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MEET OUR TOUR LEADERS
Annette Bering
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Each year, Annette plans to host an exclusive specialty tour to a new destination and has planned this return trip to include all her favourite highlight moments. This time she is bringing her daughter to share in this exciting journey. She is a community resident, FNC member, a retired Globe and Mail Travel Advertising Account Manager for 18 years and travels multiple times a year. She is currently working with DreamScapes Travel and Lifestyle magazine.
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Marguerite Low
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Marguerite has travelled extensively in South America and has a passion for the archaeology, culture, natural history and most of all the peoples of this sometimes overlooked continent. She speaks Spanish and loves to share her knowledge of mysterious Easter Island.
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David Elkins
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Indian culture has long fascinated David Elkin, the publisher of Doctor's Review. When he was a kid in knee pants his grandfather, who taught school in Madras (now Chennai) for ten years, regaled him with stories of the sub-continent. On this trip David will explore both the stunning sights and modern accomplishments of a country on the forefront of technology and bio-medicine. This trip will appeal to professionals interested in visiting India with an eye to both the historic and the modern.
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Frank Lazaro
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Frank was born in Marangu, on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. He is one of our most experienced guides who has spent over a decade leading hundreds of trips throughout Kenya and Tanzania. His professionalism, enthusiasm, wonderful sense of humor and uncanny ability to spot game ensure the trip of a lifetime.
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CV Singh
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One of our most popular leaders in India, CV Singh is a Management graduate, holds a Masters in English Literature, and is a licensed pharmacist. Despite these qualifications, he has a real passion for travel and quit his job to become a full-time tour director. CV has guided more than 120 trips and is an expert on north India art, architecture and religion. Our clients love his enthusiasm for topics both current and historical.
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P. Asoka
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P. Asoka is the President of the Indian Tour Guides Association and one of the most experienced guides in India. He has accompanied numerous trips throughout the country, and has a particular expertise and love for Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet. He looks forward to introducing you to these Himalayan Kingdoms.
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Sangay Wangchuk
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Sangay has been leading trips for over five years and is a very popular leader. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree and is an expert on the history of Bhutan and Buddhism in particular. He takes great pride in introducing our clients to his native country and works hard to make every trip a memorable experience.
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Phillis Xu
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Phillis is a graduate of the Beijing Tourism Institute, and has been guiding trips for over a decade. She is fluent in English and Chinese, and is particularly knowledgeable about Chinese history, and takes a real pride in introducing China to her clients.
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Guido Vittone
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A certified mountain guide, Guido has lived in Patagonia for over ten years dividing his time between managing his berry-growing farm and taking WQ travellers to his favourite places. Guido has a passion for glaciers and has amassed a wealth of knowledge on everyting related to Patagonia, writing about the history and geography of the region in his free time.
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Genaro Torres
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Genaro was born in Lima and has been guiding trips for the past decade. Although an industrial engineer by profession, his real passion is travel. He is fluent in Spanish and English and his enthusiasm, sense of humour and attention to detail make him an excellent leader.
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Lewie Gonsalves , President, Worldwide Quest
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Over the past thirty years, Lewie has researched and led trips to some of the most exciting destinations in the world. From early days leading Himalayan mountain treks to most recently scouting out Iran, Lewie's vast experience and regular inspection trips make him the 'go to' person for all our guests' questions. Each year Lewie offers "President's Trips" to a selection of favourite destinations including his native India.
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Laurielle Penny , Director, Cultural Explorations
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Laurielle's love of travel has taken her from Asia to Europe and South America. Heading up the Cultural team with a focus on affinity groups and special interest travel gives her free rein to create each trip's signature moments.
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David Brown
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Dr. David Brown is a professor in Brock University's Department of Tourism and Environment, past Associate Vice President for International Cooperation, and former Director of Brock International. Over the past 15 years, he has lived, worked, and travelled extensively in Thailand, Hong Kong, and other Asian nations, and has conducted field courses, research projects, and collaborative educational activities in Asia and beyond.
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Orlando Romero
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A 20 year veteran of the Galapagos, Orlando is as keen on geology and reptiles as he is on the human history of the Islands. He will make the Islands come alive in a very personal way and keep you up to date on his favourite "futbol" team.
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Ohnmar
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Our fabulous "go to person" in Burma brings an infectious enthusiasm and incredibly thorough knowledge of the intricacies of Burmese life and culture to our trips.
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Jamal Guma Sasi
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With a Masters degree in psychology and a love of music, Jamal brings fascinating insights to our travellers exploring the Sahara and the coastal cities of Libya.
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Sami Rouatbi
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A polyglot and lifelong student of archaeology, Sami takes great pains to introduce the "real" Tunisia to WQ travellers.
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Jack Lightstone , President, Brock University
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An expert on ancient and contemporary North American Judaism, he has lectured extensively and written six books. He is fluent in English, French and Hebrew.
Jack Lightstone will address three specific themes during this trip; the Judeo-Christian historical tradition, the contemporary conflict and possible avenues of resolution and the transformation from an agricultural to a knowledge based economy with special lectures by
Jack Lightstone and local scholars.
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J. Douglas Grenkie , Foreign Conference Director
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It is with great pleasure that, on behalf of the OBA Foreign Conference Committee, I extend an invitation to you to join us on what promises to be a most fascinating tour while attending meetings
and receptions with lawyers and judges throughout the lands, learning and imparting legal knowledge and skills.
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Rev. Wayne Walder , Minister of Neighbourhood UU Congregation
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Wayne teaches and leads meditation with a combination of humour, reason, and respect for religious tradition. Having led UU journeys to India, Santa Fe, Peru, and Turkey, he finds that getting together every day to pause and reflect gives cohesion and focus to the group.
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Beverly Carr
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Beverly has facilitated trips to England, Hungary, Czech Republic, Spain, and France where they met with Unitarians. India, Santa Fe, Peru, and Turkey had a bit of a different focus, but the dynamics of taking a journey with 'fellow travellers' adds a special something to the experience.
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Lorne Greenspan , Dr.
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Dr. Lorne Greenspan is the founder of Medical Challenges CME. He is an Emergency Medicine specialist and leader who helped pioneer many of the current practices in his city of Toronto.
He has been an award-winning educator and consultant to private and public organizations.
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Lewie Gonsalves
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Lewie has over 35 years experience leading, researching and organizing trips throughout the world. He has travelled extensively in Southern Africa and has carefully planned this trip to include the many scenic and cultural highlights of Namibia.
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Jonathan Smith
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Jonathan Smith is the Permanent Collector Curator at the Burlington Art Centre, a post he has held since 1987. During that time, he has amassed the world's largest and most significant collection of Contemporary Canadian Ceramics. With his Masters degree in Fine Arts from the University of Chicago and his vast knowledge of art and art history, Jonathan special expertise in ceramics makes him a terrific resource for both advanced artists and lay people alike. As well, Jonathan has travelled to Japan several times, where he explored many of the remarkable places that will be seen on this trip.
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Reid Flock
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At a young age, Reid studied at the Burlington Art Centre and instantly showed remarkable aptitude for ceramics. After mentoring under Jonathan Smith and Kayo O'Young, Reid moved to Japan to study the forms and techniques that have been mastered over the centuries. Settling in Hitachi, Reid worked on his art with his work featured on Japanese national television and in many articles in newspapers. During his nine year stay, Reid gained a competent grasp of Japanese language and has a strong understanding of Japanese culture and tradition. Having visited many important art and cultural sites throughout the country, Reid's knowledge of the people and the places will be a tremendous asset to this trip.
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Shiv Pratap
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A Jaipur based polo player, "Lavi" , as he is affectionately known, is actively involved in a variety of community projects including rural education and the provision of drinking water to remote villages. He will give us a real insider's view of Rajasthan.
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Carol Heppenstall
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Carol's life's work centres on connecting people and places through the arts. With lectures, independent curating, exhibition planning and the designing and implementing of art and culture tours, Carol delights in sharing a unique perspective through the world of art.
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Tony Beck
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Tony Beck's award winning photographs have appeared in magazines across the country. A frequent lecturer and instructor, Tony has a keen eye for colour and an uncanny ability to set up the shot to ensure you get magnificent landscapes and engaging portraits.
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Robin Tapley
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Robin is a great naturalist and an expert tour leader, who always garners accolades from the participants on his tours. He is, currently, Director of Recreation and Environmental Development for a famous Muskoka resort. He is developing a Natural History program for a resort in British Columbia and consults on many other natural history projects.
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