The Treasures of India Uncovered for You
India is a treasure trove of
colour, talent and design. Touring around this jewelled country provides
a daily feast for the eyes and manna for the soul, especially if you
have a passion for fabrics, handicrafts and traditional skills. Indeed,
India is such a vast treasure trove that it provides an overwhelming
challenge for the casual traveller. Just where do
you begin.
You
could book a tour through one of the major tour operators and find
yourself on a large tourist coach being herded around the obvious sites,
unable to escape from the schedule to discover the real charms of India
and therefore miss the amazing wealth of local crafts that are just off
the beaten track. Alternatively, you could go it alone and waste
precious time on research and organisation. This is perhaps also a
solution for the bravest travellers. India is a wonderfully safe place
most of the time but it can be overwhelming and one or two women
travelling without expert guidance could feel vulnerable.
Specialist tour guide and fashion expert,
Jane Shoebridge has come up with the ideal
solution. Jane has twenty five years experience of travelling around
India. She toured the country buying fabrics for her main business,
designing and making clothes. Now, her love of India has taken over and
she organises small group tours of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Working with
an Indian guide throughout, Jane helps groups to explore traditional
hand block printing of fabrics or weaving of brightly coloured
dhurries (rugs) and cotton weaving. A
maximum of ten, like-minded people with a shared passion for
handicrafts, are taken to visit Indian women embroidering saris and
throws in their houses the men making Jutties (slippers) or to meet the
local village potter as he forms water pots on a wheel set in the earth.
Jane’s tours are ideal for women to
explore their own interests. She provides you with an inclusive package
of accommodation, transport, food and local tours without you ever
feeling as if you are on a ‘package’ holiday. What is more, Jane’s own
expertise enables her to point out details of design and technique that
may otherwise be missed. She delves a bit deeper to unearth some of the
hidden treasures of India to lay out before
you.
Accommodation is rarely in the standard,
homogenised tourist hotels. Instead, Jane checks you into a series of
Maharaja’s palaces, hilltop forts, friendly guesthouses or luxurious
tents. Many of these buildings are attractions themselves with
exquisitely painted walls, carved stonework and beautiful furniture that
is often unique to your
room.
The tours are extensive but the tone is
relaxed and informal. For added excitement, Jane can arrange camel rides
through the desert or thrilling rickshaw rides around winding alleyways.
The itinerary is also varied. Jane takes her guests to some major
tourist sites but there is also plenty of time to walk along village
streets and talk to friendly locals. What is more, she is particularly
good at employing the most knowledgeable guides in each area visited.
However, above all, Jane’s greatest asset is perhaps her own
personality. She is constantly charming, quite gregarious and genuinely
interesting to listen to. She cares enough to ensure that your visit to
India is special and unique.
A full itinerary of the next tour to
Gujarat can be obtained by contacting Jane:-
by phone on 01404 841498 or
by
email
janejohn100@hotmail.co.uk.
