FOM - Study Tours

STUDY TOURS

What is a Study Tour?

FOM's Study Tours are educational by definition. They offer a wide range of travel experiences in order to expand members' understanding of Asian cultures.

While each itinerary is meticulously planned by a tour leader, all participants have a role to play. Each participant is expected to do preparatory reading on a topic related to the country they are visiting, and to make a brief presentation to the group at the pre-trip meeting or on the trip itself. (The tour leader will provide a list of suggested topics.) Each tour will have its own participant requirements, but most talks include a handout with an outline of the key points and a bibliography. Overseas participants usually present their talk during the tour.

Pre-trip meetings serve a dual purpose as they are not only informative and fun, but also provide a good way of getting to know own's fellow travelers before commencing the tour. The study aspect of our tours is what makes them unique and memorable.

Tour leaders spend the better part of six to nine months organizing a tour. Click here if you'd like to learn more about becoming a volunteer FOM tour leader.

For a list of former FOM study tours, click here.

Upcoming study tours are :

Note: Due to a cancellation, we now have one space available on this tour!

Highlights of China's Cultural Past: Xi'an to Maijishan

14-18 April, 2010

Due to a recent cancellation, we now have ONE space available on this exciting tour. If interested, please contact the tour leader a.s.a.p. as plane tickets need to be issued shortly. Contact Patricia Bjaaland Welch for additional information.

Recommended pre-trip reading and other pre-trip information.

Few geographic areas of China are as historically rich as that of Shaanxi, home of some of China's greatest ancient capitals. Join us as we journey to Xi'an and its environs for an itinerary that includes a visit to the remarkable ancient Qin capital city of Yongcheng dating from the Spring & Autumn Period (770-475 BCE); the world-famous tomb of the first emperor of China (Qin Shihuang) and his terracotta army of soldiers; the memorial tomb site dedicated to the young general (Huo Qubing) who died fighting the nomadic Xiongnu steppe tribes during the Han Dynasty (and its remarkable stone sculptures); the famous Qianling Mausoleum of the infamous Tang Dynasty Empress Wu and the Emperor Gaozong; the Great and Small Wild Goose Pagodas from the height of the Silk Road days; China's most famous collection of engraved stele which preserve her literary history, ancient carvings and temples; two museums exhibiting highlights of the region's most important archaeological sites; and one of China's most famous and important Buddhist sites, the Maijishan Grotto, a potential (listed 2001) UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back to the 4th Century. This is an intensive tour that covers a wide breadth of China's remarkable history and art; be prepared for long days but even longer, wonderful memories as you experience some of China's most famous sites and relics.

The tour cost is $2,950 SGD which includes all airfares, meals, transport, guides, podcasts, entry fees, tips, travel insurance and accomodation on a twin-share basis.

Download the trip itinerary here. To join, please send a completed sign-up form and a $500 deposit cheque made payable to FOM to:

Study Tours: Xi'an April 2010
Friends of the Museums (FOM)
61 Stamford Road
#02-06 Stamford Court
Singapore 178892

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Bhutan and the Elusive Blue Poppy of the Himalaya

11-20 June, 2010

Contact and tour leader: Robert Zahary for additional information.

Join us on a very special study tour to the lovely Kingdom of Bhutan, including a spectacular 3 day / 2 night trek to see the little known Blue Poppy amid glorious high mountain scenery. Our itinerary is designed to provide:
(1) an introduction to the religious, artistic, and architectural culture of Bhutan; (2) a chance to experience the quiet pleasures of the high mountains, and
(3) some understanding of the ecological, economic, and philosophic uniqueness of Bhutan as it emerges from its cloistered past.

We begin with a Friday evening flight to Bangkok for an early Saturday morning flight to Paro, the site of Bhutan's only airport. Expect a thrilling final approach to Paro as we bank into the narrow mountain valley for the short landing runway.

Bhutan is bordered on the north by the Himalayas running East/West, and transected by North/South spur ranges. The only highway crosses the country from West to East so road travel is a slow up and down with many passes over 3000 meters. Our area of travel will be the Paro, Thimphu, and Punaka valleys and the intervening ranges. Some of the things we will enjoy include large and beautiful dzongs, the National Library (unique in its collection of Buddhist manuscripts on unbound pages), the Textile Museum, the National Chorten, and the School of Fine Arts (traditional Buddhist religious art). We will hike up to the "Tigers Nest", view the lovely Mt. Jomolhari, and cross high mountain passes where prayer flags ripple in the wind.

The highlight of our trip is a three-day / two-night trek to experience the countryside that is truly the historic Bhutan, and to see the famous Blue Poppy in bloom. This poppy blooms only in the spring snowmelt at altitudes of 3,500 to 5,500 meters. Our trek, although near the lower end of that range, will require a reasonable degree of fitness, including the ability to walk comfortably at a leisurely pace on mountain trails for most of each day. Participants will carry only a small daypack with camera, rain jacket, and personal items. Packhorses carry the rest. Trek accommodations will be in two-person mountain tents. You will never forget the first time you awaken to a Himalayan sunrise out the front flap of your tent.

Estimated total cost per person is $4,750 SGD which includes all airfares, transport, meals, guides, entry fees, tips, travel insurance and accommodations on a "twin-share" basis, as well as a contribution to the FOM general fund. This tour is limited to 16 persons plus the tour leader, so please register early if you plan to participate.

To register, please send a completed sign-up form and SGD $750 deposit cheque made payable to FOM to:

Study Tours: Bhutan Trip June 2010
Friends of the Museums (FOM
61 Stamford Road
#02-06Stamford Court
Singapore 178892

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Note: This tour offers a slightly altered itinerary from the 2009 trip of the same title. Hurry! Only a few spaces remaining although a waiting list will be maintained in the event of cancellations.

The Silk Road

16 - 29 September 2010

Contact and tour leader: Patricia Bjaaland Welch

Our study tour will begin in Dunhuang with a visit to the famous Caves of 1000 Buddhas (which soon may be closed to tourists). We then follow the ancient Silk Road's northern route to Urumqi, Turfan, Korla, Kucha, Aksu and ultimately, Kashgar, visiting abandoned cities and ancient kingdoms along our route. Travel will include domestic Chinese flights and bus. Highlights include the famous Dunhuang and Kizil Caves, the ancient abandoned cities of Gaochang, Jiaohe, and Hanoi; the Xinjiang Provincial Museum with its famous "mummies of the Turpan Basin", and the mountains and dunes of the Taklamakan Desert, ending with the historic Chinibagh of "Great Game" fame in Kashgar before the trip home through Chengdu where we'll have a free morning before catching our afternoon flight home to Singapore.

Pre-departure study in preparation is a prerequisite and all participants (including any accompanying spouses) will be expected to be responsible for a major background briefing enroute or at one of the four pre-trip study/preparatory meetings.

This trip will be of most interest to those who have a keen interest in the history and geography of the Silk Road . . . and enjoy traveling in challenging conditions with minimal baggage.

The anticipated cost is approximately $5,000 SGD which will include all airfares, train and bus transport, meals, guides, entry fees, tips, and accomodations on a "compulsory" twin-share basis, as well as a contribution to the FOM general fund. The tour will be limited to 16 participants including the tour leader.

To register, please send a completed sign-up form and SGD $500 deposit (per person), cheque made payable to FOM to:

Study Tours: Silk Road September 2010
Friends of the Museums (FOM)
61 Stamford Road
#02-06 Stamford Court
Singapore 178892

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Rumtek Monastery
Gangtok, Sikkim

Western Sikkim: Sights and Insights

5-15 November, 2010

See the world's third largest peak, trek to mist-shrouded monasteries, stand at the sacred "wishing lake." Our in-country host is the daughter of the last royal ruler of Sikkim, so we'll also get an insider's view of the country. Our westward route (from Gangtok to Yoksam) offers stunning views of the Himalayas, time to "ponder and wander", plus targeted insight talks by local experts. A journey for the soul and the senses!

For more information, please contact Virginia & Khatiza

To register, please send a completed sign up form (from Passage or download here) and a $500 deposit cheque made payable to FOM, and send to:

Study Tours: Sikkim 2010
Friends of the Museums (FOM)
61 Stamford Road
#02-06 Stamford Court
Singapore 178892

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In addition to the above confirmed Study Tours, leaders are also actively working on the following projected tours:

Japan -- November 2010

Bhutan -- late March/early April 2011 to coincide with the Paro Tsechu Festival

Need more information?
Contact our FOM office at 6337 3685

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