Travel
to India, China and Southeast Asia
Discovering Western China's Silk Road including a Total Solar Eclipse with Dr. DiBlasi
The Silk Road in China - 2008, with a Total Solar Eclipse with Dr. Krupp
A
Journey along the Legendary Trade Route
through China and Central Asia
The
name “Silk Road,” introduced to the intrepid
traveler’s vocabulary over a century ago by the Swedish
explorer Sven Hedin, conjures up images of desert caravans,
lush oases, snow-capped mountains, and colorful markets
where exotic goods change hands amid the cacophony of even
more exotic languages. Where many destinations promise enchantment
and adventure, travel on the Silk Road through China is
one of the few that really delivers.
Join
us for an exciting 19-day tour along this most ancient of
Eurasian trade routes. Traveling by plane, train, bus, jeep,
and camel, we will visit such legendary sites as the Thousand
Buddha Caves of Dunhuang, where Chinese, Tibetan, Indian,
and Mediterranean religion and art met and mixed in the
first millennium AD; the oasis town of Turpan, with the
ruined city of Gaochang and the spectacular murals at the
Bezeklik caves nearby; Kashgar, home of Central Asia’s
most fabulous bazaar; and archaeological ruins from 2,200
years ago at Kucha and Khotan, remote outposts of the Han
dynasty keeping lonely vigil still on the rim of the formidable
Taklamakan desert. The tour includes sightseeing in the
old Tang capital of Xi’an and an imperial-style banquet
in Beijing. It’s sure to be the trip of a lifetime.
See July 15 - August 5, 2008 Itinerary . . .
See
July 25 - August 15, 2008 Itinerary . . .
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Angkor
Thom, capital of the flourishing Khmer empire in the 11th
century, was one of the world’s most densely populated cities.
An incredible mass of dazzling pagodas grew up around
Angkor Thom, culminating in the glory of the magnificent
temple complex at Angkor Wat.
With the fall of the Khmers, the temples were slowly
recaptured by the lush forest and remained a hidden legend
until 1861 when they were re-discovered and introduced to
the western world.
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Itinerary . . .
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India
is a country that creates sensory overload with its copious
smells of incense, cacophony of extraordinary sounds, appetizing
cuisine and drinks, and visual wealth of ancient architecture.
The colorful and varied costumes, the cornucopia of varied
scenery, and convoluted
cosmologies makes this country one of the most intricate
and rewarding dramas unfolding on earth. Home to one sixth of the world's
population and the world's largest democracy, India presents
a full and diverse culture, and an intoxicatingly rich history.
India is a
juxtaposition of old and new with centuries of history -
from the pre-historic Indus civilization to the British
Raj – and all rub shoulders with the computer age and Bollywood,
where a profusion of films are made each year. India's history
goes back five thousand years to when Hinduism was first
founded. Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism. Judaism. Zoroastrianism,
Christianity and Islam all exist peacefully within this
huge country today.
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Itinerary . . . Schedule Request
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Celestial symbols and myths sustained India’s rulers and shrines. Guided by the rhythms of the sky, the medieval kings and priests of India allied themselves with celestial power and ratified the bond in architecture, city planning, and temple ornament. The sun temple of Modhera, Kumbakonam’s carved zodiac and lunar mansions, the cosmo-mythic rock relief of the Descent of the Milky Way at Mamallapuram, the echo of the structure of the universe in Bridhadishvara Temple at Thanjavur, and the celestial alignments of Vijayanagara, the “City of Victory,” all confirm the impact of the sky in Hindu India. The itinerary of this astronomically oriented expedition to southern India’s temple towns extends as far as Madurai, just 10° north of the equator, in Tamil Nadu state. Join Griffith Observatory Director Dr. E.C. Krupp in a search for the connections between astronomy and culture in southern India.
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