With the Euro faltering, retailers going under and an altogether 'bad vibe' hanging over Christmas this year, I'm pleased to report that on myWanderlust, at least, peace on earth and goodwill to all men is still, happily, apparent.
Hmoat 01 set the tone with her heartwarming tale of The Girl in the Planet Pyjamas. Hmoat 01 met the girl in question, Caroline, at an orphanage in Kenya and told her the story of The Three Simba's, an inventive, reworked version of The Three Bears when Caroline said she didn't know what a bear was. Touched by Caroline's plight, hmoat 01 sponsored her and happily reports that she is about to start secondary school.
Equally heart warming is the comments section where fellow myWanderlusters share stories about the children they sponsor in places afar afield as Kathmandu, Afghanistan and Malawi.
Reading through Vikkired's accounts of her InterRailing adventures, it sounds like she could have done with a bit of goodwill. Bags nicked, fundamentalist house mates accusing her of all kinds of things, banks questioning her date of birth. Still, as Vikkired's accounts show, the best travel stories come from things going wrong. And there was a happy ending. On hearing of her travails Vikkired's dad insisted she go skiing in Zermatt. His shout.
Elsewhere, TaraGoldsmith gets altitude sickness in Yunnan Province, Connor Jt spots a Buddhist monk at the Vatican and Liz Cleere explains why she loves New York, New York (So good they named it twice, boom-tish!). Liz's post triggered an avalanche of 80s nostalgia so if you're into flouro legwarmers, wade in. Be warned: Sergeant Pluck admits to once owning a green pair. Too much information?
Kavey was virtually smothered with goodwill when she asked for advice on travelling to Japan over on the forum. Two old Japan hands, Hideo and MooseontheLoose, battled it out to provide the most detailed, useful and intriguing information on the land of the rising sun. I think Kavey is going to need more than two weeks.
Others are looking for advice on the forum, too. Larenj is heading to Indonesia during Ramadan and wants to know if that has any impact on travelling through the region at that time. Rebs89 wants to know what's good in Mozambique. And ronniekelly is looking for people to travel with in Asia. Help them out here.
The Girl on the Go in Baku is just back from Azerbaijan and was blown away by the scenery at Laza and the delicious Tscones, a cross between a giant Cornish pasty and a Calzone. Irish4Adventure is back from two weeks in Mexico. He loved the petrified waterfall and mineral springs at Hievre El Agua but not the overnight bus trips on twisty mountain roads. Closer to home, satkinson popped over to Ipswich and speaks highly of the Old Neptune Inn, built in 1490 and a great place to get together with friends. She also suggests a walk around the harbour and a beer at The Dove.
Billbain is back from the rice terraces of Banau. And ConnorJt from Switzerland and Italy.
Meanwhile, over at photography, myWanderlusters seem to be in denial. Outside gale force winds are battering towns and trashing wind turbines, but most of the galleries posted this week are bright and sunny. Aappytraveller treats us to the dry barren plains of Argentina. Jamie Furlong captures the tropical humidity of the South Park Cemetery in Delhi. And you can almost feel the skin-crackling heat of the Arches National Park in Peterj2002's set of photos. Only JayR enters into the spirit of Christmas with her shot of Erice in Sicily enveloped in mist.
Speaking of the spirit of Christmas, don't forget to check out Dr G's token of seasonal goodwill – a message of Christmas cheer imposed over a picture of him swimming in the Okavanga Delta.
It's not just for myWanderlusters, but for all mankind.
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