Nov
20
to Nov 24
Filtering by: 2017
Oct
15
to Oct 28
Myanmar (14 days)
A striking Journey in the Land of Golden Pagodas and unspoiled beauty.
Myanmar is a country rich not only in precious stones such as jade and gems, but rich in its ancient and the relatively untouched cultures of what was at one time the very epicenter of the largest empire in south east Asia.
Myanmar, formally known as Burma, has a history dating back some 400,000 years, of which cave paintings from before 6,000BCE displaying the life and times of the hunter-gatherers well before any thoughts of the modern world issues that cause issues as this relatively untouched country grows to meet modern world standards.
Floating Villages & Tattooed Faces
All though Myanmar is primarily Buddhist in religion, our journey crosses many different ethnicities ranging from the Bamar people living in the incredible valleys of the Irrawaddy River, through the Intha and Shan peoples of Inle Lake that live in floating houses and row their boats using their legs, to the edges of the Bay of Bengal and the tattooed faces of the Chin people.
Each unique and amazing in their own ways, each living in harmony with the distinctive environment that has shaped their lifestyle and belief systems, each filled with different sorts of wisdom from which we can learn about our own world from a very different point of view.
The Rainbow Tapestry of Life
Our journey will take us into many Buddhist monasteries and temples. There are countless numbers of temples in Myanmar, as an example there are over 700 in the city of Bagan alone, many are centuries old and most are tipped in gold. And some of these monasteries house nearly 2,000 monks and nuns, learning the sutras and living the day-to-day life same as the monks of an era long gone in the modern world.
Myanmar truly is the “Land of the Golden Pagoda”.We will have time in these monasteries to meditate and explore, to talk with the Lamas, and share in the chanting sessions, to see Buddhist artwork of the ancient Asian worlds, as well as unique woodcarvings and books made of marble. Even temples made of glass radiating the blue of the sky, the orange of the sun and the rainbow colors of prayer banners flapping in the wind.
We will explore the revered caves at Pindaya filled with over 8000 statues of Buddha and connect to the energy of this inner sanctum of one of the most sacred places in the Buddhist kingdom, and learn about the myths and legends that surround this area.
Mythological Beasts
Myanmar is more than just its amazing Buddhism and unique cultures still existing from a time long gone, it has the archeological remains of a powerful trading city of Mrauk-U. This city and these people are steeped in mythology and mystery, with stories of the people being born by the union of a female monkey and a beautiful peacock that gave birth to a mighty prince. And this prince led them across many thousands of years to where Mrauk-U became the center of trade between the jungles of South Asia to countries as faraway as Portugal and Holland.
Join us as we explore the depth of culture, story and beliefs of this incredible ancient kingdom that has for so long been lost in the past.
Love,
Malcolm, Loretta and Scott
Sep
24
to Oct 7
Bhutan (14 Days)
The Land of Happiness
Bhutan may be one of the smallest countries on the planet yet it is incredibly rich with unique cultural diversity, stunning Himalayan scenery, and a profound depth of people living life with a strong connection to the flow and harmony of nature.
Your journey with this mystical land begins even as you arrive as your plane twists between tall mountains, which at one point a Monastery appears seemingly meters from it’s wingtip. Landing in a narrow valley on one of the most spectacular airstrips in the world where only 10 pilots are licensed to land.
Lamas, Nuns, and Monks
Our tour in Bhutan will take us thru the impressive peaks surrounded by jagged cliffs onto the sacred plains of Bumthang to visit a range of incredible Buddhist monasteries. You will spend time with the Lamas, nuns, and monks of these great temples which date back as far as the 13th century. Across these weeks you will discover the beauty of the Drukpa, Vajrayana and Nyingmapa schools of Buddhism with the teachings of Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava).
Throughout our tour we will be following the energy of Guru Rimpoche (in Bhutan he is venerated as a ‘second Buddha’), and his journey of spreading the lessons of compassion, love and inner strength of mind, body and spirit.
Padmasambhava
You will have the chance to hike up to one of the iconic Monasteries in the Buddhist world nestled high on a mountain ledge, Tiger’s Nest. Here we can connect to the energy of Padmasambhava and his pilgrimage on the back of the flying tigress (Yeshe Tsogyal) to Bhutan in the 8th century. And then we descend deep into the cave where Padmasambhava meditated and where his tigress hibernated.
In many of the monasteries we will be able to meditate, feel the energy of the morning chants, share yak butter tea with the monks, and experience how the temple’s energies are connected directly to the heart of the mountain.
We will explore the natural beauty of this country with over 72% of the country retaining its natural unspoiled form. You will be able to connect with this pristine nature in its raw form in the land where Animism is still widely practiced in day-to-day life, and meditate with the powers of Mother Nature at her best.
Locals, Farms & Villages
We also get the chance to spend time with the local people in the homes, their farms, and in their villages. Their lifestyle is rich with the wisdom of living in harmony and balance with nature is normal. Your food is based on what is in season, and everything is grown without chemicals of any fashion, a country of true organic existence.
Bhutan is an amazing experience virtually untouched by the modern world and only opened up to tourism in recent years, and still restricted to very limited numbers.Join us as we explore animals such as the mythological Takin, countless prayer flags, peoples that worship gods of the mountain peaks and watery subterranean caves with conch shells and Buddhist bells vibrating with life and love.
Love,
Malcolm, Loretta and Scott
Jul
9
to Jul 19
Machu Picchu with San Pedro (11 days)
From the Sacred Valley to Sacred Mountains with Sacred Temples and Sacred Fountains.
The Incan empire is as famous as a piece of history can be, rich in culture, rich in spirituality, rich in astronomy, rich in archeology, rich in beliefs and rich in mystery.
Our tour starts in the very center of the Incan Empire, Qosqo (Cusco), the navel of their world. Built at the heights of the empire in the effigy of the sacred puma, it was the axis point of the four directions of the kingdom, joining the peoples of the desert, jungle, ocean, and mountains as one.
Working with the Apu's, (Mountain Spirits)
On this journey you will be surrounded by the mighty Andes Mountains, Ausangate, Salcantay, Callangate, Qullqi Cruz, Hatunriti, Hatunama and Yayamari; each revered as a Mountain God, an Apu, connecting the Incan culture solidly with the spirits of the Earth.
We will explore the ancient cities of the Inca; Saqsaywaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Machu Picchu; as well as many of their sacred sites, Quenko, Tambo Machay, Wayna Piccu, Maras and Moray.
Connecting to a Power Center of the World
Whether meditating at the ancient places of power, or being awestruck by the magnificent stonework, or laying your own blessings in the astonishing temples, or walking the mind-blowing Inca trails we will connect with this and the other Pre-Columbian cultures that had been such powerful forces in this part of the world for over 2000 years. We will enjoy ample time and space as we journey deep into the ancient cosmology that made this culture great.
Medicine Men, Sacred Plants & Sound Healing
Along with sound ceremonies in hot springs, Quechua medicine men in secret sites, healing plant medicines in the beauty of nature; this tour will encompass as much depth, exploration and understanding of the Inca and their ancient environs as you desire.
Love,
Malcolm, Loretta, and Scott
Feb
19
to Mar 4
Jordan With Petra (14 days)
An exotic Journey to the crossroads of time and beliefs.
Jordan has been a country rich in diversity of culture and beliefs since the beginning of recorded history. From the world’s oldest statues (7250BCE) thru some of the greatest stories in the Christian bible and one of the new 7 wonders of the world to the modern city of Amman, Jordan is a journey of the body, mind and spirit.
Our tour in Jordan will explore the philosophies of early Christianity, early Islam, early Judaism and the nomadic traders of the desert. Across the huge variety of cultural history that you will see on this tour we will have the opportunity to discuss the beauty of each of the cosmologies as well the aspects that we may be missing in our modern thinking.
Jesus, Moses, Sodom and Gomorrah
Even though some of the archeological sites we will explore may be listed as Muslim or Christian nearly all of them have at different times of history been passed backwards and forwards between the different religions. We will share with you how the desert people rarely destroyed the buildings or cities as they conquered and instead modified them to suit, leaving behind a rare and sometimes graphic mixture of beliefs.
Whether we are standing on Mt. Nebo viewing the Promised Land like Moses, or wetting our heads in the Jordan River like Jesus, or standing at Lot’s cave after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, whether you believe in these stories from the Bible or not the power of each of these sites is palpable in your mind and body.
Wadi Rum and the Templar Knights
To feel the waters of the Dead Sea confuse the body and its relationship with gravity, or lie in the warm sands of Wadi Rum and gaze into the vast open wonders of the starlit sky allow your mind and spirit to journey into the uncharted areas of our own psyche. And together let’s traverse the Ghazali Canyon and onto the Great Sand Dunes of Shalalah each of us reliving our own version of Lawrence of Arabia’s epic mission.
As we journey thru early Islamic palaces and the fortresses of the Templar Knights we see how both cultures were doing what they believed to be right within their own belief systems.
Petra & The Nabataeans
And we explore one of the greatest wonders wrought by man and nature, “The rose-red city of Petra”, known as being ‘half as old as time’, you will get to join with the Bedouins living in the valleys beyond the Siq the same as they did thousands of years ago. We will spend time in gigantic ancient tombs carved into solid mountain faces, connecting with the desert people of a time long gone, yet each building still filled with the life force of the Earth and the echoes of the Nabataeans that worshipped and connected to life after death, and that all things live on for ever.