Adventure Club Programs May - Aug 2012

ADVENTURERS' CLUB of HONOLULU
 NEWSLETTER FOR MAY - AUG 2012

President's Message:

The year 2012 is off to a running start and so is the program of the Adventurers’ Club. We have been to Venezuela and the highest waterfall in the world, explored a chapter of history in the Pacific, traveled  all the way around the world, and visited the dramatic National Parks of the United States. The next 4 months promises to be equally enjoyable and dramatic. In addition to the program, we get to visit with our friends and share travel stories.   If you want to make this experience as rich and enjoyable as possible, invite your friends and  sponsor them as members and our fellowship will grow even more.                        Ralph Sprague

Message from the Membership Chair

Thank you for renewing your Adventurers’ Club membership for 2012.

We look forward to seeing you at the Club’s monthly meetings.

Aloha,     Joy Ashton

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MAY 2012

17 MAY 2012  THURSDAY

NORTHERN INDIA

By Guest Chick Alsop

 Outrigger Canoe Club, 2509 Kalakaua Avenue

Chick made a trip to Northeast India in 2011. His odyssey started in Kolkata, a city known in English as Calcutta. It is a teeming yet friendly capital of West Bengal, a mega-city that can be beautiful as well as squalid, cultured and yet sometimes very disturbing. His second stop was the city of Bodhgaya in Bihar state. This city is historically famous as the place where Buddha attained enlightenment and went forth from his experience as the “Awakened One.” Today Bodhgaya is the most important Buddhist pilgrimage site in the world. Following this city experience, Chick left behind the sweltering plains of Bihar and trekked into the magnificent Himalaya of the remote state of Sikkim.

     Cocktails 6:00 pm       Free parking in the club’s parking garage

     Dinner 6:45 pm 

      Program 7:30 pm (Approximately)

Reservations Contact Erika Wyrtki at 949-2229 by Tuesday, May 15.

Late cancellations and no shows will be billed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JUNE 2012

21 JUNE 2012  THURSDAY

AFRICA

By Guest Carter Black

 Waialae Country Club, 4997 Kahala Avenue

 
    Carter Black lived in Kenya for twelve years from 1973 to 1985. Carter met and married his wife, a Japanese national, there as well beginning his family. He says: It was a beautiful time to be in that gorgeous African country, with Mombasa and the lovely beaches on the coast of the Indian Ocean, and the vast deserts to the north, home of the Masai, the Samburu, and the Turkana tribes with their herds of cattle and nomadic lifestyle. And of course the most spectacular array of wildlife anywhere on the planet, with the Tsavo and Amboseli game parks to the south, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti just across the border in Tanzania, Mt. Kenya to the north and Lake Victoria to the west.

     For me trekking on foot, alone, sometimes for days, was the best way to experience it all, and I would go off to some remote corner of the country whenever I could. In addition there were the lovely game lodges and tented camps, usually situated near a watering hole in one of the game parks, way out in the middle of nowhere, accessible only by a four wheel drive vehicle or light aircraft. Some of these were quite luxurious but you always had a feeling that you were in a different age, in this pristine natural wilderness. There were dangers to be sure, but in those days you could roam the land at will, unarmed, and I always felt safe. And of course being fluent in Swahili came in handy.

     Today things have changed with regard to security and it is risky to be driving off by yourself in the middle of nowhere, especially at night. But we were blessed to be in that Garden of Eden at just the right time. I was a commercial artist and painter in Nairobi for all those years, we had a gracious lifestyle with large homes, servants, and fine schooling for our children, both of whom were born in Nairobi General Hospital. I still miss Africa very, very much and am still in touch with many of my old Kenya friends from those days, mostly Brits, who love their country in the same way that I do.

Cocktails 6:00 pm Free parking in the club’s parking lot

Dinner 6:45 pm 

Program 7:30 pm (Approximately)

Reservations Contact Lily Narimasu at 394-2891 or email Lnarimasu@gci.net by Tuesday, June 19th
Late cancellations and no shows will be billed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JULY 2012

19  JULY  2012  Thursday

City of Kyoto, Japan

By Guest Pauline Chakmakjian

 Waialae Country Club

4997 Kahala Avenue

                                                       Pauline Chakmakjian
   Pauline lives in London and is a trustee of the Japan Society of the United Kingdom. In her opinion, Kyoto is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. She will discuss the many stunning monuments and sites found in Kyoto, the old capital of Japan. Kyoto not only has magnificent shrines, temples and gardens but also is famous for its array of marvelous, colorful and seasonal festivals. In the spring, the sakura period, there are many spectacular varieties of pink cherry blossoms. There are multiple festivals which occur during the year including the autumn changing of the colors of maple leaves. Kyoto is certainly not a city to be missed by any traveler and lover of nature.

Cocktails 6:00 pm Free parking in the club’s parking lot

Dinner 6:45 pm

Program 7:30 pm (Approximately)

Reservations Contact Teena Urban at uteena@aol.com  (email preferred)

by Tuesday, July 17.

Late cancellations and no shows will be billed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUG 2012

16  AUGUST, 2012  THURSDAY

Small is Viable: 

The Global Ebbs and Flows of Tuvalu

By Guest Dr. Gerald Finin

Outrigger Canoe Club, 2509 Kalakaua Avenue

 

  Jerry Finin is the Director of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center. He has visited Tuvalu numerous times over the past two decades.    Tuvalu, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. Formerly known as Ellis Islands, it comprises four reef islands and five true atolls spread out from 6° to 10° south. Its nearest neighbors are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. Its population of 10,544 makes it the third-least populous sovereign state in the world, with only Vatican City and Nauru having fewer inhabitants. In terms of physical land size, at just 10 square miles Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world, larger only than the Vatican City which has 0.17 square miles, Monaco at 0.76 square miles and Nauru at 8.1 square miles.

     Tuvalu is frequently cited as one of the places that is most vulnerable to the effects of global warming. This country is seriously threatened by the inundation of the ocean since global warming sea level rise may cause havoc for the 10,000 Tuvaluans residing on nine coral atolls. Yet, what is far less widely known is how Tuvalu has become one of the most economically and socially stable small island states in Polynesia. As Tuvalu approaches its 35th year of sovereign nationhood, its achievements are little short of extraordinary.

Cocktails 6:00 pm Free parking in the club’s parking garage

Dinner 6:45 pm   /  Program 7:30 pm (Approximately)

Reservations Contact Wendla Liljestrand by email (preferred) WLL102@aol.com