A jar of confiture (street value pounds 250, according to some Parisian restaurateurs) is on its way to Fife.. HAIM Nelu, a restaurant in the Israeli port of Jaffa, is entirely equitable in its pricing policy. But when I called in last weekend at this Jewish-Romanian enterprise, the menu seemed designed to turn me into a vegetarian. Choosing a starter is simple enough: jellied calf's foot is the standard hors d'oeuvre. For the main course you select from Modoviroa, which translates as spinal cord, Momitsa, a cow's tonsils, and, for something more cerebral, Viennese-style brain in breadcrumbs..

Swapping experiences with other travellers is one of the joys of a journey, particularly stories about the bottom end of the market, where the hotel rooms are rated according to the number of insects, rather than stars, they possess. The Sunset Hostel in Petra (turn right out of the ruins and it's the third on the left) provides a useful service for visitors to Jordan and the Middle East: a big exercise book in which travellers can pass on tips. A couple of examples for Jerusalem: 'Free beer at the Arizona bar from 7.50- 8.10pm - not great stuff, but it has the desired effect, and you'll be in the company of more travellers than in the whole of Syria and Jordan put together'; and 'A clean place to stay is the Sisters of Zion convent on Via Dolorosa. The cubicles in the dorm are only dollars 14, but some of the nuns snore very loudly.' Travellers who have not managed to do much research before setting off can get up to speed with comments such as this one from an Australian named Shaun: 'If you're sick of looking at historical sights, don't go to Syria - that's all there is there.'Instead, visit Lebanon, recommends Stephanie from New Zealand, because 'Baalbek is gobsmacking'. She also advises that you should 'Visit the war ruins in Place des Martyrs in Beirut before they clean it up.'Some travellers seem to have discovered the promised land - Dahab, on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula: 'You can eat like a pig and snorkel all day,' an anonymous contributor reports, 'then smoke lots of pot and opium.'. 'BARBADOS is the Southend-on-Sea of the islands,' a friend remarked when I said I was travelling to the Caribbean.

I had been to Barbados three times before and the similarity had never really struck me But I knew what he was driving at. Jumbo jets, the strong influence of English culture, and the genuine friendliness of the people have made Barbados a popular wintering spot for game-show hosts and tabloid celebrities. Michael Winner boasted of spending pounds 29,000 on a Christmas holiday there, but then he did fly on Concorde. My flight was somewhat cheaper. As I stood in line at Gate 43 for the Friday morning flight from Gatwick, I checked out the other passengers for signs of Essex Man. There did not seem to be a preponderance of 'big hair', gold necklaces, and fake tans; instead there were old ladies with too many bags and small boys with snorkels.Barbados lies east of the necklace of Windward Islands, running from Dominica to Grenada near the Venezuelan coast. It is a relatively small island, 14 miles wide and 21 miles long. The main tourist hotels hug the St James coast along the Caribbean Sea, where the best beaches are protected from the Atlantic winds.A taxi ride across the island confirmed not much had changed since I was last there four years ago.

We bounced at break-neck speed along narrow lanes between fields waving with ripening green sugar cane, slowing only when we got stuck behind a trailer carrying a terrified cow. The old blue and yellow buses had been replaced by the local version of the Shopper mini-bus. There seemed fewer of the traditional wooden shacks, and more prefabs, by the roadside. It was getting late, people were sitting out on their doorsteps enjoying the breeze, and a crowd had gathered in a dusty field to watch the last overs of a scratch cricket match.Unlike many of the other Caribbean islands, the inland scenery of Barbados is not dramatic, although the lanes across the cane fields are worth exploring in a rented Mini Moke.