CRAFT WORLD TOURS
HANDCRAFT, FOLK ART & VILLAGE LIFE TOURS

We offer small-group international travel programs that have been specially designed for persons with an interest in the handcrafts, folkarts, village life & customs, and traditional lifeways of peoples of the world.  Maximum group size ranges from 10-18 traveling companions, depending upon the destination and facilities.  The focus of Craft World Tours' international travel programs is to meet craftspeople and village people to see how and where they work, how they live, their way of life...  "to go behind the wall".  We hope our traveling companions will be influenced by the range of handcrafts, the people we meet, the cultures, the food, architecture and landscape.  As our travel programs focus on meeting people, visiting villages & markets, they are also ideal for persons interested in photography.

Prof. Tom Muir Wilson & Sherry Clark Wilson
Prof. Wilson has been designing and running special-interest travel programs since 1969.  Tom and his wife Sherry formed CRAFT WORLD TOURS in 1984 to share their love of travel, the special craftspeople they have met and the unique places they have found over the years.  Both Tom and Sherry were educated as craftspeople...  Tom a woodworker and furniture designer, and Sherry a weaver and feltmaker.  Educator for 35 years, Tom has retired from 22 years of teaching Photography and Art at Rochester Institute of Technology's School for Photographic Arts & Sciences.  Tom designs & accompanies most of CWT's travel programs, Sherry keeps the office running, and occasionally accompanies Tom on the trips.

For detailed itineraries, call or write:

CRAFT WORLD TOURS
6776 Warboys Road
Byron, NY  14422
tel & fax:  585-548-2667   e-mail    Fall 2009 Newsletter

Tom and Sherry on the farm

Join Tom & Sherry & Florencio on our 7th journey exploring the handcrafts, folkarts and traditional village life of the Central Valley of Oaxaca (pronounced "wah-HAH-ka") , this time also celebrating their colorful Christmas festivities! Oaxaca is located about 5000 feet and Mexico City is about 7300 feet, providing a moderate climate year-round with December daytime temperatures in the 60s-70s and nighttime temperatures in the 50s. In addition to visiting the historic colonial districts of Oaxaca, our days will be filled with excursions into the countryside and villages to meet folk potters, ceramic artists and artisans, blacksmiths, embroiderers, woodcarvers, candlemakers and rugweavers. Our journey ends with an overland drive through the Sierra Madre mountains to Mexico City, visiting the new Folk Art Museum and the outstanding National Museum of Anthropology. Join us in enjoying the wonderful ambiance and the festive Christmas season in Oaxaca which is based around family tradition and their indigenous values. We'll enjoy a village procession & fiesta called a posada... the famous Night of the Radishes , a uniquely Oaxacan expression of the holiday season... a Christmas parade.... and in savoring some very special experiences with some very special people!

Oaxaca Xmas

Join Tom on his 16th journey to Myanmar (Burma), a fascinating land stopped in time... a land of spontaneous smiles and giggles, of temples and pagodas... of incense and temple bells, of monks in burgundy-colored robes... of haunting images of temples dotting the Pagan plain overlooking the Ayeyarwady (Irrawady) River... of simple, village handcraft workshops. Beginning in Yangon (Rangoon) we visit the Shwedagon Pagoda with its gold-plated stupa. Flying to Heho in the hilly north we explore Inle Lake located in the Shan state, known for its unique leg-rowers and lakeshore villages built on stilts. Continue to Mandalay, an important center for traditional crafts... visit a puppet factory, tapestry "kalaga" workshop, a handwoven silk workshop, a papier mache village, woodcarving & stone carving, a bronze foundry, bamboo & rice straw papermakers, an artist who does reverse painting on glass... and see the making of gold leaf. Board the Pandaw 1947 Riverboat for a magnificent journey on the Irrawady River from Mandalay to Bagan (Pagan), stopping to visit villages along our route. Explore the important temples of the vast archaeological site of Bagan, one of the most remarkable sites in Asia. You will find a refreshing charm and local warmth to this unique country! Outstanding photographic opportunities!

Woman

Join Lesley Robin in exploring the rural life and traditions of Gujarat & Rajasthan with diverse and exciting textile visits, meeting with Master Craftsmen - tie-dyers, blockprinters, leatherworkers, double ikat weavers -- and village people in their homes and workshops. Travel through a landscape of legendary forts, palaces and lively bazaars... an endless pageant of people and color! From Mumbai (Bombay) fly to Bhuj in Kutch (Gujarat) where we base ourselves for several nights and travel off the beaten track with Judy Frater, our personal guide throughout our time in Kutch... visiting desert communities that still maintain their strong traditions and culture, where embroidery is a celebration of their everyday lives. Journey to Ahmedabad to visit the Calico Museum of Textiles, and meet the Salvi family in Patan renowned for their famous "patola" (intricate double ikat). Continue overland into Rajasthan visiting tribal villages where women adorn themselves in traditional clothing & exotic silver jewelry. Stay in an old palace, and at the home of a local noble family... visit a myriad of wonderful sights, including remote Jaisalmer, described as "the most perfect jewel shimmering above the hard sand like a fairytale mirage"... and Jodhpur on the edge of the Thar Desert. A very personal journey through the richness of craft with wonderful photographic opportunities!

Gujarat

Join Tom & Florencio for our 2nd journey into the beautiful highlands of Guatemala, exploring traditional villages & meeting local crafts-people producing outstanding handwork. The World Heritage Site of Antigua with its colonial architecture and cobblestone streets will be our base as we explore this historic town and surrounding villages, meeting weavers, woodworkers, and naive painters. Continue to Chichicastenango for their fabulous indigenous market, and to visit a workshop of maskmakers. Overnight on the shores of beautiful Lake Atitlan, a caldera lake surrounded by volcanoes, visiting a quiltmaker and villages of potters, weavers & embroiderers. Traveling during the dry winter season, temperatures in the highlands of Guatemala remain fairly constant year-round with lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s & 80s. Outstanding scenery and experiences!

Guatemala

Travel in Uzbekistan and Central Asia is a bittersweet mix of old and new, with pockets of "gems" scattered throughout this region located between the Caspian Sea and Western China. Uzbekistan is by far the most diverse and exciting country... in Samarkand and Bukhara the old cities are magnificent with fabulous architecture! Textiles are plentiful... carpets, suzani embroideries, traditional dress, silk ikat, hats, as well as jewelry, ceramics, wood and metal. In Ferghana Valley, the small Uzbek villages of Margilan and Rishtan are home to potters, a jeweler, silk ikat weavers and a master blockprinter. Words cannot express the incredible beauty of the historic old walled village of Khiva. Join Tom & Raisa on our 8th journey into Central Asia... come with a spirit of adventure!



Centra Asia Photo


Join Tom & Sherry on our 10th journey exploring the Ecuadorian Highlands with colorful indigenous markets, traditional villages & handcrafts, and magnificent Andean landscapes! Throughout our journey we'll meet craftspeople in their homes & village workshops... ikat and backstrap weavers, embroiderers, knitters, totora reed weavers, a forged metal workshop, naive painters, musical instrument makers, horsehair weavers, and shigra-makers (colorful knotted string bags). Beginning in the capital city of Quito, situated on a high plateau surrounded by Andean mountain peaks, we fly into the Southern Highlands to explore colonial Cuenca. Visit the Inca ruins of Ingapirca before we continue our overland journey north through beautiful countryside, the "Avenue of the Volcanoes", as we make our way to the famous Saquisili and Otavalo markets. Ecuador's weather is spring-like year round due to the altitude combined with its location on the equator. Come join us as we venture into the magical world of the Andes!

Ecuador woman

Bhutan

Join Lesley Robin as she returns to Bhutan, a Buddhist Himalayan Kingdom known by its people as "the land of the thunder dragon". Nestling in the magnificent scenery of the Eastern Himalayas and bordered by Tibet and India, for centuries Bhutan has protected its ancient culture and unique heritage, retaining a special air of timelessness and hidden mystery. Colorful prayer flags flutter on mountain passes, magenta robed monks live in remote monasteries and the Bhutanese still wear traditional dress. Explore markets and villages, ornate temples and Bhutan's superb textile tradition. Visit places of special interest including "dzongs" (medieval fortified monasteries) and attend two annual festivals that celebrate their traditional myths and legends, where swirling masked dancers in fabulous costumes perform sacred ritual dance... a visual overload with everyone in their traditional clothing and jewelry!

Bhutan photo

Join Tom as he returns for our 20th journey exploring Morocco's exotic treasures... a land of incredible and diverse beauty, the kingdom of Morocco maintains much of its traditional culture in the inner old cities and the countryside. Focusing on Morocco's folklife and her people, we wander the labyrinth of the medinas of ancient Fes, Marrakech and Taroudant visiting small colorful shops and workshops of carpetweavers, wool dyers, woodworkers, potters, brass and copperworkers... in the countryside, we see Berber people and traditional weekly markets, a colorful reflection of Moroccan life. Journey from Rabat to Chechaouen, Fes and Marrakech, through the High Atlas Mountains to Zagora and Taroudant in southern Morocco before continuing on to the coastal town of Essaouira. Wonderful photographic opportunities!

Ceramics

Our 30th Romanian trip, join Tom & Sherry on our 9th wintertime journey celebrating the Winter Traditions of Bucovina, Maramures and Transylvania in Romania! For persons with an interest in traditional folklife, the remote Carpathian mountain villages are living ethnographic pockets, a step back in time. Between Christmas and the New Year, days are filled with fun-loving activities intended as a good omen for the New Year. Connected with the Winter Solstice, the dances with masks are visible remnants of pagan processions of the past (mummers)... the country's Romanian Orthodox background blended with these pagan remnants manifests itself in the colorful & festive winter traditions of today. One of the organized festivities is the Maramures Winter Festival where villages are represented by men, women & children in traditional dress singing and dancing. Weather is similar to that of the northern U.S... cold, snowy and unpredictable. And hopefully with a fresh snowfall, holiday-time in the Romanian countryside is magical! Because of the personable nature of this trip, and our many visits to village homes, group size will be limited to 10 trip participants.

Ceramics

Join Lesley Robin on her 9th journey to Southern India... exploring the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, discover the south's rich cultural diversities, its ancient heritage of music and dance, textiles and craft traditions. Visit a myriad of wonderful sights, bustling towns and lively markets. Explore an area architecturally rich with imposing temples vibrant with mythology where decorated elephants, pilgrims and Hindu rituals are a part of daily life. The south is known for its sumptuous colors reflected in its superb weaving traditions. Meet inspiring textile designers, visit the homes of weavers and dyers and the workshops of embroiderers, basketmakers and woodworkers. The beauty of Southern India is a feast for the senses and the photographic opportunities are endless!

South India photo

Join Tom & Florencio for our 5th journey into the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico's southernmost state. Explore the beautiful colonial city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas and surrounding traditional villages populated by Tzotzil and Tzetzal Indians, descendants of the Maya. San Cristóbal de Las Casas is located at about 7400 feet, offering a moderate climate year-round with daytime temperatures in the 60s-70s and nighttime temperatures in the 50s. In addition to exploring San Cristóbal's historic colonial center and museums, our days will be filled with excursions into the countryside to visit weekly markets, traditional villages, and to meet local weavers and potters. Continue into the jungle lowlands to visit the ancient Mayan archaeological sites of Palenque and Bonampak, and to visit a Lacandon village. Join us in exploring the wonderful ambiance of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.... and in savoring some very special experiences in the surrounding countryside with some very special people!

Michoacan Woman