'We are the pilgrims, Master; we shall always go that little further; beyond that last blue mountain, barr'd with snow, across that angry or that glimmering sea': (James Elroy Flecker: 'Hassan')
The opportunity to travel, and to visit strange and exotic places is a great privilege, even in today's world. When I first visited India & Nepal in 1983 the era of mass world travel, brought on by the three figures '747' was only just dawning and it was natural, I suppose that I should find myself doing slide shows for people at work, and other places. Those first 'shows' must have been terrible...
As I found myself travelling more and more, and as my photographic skills improved so more opportunities came to put presentations together and to describe the experiences of myself and my travelling companions. A theme developed too: that of 'pilgrimage', whatever that means. The original single slide projector gave way to two; the small screen is now a big one; the private jokes are still there - if you can spot them. The talks have now evolved into a series of entitled 'The Pilgrim Way', in which enable the audience to travel to some of the most beautiful and thought provoking places in the world.
The presentations available at the moment are:
(The story of treks in the Annapurna Himal, along routes which, in 1985 saw very few trekkers, but which are now frequently visited. The presentation includes material from 1985 & 2000, as well as photographs taken in 2007 in the still-remote Lamjung Himal - 1985/2000/2007)
(A classic trek through the high mountains of the Khumbu region - 1992)
(The walk through the Kali Gandaki gorge to the ancient pilgrimage site of Muktinath - 1997)
(Trekking in the Helambu and Langtang areas in the Spring & Autumn of 1999)
(Walking around Annapurna - One of the World's Great Walks - Nepal 2001)
(Trekking in the valleys of the Khumbu [Everest] region - Nepal 2003)
(Adventures in remote parts of Northern India in 1990, together with material from a return visit in 2006)
(A visit to Calcutta & the hills around Darjeeling in the Spring of 2005)
(My first visit to India in 1983, together with material from the visits to Kulu & Ladakh and Calcutta & Darjeeling - 1983/1990/2005/2007)
(A Journey in the Andes - 1988)
(A talk, possibly not for the faint hearted, on the 'joys' of travel in India & Nepal 1983- 2007)
(A specialist talk covering aviation in Nepal from the earliest days until 2003)
These presentations are much in demand throughout Lincolnshire & the East Midlands and are shown to a variety of Groups. Details of many of the treks featured in these presentations can be found on the Trek reports page. If you are a Group Secretary looking for a new speaker, or just a member who thinks that the evening talks could be enlivened with some 'armchair travel' please contact me at the address shown at the foot of this page.
(Due to travel constraints I have to restrict myself to venues within Lincolnshire & the East Midlands. I am happy to travel further, but it will cost...)
All photographs, maps, plans, and scripts (written or unwritten) are copyright © Tim Hudson. Unauthorised recording or reproduction is prohibited.
(c) TJH 01/09/2008