Paul Gillingham – Pilgrims Progress: Santiago de Compostela by bicycle.
Now retired, Paul taught History in various countries, then became a radio and TV broadcaster, travelling widely. After serious illness he decided to cycle from UK to Santiago in 2013 as a form of pilgrimage. It was a 6-week, 1600-mile solo ride through France, over the Pyrenees and across northern Spain, camping in France and staying in pilgrim hostels in Spain.
His route takes us through changing landscapes and historic towns and villages, with interesting encounters with a range of pilgrims along the Camino (the Way of St James).
John Brinkley – A small collections of Stans – Travels in Central Asia.
A former geology teacher and now lecturer and photographer.
Deserts, mountains, Silk Road cities and architectural wonders make up the rich tapestry known as Central Asia. This talk will present a glimpse of this fascinating part of the World
Chester Meetings March 2018
Doors open 1pm for 1:30pm Start till 4:30pm Entrance Fee £3.00 includes refreshments and two talks Grosvenor Museum 25-27 Grosvenor Street, CH1 2DD Enquiries to
Rosemary Brown – The Incredible Journeys of Women Adventurers – past and present.
Let’s start the year by celebrating women adventurers — women who defy convention, take a walk on the wild side and venture into the unknown.
We’ll play tribute to those before us who left inhibition at home and journeyed through a man’s world on awe-inspiring voyages; as well as today’s ‘adventuresses’ who challenge themselves on foot, bikes, skis in the true spirit of adventure.
In 2018, the centenary year of women’s suffrage, it seems particularly fitting to commemorate women like Isabella Bird, Mary Kingsley and Nellie Bly. And to catch up with contemporary adventurers like Anna McNuff, Sarah Outen and polar explorer Felicity Aston.
You will ‘meet’ a Queen of the Desert, a yak and elephant rider, a nurse who trudged across sub-zero Siberia and women who have achieved astonishing adventures despite disabilities and discrimination.
Keith MacIntosh – Palestine
Gavin A Fernandes and Dino Zelenika – A Winter Wander around Bosnia and Herzegovina
In December 2017, Gavin and Dino were invited to Bosnia and Herzegovina to join a press/familiarisation trip to help promote the country as a tourist destination. Although Sarajevo and Mostar are well on the beaten track around the Balkans, few visitors venture further afield. The Via Dinarica is a series of mountain trails running through all 7 Balkan countries suitable for hiking, biking (and snow-shoeing in the winter) and the trip visited several sections in Bosnia and Herzegovina stopping to sample locally produced food (and wine!) on the way. Gavin and Dino extended their trip to continue exploring the region meeting residents young and old keeping old traditions alive.
Gavin A Fernandes is a travel photographer/writer and editor of Globe magazine; Dino Zelenika was born in Mostar, (then Yugoslavia) but has lived in the UK since 1999. He runs realescapetravel.co.uk specialising in authentic experiences for small groups featuring local gastronomy, history and culture as well as wild orchids.
By tradition we follow this meeting with a New Year Party post-meeting – everyone is invited to bring food and wine or soft drinks (we are not allowed beer or spirits) and participate!
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 between 45 – 60 minutes.
There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here
“Morocco: Beyond the Tourist Trail” by Mick and Margaret Brighton.
Toronto G.T.’s 20180119 Morocco
For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka : hermaneks@yahoo.ca or Bruce : bruceaweber@hotmail.com / tel. 416-203-0911. Meetings and travel presentations are held on the 3rd Friday in January, March, May (4th Friday), September and November at 8.00 p.m at Old York Tower, 85 The Esplanade ( corner of the Esplanade & Church St.) – two blocks east of the Union station. Public parking garage is at the foot of Church Street right next to the Old York Tower.
Malcolm Arthur – A short but very exciting trip in southwest Mongolia
Mongolia is a country of great beauty with a range of landscapes including desert, steppe, mountains and lakes. Its people are friendly and incredibly hospitable; it’s in their nature but it’s borne out of necessity. When the journey in to town is a day or two’s horse ride away, it’s good that people whose homes you pass on the way welcome you for refreshment or an overnight stay. The countryside is clean and the air is fresh. The water in the vast Lake Khovsgol in the north, said to contain between 1% and 2% of the world’s fresh water, is so pure that local people drink it directly from the lake. And there’s a good chance you will be a long way from a mobile ‘phone signal; heaven on earth. Is there any wonder that cancer is almost unheard of in this beautiful country?
Malcolm and his wife, Jacqui, have travelled extensively in Asia and, in particular, have explored several parts of Mongolia where they have witnessed and experienced many facets of the country and its people. However, this talk will concentrate on a short trip they undertook in southwest Mongolia, down towards the border with China. It became one of the most memorable they have undertaken but to find out why, you’ll have to come to the talk.
Alan Palmer – Travels in India’s North East Frontier Agency (Part 2) – The Tribal and Buddhist Landscape of Western Arunachal Pradesh
Alan previously presented for us at The Globetrotters Club in September 2016 when he talked about his encounters with the headhunters of Nagaland in Travels in India’s North East Frontier Agency (Part 1). In this, the second part of his ventures in India’s former North East Frontier Agency, he visits Western Arunachal Pradesh.
Nestling at the eastern end of the Himalayas, the remote mountainous Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh> is home to a breathtaking kaleidoscope of traditional tribal cultures unique to this small corner of the world. In his talk, Alan takes us with him on his recent journeys, undertaken by 4×4 and on foot, through unique donyi polo villages, engaging with local tribesmen and participating in their festivals, before reaching the stunning Tawang Valley, close to the borders of Bhutan and Tibet, where he explored the world’s largest Buddhist monastery outside Lhasa.
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 between 45 – 60 minutes.
There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here
India – love it or hate it. My first visit was as a very young engineer in 1980. I was reluctant to go, but it was love at first sight. More recently I have been holidaying in different parts of India at least every couple of years. I find myself happiest touring rural India, somewhat off the beaten track, and combining my fascination with the people and culture with my love of colour photography.
This talk is illustrated with 100 slides and focusses on the westernmost state of Gujarat, home to many so-called ‘tribal’ peoples. It touches on various topics including The Rann of Kutch, farming and irrigation, handicrafts, wildlife, stepwells, the Jain religion, and M K Gandhi, who was Gujarati.
Anna Manning and Howard Jennings – Bangkok to Saigon by Tandem.
The talk will cover a two week trip where we explored Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam by tandem. We will describe how bike travel can bring you closer to the country you are passing through and the preparation needed to embark on such a trip.
Not everything will be bike-focused: we will take time to describe the experiences we had from as many angles that we can think of so that you get a clear idea of the countries we travelled through. We aim to leave you in the position of having enough information to decide whether or not you would like to visit these three countries and whether a cycling holiday in this region is for you.
Chester Globetrotters January poster 2018
Doors open 1pm for 1:30pm Start till 4:30pm Entrance Fee £3.00 includes refreshments and two talks Grosvenor Museum 25-27 Grosvenor Street, CH1 2DD Enquiries to Hanna tel: 01244383392 or Angela tel: 01244 629930
You are invited to submit your best travel images for consideration to be included in the next Club calendar.
Calendar 2016 Page 01 Cover
The rules are pretty much the same as the last four years – send up to three images that show the beauty of a destination and evoke a feeling of wanderlust, inspiring others to travel.
Entries will be judged anonymously by a panel of judges from the committee – only the editor will know the identity of the photographer until the final images have been chosen. Pictures will only be used for the calendar and in Globetrotters Club publications (Globe magazine, the e-newsletter, the website/social media) to promote the calendar and the Club.
There will shortly be a link on the website to check these rules again and from which to enter directly but alternatively you can email your entries to calendar@globetrotters.co.uk as attachments. Please include your membership number and a short caption that includes where and when the photo was taken.
Please send your pictures as high resolution jpeg files suitable for printing as an A5 image. This is approximately 210mm x 150mm (a 7:5 aspect ratio) and images should be at least 2500 pixels on the longest side.
For uniformity in the design of the calendar, please choose images of an appropriate format – landscape only, portrait will not be considered. Colour only, no B&W please. Square format, 3:2, 4:3 and others may be submitted but they will be judged by the composition you present and their suitability for the calendar once cropped.
The images are printed ‘full bleed’ (to the edges of the paper with no border) so please ensure that any detail included in your composition doesn’t fall towards the edges of your picture – if in doubt, send a slightly wider crop.
The closing date for entries is now extended to the 21st August 2017 so please make sure that your membership is valid on this day and is kept current until judging has been completed. (You can join/renew easily on the Globetrotters website). All current members will receive a copy of the calendar as part of their membership when it is printed (hopefully in time for the Club meetings before Christmas). Any member whose picture gets used will receive a second copy and additional copies will be available to buy at meetings or by post via the website.
Some tips for getting your image in the calendar… Think about the composition and focal point of the photograph as well as colour and texture. Make sure it’s sharp, straight and appropriately cropped if necessary.
You can submit up to three entries but only one per member may appear in the final publication, though all could be shortlisted for the final stages of judging – perhaps consider a range of subjects…
Although we’re looking for a picture that shows the beauty and appeal of a destination from your point of view, the image should also resonate with a larger audience. And remember – it’s for a calendar – could you look at it and enjoy it each day for a month?!
Best of luck!
Rules, terms and conditions
The closing date for entries is the 21st August 2017 at 23:59 BST.
Entrants must be current club members.
Members may send a maximum of three images per entry.
Please ensure that your membership is valid when making your submissions and on the closing date of 21st August 2017 as it will need to be verified.
Please also ensure that it remains paid up until at least December 2017 as calendars will be sent out direct from the printers using a list of current members.
Pictures that were entered in previous years but were not chosen may be resubmitted but we would prefer to see something new!
Photos must be of sufficient technical quality to print at the required size.
There is no limit on when the pictures were taken, the photos do not need to be recent.
Photos will only be used by the Globetrotters Club for the purposes of the calendar, website, social media, Globe and the eNewsletter.
The Club reserves the right to reproduce pictures submitted for the calendar either in print or online. However, the Club will not sell any pictures on to a third party.
Pictures submitted remain the copyright of the photographer.
All images will be credited wherever possible. Pictures may be edited to suit design requirements, though we will endeavour to retain the photographer’s original composition as much as possible.
Joint members – resident at the same address – may enter individually. (If you do not both have membership cards please contact the membership secretary.)
All submissions must be the member’s own work. Please make sure that you’re the image owner and have full rights on the picture.
By entering, members will be deemed to have accepted and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
Ah. Definitely don’t travel there, I heard everywhere. It is too dangerous. Drugs, mugging, highway robberies and kidnapping. You are crazy. I roll my eyes. Maybe I am. However, is the current situation in Europe really so peaceful that it is better to stay here and not to explore other places? Apart from horror media news, do not forget to add to your list that this Central American country (borders on Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador) lies in a seismically active region so earthquakes, volcano eruptions, floods and hurricanes are not rare either.
Guatemala was currently not in the viewfinder of my travel lens because I do region hopping and I considered Central America covered for some time after my recent visit to Costa Rica. It is a destination that found me. And got under my skin right when I first stepped on the Guatemalan land after crossing the Belize-Guatemala border on a boat. Same with my heart. Love at first sight. I remember it as if it was this morning. I am standing in a harbour, trying to hide from the scorching rays of the Guatemalan sun, our captain passing my backpacks to me and I immediately feel an incredible energy. Genius loci has spoken.
You can find here towns with fast food restaurants and conveniences of the modern world as well. However, I visited places where the time has stopped. Places where traditions and everyday life bring you back to pre-Columbian times. Places where laundry is done as in times of our grannies. Places where women in traditional clothes carry goods on their heads. Places where men in wellington boots, cowboy hats and machetes under their belts walk quietly through the villages or leave for work on coffee and corn fields on decks of pick-up trucks. Places that let you day dream.
It would never come to my mind that this country, somewhere in Central America, could be so liveable. Quite frankly, I could imagine settling down here. In a country of active volcanoes set between the Pacific and Caribbean coasts where you can meet Maya people (right, they have not disappeared anywhere). Country that is rightfully enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Country of archaeological treasures of Maya sites of world importance hidden in lush jungles and beauties of colonial era with cobblestone streets and buildings from the times of Spanish rule. Country of quiet fisherman’s villages on the bank of mirror lakes, with descendants of African slaves or located high in the range of Cordillera mountains. Country of colourful markets, delicious tastes and places which are still not on pages of guide books and will hopefully not be seen on tourist maps for a lot longer. Country that suffered in a civil war, which ended in late 90s, for 36 years. Country where Chapín(a)s (how Guatemalans call themselves) will, despite their difficult experience, infect you with friendliness, politeness, willingness to help and unhurried way of life. For me, Guatemala is a pearl in terms of variety, closeness to indigenous people and authenticity. It is so unique. Forget the pointless European stress, chasing a higher fence and greener grass. Let me take you to Guatemala
Guatemala, Leninka Modrooká
Guatemala Sunset, Leninka Modrooká
Guatemala, Leninka Modrooká
Guatemala Street, Leninka Modrooká
Guatemala, Leninka Modrooká
Guatemala, Leninka Modrooká
Guatemala Street Art, Leninka Modrooká
Guatemala, Leninka Modrooká
Guatemala Bus, Leninka Modrooká
Guatemala, Leninka Modrooká
Guatemala, Leninka Modrooká
Read more stories and see more pictures by Leninka Modrooká at:
Running Scared? A marathon in Afghanistan By Keith MacIntosh
It’s early morning to the west of Bamiyan in the highlands of central Afghanistan. There is fresh snow on the mountains, and a crowd is huddled together in the cold air. A couple of pickups are mounted with heavy machine guns, and uniformed men hover, clutching their rifles. We are waiting.
A whistle is blown, the pickups set off, and the crowd scatters. We all run.
Sometime around 2003, I received an invitation to visit Afghanistan – I’m still not sure how it reached me, but supposedly it was from the Minister of Tourism. I didn’t go, and over the subsequent years, I assumed it would never happen. Too far, too difficult, too dangerous. Always somewhere else to travel instead. But in late 2015, a few clicks on the internet led me to talk of a ‘Marathon of Afghanistan’ – the first ever attempt to stage such a thing in such a place…
