SOUTH INDIA'S HERITAGE IN FOCUS COROMANDEL COAST AND FORMER FRENCH COLONIAL INDIA FEBRUARY 1 - 15, 2019 PHOTO: ENTRANCE TO BRIHADISHVARA TEMPLE, PART OF THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE A TWO-WEEK LEARNING TOUR EXPLORING CULTURAL, ARCHITECTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE IN PONDICHERRY AND TAMIL NADU STAYING IN PREMIERE HOTELS AND HERITAGE PROPERTIES VALUE PRICED AT $3999 FOR DOUBLE OCCUPANCY, $1455 SINGLE SUPPLEMENT REGISTER TODAY AT: http://bit.ly/UOIndiaReservation (address is case sensitive) PHOTO: R. KUPPUSAMY, A 9TH GENERATION SHADOW PUPPETEER PERFORMING AT PONDICHERRY HERITAGE FESTIVAL, 2018 TOUR OVERVIEW Learn about communities, cultures, cuisines, and nature on this incredible two-week educational journey focusing on the former French Colony of Pondicherry and surrounding areas along India's Coromandel Coast. Students, administrators, and grassroots activists will lend context to our experience and discussion of heritage as we explore this beautiful yet often overlooked area and take part in Pondicherry's annual heritage festival. During the tour, enjoy walking tours of Pondicherry's heritage architecture with extra time for shopping and strolling the lovely bougainvillea-lined lanes. In the mornings, enjoy sunrise walks along the promenade and yoga classes or opt to take your time starting the day. In the evenings, enjoy local music, dance and storytelling programs offered as part of the Heritage Festival. Throughout the tour, you will get to relish a variety of Indian and European cuisines at quaint local restaurants and even take an Indian cooking class! The tour will visit UNESCO World Heritage sites associated with ancient Indian dynasties and you will get to meet families of sculptors, bronze casters and painters associated with these places and their centuries-old traditions. The one-of-a-kind township of Auroville will offer the opportunity to meet local and international innovators addressing global and community challenges as well as a chance to discover the legacy of Sri Aurobindo, a spiritual visionary and fighter for Indian independence from British rule. At the world-famous Thillai Nataraja temple, you will learn about Hindu sacred geography and classical yoga philosophy. And let us not forget the UO connection! Visit Satya Special School, where faculty from the UO College of Education have provided extensive training to staff and where students from the College of Education have volunteered. The tour finishes with two days during which you may shadow or volunteer according to your interest in either Pondicherry or Auroville. Given sufficient demand, a four-day extension to visit the Taj Mahal will also be offered (an additional fee will apply for the extension tour). Katie Jo Walter (right) pictured with Kakoli Banerjee of People for Pondicherry's Heritage TOUR ACCOMMODATION POOL UO LEADER KATIE JO WALTER Arrival Night: Taj Coromandel, Chennai Rated 4.5/5 on Google and tripadvisor Prior to joining the UO as Program Coordinator for Educational Tours and becoming an adopted Duck, Katie Jo spent ten years POOL focused on India-related experiential study, instruction and institutional partnerships for undergraduate students. Katie Jo has helped to design, manage and facilitate over a dozen academic programs abroad focusing on various topics and catering to undergraduate student groups from UK, Australian and U.S. Night 1: Vivanta by Taj Fisherman's Cove institutions. Katie Jo has actively participated in and promoted a Rated 4.4/5 on Google and 4/5 on tripadvisor number of NGO and volunteer initiatives in India and has been awarded Fulbright and Kathryn Wassermann Davis grants to carry out research on environmental conservation campaigns and to FREE WIFI POOL implement projects aimed at sustainable livelihoods. She has also worked under US and EU government level initiatives to promote study and partnerships in India. Nights 2 - 6 and 9 - 14: Gratitude, Pondicherry Katie Jo has conducted educational tours in and around Rated 4.2/5 on Google and 5/5 on tripadvisor Pondicherry for undergraduate students and has also made several personal visits to the area with friends and family. She has made a number of connections with local residents and FREE WIFI POOL organizations and she looks forward to sharing these as part of this tour. Katie Jo holds a BA in International Affairs from Lewis & Clark College and received her MA in International Education from SIT Graduate Institute. Nights 7 and 8: Svatma, Tanjore Rated 4.2/5 on Google and 4.5/5 on tripadvisor MEAL INCLUSIONS ARE INDICATED IN EACH DAY'S DESCRIPTION: (B) ITINERARY BREAKFAST (L) LUNCH (D) DINNER WHERE APPLICABLE, DESTINATIONS ARE LISTED WITH THEIR CURRENT NAMES FOLLOWED BY NAMES DURING COLONIAL RULE ARRIVAL FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 CHENNAI/MADRAS Arrivals and Check in Arrive at Chennai International Airport (MAA) within the time window specified. Katie Jo Walter and our professional Tour Director will be there to meet you and escort you to Taj Coromandel, where you can enjoy a night of rest. DAY 1 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 MAMALLAPURAM/MAHABALIPURAM The capital of the Pallavas/ B, L, D After breakfast, travel 1.5 hours by coach to see The Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Learn about the construction of these incredible Pallava-era (7th - 9th century CE) monolithic stone monuments and scholarship about their purpose and symbolism. At your seaside resort accommodation, enjoy a welcome dinner before retiring for the evening. DAY 2 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3 PUDUCHERRY/PONDICHERRY Introduction to French India / B, L, D Opt to sleep in or enjoy a morning yoga session or a seaside stroll before breakfast. Then travel two hours by coach to Pondicherry. After resting, walk to lunch and then join an optional introduction to Tamil language for travelers at the hotel. Take a walking tour of Pondicherry's French heritage architecture before getting some time to shop and explore on your own. The group will join for dinner at a fabulous local restaurant serving Indian and Western cuisine. DAY 3 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4 PUDUCHERRY/PONDICHERRY Cooking, Commerce and Urban Development/ B, L, D Opt to sleep in or enjoy sunrise over the Bay of Bengal followed by yoga. After breakfast, visit Goubert market to see where locals shop for everything from produce and meat to clothing and jewelry. While here, gather items for a cooking class where you will prepare your own lunch. After post-lunch rest, meet officials from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to learn about the role of heritage in Pondicherry's urban development and meet local shop owners. Finish the day with a dinner at a restaurant in a restored 18th century building that used to be the home of the French Mayor. ITINERARY DAY 4 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 PUDUCHERRY/PONDICHERRY Legacy of the Freedom Fighter Turned Mystic / B. L. D Opt to sleep in or enjoy sunrise over the Bay of Bengal followed by yoga. After breakfast, take a walking tour of Pondicherry's Tamil heritage architecture and visit a local school. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant supporting women's livelihoods. After some rest, visit Aurobindo ashram to learn about the life and legacy of someone whose influence on Pondicherry rivals that of the French: Sri Aurobindo. Visit local shops associated with the ashram, such as the perfumery, the incense shop and the handmade paper unit. Enjoy a heritage festival performance event prior to dinner at a local Italian restaurant. DAY 5 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 PUDUCHERRY/PONDICHERRY Shorelines, Conservation and Coastal Trade/ B, L, D Opt to sleep in or enjoy sunrise over the Bay of Bengal followed by yoga. After breakfast, travel 20 minutes by coach to Chunnambar Boat House to cruise local backwaters and enjoy fun in the sun (and the shade!) at Paradise Beach. After enjoying lunch at a four-star beach resort, return to the hotel for some rest before visiting Pondicherry Museum to learn about economic trade along the Coromandel coast. Prior to dinner, attend a heritage festival talk and film on erosion of Pondicherry's beach and recent efforts to restore Pondy's beautiful, sandy shores. DAY 6 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7 AUROVILLE Reimagining Society/ B, L, D Opt to sleep in or enjoy sunrise over the Bay of Bengal followed by yoga. After breakfast, travel 30 minutes by coach to Auroville, a "collective experiment in human unity" founded upon the vision and values of Sri Aurobindo. Learn about this fascinating place and discover innovations being developed by Aurovillians to address global and community challenges. Visit Auroville Earth Institute, which is recognized globally for developing sustainable earth-based constructions. After lunch, visit Satya Special School to interact with students and learn about UO College of Education's work in staff training here. Enjoy a relaxed late afternoon and DAY 7 evening prior to dinner. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8 CHIDAMBARAM AND SWAMIMALAI Hinduism, Yoga and Chola Bronzes / B, L, D Opt to sleep in or enjoy sunrise over the Bay of Bengal followed by yoga. After breakfast, travel one hour and 30 minutes by coach to Thillai Nataraja Temple to learn about one of India's most ancient and sacred Shiva temples and its connection to the world's most widely read yoga philosophical text. Enjoy a packed lunch on the coach while traveling two hours to Swamimalai, where you will learn about Chola bronze making processes and meet local bronze casters. Enjoy tea and snacks at a local hotel before journeying the final one hour to the hotel in Tanjore. ITINERARY DAY 8 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 THANJAVUR/TANJORE The Great Living Chola Temples and Economies of Past and Present/ B, L, D Opt to sleep in or enjoy a morning yoga session. After breakfast, visit the Great Living Chola Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.