Behind
The Scenes Adventures are
specialty trips--small groups of friendly folks with common interests
in traditional
festivals and celebrations, ethnic textiles and
indigenous costume, archaeology, cultural
history, art and architecture. If you love going "behind
the scenes" to meet the people and experience exotic destinations,
savory local cuisine, flamboyant festivals, gorgeous scenery and
remote villages where the people still make all their own exquisite textiles, then BTSA is for YOU! Learn More!
Click on trip titles for details and Photo Galleries.
CLICK HERE for PHOTO GALLERY of OUR FABULOUS TRIP TO INDIA THIS PAST SEPTEMBER.
SUMMER IN THE ANDES: PERU with Mary Jane Mucklestone & Claudia Avila
JULY 7 - 21, 2013
A fabulous trip to see Machu Picchu and the best of Peru with these knowledgable and enthusiastic leaders!
We spend a day in Lima 
seeing amazing pre-Columbian textiles and ceramics, then fly north to see the great pre-Columbian archeological sites. Next we fly to the charming city of Cuzco, with its enticing shops and tempting cuisine. With Nilda Callanaupa, Andean weaver and friend,we'll visit several traditional textile villages, to meet the knitters and weavers, and we will learn to dye alpaca fiber with natural dyes: Claudia is stirring the alpaca yarn in the dye pot, at right.Andean knitting techniques workshop included.
Of course we'll marvel at Machu Picchu and spend the night there to maximize our time at this awe-inspiring UNESCO site! Finally we fly back to Lima, and have dinner at one of Lima's famous restaurants. Flights home the next day, July 22.
CLICK HERE FOR TRIP DETAILS.
CLICK HERE: ARTICLE BY MARY JANE ABOUT HER TRIP TO THE ANDES!
ARTS, CRAFTS AND FESTIVALS OF OAXACA, MEXICO
August 9 - 22, 2013
Travel With the Experts! Join Chloe Sayer, expert in Mexican culture and textiles, and Cynthia LeCount Samaké, expert in indigenous world textiles, on this 14-day discovery tour to the beautiful and tranquil state of Oaxaca, Mexico.
A comfortable hotel in Oaxaca City will be the base for day-trips to villages, local arts and crafts markets, magnificent colonial churches, superb museums and fascinating archaeological sites. We will also visit many renowned artists in their studios; many of these are people that Chloe has known for decades and has interviewed for her many books.
Then we travel south to the Isthmus region to attend the lively Festivals of the Assumption, meeting the Zapotec women who are world-famous for their spirit and 
their gala attire! We will also visit the skilled embroiderers who create the beautiful festival clothing.
As you see here, we love to dress in typical gala style for the fiesta; we'll show you an entire market full of the beautiful embroidered huipiles to buy or even rent!
Later we return to Oaxaca City for free time to enjoy the charms of the shady plazas, the superb restaurants and the fascinating markets and shops.
CLICK HERE FOR PRICE AND DETAILS
Click to view the OAXACA PHOTO GALLERY
TEXTILES, ARTS AND CULTURE OF GHANA
January 10- 24, 2013 (We had a great time! See the website later for 2014 dates.)
Cynthia will lead this amazing adventure designed for quilters, bead jewelry makers, fiber artists, textile designers, etc -- that is, everyone interested in seeing or doing ART!! We'll go from ocean beaches to forest canopy, with lakes and traditional villages in between!
Ghanaian kente cloth is still woven in beautiful patterns, and other arts such as music, dance, bead-making, and fabric decoration are thriving, alongside the modern aspect of the capital city, Accra. Make your own glass beads, print batik fabric, shop in great markets for traditional fabric of all varieties.
Arrive on January 10 and fly home late on January 25.
CLICK ON TRIP TITLE FOR DETAILS.
EASTER IN THE ANDES: with Nancy J. Thomas and Cynthia LeCount
MARCH 21 - APRIL 4, 2013 (We had a wonderful time! Come to PERU next year!)
See the best of Lima's great museums, then fly over the Andes to the pretty colonial city of Cuzco and learn all about Andean knitting, weaving, spinning and dyeing.
We'll see the Festival of the Lord of the Earthquakes, and with
Nilda Callanaupa, we will drive over highland roads to see villagers who make beautiful knitted and woven textiles. We will also travel to Machu Picchu and show you some Andean knitting techniques.
After our Andean adventure, we'll fly north to the pretty town of Trujillo to see the famous archeological sites of El Brujo and Huaca de la Luna and other ancient wonders of the north coast.
CLICK HERE FOR TRIP DETAILS
CARPETS, CUISINE & CULTURE: TURKEY
TWO DEPARTURES: Sorry, both trips are full; check back later for 2014 dates.
1) APRIL 7 - 27, 2013
This trip is 21 days long and includes many of the places listed below. It also focuses on typical foods and culture (many UNESCO sites) as well as textiles.
2) MAY 20 - JUNE 5, 2013 Itinerary changed somewhat because southern borders are calm now.
This exciting trip begins in Istanbu with its glorious Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, and bustling bazaars, then circles around through the traditional wood-block printing center of Tokat, to the dramatic geological formations of the fascinating Cappadocia area.
Then we head east to climb Mt. Nemrut with its huge carved stone heads, and south to Gaziantep. Later, we'll visit the fascinating Roman-era sites of Ephesus and Hieropolis, more UNESCO World Heritage sites. Optional cooking lesson in village home included. Great food, beautiful hotels, delightful people.
CLICK HERE FOR TRIP DETAILS.
