THAILAND AND LAOS

The tour starts in Bangkok, but concentrates on two areas of Thailand, the North and the North-East, and on Vientiane, Xiang Khuang and Luang Prabang in Laos.  It is intended to give insights into the textiles and traditions of these areas, and especially into the techniques used to produce these textiles.

The first two days are spent in Bangkok, visiting some of the more famous temples and textile shops, but also taking in Chinatown and Jim Thompson’s elegant traditional Thai house and museum.  From here we move on to the North-East for a two day stay in Ubon.  The highlight of this stay is a visit to Khun Meechai’s private home to see the very best silk being woven to his own designs, and to see his priceless collection of textiles; his house and collection are rarely open to the public.

After Ubon, the group moves to Udorn, to see ikat (called matmee in Thai) being woven in the villages, and to see how indigo paste is prepared and the cloth dyed. From here on to Vientiane, to see the textiles of a family who have done a great deal to revive old Laotian traditions in weaving and dyeing with natural dyes.  From Vientiane we move to Xiang Khuang to visit the Plain of Jars nearby, and most importantly to visit a Tai Phuan village where the use of fine yarn for their textiles was renowned.   Then comes Luang Prabang, at one time the capital of Laos.  It now has UNESCO World Heritage Site status, and is justly famous for its beautiful temples.

The tour ends in Chiangmai, in northern Thailand, where we shall visit textile markets and museums, meet local experts, makers and weavers of northern Thai and Laotian textiles, travel to a hill-tribe village to see their textiles and traditions and their way of life, and perhaps most fascinating of all, to see and take part in the Yi Peng and Loy Kratong Festival, when people send floats out onto the water and send up paper hot-air balloons.

Click here for details of coming workshops and tours

back to previous page