IT’S
ALL ABOUT VARIETY
If variety is the spice of life, a
visit to Luang Prabang, a World Heritage site in Laos surrounded by beautiful
scenery, will excite your senses. Without having to journey very far, you can
participate in numerous learning experiences.
Take part in a Mahout’s experience
run by the Elephant Village and learn how to control your elephant, take her
for a walk and bathe her in a tributary of the mighty Mekong. Go trekking with
a guide from Tiger Trail and learn all about Hmong villages and culture. Our
guide spoke very good English and gave us an interesting history lesson on the
recent wars in Indo-China. He finished off with some beautiful, traditional
folk songs.
Rise early for a cookery class and
tour the local markets to buy your ingredients. Then back to the kitchen to
concoct dishes. We came away with our recipe book and have prepared some meals
at home. For those with an interest in textiles, there are wonderful courses in
traditional dyeing, weaving and batik at the Ockpoktok centre.
Carole Robinson, of Manchester, wins a holiday with Vietnam Tours and
Vietnam Airlines
Other letters from readers
SAIL
AWAY
The best learning holiday I ever
had was when I decided to take my 16-year-old son away to learn to sail on the
west coast of Scotland in August 2012. He has two sisters, so getting quality
time with him was difficult. I thought the two of us, with a training skipper,
would be an excellent way to learn together on a five-day course. This was part
of a longer-term plan to take a flotilla holiday in Greece. He needed his
Competent Crew ticket and I needed my Day Skipper practical as part of the
Royal Yachting Association exams to be able to charter abroad.
We trained with ScotWinds
(scotwinds.co.uk) with an ex-RAF Nimrod engineer. This meant my son would have
to be accountable to a skipper from a military background, not his father. We
sailed around Skye, mooring each night in a different spot and learning each
day the art of sailing. The experience brought us closer together, allowing me
in particular to see him as an adult with responsibilities for himself and
other crew members. We subsequently chartered in Greece in 2013 and he now has
the sailing bug.
Anthony Cumming, Aberdeenshire
WHERE
TO WRITE
Excellent learning holidays are
offered by Arvon (arvon.org) to give people time and space to write. I went on
a poetry writing week to Lumb Bank, which once belonged to Ted Hughes, near
Heptonstall in West Yorkshire. It’s a great setting, which gives you a sense of
the countryside that moved Hughes as well as offering a week of guided tuition
to aid your own writing. Arvon’s other centres are all in inspiring settings:
Moniack Mhor, a converted steading near Loch Ness, The Hurst, John Osborne’s
former home in Shropshire, and Totleigh Barton, a 16th-century manor house in
Devon. The weeks are structured with exercises in the morning, time to write in
the afternoon, and chances to hear your tutors’ work and that of a guest writer
before sharing your own work at the end of the week. Before that you will have
shared a lot more, including the cooking.
Chris Allen, Bucks
GUATEMALAN
GIFT
A full-immersion course in a
foreign country helps you to achieve unparalleled results when learning a new
language. Several hours of daily tuition and a home stay with a native family
all contribute to a learning experience that an hour’s evening class per week
in the UK just can’t compete with. For those particularly interested in
Spanish, I’d have to recommend the city of Quetzaltenango in Guatemala
(affectionately known by its Mayan name Xela – pronounced “Shellah” – by its
residents). After extensive research and travels in Latin America, for me
Guatemala stands head and shoulders above other language destinations in Latin
America as the only country that teaches classes one-on-one as standard
practice, meaning that you progress at your own pace and have none of the
crippling anxiety of having to speak up in front of others who are more
advanced than you. Not only are the classes one-on-one, they are significantly
cheaper than group classes in other countries.
The gorgeous, picturesque city of
Antigua is where you’ll undoubtedly be drawn to when looking into a study trip
to Guatemala. Its pebble-dashed colonial charm lures thousands of aspiring
linguists each year. But if mastering the language is genuinely your ultimate
goal, settle for just a visit to Antigua (where English is spoken at every
picture-postcard turn), and head to the highlands of Xela for a truer
Guatemalan experience and an opportunity to practise the skills you learn in
class.
Lucy McGill, London
MAASAI
MEMORY
I can recommend a fantastic
learning holiday, “An Introduction to Maasai Culture”. You will learn so much,
covering all areas of knowledge. Academically, you will pick up the basics of
language in an outdoor classroom in a sandy riverbed. Socially you will learn
community spirit as you drink and cook together around the campfire that you
have learnt to light without matches, developing your musical talents, singing
warrior songs. You will also be taught survival skills as there is no running
water or electricity.
Discover
how to make the most of seeing animals in their natural habitat as you are
taught how to approach wild animals in safety without disturbing them, and spy
skills as you learn how to walk without making a noise and how to avoid someone
picking up your scent. See how to track animals and witness elephants drinking.
Learn self-defence and how to make traditional Maasai weapons for hunting, such
as a bow and arrow and spears. Develop your sporting skills with Maasai
wrestling techniques. You will be shown how to make natural remedies for common
illnesses, such as backache and colds. You will also pick up so many botanical
facts.
B Grace Hindle, North Yorkshire
NEW
SKILLS
Time your stay at the Bedruthan
hotel in Cornwall to coincide with one of the inspiring workshops on offer and
go home with a new skill. Choose from a fascinating variety of activities
including foraging walks, jewellery making, “the art of pork” (butchering and
sausage making), preserving, screen printing and upcycling furniture. The
courses run for one or two days and hotel guests pay only a small fee. When
your workshop is over, relax in the sleek spa, take a scenic stroll or, if you
are still keen to master new talents, seek out the surf school on nearby Mawgan
Porth beach.
Martha Hales, Dorset
GO
LOCAL
When studying a new language abroad
try to live with a local family. Not only will you progress your language
skills at an increased pace but you will learn more about the local culture,
become involved with family life and make strong friendships.
Holly Gwazdacz, Bristol
PICTURE
PERFECT
If you’re a keen photographer,
passionate for travel in some of the most colourful locations across Asia and
want an exciting and rewarding holiday, you can do no better than a week’s
all-inclusive photography workshop run by Simon Taplin and Mike Browne of
Aperture Asia. I met Simon when I was working out of Singapore. A top
commercial photographer, hugely amicable and talented, he unravels jargon and
simplifies the photographic process, resulting in the creation of some truly
memorable images. Photographing in out-of-the-way places such as Burma and
Vietnam, these forays into stunning locations of diverse culture, heritage and
people really are more than photography courses, they are learning experiences.
Their mission is to make a positive difference to the people and the
environment of destinations travelled to, and as an advocate of responsible
tourism, Aperture Asia commits to contributing back to the people and places it
visits, making a difference to the lives of those you meet. The experience
leaves you not only full of unforgettable memories but equipped with new-found
confidence and a variety of advanced photographic skills.
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