The end of season meeting for London means its members slide time – this year we enjoyed nine good speakers who took us to a variety of destinations around the world and for a whole host of reasons !
Zara Taylor : The face of Bangladesh. Zara headed out to Bangladesh over Christmas 2009 and was immediately struck how unlike India the country is, despite being nearly landlocked by its larger neighbour. Her tour took her to the national park near Mongia NOT to see any Bengal Tigers, to the alleged longest beach in the world at Cox’s Bazaar and into contact with the hill tribes near Chittagong. Summing up, Zara noted that the rivers of Bangladesh are its commercial lifeblood, its roads, its way of life…
Andrew Redwood : North Korea. Andrew started off talking about his twin drivers in going to North Korea – dread & curiosity ! To the chagrin of independent travellers like Andres, there is no solo travels – all tourism & visits are through strictly licensed companies and guides. As you might expect the country is virulent in its anti US propaganda and the masses & the army are always drilling in preparation… However there are brighter sights – particular aboard the train from Beijing, whereas the constant vigilance eases & time to view is more free flowing.
David Shamesh :Mediterranean cruise. David whistled us around some of the Mediterranean’s more renowned ports of call…Cadiz, Gibraltar, Sardina & Rome being his photographic highlights.
John & Roz Williams : Iceland. Entertaining duo John & Roz showed us some good photos of Iceland in June. Their itinerary treated us to the highlights of Husavik for whale watching, numerous waterfalls, Fumaroles near Myvatn bubbling sulphur laden warm waters and then across to the Western Fjords. You could almost smell the distaste as John described the locally delicacy of fermented shark ! All in all a top talk and where next for John & Roz I wonder…
Sue Baker : Hunting for Erica ! Two years ago in Capetown Sue shared time with her son & a travelling friend enjoying the landscapes & diversity of South Africa – Robben Island, mountain walking, wine tours in the Stellenbosch locality before searching for Erica… Only up in the Cederberg Mountains did the audience understand who/what Erica was…after we’d been spoilt by the Maltese Cross & ancient cave paintings along Sue’s journey.
Picture courtesy of PlantzAfrica.com : Erica plukenetii
Phil Ferguson : Assam & Nagaland. Phil’s travels were again well highlighted – this time he was off in the less well exposed north east Indian states of Assam & Nagaland…
Dan Bachmann : Albania & Kosovo. Dan continues on one of his quests – to visit every country in Europe ! This time it was Albania & Kosovo, as he sought beaches & whether there was any truth in the perception that he was supposedly heading into a land of thieves & murderers. Dan found a more relaxed nation, working through to a modern world of Italian tourists & businessmen, what to do with Enver Hoxha’s bunkers and taking excellent evening sunshine photos.
Liz Cooper :The Galungan Festival in Bali. Knowledgeable travellers Liz headed off to the Galungan Festival, where the many Indonesian peoples thank god for his creations on earth and all its content. As you might expect it was a presentation of colour, noise and fascinating people…
Jacqui Trotter : New York. Our very hardworking committee member Jacqui zipped off to NYC to help celebrate a friend’s birthday and relaxed by spending a whole day walking around Central Park and getting lost, whilst wandering around one of the busiest cities on the planet !!
Details of the London branch’s forthcoming meetings will soon be detailed at https://globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon10it.html
The London branch 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, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend. There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh in September. For more information, contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 7193 2586, or visit the web site: www.globetrotters.co.uk.