Roger Harmon, LLC Tel; (505) 254-4666 harmon_roger@yahoo.com

SHORT DESCRIPTIONS OF 2010-2011 TRIPS
Itineraries are available on request.

1. August 10-15, 2010. New Mexico at Native American Autumn Festival Time. Join us for an intimate experience of our beautiful, multi-cultural state. We will focus on the contemporary cultures and values of our state’s Native Americans, both the largest group, the Navajo, and the state’s Pueblo peoples, of which there are 19 groups, as well as our rich Hispanic culture. Some say the greatest Native American get together is the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial with its song and dance competitions, rodeo, children’s activities and much more in the heart of Navajo country. Our 2 days at the Ceremonial will be the heart of our trip., as it was last year. Enroute to Gallup we will Acoma Pueblo, to view their new museum and be escorted to the top of the mesa to tour the ancient pueblo, called Sky City, and enjoy the spectacular views. Friday night we will go to the incomparable Crownpoint Navajo Rug Auction. On our return to Albuquerque we will visit scenic El Morro National Monument, which includes the springs from which early Spanish conquistadors drank as they searched for the Cities of Gold.

See the following websites for an introduction to the Gallup Inter-tribal Ceremonial and the Navajor Rug Auction, both world class events!: http://gosw.about.com/od/gallupnewmexico/p/intertribal.htm and http://www.crownpointrugauction.com/

Starting and Ending Point of Trip. Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we will enjoy Old Town plaza and shops, vibrant farmer’s markets, and museums. Also, consider coming early for some pre-trip exploration of Sante Fe and environs.

2. August 22-Sept 10 (approx.) Silk Road Today in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and the Xinjiang [Uyghur Autonomous Region] of Northwestern China. This trip be about 15 days in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, plus 5 more days as an optional extension to NW China. I led a pre-service training for a group of Peace Corps trainees in Kyrgyzstan in 1998. I loved it, and the friends I made so much that I went back the next year to train Peace Corps staff in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The scenery is unrivaled, the people very warm and welcoming and the possibilities for cultural learning immense! The extension will allow us to meet the Uyghur minority in China (we have been with Uyghurs in Kyrgyzstan) and to learn about their contemporary life and their great history along the Silk Road.

Our Kyrgyz Tour Partner's brief description of the trip : "The Great Silk Road Tour is a time machine to the period of caravans, caravanserais and Trans-Asian trade. You will have opportunity to explore 3 completely different countries: Uzbekistan , Kyrgyzstan , and China. In Uzbekistan we will see the most beautiful cities of Central Asia such us Samarkand , Bukhara and Tashkent . What is the most valuable in Kyrgyzstan it’s untouched nature such us Celestial Mountains and Issyk-Kul lake. We will see Northwest China, famous for Buddhist monuments along one branch of the Silk Road and for the large Moslem minority, the Uyghurs in the Uyghurs Autonomous Region."

Getting there and back: The staging point for the trip will be Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and the ending point, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for the 2-couintry trip or Urumqui, NW China for the Extension.

We will propose flights to fit with your itinerary. For example, Turkish Airlines has direct flights from Chicago or New York to Istanbul, and connecting flights to Tashkent. At the end of the trip, one can fly from either Bishket (2-country trip) or Urumqui (2-country plus Extension) to Tashkent and continue to the U.S. Also, there are excellent connections on Uzbekistan Airlines from Bangkok-Tashkent-Bangkok (and on other airlines from Urumqui-Tashkent) for those who would like to join our exciting Sept. 13-22 trip to the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. Or, we can help arrange independent travel in Southeast Asia if you wish to arrive early in Thailand or remain for some additional adventures.

3. Sept. 13-22, 2010 Happiness in the Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan. Our trip is at festival season which will allow us to see amazing ceremonies and dances, as well as see the spectacular scenery, monasteries, towns and villages of this little-known Himalayan kingdom. (Don't know of Bhutan?: The scenery, religion and people are reminiscent of Tibet.) We will tavel by van and have limited walking; separate hikes for those interested can be arranged (Bhutan is known for treking). I am developing our itinerary with a very experienced guide who has led several trips taken by American and Thai friends. As on all of our trip, we have specifically included many opportunities to meet local people, including visits to schools, dinner with local Bhutanese, a donation to a youth project, and, hopefully, a blessing ceremony. Of note: Buthan's former king has developed the Gross National Happiness Index as a balance to the economic measures (Gross Domestic Product, etc.) so often used to measure well-being. We will be introduced to a very happy kingdom at a time when it is still just becoming more open to the outside. Ask us for the detailed itinerary to get the flavor of this unusual trip!

Staging and End Point of the trip: Bangkok, Thailand. This trip can be combined with optional extension to Thailand (or, let us know your interest in other Southeast Asian destinations, and we can assist you in developing an itinerary.

WINTER 2011.

4. January 5-Jan.21, 2011 (approximate dates). Tribal and Buddhist Myanmar (Burma) with focus on tribal new year ceremonies of the Kachin and the Naga in northern Burma and on the Shan (Thai Yai) in the Shan State of the Country. Staging point: Bangkok Thailand. Planned Entry into Burma via Northern Thailand, including a few days visiting beautiful Chieng Rai Province, Northern Thailand.
Jan. 22-29. Optional Extension to Singapore and parts of either Indonesia or Malaysia.

5. Approx. Feb. 7-Feb. 21, 2011. Overview of Thailand and Laos, including lowland Buddhist and upland tribal societies. Highlights will include Optional 7-10 day Extension on to Vietnam. Starting Point: Bangkok, Thailand. Ending Point, Bangkok or Hanoi, Vietnam.

Note: Let Us Know Your Interests. I try to center my trips around the interests and availability dates of potential travelers like you. Would these trips at the dates mentioned be of interest to you? If not, what alterations might help make it fit? Do let me know as soon as you can. Our Winter trips and possible extensions are still being planned. I am leaving two of the proposed 2009-10 trips on this link, below, to give you some idea of possible options. Thanks!

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Roger Harmon

Previously Proposed SOUTHEAST ASIA TRIPS, left on this link for you to consider trip segments/extensions that might be of interest.

1. Jan. 2-15, 2010. VIETNAM. [Fantastic trip completed in Jan. 2010!
Experience 13 days in beautiful Central and Northern Vietnam, including Hanoi’s French Quarter, the three World Heritage sites of Halong Bay, Hue and Hoi An and tribal areas to the north and east of Hanoi.

Our itinerary includes two nights in energetic, artistic Hanoi, where we begin our trip. We also enjoy a day of wonderful seascapes and limestone cliffs in the World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay. On the Bay, we will be on a comfortable junk with excellent food; we will overnight in a sheltered bay in modest, but clean, more-than-adequate cabins. In addition to these “lowland” adventures among the majority ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh), a major focus will be exploring the life and environment of tribal minorities in mountain villages and markets. Participants on our trips in previous years have greatly enjoyed experiencing the tribal life of a number of the country’s 54 ethnic groups, including the Hmong, Tai, Dzao. Our accommodations range from one carefully arranged home stay with a Tay families, to small guest houses, to a highlight last year, a night at Topas Ecolodge, built and managed by, yes, Danes! Several walks of 2-4 hours are planned during the trip, with alternative activities/transportation available for those who prefer not to walk.

2. Optional Add On to the Angkor Civilization (8th-13th Centuries A.D.) in KAMPUCHEA, formerly Cambodia, Jan. 20-24, 2010. [Developed and completed as self-guided independent travel by various travelers from 2008-2010.]

Fly from Luang Prabang to Seam Reap, Cambodia, We will view 4 or 5 major temples and several less famous ones, and see the magnificant sculpture, dance and other arts inspired by this Hindu-Buddhist civilization. Throughout, we will marvel how these masterpieces could have been produced. Contemporary Khmer life is fascinating and worth understanding, and for this reason, and to provide variety, so we will alternate viewing the monuments with other activities. The latter will include visiting the French-supported handicraft design center which produces magnificent stone carvings, lacquer ware, and paintings; also, if there is interest, we will also see the project’s silk making/weaving site outside of town. We will not want to miss the Landmine Education Center (moved last year to the road to Baan Te Sarai monument), the local fresh food and craft markets, and a magnificent photography gallery. We will also visit Tonle Sap (Lake), so unique and so vital to the country, will have a dinner/ performance of Khmer dancing and another evening of food and fun with the families of our guides, drivers, and dear friends, Virak and Sothi. Depart for home.

3. BALI + JAVA , INDONESIA AND SINGAPORE.

[proposed for 2009; not taken, but hope to at a later date, perhaps as an extension.]

Indonesia is home to almost half of the people of Southeast Asia. Twenty-five percent of these six hundred million people live on the single island of Java. Yet, what do we know of Indonesia and its people? This trip offers the opportunity for a glimpse into two Indonesian sub-cultures, the Balinese and the Javanese cultures, and contrast them with high tech, high speed Singapore.

In both Bali and Java we will experience the gracious, friendly ways of everyday life and also the deep artistic and religious traditions of the people. Indonesia is famous for its dance puppetry, batik cloth making, silverwork, painting, woodcarving and many other arts and crafts. We will see all of these, and get to know artisans and others in their work places, homes and as we interact in their tropical environment.

Bali: Arrive Dec. 21- Depart Dec. 27 for Java. Bali has drawn all kinds of curious visitors for decades, from the anthropologist, Margaret Mead (see her Dance and Trance in Bali,) to painters, surfers, spa lovers. There are a lot of ways to approach Bali!

Our stay in Bali will be a relaxing one. We will reside in Ubud, the center of the island both geographically and culturally, and explore the town and the surrounding areas. Our main Balinese guide, a painter and woodcarver, will take us to his home to meet his family, to the homes of his carver/dancer friends, and to the countryside. We will observe life in the rice paddy fields near our hotel—and walk in the fields, if you like. The Balinese believe it is their role to maintain the balance between good and evil in the world, and being among the Balinese and seeing the ways this is manifested is an extraordinary experience. On half-day trips we will see lakes in volcanic craters, meet artisans, and visit Hindu-influenced Balinese temples, museums, markets and a variety of restaurants. Some evenings we will attend traditional dance performances in which the struggle between good and evil is dramatically depicted! As always, we will be on the lookout for festivals and spontaneous happenings to enrich our experience. Some hours you may want to relax in the hotel garden. And, who knows, perhaps the most beautiful thing you see some days may be the flower offerings to the spirits laid along a path.

For those interested in staying for a while at one of Bali ’s famous beaches, or see the huge Komodo lizards on other islands, we suggest you arrive a few days early. (We can assist with pre-trip or post-trip arrangements, if you wish.)

Central Java. Arrive by flight from Bali on Dec. 27-depart on Dec. 31. Central Java was the seat of the great Islamic sultanates from the middle of the last millennium. In Yogjakara and Solo, the areas main cities, we will visit the sultan’s palaces of old and today’s the rich culture. This part of Java was also the country’s center of Indianized civilizations before the sultanates, with the best-known remaining monuments of those civilizations being Prambanan (Hindu) and Borobodur (Buddhist). (These date roughly the same time as Angkor in Cambodia and Pagan in Burma .) In today’s Java, we will also see and sense reminders of the Dutch colonial past in the architecture, in the museums and institutions. However, as in Bali, our focus will be on experiencing contemporary life at a relaxed pace—with options for those who want to push to “see more.” I fully believe that Javanese people will capture your heart with their graciousness and depth.

Singapore. Dec. 31-Jan. 2. If Bali and Java are marvels of on-going traditional culture in today’s world, Singapore is a full-blown modern miracle. We make this stop enroute to Vietnam (or as a final stop in your trip,) In two days we will get a sense of this highly planned, highly technical, highly successful nation state. One cannot but be impressed by the quality of life, centered on the network of high rise apartment developments, each with its own shops and community services—and all connected by an extraordinary light rail system. The zoo—and many other institutions—are first class. Never have I seen the parts fit together in a whole like they do in Singapore!


F.N. of Ohio wrote: “In all my travels I've never felt so close to the real people in areas that were so unknown to me. Thanks again for a wonderful experience.” (2007)

We welcome your call at (505) 254-4666 or e-mail: harmon_roger@yahoo.com For more specific information see: www.worldviews2000.com Or, write Roger Harmon, 412 Lafayette Place NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico USA 87106.