore). I keep up to date with new attractions and offers for my overseas family and friends and to tell tourists on the train into town.

Magazines
Airports are not the only places with offers. In the UK in London and in many cities you will find local language magazines. Often a restaurant takes a magazine which features that restaurant and others nearby.

Postcard Ads
On one occasion in Asia, in Vietnam, in Siem Reap, on the way out of a restaurant, I picked up advertising postcards which offered a free drink. We had already paid our bill, and ordered a different cocktail to the one offered. However, we had booked again for the following week, and were able to use the offer. I kep it in my handbag all week, so that I did not delay lookinfg for it, nor forget it on the next occasion.

I picked it up from a huge pile of identical postcards. My family said, "No need to take it. They will still be there when we come back."

When we returned the postcards were all gone. I didn't know whether they had been grabbed up by visitors in the busy Christmas and New Year week, or whether the management decided they no longer needed to lure in customers because they were now, briefly, full.

Negotiating
It didn't matter. The important thing was that I had the offer. Would they honour it? The waiter hesitated. My husband pointed out that we were now regulars, and the free drink offer had brought us back. Yes, they gave us the free cocktail. The important thing is to mention the offer when booking and when asking for a table. The restaurant does not want to think they have made a certain amount of money and get a nasty surprise at the end. You don't want to sit worrying whether they will honour your offer, nor to have to hunt for it when your taxi has arrived to take you home.

Much better to be sure at the start. The waiter can bring your free drink, present it saying your free drink. You smile at him. He smiles back confident that you will like him or her and the service and probably leave a tip.



Singapore Flag

In Singapore sometimes the trains and buses have ads hanging from the overhead rail which supports the straps you hold when standing.

On my last journey, I didn't see any ads hanging. Often I am too busy looking at my map or phone and counting bus stops and looking at landmarks to check when I will reach my destination.

If I am with a friend, or talking to a new acquaintance, I am too busy to look around and grab materials which i fear makes me look like an impecunious freeloader or hoarder. However, on this occasion, I saw an ad which had fallen to the floor and I picked it up.

Cleanliness and Washing
Regarding picking things up off the floor or the ground, I am in two minds about this. I want the item. But I don't want to get my hands dirty, nor carry dirty items in my bag nor in my pocket.

If I pick up something which is washable, at the next train station or bus interchange (almost always beside a train station) I find a toilet and wash both my hands and the item I have picked up.

Singapore train stations always have toilets near the entrance.

Some laminated items can be wiped or washed. If not, I can take a photo with my phone, then throw the paper in a bin and wash my hands.

Some of the items are time sensitive. They may even already be out of date. Sometimes the offer has expired but the information is useful because it alerts you to a nearby location of an interesting restaurant or handy fast food place.

My latest find is from McDonalds.

About The Author
Angela Lansbury

How To Report An Emergency, Crime And Drunks On Trains And Roads - What Is correct behaviour in public places - alcohol, trains and football matches

Most trains and buses display their emergency numbers. It is a good idea to put these in your phone. In an emergency the lights on the train might go out or it may fill with smoke. You might not want to reveal to an assailant that you are reading the emergency number.

What is acceptable behaviour in public places? Singing? Being inebriated? Shouting at your friends? Shouting at other passengers?

Irish Flag

Coming back on the train after St Patrick's night you can get a lot of happy people singing songs in unison. That is fun. That is fine.

Drunks
When the language gets blue, or a drunk starts lurching down the train and accosting passengers, that is more worrying.

Begging
I have also been on trains where somebody with a dog walks along the train asking passengers for money. I try to look down and ignore them. If necessary, I get off at the next stop and either run along the platform beside the train and jump into another carriage (on infrequent trains) or get off and wait for the next train.

UK and Football Fans
I have sat and stood on trains in London where groups sing, shout and lark about.

Football Fan Trains
UK trains can run dry trains to football matches.

Singapore
Unwanted Conversation
I wrote earlier this year about reporting a man who had been trying to engage an anxious girl in unwanted conversation on a Singapore train.

In future I would try to photograph the person and keep the emergency number handy in my phone. It is better to report from the train rather than waiting until I reached a station, with the delay of going up two escalators.

DRUNK DRIVING


Emergency Phone Numbers
In the UK and some former commonwealth countries the number 999 is used.
In the USA 911 was chosen as being quick to dial.

AUSTRALIA
General emergency number 000.

https://www.crimestoppers.com.au/
New South Wales (Sydney and NSW)
Remember you can report your knowledge of criminal activity online (desktop version, mobile version), or by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

CANADA
http://bc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=30&languageId=1&contentId=-1

SINGAPORE

➤ If you require immediate Police response e.g. emergencies or life threatening situations, please call 999 or the Police Hotline at +65 6255 0000 (for overseas callers).

➤ If you wish to make a report for police investigation , you may do so through our e-services at https://www.police.gov.sg/e-services

MORE SINGAPORE

https://www.police.gov.sg/iwitness

UK
Police and emergency tel 999

Useful Websites
Football Trains
https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/alcohol-facts/alcohol-and-the-law/drinking-alcohol-in-public-places/
Reporting Crimes
UK text British Transport Police 61016

Railway:
If you do become a victim of crime it is important that you ask for help and report it. You can call us on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016. In an emergency, dial 999.
http://www.btp.police.uk/advice_and_information/faqs1.aspx
https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/safety/report-a-crime-or-incident
http://www.btp.police.uk/contact_us/report_a_crime.aspx
http://www.btp.police.uk/safety_on_the_railway/if_youre_a_victim_of_crime/how_to_report_a_crime1.aspx

Europe
112

Ambulance in Romania displaying the emergency phone number, 112. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Greece, Israel and India
100 - easy to remember, especially in Greece which has a double letter e in its name and a double zero in the emergency number. 

USA
https://www.usa.gov/report-crime#item-35947
USA and Canada 911 and the Philippines.

WORLDWIDE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunk_driving_law_by_country

Warnings in songs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Vehicle_wreck_ballads

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Problems Caused by Screaming in the Streets and Pools, Shouting and Playfighting in Public Places

The Problem
On public transport all over the world I am distracted by the sounds and movement of families, especially children.

Whilst I am trying to read, I hear babies and toddlers shrieking.

Sudden movements catch my eyes and distract me. It is teenagers or siblings jumping around, dodging behind their parents - playfighting.

You always have to be alert on public transport, to be prepared for pickpockets, drunks, beggars, falling elderly people, or dangers.

 Sudden movements must distract security staff to anybody monitoring building cameras. People in the swimming pool are constantly shrieking. You would never know if there was a real problem.

   Drunks shout on the way home. After murder cases you hear local people say: "People shout all the time. I thought it was a domestic."

Solution
I think supermarkets and trains should have warning signs.

Signs in public places should say:
                        When standing in one place - Keep still.
                        Keep quiet.
                        No playfighting.
                        No shouting.

                        Then when there's an emergency, we can quickly spot the problem.
What do you think?

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

The latest traveller-friendly information on Singapore trains

We are so lucky to live in the computer age.

Signs on some of the trains now tell you which side to get off.

This train carriage has a sign which shows you the next stop. Rotating signs show pictures of local landmarks such as museums, churches, temples, shopping malls, and community Clubs. For example, Newton MRT station shows the Cairnhill Community Club. 

Why show the Community Club? Many people go to these large buildings for lessons such as learning Mandarin, keep fit classes, family activities, seasonal celebrations. I visit community clubs for meetings of Toastmasters International.

Singapore is a great stopover between Russia or Europe and Australia. 

Travel Tips

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

australia.com

visitbritain.com

visitbritain.shop.com

visitbritain.org

visittheusa.co.uk

visitsingapore.com

Singapore Airlines: 

singaporeair.com

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/12/secret-travellers-seen-on-newton-station.html

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/01/cute-musicians-in-cartoons-on-toilet.html

See also my posts on Waterloo Street, The National Gallery, and Singapore's big attractions.

Holland Village MRT windmill, Singapore, shows us the way, so does Sherlock in Baker Street, London

Down on the platform you can see this mural showing a Dutch style windmill. The windmill ties in with the name Holland Village.

That's what the art work on every station should show, a reminder of the name. I would have preferred a repeating pattern of windmills or other local landmarks or historic photos. 

To my mind, every station should have a colour scheme, with accents in a warm colour. Here you have pale blue with occasional touches of red or pink or yellow.

Other stations also feature the local area.

My favourites in London, England

Baker Street.

Sherlock Holmes.

Victoria Station.

My least favourites In Singapore

Cashew

Little India - a lot of brown and grey an monotone. Outside in Little India the ladies are wearing colourful sarees. The Little India station should by a riot of colour, like the Diwali patterns used to decorate the trains..

Deepavali decorations on trains in Singapore.

Why Go to Viareggio? It's In Tuscany in Italy. Why not?

Problem
My British friends want to know whether I recommend Viareggio in Italy for a holiday. They are retired and not into beach holidays but want to use it as a base for touring, not by car but public transport. What is for and against going to Viareggio?

Answers
First, how do you pronounce it? Via - reg - ee - oh. The double g makes a soft J sound.

All the Brits have loved it for years. To put it another way, it is popular, like Benidorm and Torremolinos and Blackpool. It's popular. It's full of tourists. Why does everybody go there?

Firstly a huge long straight sandy beach edged by hotels. Miles of sun loungers and sunshades. Yes, you may have to pay, if those beach items are the property of some business other than your own hotel.

It's a strip. I was disappointed. I'd previously done the Amalfi drive, all scenic hilltop views and cute little coves. But not room for coachloads of tourists, huge hotels, and yards of ice cream sellers, which is what you get at Viareggio. (Also check whether you get a white sandy beach, a grey stony beach, or rocks, or a harbour with boats and no swimming but lovely for sitting in the sun and shade under an umbrella by the water.)

I suggested that my first my friends should use Streetview to take a look at the resort and any hotel which is offering them a good deal.

Next, they should make a list of their favourite destinations or excursions. Check in both directions. For example, it might be cheaper to stay in New York and visit Washington DC, or cheaper to stay in Washington DC and visit New York. Similarly compare London and York, or Viareggio and tourist sites.

Which cities offer the most accommodation? And is it mostly big expensive hotels, or little family run guesthouses? Will you be near the pick-up points for tours at the big hotels? Or near the bus stop and train station at the guest house?

Tuscany or Umbria or both?
Tuscany is on the west coast of Italy and had famous tourist sites such as the leaning tower of Pisa. If you want beaches, go to Tuscany.

We once stayed in Lido de Jesolo - and took an excursion (at extra expense) to Venice.  We were disappointed to be not as near to Venice as we had expected. We spent more time and money than expected going to Venice, and less time than we had intended in Venice.

Why Umbria?
I travelled most recently to Umbria as a guest of the tourist board. I was very taken with the cpaital Perugia, with its huge Etruscan gate against the gigantic sheer cliff face. It does involve some uphill walking on cobblestones.

If you want to swim and have a generous budget, a couple of the larger hotels have wonderful indoor and outdoor pools. One hotel's spa has underwater jets and an indoor-outdoor pool.

The other top hotel has an indoor swimming pool with views of historic ruins.

We stayed in a romantic restored castle. The outdoor pool was closed in the off season.

Try Tuscany
If you want flat sand to stroll along the water's edge, the sea with waves, people, then you want Viareggio in Tuscany.

My relatives did a driving tour of Tuscany and Umbria. See my other posts on Italy.

The Viareggio carnival is held early in the year, between January and March.
The Puccini music festival is in July-August.

Excursions
Puccini's house.
Pinocchio Park.
Lucca towers.
Pisa - about 20 miles.
Florence - about 60 miles.

Useful Websites and Links
LANGUAGES 

http://duolingo.com
http://www.dummies.com/languages/italian/italian-greetings-and-good-byes/

earwormslearning.com

https://translate.google.com/ (Useful for translating into English.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

LEARNING ITALIAN LANGUAGE

https://wikitravel.org/en/Italian_phrasebook (pronunciation)

TRAVEL
Tuscany
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/06/see-rossi-multiple-motorcycle-winner-on.html

Viareggio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viareggio

Umbria
http://umbriatourism.it
https://twitter.com/UmbriaTourism
@UmbriaTourism  
#loveUmbria

Italy
http://www.italia.it/en/home.html

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Underwear Confidence For Long Journeys And Leaking

Problems
Forms of Transport:
TRAINS; PLANES; COACHES
There are line ups for the toilets on trains, long-distance coaches, coach stops, railway stations, aircraft.
MOTORWAYS
On a motorway you could be stuck in a traffic jam as long as seven hours.
WALKING, HIKING, CLIMBING, CAMPING
When hiking or even on a walking trail, you might not see a toilet, and going to the toilet outdoors might invite attacks by dogs or bears.
Camping in a tent whether on flat land or up a mountain on Everest and other mountains, you may not wish to go out into the dark and cold, even if you have a separate toilet tent.

Physical And Mental Conditions:
If you are pregnant, elderly, have a medical condition or weak bladder, had too much coffee or too much alcohol, you might need a toilet before you can reach one.
Stress incontinence from coughing and sneezing and laughing.
Unpredictable periods (menstruation).
Heavy periods.
Bladder or muscles weakened by pregnancy, youth, age, medical condition or unidentifable factors.
Foreign food upsets your stomach.
Fear gives you the runs.

Answers
You can buy a plastic child's potty with or without a lid, a commode chair to take or send to a second home or holiday home, buy devices for men and women to keep in the car, or improvise
1 Double thickness underwear. Two pairs or thongs under granny knickers.
2 Panty liners.
3 Waterproof and / or water absorbent underclothes.

Current (2017) Offers
1 UK
Morrisons supermarket sent me a special offer of a free packet of 10 Always Discreet and discount coupons for related products. If you pay the full price they cost 74 p.

2 INTERNATIONAL
Facebook is carrying ads for ICON panties, from a website headed Thinx. When I clicked on the page I found dozens of reviews about the various merits of the company's products, the different sizes, which shape of figures different styles suited. They discussed Thinx, ICON Panties and Poise Pantiliners.

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Water, water, everywhere, but which is safe to drink?

Generally if you see a sign which says DRINKING WATER you might assume the water is safe to drink. But a glass is no guarantee, because hotels worldwide put glasses and cups in hotel bedrooms even when the bathroom water is not safe to drink.

Firstly, is the country known to have safe drinking water? Water in the UK is safe to drink when it's running water. But water in bathrooms in private houses and public buildings may be stored in tanks. You will also see signs on trains in England and Wales: not drinking water.

London 's Hard Water
The water in London is hard. It sometimes developed a cloudiness which may dispel.

Soft Water
When I travel to Fishguard in Wales or Swanwick in Derbyshire I always enjoy washing and showering, and washing my clothes and hair in soft water.

If you really like soft water, when you are in west Wales or the Midlands, take a bottle of water from London and fill the bottle with soft water to drink on the journey back to London.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

No Unnecessary Noise Please, Children

A recent newspaper report says a head teacher was trying to quell noise at break time. Quite right for the head teacher to attempt to reduce break time noise levels and make children conscious of volume.

At playtime the noise from the nearest school can be heard right down the street. Shouting prevents neighbours having an afternoon nap. Noise disturbs the elderly or sick - or anybody just wanting to sit in their garden. Children walk down the street shouting. They yell to each other on trains.

     

Crying Wolf
It's in the children's own interest to talk quietly so that if they shout in an emergency others can hear and take action. Several times after fatal incidents people reported hearing screaming but not calling the police because they thought shouting and screaming was just a friends' or family tiff and 'normal' behaviour.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, speaker, author.