VIMFF Fall Speaker Series Show #2: November 20, 2008, 7:00 pm
November 5, 2008 | 375x
Robbin McKinney: GREAT BIKE JOURNEYS OF THE WORLD (slideshow)
Gwendal Castellan, Tania Lo, and Ian Hinkle: LONG ROAD NORTH (documentary film)

When: Thursday, November 20, 7pm (doors and reception at 6 pm)
Where: Centennial Theatre, 2300 Lonsdale Avenue
Tickets: $15 in advance; $17 at the door; package of 2 tix to 2 remaining shows $25.
Advanced tickets are available online here ; and at the Centennial Theatre, 2300 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, (604) 984-4484.

Photographer Robbin McKinney presents a slide show of bike travels through Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Morocco, Turkey, Thailand and Croatia. Robin has been guiding trips around the world since 1985 and will share stories of his secret discoveries. In addition he will discuss the pros and cons of guided versus self-guided travel and for independent travelers will offer suggestions and advice.

Robbin McKinney. / Travel to Croatian coast.

Gwendal Castellan’s LONG ROAD NORTH
Leaving behind his office with no windows, Gwendal Castallan realizes his dream of an adventure to travel half way across the planet at a human pace and experience the story of the road. Seen from the handlebars of a bicycle, the world is a lot smaller than he ever thought. This epic journey begins at the most Southern tip of Argentina, taking us on a modern “Motorcycle Diaries” through 18 countries along the longest road in the world. From the mountains of Patagonia, through Latin American mega-cities and small-town America, to the sparse reaches of the Canadian Arctic, we get a glimpse of what we would be like to drop everything and hit the open road.

In a time when global relations can make the world seem too scary to embrace, we are reminded that the most common thing we share with other parts of the world is humanity.
The sites they visit are more than just names on a map. These places might be familiar enough, but even then, it is not until they spent time exploring them that they realize that every city, every small town, every deserted stretch of road, carries a story of its own. As Gwendal journeys through this diverse landscape, he find that sometimes the farther we travel the more we realize the importance of relationship and family.

Despite what he thought he knew about the world, he came to see that he hardly knew it at all.
Gwendal is a patient teacher known for his willingness to share his passion with others. With a degree in Geography from the University of Victoria and an eye for the world at large, he found his love for touring by bicycle in Australia. After several years programming satellite imagery for Radarsat International, the lure to find himself in those far away images of the world was too much. Currently he is the Executive Director of the Stanley Park Bike Festival in his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.