This meeting will be held online in zoom in line with UK Covid-19 regulations.
Speaking this month we have:
1st. Janet Parsons – Palestine: Beyond the Wall
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 Luke Ripley – Nil by Air: London to Sydney without flying
Globetrotters member Luke Ripley will attempt to dispel the myth that intercontinental travel necessitates flying by describing the journey he made last year from London to Sydney, entirely by surface transport. Setting off from London’s St Pancras station, he travelled by rail to China, via the Trans-Siberian Railway, before joining a container ship for the two-week voyage to Brisbane, crossing the Philippine, Solomon and Coral Seas. Once ashore in Australia, he continued by rail to Sydney, with a few stops and side-trips en route. Not an aircraft in sight!
While aviation remains massively dominant in the travel industry, among those seeking to limit the environmental impact of their travels, and for whom the journey is at least as important as the destination, there is perhaps a growing awareness of the land transport alternatives. However, with the almost total demise of “proper” deep-sea passenger shipping, a voyage by freighter is now often the only practical means of crossing oceans for those determined to avoid air-travel, yet remains relatively little-known.
Luke is a railwayman first and foremost, but has considerable experience of cargo-ship travel, having made numerous voyages (inc. trans-Atlantic, trans-Pacific, Europe – S. Africa, Europe – E. Africa via Suez, and in the Med). As well as focusing on his own recent journey, his talk will touch on some of the joys, practicalities and obstacles involved in this form of travel more generally.
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Luke Ripley – Nil by Air -
Luke Ripley – Nil by Air
For forthcoming meetings we have
- a suggested donation £2-3 for members to help with our costs. Members will be emailed a ticket code link allowing access to this option or you can access it from the members area.
- We also have a limited number free tickets for members who have been financially affected by Covid-19
- a donation of £5-6 for non-members, non-members may join the club for £12 per year and get this and future meetings at members rate for £12, members can also watch the 3 previous online talks, members also receive Globe our members magazine and our annual members calendar, why not join and enter your pictures.
- a catch up to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders. (Members can also watch the previous online talks)
Brian Andersons’s talk has had to be postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Brad Parsk’s talk has had to be postponed as the expedition was postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic.
This meeting may be postponed to a future date or take place online due to the Corona virus and the national guidance on self-isolation and social distancing.
Hello how do I watch the catch up recording please
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Comments in chat on the talk by Janet Parsons – Palestine: Beyond the Wall
01:24:27 Sarah Turner: I agree Ana, interesting talk
01:24:58 Nauplio Jardim: wonderful talking
01:25:51 Tracey Murray: agree. great talk
01:26:05 Pamela Davies-Ratcliffe: A very interesting presentation. Thank you Jan,
01:28:14 Keith MacIntosh: Thank you Jan, excellent talk and good memories. I’m anything but religious but the Dome of the Mount is a special place.
01:28:29 Ana M Estruch: or barrier to peace & understanding?
01:28:47 Jackie Smith: Thanks Jan – excellent talk
01:28:50 Ania Mudrewicz: great talk and photos ! thanks !!!
01:29:06 Yamina Bensalah: thank you!!!! wonderful insight!!!! thank you
01:29:38 Elizabeth Atkinson: An excellent talk … thank you!!
01:29:40 Dave Bowen: Excellent interesting talk Jan. What an experience. Thank you for sharing.
01:30:01 Rajesh Mehmi: very interesting Thank you
01:30:10 David Short: Thank you Jan. A wonderful and interesting talk.
01:30:13 Ana M Estruch: excellent talk, photographs, etc. I’m with you Jan, it is very difficult to understand & get a feeling without visiting. as they say travel broadens the mind
01:30:40 kay Fawsitt: Excellent talk Jan. Thank you
01:30:54 Svatka Hermanek: Thank you. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
01:31:16 John Godfray: Excellent talk: thank you very much. Took me back to my trip in 1966!
01:34:54 Linda Cox: A very good talk. Bettina Selby wrote an interesting book about Palestine.
01:35:56 Patricia Shorter: very interesting , thank you.
01:36:48 Steve Parry: Thank you Jan, excellent talk.
Comments in chat on the talk by Luke Ripley – Nil by Air: London to Sydney without flying
3:12:40 Dave Bowen: Great, interesting tour for us Luke. Thank you.
03:14:06 Steve Parry: Superb talk Luke. Do you have your own website for info on alternative travel?
03:15:13 Tracey Murray: brilliant talk Luke. thanks for letting us share your journey
03:15:24 David Short: Great talk, Luke.Whetting my appetite for getting travelling again ASAP.
03:15:41 Sarah McCarthy: very interesting
03:15:55 Patricia Wager: How long did the journey take and did you return the same way?
03:17:27 John Pannell: Excellent talk
03:18:27 Svatka Hermanek: Luke, you made me think of the book by Kevin Young: Slow Boats to China. Also re the TransSiberian: I would like to follow a route my Grandfather took after the 1st WW as as POW to Vladivostok via Taiga, Chita, Chichigar, Harbin. He kept a diary that I still have. Thank you for the encouragement (have you seen “The Transsiberian” with Ben Kingsley?)
03:18:38 Patricia Wager: Were there other passengers on the ship?
03:18:43 Will Linsdell: A classic journey, brilliant to hear about it.
03:19:20 Rosemary Brown: Fascinating talk Luke! Thank you.
03:20:18 Patricia Wager: Was it 13 days on board? With NO alcohol!
03:20:27 Rajesh Mehmi: thank you for sharing your experience, very interesting talk
03:21:12 BERYL O’DONNELL: Thank you both for the talks – very interesting.
03:21:41 Jayshree Patel: thanks Luke. Great talk!Have to leave meeting now.
03:21:44 Ana M Estruch: Brilliant talk – travelled Trans Siberian (trans Mongolian) Moscow – Beijing Dec 2018. Did 5 stopovers. Lovely to see the trip not in snow, although snow was magical.Now retired, slow train travel is marvellous way to travel
03:22:49 Steve Parry: There is a great book I read called ‘Eight Bells and Top Masts” by Christopher Lee. He joined one of the last tramp ships sailing to the far East as a junior officer. It details his adventures aboard and in port. He is such a good writer he later became a history professor. Well worth finding used.
03:22:50 Patricia Shorter: Yeah, thanks Paul.
03:22:51 David Shamash: The second talk was at least non controversial and harmless.
03:23:04 Jayshree Patel: Great Talk Luke. Thank you. Have to leave meeting now. Bye!
03:23:28 Philippa Joy: Many thanks Luke
03:23:42 Rosemary Brown: A super double act with Jan Parsons and Luke Ripley. Just what we needed. Thank you.
03:24:01 Sarah McCarthy: Yes 🙂
03:24:24 Steve Parry: Tramps ships pick up what cargo is available in port on spec without scheduling far ahead.
03:25:50 John and Ros Pickston: Fascinating talk Luke, especially the great insight into life on board a freighter. Many thanks John and Ros
03:27:04 Svatka Hermanek: Thanks, Luke.
03:27:37 Ania Mudrewicz: really interesting talk Luke, thanks !
03:29:55 Michael Round: Thank you, fantastic presentation
03:35:47 Patricia Wager: Thoroughly enjoyed this afternoon’s talks. Thanks to Jan and Luke and all at Globetrotters..
03:35:55 Hem Amin: Great talk Luke. Very informative
03:36:58 Doreen Tayler: c. thank you Luke.
03:42:05 Dave Bowen: Great afternoon with two very interesting ‘tours’ by two superb speakers. Thank you Jan and Luke. Also, thank you of course to Paul and Globetrotters for organising. Have a happy and safe festive period everyone and I look forward to January’s meeting.
03:47:51 Gerard O’Mara: Such an interesting meeting – many thanks to the speakers