May 2007 Meeting Report By Chitvari
Tom Fremantle returned to Globetrotters in May to impart his travel philosophy and to share some inspirations for his journeys. His talk, Journeys in slow motion – lively tales of slow travel was a medley of his trips, including his bike ride from Swanbourne, UK (famous for its Norman church) to Swanbourne, Australia (famous for its nudist beach)! This trip was partly inspired by his great, great, great uncle who sailed to Australia in 1829, and after whom the Fremantle port is named.
Tom told us of books that have inspired him, including Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck and Travels with a Donkey by Robert Louis Stevenson. However, Tom suggested that travel need not be to far flung places and quoted a further book Travels around my Bedroom by Xavier de Maistre.
He urged us to ponder Homer’s words that it’s not the journey itself but what you bring back with you that matters. When asked for his one piece of wisdom, he replied “that there is an awful lot of doom mongering in the world but travel gives one the privilege of seeing it through different eyes, less cynical eyes and to experience the wonderful support of others” … he then proceeded to give a second gem, “don’t procrastinate!”
Our second talk was by Amar Grover who told of his travels through China and Tibet: Yunnan to Lhasa by road from sub-tropical to Himalayan peaks. He started in Dhali, a beautiful walled town as popular with Chinese tourists as with foreign visitors and which is dominated by the San Ta Buddhist sculptures. Amar described the local nomadic Naxi people, whose women dress in traditional black and blue aprons and who rule the community … inheriting the wealth and choosing their lovers.
Amar told how he encountered the great and much worshipped bend in the Yangtse river at Shiga, where the red army crossed on their long great march (later forming the communist party). He described the “water pipe bridge” that he used to cross the river as he continued to Zhangdian (China’s Shangri La) still 1,600km, four rivers and six rugged ranges away from Lhasa.
Tsakalho was Amore’s first Tibetan town. From here he crossed snow covered passes such as the Gama La pass that with its 180 bends takes one from winter to summer in a matter of hours … unless that is you are walking, as Alexandra David-Neel did in the 1920s (My Journey to Lhasa) while disguised as a simple monk.
Amar arrived in Lhasa, a modern Chinese city and stepped from his jeep (the journey from China to Tibet still has to be by organised tour – although that can comprise two-three people) onto the 104 bus. Lhasa is the city of the holy Jokhang temple around which pilgrims walk the 1km Barkhar circuit (clockwise) … demonstrating that the Tibetan faith remains strong, even against the odds.
By Chitvari
London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on (+44) 020 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk