A fire on May 20 burned for over two hours aboard the historic 19th-century Cutty Sark, kept in dry dock at Greenwich in southeast London. The skeleton was substantially damaged and much of the deck was destroyed.
The damage could have been worse; the masts, the coach house and half of the planking had been removed for restoration. The figurehead was rescued.
The government of Tanzania has banned further construction of hotels and lodges in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCAA). They now will be built outside the area and visitors will be driven into the parks. Also, after this season’s harvest, farmers will not be allowed to grow crops in the NCAA.
The Madagascar government has proclaimed 15 new conservation areas, adding 2.65 million acres for a total of nine million acres under protection.
Six months after being evicted from Kidepo National Park in Uganda, near the Kenya border, over 4,000 Toposa warriors from southern Sudan reentered in early May along with their 10,000 head of cattle.
The livestock competes with wildlife for pasture, and the herders someimes kill predator species, like endangered cheetahs, to protect their animals.
A Kenya Airways Boeing 737-800 crashed on May 5 after taking off from Douala, Cameroon, on a stop en route from Ivory Coast to Nairobi. There were no survivors among the 114 people from 27 countries. The cause is unknown. The aircraft was six months old, and the airline has a good safety record.
The 19th-century clipper ship Cutty Sark (King William Walk, Greenwich, London SE10 9HT, U.K.) reopened to visitors on April 25, 2012.
For Android and Apple devices, the free app “Lough Derg Trails” describes 21 walking itineraries in Ireland, with photos. Itineraries may be downloaded to the phone for use without a data connection.
At any of four luxury hotels in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, book three nights or more (including Dec. 21, 2012) and get the room for free on the night the Mayan calendar ends. If the world ends, the hotel will repay you double your money.
Rates run $350 per night, double, for a one-bed, one-bath condo to $1,130 for 3-bed/3-bath with views. Contact Condo Hotels Playa del Carmen (866/479-2738). Festivities, Mayan ceremonies, tours and performances are planned.
During La Route du Champagne en Fête (website in French only), a festival in several towns in the Aube department of France, Aug. 6-7, 2011, a number of cellars open so visitors may taste champagne. Events and exhibitions are also held.
In Buñol, Spain, every year in the last week of August, thousands gather to throw 100 tons of overripe tomatoes at each other. La Tomatina lasts all week, with live music, cooking contests and fireworks, but in 2011 the actual tomato battle will take place 11 a.m. to noon, Aug. 31. Participants clean up in the river. 40,000 people attended in 2009. Visit www.andalucia.com/festival/latomatina.htm or contact Tourist Office of Spain (New York, NY; 212/265-8822).