Holiday Ideas

Relaxing in an idyllic stone farm in the Auvergne

In Rosières (near the medieval town of Le Puy), Willem and Lydie Nouris have restored an old farm which they gladly share with guests. Here is their personal invitation: “For eleven years now, we, a Dutch couple, are living in the Auvergne, an authentic and peaceful region in France. Our home is an old stone farm, which we restored in the original style. It is situated at an altitude of 750 meters and offers breathtaking views on the Mézenc mountains. The village of Rosières is at 10 minutes walking distance.

We receive our guests in a personal and relaxed way. Visitors who enjoy nature, walking and stillness will appreciate the charm of the region: an abundance of flowers and berries, butterflies, birds (like buzzards, pheasants, kites), foxes and deer. Most relaxing is the rural quietness; a chat with an old farmer or a flock of sheep crossing your path will contribute to the idyllic environment.

We offer accommodation in spacious rooms either with bath or shared shower. There is also the possibility to stay in a caravan situated on a beautiful spot, dominating the valley. Or you can bring your own tent to camp on our 6 ha. land. Sanitary is perfect.

We are vegetarians and vegetarian cooking is Lidy’s favourite thing (she gives vegetarian cooking-lessons in an organic shop in Le Puy). Vegans are catered for as well. “La Garnasette” is the place for vegetarian gastronomes who like generous menus from all over the world.

We do not receive more than ten guests at any given time in order to guarantee quietness and a personal atmosphere. We are open all year, and especially our Christmas arrangements are very exceptional indeed!

We are looking forward to seeing you and send our best regards.

Willem and Lydie Nouris

Food:

Prices:

(per person, per week, full board)
Camping 270 Euro
Caravan 318 Euro
Room with private wash-basin and toilet, shared shower 360 Euro
Spacious room with private bath 405 Euro

EVU members receive a discount of 5 per cent.

“La Garnasette”
F 43800 Rosières
France
Tel&Fax 00 33 471 57 40 96

Sleeping in a tree? Why not? On Hawaii this is possible!

Aloha, here is another tempting offer for adventure by the Yoga Oasis, a retreat center on the Big Island of Hawaii, in the Puna district, open to individuals and group leaders for exclusive use and personalized programs. This center, situated in Hawaii’s largest conservation area, is just a short drive to natural thermal hot springs, sauna steam caves, a black sand beach, surfing, snorkelling, tide pools, Lava Tree State Park, farmers market, hiking to Green Mountain & Green Crater Lake. This secluded and private sanctuary, off the beaten path, is nestled on 26 acres of lush rain forest and surrounded by coconut palms, papaya, banana, mango, avocado and macadamia nut trees and a vast array of colorful, fragrant flowering plants. Sun, occasional rain showers and a perfect 60 to 80 degrees year round.

Accommodation

Up to 30 guests can be accommodated. The rates are the following (subject to change) per person and day – they include morning yoga class and breakfast:

1. Tree house. Three nights minimum for the special private 700 sq. ft. bungalow, consisting of 2 large rooms with bamboo floors, private full kitchen with stove and fridge, bath and a semi open shower downstairs. Sleeps 4 people: one queen size bed and one double size (soft) futon. Double: $225, each additional person: $25.
2. Camping, including breakfast and morning yoga class - all year rate $30 per person (does not include towels or linens).
3. Private Room or Tentalow (large tent like canvas structures built on coconut tree platforms with standard beds) - shared bath: single: $75, double $99.

Meals:

Home made vegetarian (or vegan) food is offered: Breakfast: $10, Lunch: $10, Dinner: $15

To customize the stay, there are several possibilities: Yoga class ($10), Herbal & Juice Detox.. ($75), Local nature and adventure tours ($25 and up), Thai Massage ($65), Avocado Salt Glow ($65), Hawaiian Lomi – Lomi ($65), Watsu - Water massage ($75).

For EVU members Yoga Oasis grants a 10 per cent discount off their regular room rates (not for special workshops or camping).

For more details please contact:
Yoga Oasis
P.O. Box 1935
Pahoa, Hawaii 96778, USA
Website: www.yogaoasis.org
Tel. 00 1 800-274-4446 or 00 1 808-965-8460

ANANDA: Adventure, Spirituality and Mutual Aid

THE IDEA

...is to explore small-scale sustainable alternatives to conventional tourism in India. Ananda is made up of local people from villages in the Kullu Valley and run at the Krishna Temple. The hosts are the Acharya family who as a family of Brahmin priests play an important community role.

THE AIM

...is a more holistic approach to sustainable development and tourism and the hope towards a greater whole, bringing together all aspects of personal, social and ecological development; this may eventually include schemes to promote knowledge of holistic medicine, renewable energy, waste management and sustainable architecture.

THE PLACE

...is the ‘Murlidhar’ Krishna Temple, perched on a forested ridge 1500 feet above the river Beas in central Himachal Pradesh (western region of the Indian Himalaya) which offers a spectacular views over the Kullu Valley, a place of immense beauty and tranquility.

THE ACCOMMODATION

...will be arranged in the family’s guesthouse next to the temple. Guest rooms are equipped with beds, sheets, tables and electricity. There is also a simple kitchen, a wash room with a ‘bucket shower’ and hot water plus an outside toilet, Indian squat style.

THE FOOD

...will be provided at the temple: normally rice and dal for lunch, and rice, chapatis and vegetables in the evening. The water is piped from a spring – filtering is recommended. Fresh milk every morning and evening is available (if you wish you can learn milking).

WHAT TO DO

Depending on the time of year, guests are invited to join in planting trees with local women’s groups, help on the nurseries, collect and sow seeds, or water seedlings. They can become an apprentice woodcarver, learn yoga, meditation, weaving, classical Indian singing, vegetarian cooking or go trekking.

COST

Accommodation and two meals a day at the Krishna Temple cost 3000 rupees per person for a week. Half of this fee goes towards sustainable development (presently the afforestation project). Alternative arrangements are possible for voluntary workers.

Lessons cost 150 rupees, woodcarving apprenticeships and Trekking prices differ.

If interested, please contact the Project Co-ordinator: Ben Heron
E-mail: benheron@ecosse.net
Website: www.anandaproject.org

Clubveg Nature Tours

Club Veg, a non-profit regional vegetarian education group in the Northeast United States, is planning its third Costa Rica Vegan Nature Tour February 14–23, 2003; and its first Alaska Vegan Nature Tour in August of 2003.

Costa Rica is a tropical paradise for vegans – enjoy the rainforests, hun- dreds of bird species and other wildlife, warm waters and snorkeling, tropical fruits and other delicious vegan foods. For more information, contact Sawtelle Travel at nature@sawtelletravel.com or call Sawtelle at 00 1 800-295-2222.

For information on food, contact Club Veg at clubveg@aol.com or 00 1 631-286-1343. The itinerary for the trip is available at www.clubveg.org.

The Alaska trip is still in the planning stages, if you are interested, let Club Veg know by contacting them at clubveg@aol.com or 00 1 631-286- 1343; they will keep you updated.

A Vegan Haven in Wales

The Victorian country house “Heartspring” is situated above the designated coastal Conservation Area Village of Llansteffan and surrounded by an acre of organically managed gardens. In this environmentally friendly and chemical-free restored house different holiday-formulas are offered: bed and breakfast, group courses and workshops, individual healing retreats, holistic therapy sessions and mini-breaks for relaxation (3 days, breakfast and evening meal cost from £185 per person).

Furthermore the services of many complimentary health practitioners are available who can provide sessions in aromatherapy, massage, healing, profound relaxation, reflexology, reiki, and many others including specific programmes for those suffering with M.E., Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia. Sessions tend to cost between £30 and £35 and can last between one or two hours depending on the individual practitioners. Individual retreats can be tailor- made to individual requirements.

Some details regarding the choice B&B: the rates vary between £28 and £38 per person per night (depending on the room) for the Summer season and the Christmas/New Year period. For the rest of the year they are slightly less. Included is a fully organic vegan breakfast (guests are welcome to bring in dairy products if they so wish, however no meat or fish products).

For other meals there are several alternatives: – to choose the self-catering option (a guest vegetarian kitchen is available), – to buy vegetarian meals from the local cafes and pubs. – to book the stay including evening meals in Heartspring which are fully organic and vegan and start at £6 per person per night (a speciality is the catering for those with specific food allergies and intolerances).

For EVU members, a 10 per cent discount on the accommodation rates is granted.

If you want to find out more about this offer, please contact:
Maddie Lynfield
HEARTSPRING
Hill House
Llansteffan
Carmarthen SA33 5JG
UK
Tel. 00 44 1267 241999
E-mail info@heartspring.co.uk
Website www.heartspring.co.uk

« Good vegetarian food 2002 » – a new guide for vegetarians travelling in Italy

This attractive book is bulging with useful information, sub-divided into regional segments. Not only does it offer a detailed list of restaurants and accommodation (including address, prices and opening times) but also descriptions of the respective areas and their most important cultural and historic points of interest as well as listing their food specialities. A further helpful feature is general tourist information, a list covering yearly programmes of local festivals, products, foodstuffs, wines and dishes.

However, the most mouth-watering element of the book are the photos of a collection of Italian vegetarian recipes. These are well explained and enable those who cannot actually travel to bring a bit of Italian flair into their own homes.

Carmen Somaschi, President of A.V.I. states in the introduction: “This guide to vegetarian restaurants in Italy is the result of years of work and chance will have it that it is taking shape just in time for the international year of sustainable tourism and for the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of A.V.I., The Associazione Vegetariana Italiana, which was founded by Aldo Capitini in 1952.”

Well, fifty years is a great age for any organisation and a success for the movement at the same time: Happy Birthday, A.V.I !

“Good vegetarian food 2002”
LINEA AVI (Tel. 00 39 2 33.240.348)
ISBN 88-7345-013-X
7.00 euro