My first Local Guides meetup as a host was on 3rd Feb 2018. It was an amazing experience to host an event for Local Guides in my city.
There were around 10 members old and new who had turned out for the event. Our good friend and mentor @StephenAbraham had come from Malaysia
and co-ordinated an 11 day meetup across different parts of Kerala. This is the first time such a marathon meetup of Local Guides is
ever conducted at a state level.
I had a roungh plan on how to engage the attendees without much waste of their times and outlined the Photo Walk route in that way. We would meet at Marine Drive, Rainbow bridge
and proceed to Broadway for a photowalk that covered the Ernakulam Market, Broadway Synagogue, St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica Church and the Kettuvallom Bridge.
We had planned to meet at 2:00 PM and wait till 3:00 for all members to join, but we got together had discussions, photos and started the photo walk by 3:30 PM.
I had explained to the non Kochi folks on the history and importance of Broadway and the Ernakulam Market, which was helpful for them to understand the
importance of selecting such a location. We started with a quick refreshment at a small hotel and proceeded through Broadway to Broadway Synagogue.
When we had reached the Broadway Synagogue, a heritage site, we learned that it was closed for renovation. Stepping out I spotted a “White Cheeked Barbet”,
which I wasn’t expecting to see in the city and such a busy place. All the photographers snapped at the marvelous looking bird.
Next up was the market’s sights and sounds. It was very interesting for all the participants.
At St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica, we were joined by @Santhosh chettan, a level 10 local guide. Both him and @user_not_found are members of this church and explained
the history and various other things about the church to us.
Since it was almost sunset, we quickly started back across the main road towards Kettuvallom Bridge. After another round of light refreshment and some
photos we were in a relaxed mood and enjoyed each other’s company. Everyone learned a little bit more and would now be a better Local Guide.
After the sunset, members began to leave one by one until Me, @Dhruvaraj, @Dhruvarah and @Shibin were left. Us being photography enthusiasts, we had been
discussing on cameras, gear, composition, tips etc all along. Next we tried some long exposure photos of night time at the location and parted ways around 7:45PM.
It was a very enjoyable meetup. We met new friends and the bond with old friends grew stronger.
Event Page: https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/Let-s-Meet-Up/Ernakulam-Local-Guides-Meetup/m-p/607134
Video Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJm_Abd9X1U&feature=youtu.be
Photo Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/HHBUvt2izCNzaRU43
Tags: @Dhipin , @StephenAbraham , @dhruvarajS