Last night we held our inaugural MMBG social on Zoom.
The technology behaved, the presenters sparkled and a good time was had by all.
This is how the evening panned out.
For The Love Of Peru by Julia Hammond
Freelance travel writer, proprietor of Julia’s Travels website and serial traveller (120 countries and counting) Julia got the evening off to a fine start with tales of her many trips to the wonders of Peru, South America’s third largest country.
Naturally Cusco, Lima, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Nazca and Machu Picchu all featured, but so did many less well known gems in this wonderfully hospitable country.
Places that I have never heard of such as Moray, Mancora, Maras, Karaija, Huacachina & Sillustani are equally as enthralling and largely tourist free if you know when to go.
You will have to listen to Julia’s presentation to find out more, which you can do so by clicking JULIA LOVES PERU.
Julia even provided a cute shot of a cria for those of you that like that kind of thing!
All Peru photos are copyright Julia Hammond
Cities Of The World Travel Quiz By Me!
Next up we had a travel quiz, challenging participants to name 25 cities from around the world.
As you might expect by looking at her travel CV, Julia got the most with 19 out of 25, a very impressive total that has since been matched by Travelling Tom over on Twitter.
Do you think that you can do better? Give it a go by clicking TRAVEL QUIZ and let me know how you get on, either by leaving a comment on this post or over on Twitter @wilburstravels
Central Asia – An Accidental Obsession by Sophie Ibbotson
Sophie is the Uzbekistan Ambassador for Tourism and the World Bank’s Tourism Consultant for Tajikistan, as well as being the author of five Bradt travel guides from the region, so who better to give us a cracking presentation about all things Central Asia?
Rather than give us all the lowdown on the well known magnificence of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and the rest, Sophie delighted us all with a very personal story as to why she fell in love with the amazing region.
Some of Uzbekistan’s Finest Jewels (Wilbur’s Travels)
The title of the presentation mentions an accidental obsession. If you listen you will hear about Sophie actually setting out in 2008 to travel from India to the UK by auto rickshaw, only to become snowed in when she arrived in Kyrgyzstan.
Running Hot & Cold in an Auto Rickshaw
Sophie goes on to talk about the amazing landscapes and incredible people she has met in the region, again often by accident to add credence to the old adage that the journey is as important, if not more so, than the destination.
I urge you to watch and listen to Sophie’s presentation that you can access by clicking SOPHIE’S ACCIDENT
Believe it or not, Sophie also has time to run her own travel company called Maximum Exposure, which she founded in 2016.
Pilgrims Having A Laugh, Central Asia
Buzkashi (A Horse Sport) in Kyrgyzstan
All Central Asia photos are copyright Sophie Ibbotson
Next Time?
We are tentatively planning the next online social for next month so watch this space.
In the meantime, please have a look at the fab presentations and have a go at the quiz. If you could subscribe to my Youtube channel at the same time that would be great.
I will leave you with one thought – if it wasn’t for the humble camel or llama, Central Asia and Peru would not be half the exciting travel destinations that they are!
