Jalan2Asia-Promo2010.html

We are happy to announce two new tours in 2010: (1) a textile tour to Bali and Timor, and (2) a yoga retreat in Bali.

Jalan Jalan Asia is collaborating with Threads of Life in Ubud, Bali to lead a very special textile tour to Bali and Timor. Textiles play a very important role in Indonesian culture in their everyday life, major life’s passages and ceremonies. Like the weaving of yarns into a cloth, textiles are a unifying cultural element among the vast Indonesian archipelago of over 17,500 islands. In recognition of the importance of textiles in Indonesian culture, Threads of Life was created as a fair trade business that uses culture and conservation to alleviate poverty in rural Indonesia. The heirloom-quality textiles and baskets they commission are made with local materials and natural dyes. With the proceeds from the Threads of Life gallery, they help weavers to form independent cooperatives and to manage their resources sustainably. This is exactly the type of collaboration that Jalan jalan Asia is seeking in our tours so that our travels have a positive social change impact. So do check out the tour “Weaving Cultures of Bali and Timor (July 28 to August 10).”

Our Yoga Retreat (June 20 to July 3) will be taught by Jessica Jerman, who is a lifelong traveler, enthusiastic yoga student and instructor, guide and artist. With a B.S. in Sociology-Human Services and Spanish, Jessica has facilitated cross-cultural programs and yoga studies in the USA and internationally. Working with groups around self-empowerment, Jessica saw a natural connection between the social work field and yoga, cultivating self-awareness across borders. When Jessica traveled through Bali, she was not only in awe with the physical beauty of the island, but also the culture and people. She saw he close connection of the people with the land. She was amazed at how the Balinese hand-make everything from crafts to textiles, stunning rice terraces, intricate temple carvings and everyday palm-leaf offerings to the gods. She saw how much heart is put into the daily life’s tasks. It is this passionate spirit from the heart that she felt Bali is the perfect place to teach and learn yoga. Join Jessica in her retreat where you not only learn a wellness art, but also about Balinese culture and hopefully, you too will discover taksu, the passionate spirit from your heart that imparts a magical quality of our undertaking.

Yoga and Bali   June 20 – July 3 (15D/14N)
code #: BALI-YOGA-10

Experience a yoga retreat with JESSICA JERMAN on the paradise island of Bali. Take this unique opportunity to explore your individual practice of yoga together with traditional culture, natural beauty and the diversity of people and environment of Bali. At this unique Yoga & Bali Retreat, you will not only learn traditional asana (postures), pranayama (breath control), and meditation, but you will also experience Balinese culture through their art, music, dances, and walks through rural villages as well as explore the natural beauty of the island through nature treks and snorkeling in a marine national park. These cultural experiences and nature explorations will help you deepen your yoga practice by incorporating the Balinese artistry, elements of diversity and connections between people, environment and spirituality. Email us for a detail itinerary.

Price: USD$2775 (this is less than $200/day!)

Weaving Cultures of Bali and Timor    July 28 – August 10 (14D/13N)
code #: BALI-TIMR-10

Our gateway to this world is through the island of Bali, where we steep ourselves in the island’s rich traditions during six days in the cultural center of Ubud and three days on the coast of east Bali. Here we will receive insightful introductions to the local culture, see world-class dance troupes, walk through early-morning rice fields, and gain our introduction to the textile arts through the Threads of Life gallery and the YPBB Foundation. Visits with master weavers across the island will offer unique insights into the forces at play in the contemporary tradition, enable insight into what Threads of Life and the YPBB Foundation are doing to sustain these traditions, and expose the visitor to some fabulous textiles. The next part of this tour takes you to the island of Timor. We will visit several weavers’ cooperatives with which Threads of Life and the YPBB Foundation are working, helping women weavers create high-quality textiles that balance their desires for sustainable incomes and cultural integrity. The highlight will be an overnight visit to Boti, one of the most remarkable communities in Indonesia. Having eschewed integration with modern Indonesia, community members still wear homespun traditional textiles as everyday dress and have maintained a self-reliant animistic tradition that has preserved their forests, kept their springs flowing, and kept them adequately fed while neighboring villages rely on food aid. A visit to Boti is a trip into Timor’s distant past. Email us for a detail itinerary.

Price: USD$2755 plus local air fares to Timor (estimated at $240/person)

Everyday Bali     June 13 – 26 and July 7 – 20 (14D/13N)
code #: BALI-EVRY-10A, BALI-EVRY-10B

Experience an ancient, exotic culture through its art, music, dance and more. Go on nature treks, savor divine Balinese food, visit a spice plantation, stroll through quaint villages, and pamper yourself at a seaside paradise. This is a vacation more than you can imagine.

Price: USD$2988

Culinary Bali    August 28 – September 10 (14D/13N)
code #: BALI-CLNY-10

This tour is designed for the culinary enthusiast. It has all the exciting elements of the “Everyday Bali” tour, plus you’ll participate in four fun, low-key cooking classes. Learn all about exotic spices, learn Balinese temple cooking in an old Balinese Palace, and experience a sunset seafood cooking class. And if cooking classes are not your interest, we will gladly arrange alternate activities for you.

Price: USD$3688

Borneo Rainforest Adventure     October 16 – October 31 (16D/15N)
code #: BORNEO-RA-10

Escape to nature — Trek though an ancient rainforest, unchanged for millions of years, that was once the land of the formidable headhunters. Explore the magnificent caves of Mulu National Park, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. Learn about medicinal plants of the forest. View the jungle from 100 feet above the forest floor on the world’s longest tree-based canopy walk. More rainforest adventures await you in the northern Borneo state of Sabah, where you will meet the great ape – the Orang Utan, spot several species of hornbills, see the unusual proboscis monkeys, and perhaps even catch a glimpse of the rare Borneo pygmy elephant in its natural habitat. This itinerary offers rainforest treks, cultural discoveries, tours of the Mulu show caves, a close-up look at wildlife and plants, and relaxation at a luxurious beach resort. This is the ultimate vacation of adventure AND relaxation. This tour may be extended to include a snorkeling/diving adventure to Sipadan Island, rated as one of the world’s top dive sites (Please e-mail us for more information).

Price: Please email us for more information.

Culinary Thailand    November 12 - 27 (16D/15N)
code #: THAI-CLNY-10

Learn to cook Thai cuisine at the world-renowned cooking schools in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and a small Thai village. Visit a local market and surround yourself with fragrant wafts of simmering foods, shouts of stall vendors, colorful wares and happy crowds of people. Explore ancient golden temples, cruise through a floating market, and end your vacation at a picturesque tropical beach resort. Note: Alternate activities can be arranged for those who do not wish to participate in the cooking classes.

Price: USD$3488 (includes domestic return airfares Bangkok-Chiang Mai)

Extend your Culinary Thailand tour by another 6 days to……

Temples of Angkor (Siem Reap, Cambodia) November 27 – December 2 (6D/5N)
code #: CAMB-AGKR-10

Visit the UNESCO World Heritage City of Siem Reap, Cambodia, home to the magnificent Temples of Angkor. Marvel at these ancient ruins that were once hidden deep in a lush tropical jungle. This is an add-on module to the Culinary Thailand tour. Note: Days 5 and 6 will be spent in Bangkok.

Price:USD$1500 (includes return airfare from Bangkok to Siem Reap)

Tropical Winter Getaway (Thailand)    December 16 - 30 (15D/14N)
code #: THAI-WNTR-10

Leave the fuss and stress of the holiday season behind and escape to someplace warm and sunny! Enjoy a pampering winter vacation in Thailand where you will visit the Grand Palace and ancient temples, savor delicious Thai cuisine, learn to cook a Thai meal, explore night markets, ride an elephant, and most importantly spend 4 full days at a beach resort. Your vacation takes you to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and lastly to Phuket Island where you can relax on white sandy beach, swim and snorkel in the warm Andaman sea, cruise in a restored Chinese junk through the enchanting Phang Nga Bay, or simply do nothing except gaze out to the distant horizon and daydream.

Price: USD$4588 (includes domestic airfares Bangkok-Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai-Phuket and Phuket-Bangkok).

If you’d like more information on any of these exciting tours, please visit our website www.jalan2asia.com or e-mail us at info@jalan2asia.com.

We’re also available to lead custom tours to any destination in S.E. Asia.
E-mail us to start the process of designing your very own tour, based on your interests, traveling style, preferences, and budget.