Speaking this month we have:

1. Denise Heywood – Sir Stamford Raffles Art Collector & Discoverer Of Singapore

   Raffles, whose name is synonymous with a luxury hotel rather than the greatest Buddhist temple in the world, was the enlightened 18th c colonial administrator of Java. This lecture tells the story of Raffles, a scholar and polymath. It looks at the objects he collected, reveals the temple, Borobudur, he uncovered in Java, shows Singapore, which he chose as a centre for trade and reflects on the legacy of his travels and life.

2. Alan Palmer – Travels in India’s North East Frontier Agency (Part 1) – Amongst the Headhunters of Nagaland

   Alan Palmer previously presented for us at The Globetrotters Club three years ago when he delivered an illustrated talk about his experiences of trekking through the High Atlas and Ant-Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Having first visited the country in 1979 and having regularly trekked there since 1986, he was in a good position to do so. More recently, he has focused upon the rich cultural diversity of North East India.

   During the course of two seasons in 2015, first through the deluge of the summer monsoon and then under the clear, blue skies of winter, Alan crossed the mountainous tribal regions of Arunachal Pradesh (inadvertently almost straying into Bhutan), traversed the plains of northern Assam, and then sought out remote traditional villages in Nagaland (accidentally wandering across the border into Myanmar, Burma).

   Alan will present an illustrated talk to us about his recent travels, focusing upon the remarkable ethnic and cultural diversity of the people he met in this remote corner of North East India.

   From the history of Nagaland’s head-hunting tribes to opium smoking chiefs on the Burmese border,  and from the 19th century conflicts with the early British colonialists to the battlefields of the Second World War against the Japanese plus, of course, the wonderful 10-day Hornbill Festival.

   Alan is author of “Moroccan Atlas – The Trekking Guide” (Trailblazer Publications 2010, second edition 2014).He has also contributed to Pakistan and The Silk Road (both by Insight Guides). In 2012 he formed his own company, Yak Travel Limited, planning and organising fully personalised treks and 4×4 tours for individuals and small groups in Morocco and North East India.

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.

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