Our first speaker was Phil Koniotes , who showed us some stunning glimpses
of Antarctica. Phil explained that on his trip he had the great fortune
to enjoy 4 sunny days, which is extremely rare and meant he was able to
take some fantastic photographs. His pictures of icebergs, many of which
come in strange shapes and spectacular proportions were breathtaking,
particularly those of the aptly named Paradise Bay. His photo’s also covered
the inquisitive penguins that inhabit this region, which come up to investigate
their human visitors. Photos of the penguins included their nest building
antics, which involves the penguins stealing pebbles from each other’s
nests to build their own. Phil also told us about the Post Office which
handles 40,000 cards each year, which depart with the prized Antarctic
postmark. This was a fascinating talk with some superb photographs.
Our second speaker Mark Elliott came to Globetrotters rescue after our
original speaker Juliet Coombe was involved in an accident in Australia
and was unable to return to the United Kingdom. Mark’s talk was about
the Kilum Forest in what he described as the most corrupt country on the
planet, Cameroon, in West Africa. Mark’s mission had been to photograph
the elusive Bannerman’s Turaco bird, which only lives in this part of
the world. His photos took us via a local tribal war and a photocall with
a local Chief. He showed us a local festival where the people dress in
costumes and actually become that person or spirit, Mark discovered how
literally they take this when one character relieved him of his umbrella,
his neighbour explaining that this character was called “The thief!”
Once up into the forest Mark and his guide trekked for a day and for one
fleeting minute espied the elusive bird. His guide was ecstatic, despite
living there, it was the first time in seven years even he had seen one.
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 on Saturday
1st September. For more information, you can
contact the Globetrotter Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the
website:www.globetrotters.co.uk