Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022
The Gardens of Mars: Madagascar, an Island Story, with John Gimlette
2 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada) / 1800 GMT
This program will focus on another unique TCC destination, Madagascar. An island nation off the coast of Africa, it has an incredible diversity of unusual landscapes and wildlife, of which lemurs are the most famous but by no means the only ones! Ninety percent of its flora and fauna are endemic, found nowhere else in the world. While there are some resorts, much of Madagascar is remote and escapes the influence of modern life with unique religious and cultural practices
Virtual Exploration is pleased to welcome John Gimlette back for this presentation. His latest book “The Gardens of Mars” highlights Madagascar. We will learn from John the unique aspects of Madagascar including the landscape and wildlife as well as the influences of Borneo, Africa, and France.
John Gimlette’s travels have taken him to places as diverse as Eritrea and Laos, through most of South America, and to over eighty countries in between. He is married, and lives in London.
Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022
Dave Seminara will explore the topic of “Why We travel”
2 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada) / 1900 GMT
Have you ever asked yourself this fundamental question: why are some people compelled to travel, while others are content to stay home? November’s second Virtual Exploration will try to answer that very question when we interview Dave Seminara about his book
Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed, and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth
Dave is a writer and former diplomat based in St. Petersburg, Florida. He was born in Buffalo, where he grew up listening to shortwave radio and rooting for doomed sports teams. He retains a 716 area code cell phone despite not living there since 1990.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Villanova University, he joined the U.S. Foreign Service. His diplomatic career included numerous international incidents during stints at American embassies in Macedonia, Trinidad, and Hungary, and in the Bureau of Central African Affairs in Washington, D.C.
Dave has written for many media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC.
