Helen takes members on a virtual tour of the Silk Road

Helen takes members on a virtual tour of the Silk Road

16 September 2020

FOR their September meeting members of Downe U3A were treated by fellow member Helen Honeyman to a virtual tour along part of the Silk Road.

Helen’s journey, which she made reality in 2016, began in Istanbul and continued on Xinjiang, returning via Kyrgystan.

Xinjiang is the province of China currently in the news for the treatment of the Uyghur people and the talk and the discussion which followed gave participants a better understanding of the issues in that part of the world.  

Helen is a talented photographer who illustrated not just the important places but also the lives of the people.

She showed amazing contrasts between the bleak modern high rise buildings and the ancient, such as the 15th century caravanserai  of Tash Rabat in Kyrgystan. 

Along her travels she met many of the local people, saw how they lived and learned how they hunt with eagles.

Downe U3A recognises the importance of social contact and is adapting to the new situation with some of its groups, such as books and crafts meeting via zoom, while outdoor activities, such as strollers, walking, nature and gardening, meet as far as the current rules permit.  New members are always welcomed.