Terra Nova Travel

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KarmaQuest LogoKarmaQuest Ecotourism and Adventure Travel
A Women’s Journey Along Burma’s Textile Trail
November 3 - 19, 2014

Terra Nova Travel is pleased to present another KarmaQuest trip specially designed for Christina Wilson and friends. Please join Christina and Wendy Brewer Lama, Director and Ecotourism Specialist of KarmaQuest Ecotourism and Adventure Travel on this third in a series of women’s trips to Asia’s centers of hand-produced textiles and centuries-old bazaars.

With a small group of women textile arts and crafts enthusiasts, we’ll venture off the beaten track to village settings and artisan workshops to learn about Burma’s age-old methods of hand-loom, silk and lotus root weaving with arts and crafts experts.  We’ll attend quiet monasteries, tour magnificent ancient capital and temple sites – crowned as UNESCO World Heritage Sites – and travel by air, ground and water to see the colorful and undiscovered cultural landscapes of Burma.

South East Asian textiles are known for their beauty and intricacy. Design and production methods in Burma have been influenced by over 2000 years of cultural and trade relationships with neighboring India and South East Asian countries. Traditionally, these intricate textiles have been made on a back-tension (back strap) loom with homegrown cotton, flax or hemp, often dyed with indigo or other locally produced natural dyes. They served as clothing and badges of identity and status -- cultural markers that are little known to the outside world.  

Weaving as a cottage industry plays an important part in the economy and life of many Burmese and ethnic families. Our attention to the textiles and their producers brings not only pleasure to us but encourages and gives status to the weavers who uphold these traditions.  In the tradition of past women’s trips, we’ll research and select a worthy Social Service Project to visit and support through our donations, purchases and contacts.

To sign up, please contact Nancy Pole Wilhite at
Terra Nova Travel, LLC, 2154 NW Aspen Ave, Portland OR 97210
Telephone: (800)267-8002 or (503)296-7913 / Fax: (503)292-4314
Email: nancy@terranovatour.com  www.terranovatour.com

Trip Highlights:

Click here for a printable copy of full trip details, booking information and the following itinerary in Adobe PDF format. (1.5Mb file.) You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file - if you do not have the program on your computer, it is free and available at acrobat logo

Trip Itinerary

Day 1 / November 3 (Monday) -- Depart US, overnight en route.

Day 2 / November 4 -- Arrive and overnight in Bangkok.

Transfer from the airport to the nearby Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport hotel by hotel shuttle. Overnight. (-/-/-)

Day 3 / November 5 -- Arrive in Yangon.

templeFly to Yangon and check into your hotel. A special treat awaits!  Tonight weavers weave all night competing to see who can weave the finest special saffron-colored robes to offer the Lord Buddha at the dawn of full moon day. The location: stunning centerpiece of Yangon, gold-covered Shwedagon Pagoda (photo right). When visiting the pagoda, in the local Buddhist tradition, remove your shoes and join pilgrims on a stroll around the stupa, past many shrines and worship sites. Overnight, Yangon.                                                                                                                                 B/-/-/

 

 

Day 4 / November 6 – Yangon.

Embark on a walking tour of China town, street market, Pansodan Street, Botataung Pagoda, Wahdan jetty; then to the National Museum for a short introduction to the ethnic peoples of Burma.  Later in the day: visit the shop and private collection of Dwa Khun Shwe (photo left), expert on Chin textiles.  Enjoy a welcome dinner of traditional Burmese food. Overnight in Yangon.                 (B/L/D)

Day 5 / November 7 -- Inle Lake: living on the water.

Fly to Heho and drive one hour to Inle Lake. Set amidst a ring of hills, at 2950 feet above sea level, this elongated lake (35 miles by 19 miles) is the home of a unique lifestyle of living in stilted homes and fishing, farming and traveling by boat to market. Our stay will mimic this: our accommodations for three nights are over the water! We’ll travel primarily by boat for the next few days. Today we’ll visit Phaungdaw U Pagoda, containing a set of five important relics to which people pray and reportedly their prayers come true. We’ll also visit Ngaphae Chaung Monastery, previously knows as “jumping cat monastery” for the large number of resident cats. This typical Shan style wooden monastery was built on stilts and contains lovely statues of the Buddha.  We will continue on to Innpawkhone Village where we can see lotus and silk weaving industries and also ikat patterned silk longyi. The lotus blossom root produces strands that are woven into shawls and look much like natural colored linen. Then to a village that weaves cotton longyis (sarongs) using harness floor looms and return to our lakeside terrace to watch the sun set into the hills.  Overnight at Inle Lake.  (B/L/-)

Day 6 / November 8 -- Inle Lake: sightseeing to Indain village and a floating market.

We’ll travel in a long boat to a local market attended by lake inhabitants and surrounding hill tribes who come to sell and trade their wares (subject to the rotating weekly schedule). At the far southern end of the lake, we’ll glide by boat up a small scenic creek and walk through a forest of ancient and restored temple spires to the hilltop shrine at Indain. Return by boat, and overnight at Inle Lake.  (B/L/-)

Day 7 / November 9 -- Inle Lake --  Day Hike and/or Textile Villages.  

Today, we’ll take a moderately active hike (5 hrs) through the rice paddies and picturesque countryside of Pa-O and Intha villages to a farming household for a traditional lunch – a wonderful experience to see how local farmers live.  Return and overnight at Inle Lake.  Overnight at Inle Lake.    (B/L/-)

 

 

Day 8 / November 10 – Mandalay, a “great city,” prophesized by the Buddha.

After a leisurely morning, take a flight to Mandalay, Burma’s second largest city and the economic powerhouse of the north. Today we will visit Shwenandaw Monastery, noted for its exquisite wood carvings; and Mandalay Hill for a view over the city and Irrawaddy River as per time available (depending upon flight time). Overnight, Mandalay.  (B/L/-)

Day 9 / November 11 -- Mandalay.

Today we’ll visit the highly revered Mahamuni Pagoda, the holiest site in Mandalay where the devout perform daily washing of the millennia-old image of Buddha. We’ll stop by a gold leaf hammering craft shop to see how the gold leaf temple offerings are made. Next, we’ll visit the ancient royal capital of Amarapura, where we’ll visit Mahagandayon monastery, a school for young monks and give alms to the Buddhist practitioners. Nearby stands the famous U Bein Bridge, built more than two centuries ago and at nearly 2 miles in length, the longest teakwood span in the world. Later, we’ll visit Inwa,founded in 1364 as a royal capital and lasting nearly 400 years. Highlights include the ' leaning tower of Ava', a brick-and-stucco monastery, and an elegant teakwood monastery. Overnight, Mandalay.    (B/L/-)

Day 10 / November 12 -- Mandalay.

The Mandalay/Amarapura area is known for its textile weaving and products. We’ll travel by boat or road to and from villages (to be identified) to learn more from local weavers and to get a flavour of local life.  Along the way, we’ll stop at small bazaars/markets and explore rural life and issues with our Burmese guide. Overnight in Mandalay.     (B/L/-)                               

Day 11 / November 13 --  Float down the Irrawaddy River, overnight on board.

Riding the Irrawaddy river from Mandalay to Bagan as so many early travellers and trades men did, we’ll board our boutique cruise ship at the Sagaing jetty and glide all day down this still-active commercial, travel and fishing corridor. In the late afternoon, we’ll stop at Yandabo, the village where the peace treaty of the First Anglo-Burmese war was signed in 1826. The first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese Empire in the 19th century, it was also the longest and most expensive war in British Indian history. Fifteen thousand European and Indian soldiers died in what became the beginning of the end of Burmese independence at the time. Today Yandabo is known for its pottery making; pots are floated down river by boat and sold from the riverbanks (photo above).  We’ll moor overnight near the village of Shwe Nann Tint. Lunch and dinner on board.               (B/L/D)

Day 12 / November 14 -- Sunrise over Bagan, drive to Mt. Popa.

Early in the morning we’ll disembark downriver toward Bagan. After breakfast (if time permits) we’ll visit another typical river village.  We’ll reach Bagan jetty by 9.00 a.m.  From there, we’ll drive through picturesque countryside stopping at a local toddy palm farm and see how toddy palm juice, sugar and local “hooch” are produced. We’ll continue on to Mt. Popa, a volcanic plug that rises majestically and almost magically above the plains – thus the reverence paid to it and the monastery and shrines that sit at its top. Besides Buddhist temples, it is home to some of Burma’s whimsical nats or spirits to which people often pray for specific requests. Time permitting, we’ll walk to the top of the plug alongside local pilgrims and scores of feisty monkeys. Overnight at Popa Mountain Resort.    (B/L/-)

Day 13 / November 15 – Bagan temple tour.

We’ll return to Bagan this morning and commence a tour of the spectacular 10th to 12th century Buddhist and Hindu temples for which Bagan is so famous – and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sprawling across a vast plain lie some 2,500 clay and stone stupas (temples) and pagodas of all sizes and shapes. Many were commissioned by early rulers seeking merit and to outdo each other with artistic splendor. We’ll see examples of the various styles and materials, and will go inside to see magnificent golden statues, frescoes and impressive stone arch supports. Bagan is also known for superb lacquer-ware, delicately painted with single horse-hair brushes; we’ll visit a lacquer workshop and shop. Overnight, Bagan.                                    (B/L/-)

Day 14 / November 16 -- Bagan temples, a local market, and horse-drawn sightseeing. 

The Nyaung U market comes alive with hawkers of crafts, curios, textiles, vegetable and sundries in the morning: a great photo and bargaining op. Next, we’ll visit a village where women make traditional textiles using handlooms. Later this afternoon, we’ll take a horse cart ride to one of the ideal viewing sites for a panoramic view over the pagodas. Overnight in Bagan. (B/L/-)

OPTIONAL

A chance of a lifetime:  take an early morning hot air balloon ride over Bagan for an amazing view of this vast templescape from above. You’ll rise above the plains and watch the sun come up as you drift slowly over the pagodas for about 50 minutes before landing and enjoying celebratory champagne. Return to the hotel in time for breakfast.

Day 15  / November 17 – Back to Yangon for a night.

Well rested, we’ll fly back to Yangon for a night. We’ll visit the famous Scott Market, a sprawling covered market complex built in 1926 and stocking everything imaginable and more:  an excellent opportunity for a shopping spree (photo right: Chin textile expert Dwa Khun Shwe’s shop). We’ll also visit the renowned Madame Thaire’s home filled with antiques, tapestries, fabrics and ceremonial dress, and perhaps the Myanmar Foundation of Woman Center to see an example of women’s development programs. Enjoy a farewell dinner and overnight in Yangon.    (B/-/-)

 

 

Day 16  / November 18 – Yangon to Bangkok. 

We’ll depart for the airport for our flight to Bangkok and an overnight at the excellent Novotel Suvarnabhumi hotel near Bangkok airport, convenient for the next day departures for home.  (B/-/-)

Day 17 / November 19 – Depart Bangkok.  

Arrive home on the same calendar day (depending upon your flight routing and schedule). Or, extend your stay in South East Asia with a customized extension trip. (B/-/-)

End of Services

 

Estimated price per person based on half twin sharing basis (without regional or domestic flights)


No. of tour members

US $ per person including 1 single room rotation with odd number in tour group (e.g., 7, 9, 11)

If group number is an even number (e.g., 8, 10), 2 single rooms will be rotated

7 or 8 

US $ 8,345 per person

US $ 8,345 per  person

9  or 10

US $ 7,825 per person

US $ 7,825 per person

11  maximum

US $ 7,425 per person

 

Prices subject to change

Supplement for regional flight
Bangkok / Yangon / Bangkok round trip flight
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total cost        USD 568.00 per person (Estimated only)

Supplement for domestic flight
Yangon / Heho flight (serving Inle Lake)          
Heho / Mandalay flight                                         
Bagan / Yangon                                                       
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total cost        USD 400.00 per person (Estimated only)

(Remarks: The above estimated regional and domestic flight prices are subject to change depending upon the fuel surcharge at the time of ticket purchase.)

Deposit and full payment are accepted by check payable to Terra Nova Travel, LLC, wire transfer or credit card (Visa, Master Card or Am Express). ). If you wish to pay your land package and domestic airfare (within Burma and Bangkok-Yangon-Bangkok) by check or wire transfer, we are happy to offer you a cash discount.  We feel it is important to identify just how much you are paying in credit card charges and ultimately leave the decision in your hands.

Note: Due to the sudden popularity of travel to Burma and the limited availability of hotel rooms, hotels often do not release their room rates until 4-6 months before occupancy. The above Estimated Trip Cost is subject to change; the final cost will be based upon the autumn 2014 hotel costs. Final trip prices will be available in approximately June 2014 and are not expected to differ by more than 5-8%.  Likewise, regional and domestic flight costs may be subject to a small fuel or tax surcharge imposed by the government at the time of ticket purchase.

Tour Cost Includes

Tour Cost does not include:

Bookings and Deposits
To confirm your participation on this trip, please send a payment of $1,000 per person as a non-refundable deposit to Terra Nova Travel, LLC along with your completed Booking and Deposit Form, a copy of your passport picture page, Release of Liability and a signed Cancellations and Refunds form.

Space is limited -- maximum group size is 11 Please send your deposit and completed forms as soon as possible and no later than December 1, 2013 to reserve your place.  A second payment of 50% of entire trip cost will be due March 1, 2014 and final payment will be due July 1, 2014.

Send payment to:
Terra Nova Travel, LLC, 2154 NW Aspen Ave, Portland OR 97210 Telephone: (800)267-8002 or (503)296-7913 / Fax: (503)292-4314
Email: nancy@terranovatour.com  www.terranovatour.com

Practicalities

Rooming Arrangements/Group Size
Trip participants will share a room with other participants on a rotation basis, and may have the opportunity to rotate into a single room time to time. There are no single supplements. The maximum group size is 11 (including Christina Wilson) plus the Trip Leader, Wendy Lama.

Facilities, Services and Expectations
Travel conditions in Burma have improved remarkably in recent years. Airport facilities, roads and air service, hotels and sightseeing venues in the main tourist sites are now approaching standards found elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

We have selected generally three and four star standard hotel accommodations to provide you a very comfortable environment that reflects Burma’s unique culture flavour as well as for their varied and optimal locations. Occasionally, due to circumstances beyond our control, the selected hotel or the preferred room standard is not available.  Every effort will be made to provide the utmost level of comfort and satisfaction at all times.

Some textile and crafts-production sites require overland travel in rural settings, where road conditions are generally good but always subject to construction or other interruptions.

None-the-less, Burma is very much a developing country with a young tourism industry. Service staff is exceptionally friendly and accommodating, and will surely capture your heart. Travelers will be pleasantly surprised at the level of comfort afforded while maintaining a spirit of adventure and readiness for unanticipated opportunities and change of plans. Our follow-up pre-departure information will provide additional tips for traveling, packing, and knowing what to expect.

Misc
In general the check-in and check-out times at all hotels, unless otherwise stated in this itinerary, is between 1200 noon and 1400 hours. Whenever possible, we will arrange for suitable locations for rest and respite should flight schedules and the itinerary require otherwise

Social Service Project
In keeping with the tradition of supporting social service programs in the countries we visit, this trip will feature the opportunity for trip members to visit and contribute to a yet-to-be-identified program that benefits cultural conservation, education or livelihood improvement in Burma.  Donations are optional and may include delivery of needed items (such as eye glasses for women weavers in Laos, Vietnam and India, as in past trips) and/or cash donations during or after the trip.  Stay tuned for more information. 

 

Travelling in Burma
What to call it?
The ruling military junta changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989. The United Nations recognized the change, but initially the US and UK did not. Successive U.S. governments have refused to acknowledge the name change. The United States for years deliberately referred to the nation of 60 million people as Burma, so as not to give legitimacy to military governments.
But in a nod to political reforms made by President Thein Sein, the White House acknowledged it is now employing the name Myanmar more often than before. (Reuters, May 20, 2013) http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/20/us-usa-myanmar-name-idUSBRE94J0YT20130520

For more discussion, please see and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_Burma

The ethics of traveling to Burma
Over the past fifteen years, travelers have debated the ethics of visiting Burma.  Some have boycotted travel to Burma, suggesting that tourism unduly benefits the military government and its cronies. Others see the value of bringing tourism-related jobs to local populations and enabling two-way communications with the outside world. 

In 2011, the National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi’s party which supports restoration of democracy and human rights in Burma, issued a public statement that “visitors were once again welcome – so long as they eschewed large-scale package tours in favor of gaining ‘an insight into the cultural, political and social life of the country while enjoying a happy and fulfilling
holiday in Burma.” (http://www.nldburma.org/media-press-release/press-release/316-nld-statement-no-100511-released-on-20th-may-2011-regarding-tourism-in-burma-.html).

KarmaQuest’s long standing commitment to the ethics of ecotourism supports the generation of equitable economic and educational opportunities to local populations, as well as conservation of the natural environment and cultural heritage of places we visit. In Burma, we select in-country travel partners and hotels that are not affiliated with the government, military or associates of either. 

 

Travel Security
Each year, thousands of U.S. citizens travel to Burma for tourism, to visit family, and for other reasons. The U.S. Department of State has no travel warnings for Burma. Crime rates are lower in Burma than in many other countries in the region. Violent crime against foreigners is rare.

Burma’s political climate occasionally erupts into localized conflicts between the government and ethnic minority groups along the country’s border regions. We will closely follow media reports and public information about the security situation in Burma before and during our travels. Additional information regarding wise travel practices in Burma will be included in the Pre-Departure Information packet, distributed when you book the trip.

Please see the following website for additional information. http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1077.html

Health Issues
Regarding health safety:  medical facilities and personnel training in Burma are inadequate.  We require that you have medevac insurance in case you need to be transported to a regional medical center outside of Burma for emergency care. We will provide additional information on medevac insurance once you sign up for the trip. We will also provide information on vaccinations and other health precautions via the CDC website and in our Pre-Departure Information.

Optional Extensions
Ngapali Beach: Considered the most beautiful beach in Burma, on the Bay of Bengal in Rakhine state, it is 45 minutes by air from Yangon. Apart from relaxing at beachside and enjoying spa treatments, you can take excursions to small fishing villages and local markets, explore the countryside by bicycle or take a boat trip to the offshore islands. There is also an 18-hole golf course.


Bangkok, Chiangmai or beach resorts of Thailand:  Extend your stay in S.E. Asia in Thailand. Relax at a beach resort with snorkelling, kayaking, spas or jungle safaris; visit Chiangmai in northern Thailand, center of arts and crafts, botanical gardens and a unique cuisine; or take an overnight (or day) trip from Bangkok to Ayuthaya (photo left), ancient capital of Siam and shop in Bangkok’s markets for silks, carved wooden products and countless exotic treasures, with a return via a deluxe river boat.

 

 

Cambodia, Vietnam, or Laos:  With Bangkok as your hub, explore the World Heritage Sites and cultural history of neighboring countries on customized trips to suit your schedule and interests.

Profiles of Key Trip Personnel 

Christina Wilson, Trip Organizer       
Christina has been interested in traveling her entire life. In 1982 she took her first trip to Nepal and India. Since then, she has been going to every exotic place she can find in the world. Her goal is to visit all the interesting places including her own back yard during her lifetime.

Christina worked with Outward Bound for many years and it was there, putting women’s trips together, that she found her passion. Outward Bound taught her that it was the journey, not the destination that was important; and about the importance of giving back to the community that she visits. The trips she puts together always include a service project or a contribution to a local organization.

Christina has led many trips all over the world. Her trips are usually small so that the group travels intimately and easily. For the last twenty years she has led many groups to interesting places, including Peru. Bolivia, Ecuador, Italy, England, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, Burma, Micronesia, Bali, and Indonesia, to name a few.  Her most recent trips, operated by KarmaQuest, are with a small group of women who toured Laos and Vietnam in February 2009, and India in January 2011. Christina is a National Tropical Botanical Gardens member and is currently on the Board of Trustees. She led her third trip for NTBG in November 2008 to Madagascar and South Africa and has recently returned from the NTBG-sponsored Amazon cruise led by NTBG Fellow and former head of Kew Gardens, Sir Ghilliean Prance.

Please contact Christina Wilson with general questions about the trip.
Tel: (503) 297-3234 or bumpus@pacifier.com

Wendy Brewer Lama, On-the-Trip Manager and
Director of KarmaQuest Ecotourism and Adventure Travel 
KarmaQuest Ecotourism and Adventure Travel founders Wendy and Karma Lama have been organizing special interest, educational, adventure, eco-, and cultural trips to Asia for more than 20 years.  KarmaQuest trips visit: Nepal, India, Bhutan, China (and Tibet), Thailand, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.

KarmaQuest’s unique and award winning trips draw upon the expertise and relationships Wendy Lama has nurtured as an Ecotourism Specialist for international organizations since the 1980s.  She has worked throughout the Himalayan region for The Mountain Institute to manage the impacts of tourism and to promote conservation of natural and cultural resources and improved local livelihoods through ecotourism. She developed an ecotourism management plan in support of panda conservation in Wanglang Nature Reserve for the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) in Sichuan, China.  She helped develop a tourism master plan for Central Tibet for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and trained Tibetans in participatory ecotourism planning. In Kyrgyzstan, Wendy assisted women's groups and tour operators in the beginning stages of a successful Community-Based Tourism (CBT) initiative that is now a standard for Central Asia and beyond. She advised the UNESCO Cultural and Ecotourism in Mountain Regions of Central and South Asia program in Iran, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.  She has also advised tourism development in Mongolia and Siberia. Besides planning and operating KarmaQuests, she has introduced ecotourism to farmers, fisher-people, wineries, nurseries, and Main Street entrepreneurs in Half Moon Bay.

KarmaQuest designs and operates customized ecotourism and adventure travel for individual and group travelers as well as organizations and universities. This is the tenth trip it has organized in collaboration with Christina Wilson and Terra Nova Travel, LLC.  KarmaQuest Ecotourism and Adventure Travel (www.karmaquests.com) is based in Half Moon Bay, California.

Nancy Pole-Wilhite, Travel Resource Person, Terra Nova Travel, LLC
Nancy has worked as a travel consultant since 1978 specializing in exotic destinations. Since 1999 she has been an independent agent/trip designer operating her own company, Terra Nova Travel, LLC. Her keen interest in adventure travel and endangered cultures lead to her connection with Christina Wilson.  For the last ten years she and Christina have collaborated on such trips as Baja kayaking, a trek to Machu Picchu, and NTBG Friends’ trips to Bhutan in 2002, Thailand/ Myanmar in 2004, Madagascar/South Africa in November 2008, and an Amazon River cruise in June 2009. In October 2008, Nancy visited Iguassu Falls and Buenos Aires, aptly named Paris of South America, to research a visual arts tour for a Portland art gallery.  On her most recent, she traveled to both Uganda and Rwanda to see the famous mountain gorillas. In Oct 2010 she spent 3 ½ weeks on safari exploring Northern Kenya (including a walking safari with the Samburu), Tanzania and Zanzibar. Her expertise also extends to Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan SE Asia, China as well as Africa, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador.

Nancy has a BA from the University of California at Berkeley in English Literature and French.  Her passion for Renaissance literature and art extends into the music world.  For the past twenty years she has be a member of the liturgical choir, Cantores in Ecclesia www.cantoresinecclesia.org. Cantores is devoted to the performance of polyphonic music from the Renaissance as well as Gregorian Chant.  Nancy also currently serves on the Board of the women’s a capella group, In Mulieribus (www.inmulieribus.org). She enjoys cooking French and ethnic foods, as well as gardening.  

Please contact Nancy Pole-Wilhite to book the trip, and for questions and assistance in pre-trip tour logistics, including flight bookings, the day to day itinerary, extensions, and other general travel questions.

Nancy Pole-Wilhite, Terra Nova Travel, LLC.
2154 NW Aspen Ave., Portland OR 97210
Telephone: (800)267-8002 or (503)296-7913 / Fax: (503)292-4314
Email: nancy@terranovatour.com  www.terranovatour.com