All posts by The Dragonfly

Write in (1) …Bishkek to Beijing with Gavin Fernandes

Long term club member, traveller extraordinaire and beer connoisseur Gavin has done it again with his latest adventure !  Whilst at the Travel Adventure show in London, Gavin entered Oasis Overland’s competition to win a place on their 40 day Silk Road expedition and won !  Congratulations Gavin and as he says in his own words… 🙂

The Ant

So here’s the story so far…

It all started with the Adventure Travel Show 2012 for which I volunteered as an Independent Travel Advisor as I have done every year if I’m in London and The Globetrotters Club has a stand there…

Shortly after getting details of the venue from Dick, I discovered the Show’s Facebook page and clicked-on so I got their updates. One of the first tweets was news that Oasis Overland were offering places on their Silk Road Expedition at half price for a limited time as a Show Offer. It was to be an “Exploratory” trip and would be followed by a Japanese film crew documenting the journey and one of their travelling countrymen as he made this 15 week overland trip. Apparently they’d filmed a couple of overland trips before on other continents, also featuring Japanese passengers as part of a series to introduce this relatively unknown method of travel to their viewers.

I had a quick look at the website and then emailed the company to check if the offer details were true and express my interest in the trip. I got a reply confirming that it was an offer for the duration of the travel shows and responded that I would come and chat to them there…

When I did, I discovered that they were also running a raffle to win a place on the trip; one winner from a prize draw at this show, another from the Destinations Show a week later. Each would win half the trip: either Istanbul to Bishkek or Bishkek to Beijing.

I was still mulling over the idea of doing the trip when I arrived at Destinations to discover that a winner had been drawn for the first leg – and it wasn’t me… but I could enter the second draw now..!

I was somewhat taken aback to receive a phone call the following week to tell me that my name had been picked out of the box and I’d won a place on the trip from Bishkek to Beijing!

In the days that followed, the question was “How do I get to Bishkek?” Do I now buy the first leg of the trip from Istanbul or fly to Kyrgyzstan? I considered all sorts of options including a route through Georgia and Armenia, transiting Azerbaijan and crossing the Caspian before coming down through Turkmenistan to meet the truck in Ashgabat!

My current plan is to join the trip in eastern Turkey before the drive across Iran. I’ve travelled around Turkey twice before (once on another truck on a similar route) so I’ll take the chance visit some new places in the country instead.

And at the end of the trip, I end up in north-east China, where I was based for a year in 2007 studying for a Master’s in photography. Might be a few friends and colleagues to look up…

This is the full trip as advertised on their website at full price

http://www.oasisoverland.co.uk/trips/Asia/details/147/-Exploratory–Silk-Road-Trip-15-Weeks-Istanbul-to-Beijing—-One-time-only-expedition-for-2012-.html

and I’ve attached an image of the route map.

Bishkek to Beijing
Bishkek to Beijing

Any other questions, please do ask…!

Gav

Globe goes digital.

After holding membership fees at 1995 prices we have reduced them by producing Globe digitally (and saving on the printing and postage costs).

Members can read Globe on or offline on

  • iPads & tablets.
  • Kindles & E-readers.
  • Smartphones; iPhone & Android.
  • Laptops and Computers.
  • Print out a paper copy of Globe .

Club membership now £12 a year for every member wherever they are in the world.

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Not a member?

Join now with our no-risk guarantee. If you find that Globetrotters does not offer the advice and information you need, let us know within 14 days of joining  and we will refund your subscription fee in full. Join today-Just Click Here!

As a member, you will be a part of the oldest travel network in existence and have the opportunity to make new friends who share your interest in travel. Once you are a member, you will receive a copy of Globe, access to our members area where you can contact other club members around the world, and even stay with some of them or offer to put fellow Globetrotters yourself!

Click here to join & become a Globetrotter.

No camera, so no pictures

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A seasoned traveller of deserts and jungles, Tony Annis, explains how he was conned in the urban jungle of Albuferia, Portugal.

Whilst in the water section of the supermarket Intermarche at approx. 1700 hours of the 7th September 2013, a group of three Brazilian girls approached me and asked for my help.  I speak Portuguese and lived in Brazil in the past and so know the accent. They asked for my help to find and lift down something from a high shelf, a litre size bottle of water that had a touch of lemon. Whilst trying to read the label of several bottles high up, she obscured me from seeing her friend or friends steal from my red bag that was in the trolley just behind me. I said to the main girl with me, that I could not help any further and called a staff member to help them.  It seems there was none of this item in stock at this size!

The entire event will all be on the Intermarche stores video system. The staff member in the water section also saw them and told the Police. The three young women seemed as if they were in the midst of traveling because their flip flops were very different from anything from around these parts.  Flip flops with diamantes in the strap were very different and they all wore this type of sandal. The main woman was probably in her mid to late twenties, with a multi-coloured long summer dress, brown hair with tanned, white skin and she was about 5ft 7 inches tall.  All were about the same height and age group.

I did not notice the missing Lumix G6 camera and with its lens until I was back at the hotel, approximately 20 minutes later, as I was carrying water plus wine, so the weight did not register as too light.  Immediately I rushed as fast as a man of 75 years can, back to the store and insisted the manager call the Police.  He was very reluctant to do this but I insisted and spoke to the Police on the phone.

They too did not want to come to the scene but again I insisted and a squad car came with a male and female officer.  The red bag I was carrying gave no indication that I had an expensive camera inside, so I think they just opened the bag quickly, grabbed the camera case without any idea of what they took. The Police took basic details and told me to report to a main Police station. This I did at the Albuferia Police station and the policeman was most helpful and I have copy of the paper work for John Lewis Insurance. Helping others is something that travellers do but be aware or you too could be conned, the urban jungle can sometimes be more dangerous than the dense green jungle itself.

First Published: Oct 8, 2014

New discount for members

Go Barefoot have written an exclusive article about Kyrgyzstan for Globe magazine, and you can see the video they’ve made about it here:

They’re also offering all Globetrotters members a 5 percent discount on any of their tailor made and no-fixed-departure date itineraries, and for group sizes 8+ they can offer a 10 percent discount. To find out more, check out: www.gobarefoot.travel or contact them on info@gobarefoot.travel or phone 020 3290 9591. All discounts for members are listed at the back of every issue of Globe magazine.

First Published: Oct 8, 2014

Globies eNewsletter – Autumn eNewsletter 2014

Dear Globies, friends and fellow travellers,

Welcome to the Autumn eNewsletter, packed with tips, news and discounts as always. I hope many of you have been enjoying the first ever digital edition of Globe magazine, we’ve had many new members join us since the switch over so I’ll take that as a good sign! Don’t forget that current members can login to the Globetrotters website to view and download all recent issues. Thank you for the many photo submissions too, as the competition has now closed and the committee are currently judging the many excellent entries. To find out more about the upcoming Globetrotters calendar, watch this space.

Happy travels,

Chloe

Editor — Globe magazine and eNews

 

All things Japanese

japan

Heading to Japan? The first website specialising on the ancient city of Kyoto has just been launched, providing visitors and Japanophiles alike with information on culture, food, and shopping as well as places of interest. With the aim of bridging Japan with the rest of the world, Kyojapan.com is lavishly designed with fantastic photography and easily navigable through a simple series of themed pages. The gourmet section, detailing Kyoto’s vegetarian cuisine, sweets, and green tea among much else, particularly caught our eye, though there is a lot more on the site for even passing interest.

Visit http://www.kyojapan.com to find out more.

A 6,000 mile cycle journey

leon-mccarron

Globies past speaker Leon McCarron, the adventure film maker (most notably the inspiring Into the Empty Quarter with Alastair Humphreys) has turned his talents to writing, with the release of his first book The Road Headed West: A Cycling Adventure Through North America. The book tells the story of Leon’s five month 6,000 mile cycle journey from New York to Seattle and onto the Mexican border, with all the stress and enjoyment that such a journey entails. With excellent reviews, signed copies are available from leonmccarron.com for £9.99 (+P&P).

Round the world in how many days?  

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Staying with cycling, Richard Evans of Wimbledon, South West London has been cycling around the world since April of this year on a recumbent bicycle.

Originally planned as an attempt to beat Mark Beaumont’s 2007 Guinness World Record of heading around the globe in 195 days, Richard is now travelling for the sheer joy of travelling, and without chasing a record he has been able to experience the regions he is passing through much more. (The record now stands at 127 days, and in any case Guinness wouldn’t accept a ride on a recumbent bike for reasons of their own.)

Now on the East Coast of the United States, in many ways Richard is on the home stretch, with just a short ride from Lisbon to complete his journey.

You can take a look at his route and much more on http://laidbackaroundtheworld.blogspot.co.uk/ and follow him on social media. His twitter handle is @laid_back_rich.

Walking the Woods and the Water

walking the woods and the water

Nick Hunt is a Globie and William Wood Legacy award winner, taking himself on a miraculous walking journey from one side of Europe to the other. In 1933, the eighteen year old Patrick Leigh Fermor set out in a pair of hobnailed boots to chance and charm his way across Europe, like a tramp, a pilgrim or a wandering scholar. The books he later wrote about this walk, A Time of Gifts, Between the Woods and the Water, and the posthumous The Broken Road are a half-remembered, half reimagined journey through cultures now extinct, landscapes irrevocably altered by the traumas of the twentieth century.

Aged eighteen, Nick Hunt read A Time of Gifts and dreamed of following in Fermors footsteps. In 2011 he began his own great trudge – on foot all the way to Istanbul. He walked across Europe through eight countries, following two major rivers and crossing three mountain ranges. Using Fermor s books as his only travel guide, he trekked some 2,500 miles through Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. His aim? To have an old-fashioned adventure. To slow down and linger in a world where we pass by so much, so fast. To discover for himself what remained of hospitality, kindness to strangers, freedom, wildness, adventure, the mysterious, the unknown, the deeper currents of myth and story that still flow beneath Europe’s surface.

 

walking woods waterYou can find Nick’s book in all good book shops for £10.99 or for less online at Amazon and Hive. Read more about Nick and his amazing journey on his new blog: www.nickhuntscrutiny.com

Member Pam Thames

Former Globetrotters member Pam Tames sadly passed away at the end of 2013. If any fellow Globies would like to pass on any information or photos of her, then please get in touch so that we can publish an obituary for Pam in the next issue.

Upcoming meetings

calendarLondon

In November Jeanie Copland will present on her Trans Siberian trip and Adrian Bridge on In the footsteps of Franz Ferdinand, leading up to a double whammy of wonder in December. Jason Lewis and John Pilkington will no doubt be a highlight of the year’s meetings for many Globies, with both of their talks that need little introduction at the December meeting.

Chester

Chester meets on November 15th with  a talk on Columbia by Christine Russel and on Northern Pakistan by Roy Willis.

Toronto

In Toronto, tentative topics for the next meeting are Greece and Turkey, Cuba, Dubai or even the re-enactment of the Battle of York.

Keep up to date with London and Toronto meetings on the brand new website: www.globetrotters.co.uk and find out about the Chester meet ups on their own site: www.chesterglobetrotters.co.uk

Globies eNewsletter – Spring 2014

Dear Globies, travellers and friends,

Spring is upon us and with the sunshine comes some itchy feet, and many of us are busy planning for an adventure filled year ahead. From the Gower to the Galapagos, the Globetrotters Club offers a wealth of information and inspiration for like minded explorers. Here’s a roundup of the latest travel events, news, campaigns, publications, meetings, ticket offers and competitions – don’t forget to check our our newly designed website to find out more.

Happy travels,

The Dragonfly,

The Globetrotters Club

2 for 1 tickets to Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story

natural history

Waterstones are offering their loyalty card holders – free to sign-up for online – 2 for 1 tickets to the Natural History Museum’s latest exhibition Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story.

With tickets usually costing £9 each, the exhibition showcases the dramatic story of prehistoric Britain, its changing landscapes and the people that lived here. With life-size models and rarely seen specimens brought to life using the latest scientific techniques, the exhibition reveals what life was really like one million years ago.

This 2 for 1 deal is on offer until 26 September 2014, for visits from Monday to Friday 10.00 to 17.15 and booking isn’t required. Visit waterstones.co.uk for details.

South African Township Tours – voyeurism or beneficial to communities?

While on holiday in Cape Town, South Africa, Jeanett Andrea Soderstrom was assured by operators of the benefits of taking a township tour. Unable to pin-down specific data, on returning to home she decided to research the claims as part of a Responsible Tourism Management MSc.

Her results are a worry to anyone who considers ethical travel an integral part of holiday planning. Interviewing operators and inhabitants, Soderstrom found that while operators were well meaning, evidence for a positive impact of their tours was difficult to find. Shockingly, none of the inhabitants she interviewed said they benefitted economically from the tours themselves, only receiving occasional donations from tourists themselves.

Soderstrom concluded that in their current form these tours hindered both economic and social empowerment, but believes with better regulation and awareness this could be reversed.

Volunteering opportunities in Uganda

uganda_lodge

If you are looking to make a difference while on holiday this summer, Uganda Lodge are looking for volunteers to help with various projects, from working with children at the school to aiding in the new medical facility. Such opportunities can be a great way to make friends, get fit, and become immersed in a new culture while seeing a new part of the world and benefiting local communities.

Opportunities last from a few days – great for combining with gorilla trekking, say – to longer term projects, and profits from staying at the lodge are ploughed back into the community projects. For more information visit ugandalodge.com

Paint the Planet on honeymoon

Inge and Harald are due many congratulations, for their upcoming wedding on July 24th. They’d like to pass on their honeymoon tour plans, as they’ll celebrate the start of wedded life with a continuation of their two greatest passions: travelling and creating art.

Team 2 detail

Through their unique project, Paint the Planet, they travel the globe and exchange their artworks for a place to stay. They love meeting new people, going on real adventures and sharing their experiences, skills and artistic talent with others along the way.

On 26th July they’ll set off from Amersfoort (Holland) and travel through Germany to Denmark, and on the 28th of July they’ll arrive at Kristiansand in Norway and travel through Sweden. On the 7th of August they’ll arrive at Turku in Finland and on around the 11th of August, they’ll arrive at Tallinn in Estonia. They’re due to enter Latvia (Riga) on the 15th, and then on the 19th of August they’ll arrive at Lithuania. On the 22nd of August they’ll take the boat to Kiel in Germany, and then finally two days later they’ll arrive back at Amersfoort.

Anyone who is based in these countries, or who knows someone who is, or who may be passing through any of the same places on the same dates should definitely get in touch with Harald and Inge! Their email address is Info@painttheplanet.nl and you can also find out more on their website: www.painttheplanet.nl and why not befriend them on  facebook and twitter @PaintthePlanet

Trekking in Pakistan and Afghanistan with Untamed Borders

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In 2014 tour operator Untamed Borders will be running three fixed date trekking trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan, led by Moritz Steinhilber, an old friend of Untamed Borders and a very experienced trekking guide who has reached K2 base camp 11 times on tours.

The trips on offer are to some of Steinhilber’s favourite places and offer a route into some of the world’s most incredible scenery and experiences, taking groups to the remote Wakhan corridor in north-eastern Afghanistan; K2 base camp, Concordia and the 62km Baltoro glacier; and Shimshal Pamir, a rarely visited region of Pakistan’s Karakorum mountains.

Much more information is available from untamedborders.com

New book in Brian’s World series from the sightseer who hates sightseers

Author David Fletcher is addicted to visiting the world’s greatest locations including Africa, India, the Middle East – all places of astonishing natural beauty and remarkable culture. So what is the biggest cause of environmental and cultural problems that he sees when travelling to these places? David says it’s the people who travel. People just like him. In their thousands. All “off the beaten track”. The Brian’s World series of books (the fifth book on Namibia and Botswana, published on 27th January) takes a sidelong glance at sightseers and their attitudes. Part travel journal, full of amazing locations and information, and part humorous fictional narrative of a grumpy, misanthropic Brit, the popular Brian’s World books are both a celebration of the wonderful world that we live in and a challenge to us, the people who are slowly destroying it.

Strip Pan Wrinkle is the latest hilarious adventure of Brian, the sightseer who hates sightseers. Available from amazon for around £8: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strip-Pan-Wrinkle-Namibia-Botswana/dp/1783060379