Speaking this month we have:

1. Sian Pritchard-Jones & Bob Gibbons – Unknown Africa

   Africa, to the wider TV audience, means the big game parks of the East, the varied attractions of South Africa, like the Cape and, not so long ago, the wonders of the Nile in Egypt. But in fact most of Africa is still a dark, unknown continent, where in so many ways little has changed. Isolated villages of straw-roofed conical houses dot a dry scrub landscape as drums echo across the endless plains after sundown. Dark forests of tall trees disected by a quiet sluggish river; cicadas deafening at dusk. Eerie outcrops and tall turrets erupting from a Saharan sand dune, where the stars are overwhelming and the silence piercing. Animated, colourful traders in a dusty market shaded by a giant baobab tree or wild-eyed Tuaregs guiding a salt-laden camel caravan across an endless horizon.

   It takes a significant amount of planning, and increasingly more than the average ‘budget’ travellers’ resources, these days to get some parts of Africa. We were lucky to cross Africa overland since the 1970/80s and as recently as 2010 in our Land Rover. Places now off limits enthralled us: countries like Algeria, Mali, Niger, Congo-Zaire and South Sudan. Sadly today’s adventurers may struggle to ever get to these places. And yet there are some places, formerly unsafe, that are now on the radar of some contemporary explorers, like those here today perhaps.

   More a pictorial adventure, this program will take you to some of those places. We begin this mixed bag in the Horn of Africa: Djibouti, Somaliland and the Danakil of Ethiopia, where one of the most astonishing sights of Africa is the boiling lava lake of Erta Ale. In central Africa we’ll take you on a short trip to the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Zaire and Angola (a more recently accessible country).

   Our main programme will take you into one of the most underrated and surprising countries of Africa – Chad, where the Tibesti, Ennedi and Borkou regions have finally become safer than anywhere else in the Sahara. Isn’t that a big surprise!

   That’s the enigma of Africa: unknown places that one day may capture a new audience.

   

2. Paul Goldstein – Wildlife Photographer & Presenter Paul Goldstein is provocative in everything he does, whether photographing, guiding, presenting or fund-raising. His jobs consist of cramming in a full-time career with a tour operator, owning four safari camps in Kenya, guiding all over the world, fund-raising for tigers and other persecuted species and writing. “Raconteur, conservationist and photographer, Paul Goldstein is the man to improve your camera skills. Be warned: he is a human dynamo, but he will make sure that you go home with fantastic shots from Kenya’s finest big-game stronghold. The Maasai Mara is his second home.” Sunday Telegraph “Paul is not a man you want to disappoint. He takes a somewhat unorthodox approach to both photography and guiding – think Gordon Ramsay armed with lenses instead of saucepans.” The Independent If there’s a decent shot to be had, there’s a chance Paul’s already taken it. It’s why so many people are eager to sign up to his bootcamp-style photography holidays, which he commands with the unrelenting vigour of an army general, demanding – and achieving – results The Evening Standard Find out more at facebook and http://www.paulgoldstein.co.uk

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. 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 approximately 40 minutes.

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:

1. Jacqui Trotter – Serbia
2. John Pilkington – Up the Mekong to Tibet

• A story from back in 2003, when our president John Pilkington set out on an exciting trip up the world’s twelfth longest river from the South China Sea to Tibet and beyond. Starting in the ricefields of Vietnam, he made his way via Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar and through the gorges of China’s Yunnan province, meeting river-people of seven nationalities along the way. In a climax to the trip, he and two Tibetans stepped onto the glacier at the foot of Mount Guosongmucha, north of Tibet, where the Mekong rises at over 5,200 metres. He was the first European to reach and map its source.

  More at http://www.pilk.net

  

  

  

  

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.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. 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 approximately 40 minutes.

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

There is no meeting this month.

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.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. 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 approximately 40 minutes.

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:

1. Members Slides : Around the world in eighty minutes. 10 presentations of 10 slides

   This month we have a fast paced journey around the Globe..

   Speaking today we have:

   • Francesca Jaggs — Graffiti Around the World
   • David Shamash — Austria Salzburg
   • Jenny Fisher — Jamaican Taino Rock Art
   • Paul Gillingham — Buenos Aries
   • Marion Bull — Madagascar
   • Keith Macintosh — Himalaya
   • Justyna Hellebrand — Yemen
   • Jacek Obloj — Ethiopia
   • Miriam Mutizwa — Miriam’s travels
   • Hemant Amin, Jayesh Patel & Dan Bachmann — Uzbekistan

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.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. 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 approximately 40 minutes.

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:

1. Paul Hughes – Adventures closer to home.

   Having grown up in the North East of Scotland, Paul has always felt at home in the great outdoors. His interest in the natural environment has lead to him working in the outdoor industry in Scotland, for an environmental charity, traveling extensively and studying then teaching Geography.

   After moving to London in 2015 Paul became acutely aware that his urban ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ were in most cases completely detached with nature and wilderness…he decided that something must be done to change this. Therefore in the summer of 2016 he started his biggest adventure to date – to inspire others to leave the urban jungle and travel back to nature.

   Paul will discuss with you his journey of discovery including the why travel is essential and how you can invite adventure into your daily life.

   Find out more at www.rareescapes.co.uk, Facebook: www.facebook.com/rareescapes
   and Instagram: www.instagram.com/rare.escapes

   

   

   

   

2. Duncan Gough – Viaje en España – Travelling in Spains

   In this presentation Duncan talks from more than 30 years of journeys in Spain. His experiences have gone into his books ‘Back Roads of Spain’ and ‘Sketches of Spain’.

   The emphasis is on the real Spain of small towns and villages off the
   beaten track, of unusual and interesting places that few tourists may
   have found.

   It is about the Spanish character and culture, and how to make the
   most of interactions with this generous nation.
   Also covered is some of the more important legal and road safety
   issues, with a dash of ornithology and history.

   Duncan realised that many people don’t really think much in advance
   how they are going to record their holiday or adventure, or don’t find
   it easy to develop the record into a narrative.

   The aim of the presentation is to give a structure for making the most
   interesting account, whether for themselves, their grandchildren or
   with the aim of publication.

   It includes suggestions for equipment and information on details
   like the resolution requirements for photography that will print with
   decent quality, audio recording and routes to publication.

   Find out more at duncan-spanish-travel.com or on Facebook
   https://www.facebook.com/DuncanRGough/

   

   

   

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.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. 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 approximately 40 minutes.

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:

1. Kendra Ansley – Burma.

2. André Brugiroux – The Earth is but one country.

   André Brugiroux, who European newspapers have called “the Marco Polo of the modern times”, is the author of the best-selling book in French, “The Earth is but one country”, which describes his epic journeys of discovery and adventure that took me through 135 countries and 400,000 kms over an 18 year period. Book printed now in English under the title : “ONE PEOPLE, ONE PLANET“.

   At the age of 17, André left Paris with 10 francs in his pocket to realize a childhood dream of touring the world : not as a tourist, but rather as a student of mankind. After some years in Europe where André learned five languages, and in Canada to arrange financing, André set out to re-discover the world. As a hitchhiker on every conceivable type of transportation, living for most part on a dollar-a-day for six years (between 1967 and 1973), André covered the five continents without ever sleeping in a hotel.

   Noteworthy is André’s visit to Alaska in winter at minus 45°, the Australian desert at plus 50°, to the head-hunters of Borneo, a stay with buddhist monks in Bangkok, in an indian ashram for yoga, a kibbutz in Israel, the smuggling of precious stones in Ceylon and a jail in Costa-Rica (where André was mistaken for one of Che Guevarra’s guerillas) among many others.

   André slowly reached the conclusion, as a result of his experiences with so many of the world’s people, that, “the earth is but one country and all mankind its citizens”. After this first 18 year-long journey which was the university part of my life on the road, André continued travelling from France for another 30 years.

   André has now realised my childhood dream: to visit all countries and territories in the world. My last country (n° 251) was South Sudan in December 2011.

   André am just now back from Tristan da Cunha, the most isolated island in the world.

   To find out more about André visit:

   1. Website: http://andre.brugiroux.free.fr
   2. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andre.brugiroux

   

   

   

   

   

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.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. 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 approximately 40
minutes.

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:

1. Charlie Knight – Walking from Mexico to Canada.

   In April 2016, Charlie took a 6 month break from his marketing job and set out from the Mexican border to walk to Canada. Travelling the entire length of America, his 2650 mile trek took him across the Mojave Desert and the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains in California, through the forests and lava fields of Oregon and the rainy, misty peaks of Washington before 144 days later, he finally made it to the Canadian border.

   
   

   Along his journey he had run-ins with mountain lions, rattlesnakes and bears. He forded torrential rivers and crossed numerous high mountain passes. He endured severe cold, heat, dehydration and extreme hunger, losing 15kg in body weight in under five months.Having gone through his own private battle with anxiety and depression, Charlie undertook his adventure to promote awareness of mental illness and raised nearly £4000 for SANE mental health charity.

2. Jacki Hill Murphy – Travelling the Length of the River Amazon.

   In recreating the tragic 1769 journey of the first women to travel the River Amazon from a stream in Ecuador to the Atlantic in Brazil, a journey of 4,200 miles, Jacki travelled in local boats and encountered many dangers and wonderful encounters.

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.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. 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 approximately 40 minutes.

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:

1. Darren Axe – Treading lightly… Journeys among the mountains of Europe by boot, snowshoe and train.

   Darren is an International Mountain Leader with a passion for sustainability in the mountain environment. During ten years of journeys to, from and around Europe’s high places he has developed a wealth of knowledge and passion. This talk critically assesses our place in wilderness; from how we move in, out and around it to the activities we undertake within it. From the emblematic Alps to the intrepid Carpathians, this thought provoking talk takes us there and back again with stunning photography throughout.

   

2. Tim Holland – Russia

3. Philip Bichon – Yemen

   For many years Philippe Bichon has been working as architectural assistant in a workshop set in southwest of France, specialized in the preservation of architectural heritage. He enjoys travelling around the world with a pencil in his hand. As he wanders lonely he fills his travel diary with account, and also sketches and watercolors drawn on the spot that he doesn’t alter once back. This diary becomes a collective work enhanced with the accounts written in their own tongues by different encounters, or sometimes with their own drawings. More than a diary, the travel book becomes a link then, a way to share the journey with people met on the road.

   His artistic approach is mainly based on the travel diary itself. As he return home however he share his genuine account and sketches in a faithful published book so as to invite the reader to follow in his footsteps. Since people were becoming more and more enthusiastic, he decided to work as an artist, sharing his travels.

   About Yemen …

   Today, troubles in Yemen are so huge that we can’t know if we could again travel one day in this amazing country. Particularly attracted to architecture Philippe has been dreaming about discovering Yemen for many years. He was absolutely delighted when he first travelled there in 2009, a lonely six weeks tour by share taxis throughout western Yemen. He was overwhelmed by the outstanding architecture but also by the discovering of a so authentic and welcoming country. Speaking a little Arabic and playing ud, plus the fact that he draws on the spot helped him to meet several people. He was glad to be invited in 2010 by the Yemen Department of Tourism along with seven other European artists, a wonderful opportunity to increase his Yemen’s work.

   To know more : www.globecroqueur.com

   

   

   

   

   

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.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. 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 approximately 40 minutes.

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:

1. Sam McManus – The Pale Tablelands: Travels through the mountains of Ethiopia.

   Including travels through one of the lowest places on the planet in the Danakil Depression and traversing the highest plateau on the African continent, Sam McManus relates a three-month journey across this incredible country. The narration will include a historical, geographical & cultural overview of Ethiopia.

2. Alistair McLean – Hurtigruten – a bygone era of sea travel.

   For over 120 years Hurtigruten has delivered post, cargo and people to remote communities scattered along the breathtakingly beautiful coast of Norway. An increasing number of tourists are drawn to witness the atmosphere on board the ships, keen to experience the way of life, the nature and the very simplicity of what Hurtigruten does. The pressure to resist the onslaught of what the modern cruise lines offer has sustained this very unique service and is the very reason passengers are so passionate about the journey.

   Alistair McLean has worked with Hurtigruten for almost 10 years and has seen the innovative ways the company has set about modernising itself whilst retaining that bygone feel of sea travel at its most traditional sense.

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.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. 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 approximately 40 minutes.

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 4 talks and 5 speakers:

1. • Rosemary Alexander – Beijing.
   • Adam Lang – 72 hours in Beijing.

     “I have just returned from celebrating Christmas and New Year in Southern Goa and investigating “demonetisation and black money ” in India.

     Taking note of the ancient Nepalese Good Luck – Once a year go somewhere you have never been before- I travelled last November for the first time to China on a short visit to Hong Kong and Beijing interested as a ‘ foreign devil ‘ to find out more about China -Ancient and Modern.”

2. • Hilary Clark and Hemant Amin – Andate e ritorno: from London to the Mezzogiorno by train.

     Globetrotters may be independent travellers but they can – perhaps not surprisingly – also be great travelling and dining companions!

     A weekend rendezvous with other Globies in Naples was the highlight of a rail trip which took Hem and Hili from London via Paris to the deep south of Italy, stopping in Turin, Genoa, Sestri Levante, Naples, Salerno, Agropoli and Paestum. Hem finished the trip with a visit to Florence and Siena before returning on the “scenic” route via Milan, Basle and Paris.

   • Sylvia Pullen – The Philippines 2016.

     Sylvia talks about visiting Manila, then travelling on to the island of Palawan, then on to Cebu, Bohol and a couple of other islands before returning to Manila.

3. By tradition we follow this meeting with a New Year Party post-meeting – everyone is invited to bring food and drink and participate!

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.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. 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 approximately 40 minutes.

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