Blog

Speaking on Saturday, March 2, 2024, we have :

1st: Jay Ginn – Peru and Ecuador

Jay went to Peru in 2008 to explore its fascinating history, its current situation, and the fabulous scenery of the Andes range. Leaving crowded Lima, she went on to visit the vast Lake Titicaca with its islands, where indigenous Quechua-speaking campesinos live; also the floating sedge islands which are home to fishing families. A ride northwards along the Andean range then took her to sprawling Cuzco, once the capital of Peru. Here, modern buildings mix with older ones and ancient dry stone walls.

From Cuzco, she took the train to Aguas Calientes on the Urubamba River, and from here it was a bus up the steep switchback road to Machu Picchu far above. The remains of this world-famous Inca city reveal its architecture, terraces and Sun Temple.

Following this spectacular visit, the tour bus descended down towards the Pacific Ocean, taking in Colca Canyon, and then the old colonial city of Arequipa with museums illustrating Peruvian history and customs. At the coast, she visited giant sand dunes, took a boat to a sea lion colony and then returned to Lima.

From here she took a bus north to Ecuador, arriving in Quito to find the Mayday demonstration in full swing. After this came an unwelcome surprise…

2nd: Nick Marchant – A Toast To Georgia

A land of beautiful landscapes and passionate people, where guests are ‘gifts from God’, I tell the story of my five trips to this dramatic Caucasus country, from its post-Soviet and civil war chaos in 1996 to its modern 21st century West-leaning democracy. With Russia to the North and Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to the South, it has always been at a critical juncture in geography and civilisation.

Visiting mostly the same family over almost 30 years, I describe how the country seems to have changed. A country steeped in tradition where the custom of ‘toasting’ with friends and family at a table laden with their delicious cuisine and local wine is a wonderful, joyous way of celebrating life. What characterises the Georgian people and what might survive of that character? And how might I have changed as a result of my three decades of friendship with this fascinating country and people?

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Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

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For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Speaking on Saturday, December 7, 2024 we have :

1st: Brian Anderson – The High Life – the altiplano of Peru, Bolivia and Chile

Brian Anderson is a Wirral based, tutor, lecturer and travel
photographer. For over 35 years he has travelled to 66 countries and
territories around the world. North to South, from the North Pole to
Antarctica, and East to West, from Japan to Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Based on his trips to South America in 2019 and 2023, he now takes us
in this new talk, to the Andean altiplano (high plains) of Peru, Bolivia
and Chile.

In a richly informative, colourful presentation, Brian shares with us the
otherwordly landscapes and the amazing wildlife that survives in this
barren, high altitude (14,000 – 16,000 ft asl) region.

We will also meet the proud indigenous people – the Aymara and
Quechua – who live in these high altitudes, and look at their unique and
colourful culture which is rooted in the remote environment.

This talk is a must for lovers of travel, diverse cultures and wildlife.

Find out more at:

• http://www.andersonimages.co.uk/

2nd: Neil Pitts – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

My journey from Long Covid to the northernmost point of Europe

Following an 18-month battle with Covid-19 and Long Covid, Neil Pitts decided that he needed a challenge. So, in the winter of 2022, he and two friends attempted to ski the length of Norway. A journey that took more than 3 months.

This long-distance route, known as the Norge på langs, is approximately 2,500km long. Only one or two people complete it during winter each year. Most fail.

Neil’s presentation, which includes images from the journey, not only describes this incredible challenge but also gives an insight into the obstacles he had to overcome just to get to the start line. Plagued by the effects of Long Covid and injuries prior to the trip, he had also never been on Nordic skis.

You can read more about Neil and sign up for his blog via the website www.neilpitts.com or find him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/neilpittsadventures/ 

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Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

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For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

On iPhone or iPad please use this link

In November we have:

AGM: The club AGM starts at noon (card-carrying members only)

Speaking at 2.45 pm we have: 

1st: Sheila Robinson – Uzbekistan

In the 1970s Douglas and Sheila Robinson spent 18 months travelling overland in Asia. Two children and nearly 50 years later we are still exploring. In 2017 we spent just under a month in Uzbekistan. Travelling by plane, trains, buses and cars we went to the Aral Sea (what’s left of it), the ancient cities of Khiva, Bokhara and Samarkand, the desert at Nurata and a mini trek in the mountains. It is a fascinating country with some of the friendliest people we’ve ever met.

2nd: Jim Holmes – English Breakfast and the story of Ceylon tea

The slopes of Sri Lanka’s southern mountains are clothed in neat rows of low bushes that produce one of the country’s greatest exports, tea. The famed ‘English Breakfast’ name is known the world over, and disputed, but the story of tea in old Ceylon is far less refreshing. I toured hillside tea estates, factories and met the villagers who still hand pick this everyday product to bring you the true story of the UK’s favourite hot drink.  From its beginnings in 1824, tea still goes through a growing and drying process that is little changed in 200 years, this is an industry steeped in tradition and the often questionable roles that colonialism set in place.

Introduction: Jim Holmes

Jim Holmes is a professional documentary photographer that has lived and worked around the world for over 30 years.  Assignments have taken him to over 50 countries where he worked extensively on humanitarian projects for numerous international agencies. Making S.E. Asia his home for over 20 years he used this base to work around the region for commercial and not-for-profit clients. Jim has also worked on the visual documentation of large river hydropower projects, as well as for well-respected travel guide and educational publishers.  

Find out more at:

• Web address: www.jimholmes.co.uk 
• Instagram:  jimhphoto
• FaceBook:    Jim Holmes Documentary Photography

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Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

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For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

On iPhone or iPad please use this link.

Speaking on Saturday, September 7, 2024, we have :

1st: Chris Grant – Ethiopia – a land of extraordinary variety

Tucked away in the Horn of Africa lies extraordinary Ethiopia, a land with a truly ancient history, unique and hugely varied tribal cultures, amazing birdlife and a dramatic variety of other wildlife, with scenic beauties that range from the lofty Simien and Bale Mountains to the spectacular ribbon of picturesque lakes in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, and so much else.

The east of the country has venerated and ancient Islamic cultures, including the fourth holiest city in Islam, Harar. But the north of Ethiopia is devoutly Christian, with its own Ethiopian Orthodox Church that has existed for nearly two thousand years and which has given rise to amazing architecture and stunningly colourful artwork.

The deep south of the country is home to numerous unique tribal peoples with colourful and truly fascinating individual cultures that are unmatched anywhere in the world. 

And binding all of this together are the ordinary people of Ethiopia who, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish or Animist, show an extraordinary warmth and quiet pride in everything they do. Their foods are unique, their clothes are unique, and they offer a genuine warmth of welcome to visitors. Ethiopia is by far the most varied and richly colourful country on the African continent.

Chris Grant has been associated with Ethiopia for over twenty-five years. His charity work has supported education and schooling in all sorts of ways during that time, and he has also led groups of visitors throughout this varied land for nearly fifteen of those years, continuing to learn about the fascinating history and cultures of these amazing people. I look forward to sharing some of my knowledge and my experiences with you and telling you about the sheer variety of this extraordinary country.

2nd: Jessica Finnamore – 10 weeks solo backpacking Central America

After graduating from uni last summer, I decided to take a year out to go travelling. I spent around 8 months in total in Central America, South East Asia, and India. This talk will discuss my favourite part of the trip; Central America, and what it’s like to travel there as a solo woman.

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Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

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Tickets go on sale just before the meetings.

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Speaking on Saturday, May 11, 2024 (on the 2nd Saturday) we have :

1st: Marco Carnovale – Maldives

Marco has travelled to the Maldives a dozen times over the last twenty years. As always, he preferred going off the beaten path, which in this case meant off the beaten island… He mostly sailed around the archipelago on small boats and while island hopping he stepped down and visited remote villages and deserted sand banks where few tourists ever venture.

He stayed with local families and ate their food, always curious about the culture of this small and proud nation. Drawing on his background as a political scientist, his presentation will touch on the society, politics and economics of the islands, as well as on the inescapable religious dimension of Maldivian life.

An avid SCUBA diver, he logged hundreds of dives and in his presentation, he will share photos of the underwater wonders of the Maldivian coral reefs, a fragile environment that is threatened by climate change and uncontrolled pollution.

Marco has written a book on his Maldivian travels: “Journeys through the Maldives” published on Amazon.co.uk in paperback, hardcover and e-book format. He will be happy to sign your copy after delivering his talk. An Italian version is available as well.

2nd: Simon Banks – Avoiding the Cold, Wet, Miserable and S.A.D. People of Britain” – Travel Lessons & Recent Life Adventures in NZ, Oz & Malawi.

Simon will be talking about travelling in Australia, New Zealand Malawi.

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Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

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Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Speaking on Saturday, April 13, 2024 (on the 2nd Saturday) we have:

1st: Jacqui Trotter – Homegoing: Part 3.

Jacqui will be talking about travelling in 2019 back to Australia through pre-COVID Tibet, eastern China, Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand. From -20’C in Harbin to 38’C in Ayutthaya, I wanted the trip to go on and on.

Independent travel through China was much easier than I expected and Vietnam was a delight. Cambodia was fascinating and visiting Angkor Wat was a long-held dream! Thailand was a great place to take stock, play tourist and still visit places I had not been before.

Going home was something I had done many times before but this time was different – it would be my home for the next five years (and still is) and the world of travel would not be quite the same for any of us ever again.

2nd: Lucy Lethbridge – Tourists: How the British Went Abroad to find themselves

Lucy Lethbridge, author of Tourists: How the British Went Abroad to find themselves, will look at the rise of popular tourism in the 19th and early twentieth centuries. It is a story of business titans, new technologies, commerce, invention, snobbery, vision and nostalgia – and, with its apotheosis in the self-contained world of the beach resort, even a search for Eden.

Find Lucy on Twitter – @LucyLethbridge

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Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

---

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets: