Bhutan: Himalayan Fortress of the Gods

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Bhutan: Himalayan Fortress of the Gods Bhutan: Himalayan Fortress of the Gods 3 OCT – 17 OCT 2014 Code: 21436 Tour Leaders Assoc. Prof. Alex McKay Physical Ratings Renowned Himalayan specialist Dr Alex McKay introduces us to the remote and visually dramatic kingdom of Bhutan including Tiger's Nest Monastery and the Tangbi Mani & Thimphu's Tsechu festivals. Overview 2016 Departure Bhutan: Himalayan Fortress of the Gods with Dr Alex McKay: 7 - 22 Oct 2016 This tour is limited to 16 participants Tour Highlights Join renowned Himalayan specialist Dr Alex McKay to learn about the visually dramatic kingdom of Bhutan Attend the Tangbi Mani Festival, an authentic village carnival, and view the spectacular masked dances at Thimphu's Tsechu Festival Visit stunningly beautiful Buddhist fortress-monasteries (dzongs) covered with richly coloured paintings and textiles Learn about the intricate meanings and unique production techniques of Bhutanese textiles and other crafts Travel through a landscape in which prayers from prayer flags and wheels fly out across the mountain landscape to subjugate demons Enjoy talks by some of Bhutan's most interesting scholars, creative writers and politicians View Bhutan's unique flora and fauna at Lamperi Botanical Park and Takin Nature Reserve Conclude with a walk (or horse ride) to one of the great Himalayan sights, the extraordinarily vertiginous 'Tiger's Nest' monastery. 15 days in Bhutan Overnight Thimphu (2 nights) • Punakha (1 night) • Bumthang (4 nights) • Trongsa (1 night) • Wangdi (1 night) • Thimphu (2 nights) • Paro (3 nights) Overview Renowned Himalayan specialist Dr Alex McKay, a former London University lecturer with many years experience of this spectacular region, introduces us to the remote and visually dramatic kingdom of Bhutan. Tour highlights include two contrasting festivals, both extraordinarily colourful celebrations of Bhutan's Tibetan Buddhist culture. Tangbi Mani Festival is a local carnival that opens with a joyous purifying fire ritual, before dancing costumed monks celebrate local history and identity. The spectacular masked dances at Thimpu's Tsechu Festival are the culmination of the traditional Bhutanese year, attracting the royal family, as well as bejewelled pilgrims from across the land, all displaying their finest woven robes. We'll learn about these brilliant, intricately patterned fabrics at the National Textile Museum and you'll admire unique weavings throughout your journey, as well as exploring ancient fortress-monasteries (dzongs) like the grand Punakha, Trongza Dzongs, and smaller temples (lhakangs) including the atmospheric Chimi and Kyichu Lhakangs. Constructing these sacred centres signified Buddhism's triumph over primal nature spirits and their brilliantly coloured wall paintings, textile hangings, prayer wheels and large golden Buddhas will enthral you. We'll study their creation at Thimphu's School of Traditional Crafts, see exquisite paper made at a local workshop, and enjoy a country walk to view priceless historical folk artefacts at the remarkable Ugyenchholing Palace. We'll cross awesome mountain passes, where shrines draped with prayer flags stand out against deep forests and towering snow-capped peaks, enjoy local markets, visit farm houses and stroll in verdant countryside. With ASA you will gain unparalleled access to Bhutan's relaxed and hospitable people, enjoying talks by some of their most interesting scholars, creative writers and politicians, and Bhutan: Himalayan Fortress of the Gods June 2015 Page 2 meeting children at a rural primary school. View Bhutan's unique flora and fauna at Lamperi Botanical Park and Takin Nature Reserve, and after a walk (or horse ride) to one of the great Himalayan sights, the extraordinarily vertiginous 'Tiger's Nest' monastery, we'll return home laden with precious purchases, countless stunning photographs, and a deep understanding of this unique culture. Guest Lecturers Alex McKay and a number of guest speakers will be giving lectures during the course of the tour. These will greatly enhance your understanding of the religion and culture of Bhutan. Guest Speakers (to be confirmed in 2014) include: Karma Phuntsho is the world's foremost Bhutan scholar working outside the country. Once a Buddhist priest, Karma gained his D.Phil. from Balliol College, Oxford, has been a visiting scholar at Harvard and researcher at CNRS, Paris. He spends half his year at the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge, and the other six months in Bhutan. Karma Phuntsho, who has written widely on Bhutanese religion and culture, will present to you extraordinary, intimate encounters with this stunning country and its fascinating people and their culture. Karma first joined ASA in 2008 as lecturer for Bhutan: Himalayan Fortress of the Gods. Lecture 1: Capturing the Thunder Dragon in its historical and cultural place; Lecture 2: Buddhism I: The Fundamentals of Buddhism and its Various Expressions; Lecture 3: Buddhism II: Understanding the colourful Tantric Buddhism; Lecture 4: The Journeys of the Thunder Dragon: Where Next? Ashe Kunzang Choden is a prominent woman in Bhutan and the country's foremost writer. Lecture: The Role of Women in Bhutanese Society Françoise Pommaret is a French ethno-historian and Tibetologist. She holds the position of Director of research at the CNRS. Her work focuses on Bhutan. She is presently working as an adviser to the institute of language and culture studies (ILCS), Royal University of Bhutan. Lecture: Bhutanese Textiles Tashi Wangyal is a Cambridge Graduate, economist and now a member of the National Council involved in educational projects. Lecture: Bhutan's social and political realities and GNH. Acknowledgement This tour of Bhutan owes much to the inspired input of Blue Poppy Tours and Karma Phuntsho who helped in the design and writing of this program. ASA wishes to gratefully acknowledge their work. Bhutan: Himalayan Fortress of the Gods June 2015 Page 3 Leaders Assoc. Prof. Alex McKay Seasoned traveller & well-published scholar from London’s School of Oriental & African Studies, Alex enriches ASA Bhutan, Silk Road, North India & Moroccan tours with profound experience & insights. Associate Professor Alex McKay has been interested in Asia since he travelled there overland, becoming a relief worker in northern Bangladesh during the famines and smallpox epidemics of the early 1970s. Since then he has spent around six years travelling and researching in India and its Asian neighbours. Much of his published work concerns Tibet, which he first visited when it opened to Western travellers in 1984, and in 1986 he was one of the first Europeans to cross the newly-opened border (the world’s highest) between Pakistan and China en route to Kashgar and Central Asia. After funding his travels working on North Sea oil rigs and as a private investigator in Sydney, Alex's love of the region finally led him to study South and Central Asian history and culture at the School of Oriental and African Studies (London University), where he obtained a BA (Hons.) in Religious Studies and History and PhD in South Asian History (1995). Much of that time was spent on fieldwork in the Himalayas and in the National Archives in New Delhi, where he lived for a year. Dr McKay subsequently became a Lecturer in South Asian history and a research fellow at both the University of London (SOAS & UCL) and the International Institute for Asian Studies in Leiden (the Netherlands). He remains a visiting fellow at the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in Sikkim and the ANU in Canberra. He has published extensively, given more than 50 seminar and conference papers in a dozen countries, and organised academic conferences in several locations, notably Bhutan and Sikkim (India). In 2006 he took early retirement to return to Australia, where he lives in the Manning Valley (NSW) with his artist wife, and he has recently completed a history of the multi-faith pilgrimage to Mount Kailas in western Tibet. Alex has travelled in many remote corners of Asia, and his interests have always been in the actual world of the people there, rather than in Western academic theories. He enjoys the fact that his works are widely read by the peoples of the Himalayas and he maintains friendships there with people from all ranges of society. Alex has also travelled extensively in the Arab and Islamic worlds, and has led ASA tours not only to Bhutan (2009, 2011 & 2014), Tibet (2010), and the Silk Road (2011, 2013) but also to Morocco (2014). Alex’s specific interests in South and Central Asia are wide but centre around the frontiers between different regional cultures and their adaptations to environment and use of space. In Central Asia he has been particularly interested in the history of religions, the famous Kyrgz epic Manas, and the “Great Game”, the much romanticised struggle between Russia and the British for control over the Central Asian and Himalayan approaches to India. His interests in Morocco centre on its colonial history, its Berber minority, and its Islamic religion. His publications have mostly concerned the colonial encounter between East and West, particularly in the political, personal, and medical spheres; Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Islamic, and local tribal religious culture – particularly pilgrimage and asceticism; the early history of tribes and migrations; as well as modern sports and pastimes – with his most requested article being on football in Tibet! He remains a keen supporter of Bhutan: Himalayan Fortress of the Gods June 2015 Page 4 the Bhutanese football team. Bhutan: Himalayan Fortress of the Gods June 2015 Page 5 Itinerary The itinerary below provides an outline of the proposed daily program. Participants should note that the daily activities described in this itinerary may be rotated and/or modified in order to accommodate changes in museum opening hours, flight schedules etc. All meals (including tea and coffee) are included in the tour price and are indicated in the itinerary where: B=breakfast, L=lunch and D=evening meal. Bottled water is also included.
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