Speaking this month we have:

1st. Jacqui Furneaux – ​Seven years from India to Bristol on an Enfield bullet!

Jacqui Furneaux reveals the story of her unexpected and unplanned lengthy journey through 20 countries with her trusty 500cc motorbike. It tells the reasons for this epic trip and how a six-month holiday became a seven year way of life in Asia, Australasia and the Americas. Hear how a 50 year-old nurse becomes a mechanic and adapts to life on dusty roads and goat tracks from the mountains to the sea, through barren deserts to lush jungles.

Topics covered include:

• How it all started;
• the 500cc Enfield Bullet motorcycle;
• the travel method and tips on how to do it;
• benefits and disadvantages of being female in this activity;
• triumph over adversity;
• people met along the way;
• highs and lows,
• fun and fear!

Find out more at:

• Website: www.jacquifurneaux.com
• Facebook:- Jacqui Furneaux Travels
• Instagram:- @jacqui.furneaux
• Jacqui’s book is called “Hit the Road, Jac! Seven years. Twenty Countries. No plan“.

2nd. Zara Taylor – Anhui Province – Home of the Four Treasures of Chinese brush painting

As a practitioner in the art of Chinese brush painting, this is a journey to explore the province renowned for its manufacture of the materials for painting – the 4 treasures. Still being produced today by artisans, using ancient and secret methods passed down through the generations. With few foreign tourists, a hidden gem, a region with many ancient villages, water towns and unique Hui merchant architecture to discover.

By tradition we follow this meeting with a New Year Party post-meeting – everyone is invited to bring food and wine or soft drinks (we are not allowed beer or spirits) and participate!

Admission costs, we charge a small cash fee of £3 for Globetrotters members and £6 for non-members on the door to cover our expenses, tea/coffee and biscuits are included free in the interval between the talks.

You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting between 45 – 60 minutes.

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here

Speaking this month we have:

1st. Kim Rix – Gemstone adventures in Myanmar (Burma).

There aren’t many unspoilt travel destinations that offer a tourist both an authentic and exciting experience, but Myanmar is certainly one of them, Kim has discovered.

In the course of writing the seventh book in the Gemstone Detective travel guide series, Kim travelled to Myanmar twice in 2019 to undertake research.  Unable to stay away, she is about to return as leader of a gem tour to Mogok, Valley of the Rubies.

Besides giving her audience a flavour of the gem trade in Myanmar, Kim will show that there is so much more to Myanmar than its deserved reputation for fine gemstones.

Foodies will find that the incredible local cuisine will their mouths watering for more.  Fans of architecture will find much to admire in Myanmar’s dazzling Buddhist temples.  Those who love the great outdoors will be spoilt for choice with some great trekking routes, spectacular scenery and pretty waterfalls in the rainforest around Mogok.

Kim passionately believes that Myanmar is the travel experience of a lifetime. “It was so hard to put the camera down.” she says, “The only time it left my hands was when they served Laphet – a local salad of fermented tea leaves, shredded cabbage, deep-fried beans, nuts, peas and tomatoes, all flavoured with chilli and garlic. You won’t have tasted anything like it before!”

For more information visit:

• https://www.gemstonedetective.com/
• Instagram: Gemstone_Detective
• Twitter: @kimrix
• Facebook: GemstoneDetective

2nd. Robin Ratchford – Beyond our screens – in search of our own perspectives

Iraq, North Korea and Chechnya – three fascinating places that, sadly, when they appear in the headlines it is usually for all the wrong reasons.  Yet each has its own history and culture and many aspects to it that rarely make it to through the forest of bad news.  Robin invites us to take a tour that goes beyond our screens – be they on TV, a laptop or our mobile phones – to look at some of the less-reported features of these three travel destinations

Robin Ratchford has lived in six different countries and visited more than 130 countries and territories on all seven continents.

Looking back, he thinks collecting colourful stamps from the age of six first sparked his interest in foreign countries and cultures all over the world. Travel, adventure and discovery are central themes in his life.

The people he meets and the cultures he has experienced are a constant inspiration for Robin’s writing.

Born in the United Kingdom, Robin is currently based in Belgium.

He counts learning and improving his knowledge of several European languages among his constant passions.

He and his faithful companion Mortimer the Fox Terrier live in Brussels.

find out more at:

• robinratchford.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Admission costs, we charge a small cash fee of £3 for Globetrotters members and £6 for non-members on the door to cover our expenses, tea/coffee and biscuits are included free in the interval between the talks.

You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting between 45 – 60 minutes.

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here

Speaking this month we have:

1st: Kevin Brackley – “It wasn’t my fault”

2nd. John Pilkington – Llamas and Gangsters in Bolivia

Until 20 years ago, trains of fluffy, brightly-tassled llamas would set
out each June on a 300-kilometre, three-week journey over the Andes
using a track dating back to Inca times. Their woven saddlebags were
loaded with blocks carved from the Uyuni salt lake – the biggest and
highest in the world – which the drovers traded in the lowlands for
maize, honey, chillies, and (this being Bolivia) coca leaves. Our
President joined one of the last of the dwindling caravans.

Going back another 100 years, Bolivia was the haunt of two of America’s
most wanted runaways – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. A Bolivian
miner’s wage packet wasn’t great, but there were a great many miners and
they were all paid weekly in cash. The payrolls were taken to each mine
on horseback. It was just too tempting for the ‘Yanqui’ outlaws; but did
Paul Newman and Robert Redford tell us the whole story? Come and hear
what really happened.

Unfortunately Jim Holmes has had to postpone his talk.

Postponed: Jim Holmes – The Altai of Western Mongolia.    

I travelled around Western Mongolia for UNICEF working on a photographic documentary. From remote camel herding communities to vast moon-like landscapes punctuated by shimmering lakes, this is a location for those who love wide open spaces. Subsistence agriculture and few public services make this a tough environment for families. See how UNICEF is supporting schools to make children’s lives and futures stronger.

Jim Holmes is a professional photographer that specialises in worldwide humanitarian issues.

Find out more at:

• Website: www.jimholmes.co.uk
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JimHolmesDocumentaryPhotography/

Admission costs, we charge a small cash fee of £3 for Globetrotters members and £6 for non-members on the door to cover our expenses, tea/coffee and biscuits are included free in the interval between the talks.

You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting between 45 – 60 minutes.

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here

The meeting for April been postponed to a future date due to the Corona virus and the national guidance on self-isolation and social distancing.

Health advice

We’re asking all members/visitors to follow the national guidance on self-isolation and social distancing. This includes not going out to the pub, the theatre, or to other social activities. You should stay at home if you have either:

• a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
• a new, continuous cough – this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly

Do not go to a GP, pharmacy or hospital and please don’t call 111 unless you have to.

If you are unwell, the people who live with you will also need to stay home.

Admission costs, we charge a small cash fee of £3 for Globetrotters members and £6 for non-members on the door to cover our expenses, tea/coffee and biscuits are included free in the interval between the talks.

You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting between 45 – 60 minutes.

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here

The meeting for May been postponed to a future date due to the Corona virus and the national guidance on self-isolation and social distancing. We are running some online meetings in the meantime.

<strong>The meeting for May been postponed to a future date due to the Corona virus and the national guidance on self-isolation and social distancing. We are running some online meetings in the meantime.

Speaking this month we would have had:

1st. Janet Parsons – Palestine: Beyond the Wall (rescheduled to December 2020)

Palestine is a land of striking contrasts, from its ancient limestone hills crowned with scattered villages and more recently dense clusters of Israeli settlements, to the vast stretches of the Judean desert, rich in remarkable sites and buildings. Very few tours visit places like Mar Saba, Hisham’s Palace and the palm shaded oases of this beautiful landscape.

Jan travelled through Palestine in 2017 with the Palestine Exploration Fund, meeting some of the hospitable Palestinian people across the West Bank including Bedouins and the Samaritan community with their ancient customs. We will visit the holy sites in Hebron, a volatile city where tensions run high, Qumran, home to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Temple Mount in Jerusalem – a significant site to the three major world religions. Jan’s talk will also address the impact of the Separation Wall in the context of the more recent history of Palestine.

Jan Parsons was Chairman of Guildford Travel Club from 2013 – 2019. A keen photographer, her particular interest is visiting ancient and remote sites away from the tourist trail where travel, history, culture and archaeology meet.

2nd. Andy Browning – Following in Family Footsteps. (rescheduled to October 2020)

They say a picture paints a thousand words, well not this one.  Having stared at the same unremarkable photo on his grandparent’s wall for years, Andy was surprised to discover not only was this picture taken in Sudan, but also the slightly dusty and angry looking man holding a bicycle was in fact his Great Grandfather – a revelation which could only lead to one thing.

Following in Family Footsteps is the story of how an old sepia photograph inspired a three-month adventure following 80-year-old family footprints through the mountains and deserts of East Africa.  As well as negotiating sandstorms, pool sharks, rogue bus drivers, active volcanoes, and some of the hottest temperatures the planet has to offer, this is also the story of an often-misunderstood corner of Africa through the eyes of two people generations apart.”

Find out more at:

• Website: www.andyexplores.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndyExplores
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/andyexplores

Admission costs, we charge a small cash fee of £3 for Globetrotters members and £6 for non-members on the door to cover our expenses, tea/coffee and biscuits are included free in the interval between the talks.

You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting between 45 – 60 minutes.

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here

The meeting for May been postponed to a future date due to the Corona virus and the national guidance on self-isolation and social distancing. We are running some online meetings in the meantime.

Speaking this month we have:

1st. Julian Elliott – The eagle hunters of Mongolia

To the outside world we often think that Mongolia and eagle hunters go together. But in reality the eagle hunters we so often associate with the country are in fact of a Kazak origin and live in the west of the country.

Julian’s journey to the west of the country was fraught with troublesome weather but once the epic journey commenced Julian’s was introduced to three different eagle hunter families.

The journey ended at an eagle festival that was held in celebration of the Kazak new year. A festival that was fascinating to behold along with the characters that took part in it.

2nd. Will Batho – Using adventure to inspire change

A former helicopter pilot to the special forces, extreme sports fanatic, educator and coach, Will combines his love of adventure with his experience of personal development in challenging situations. His incredible journey of discovery during Expedition Himalaya with a group of wounded veterans will explore the power of the outdoors and the science driving transformation through adventurous journeys

Admission costs, we charge a small cash fee of £3 for Globetrotters members and £6 for non-members on the door to cover our expenses, tea/coffee and biscuits are included free in the interval between the talks.

You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting between 45 – 60 minutes.

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here