jonas westring has designed the Thailand Journey from his experience of twenty-five years of travel and study in asia. since jonas's first visit to thailand in 1981 he has established a comprehensive personal relationship with many of the country's acknowledged schools and teachers of thai massage. he facilitates these journeys along with selected shantaya assistants, professional local thai guides, excellent teachers, and highly competent staff
in thailand the Journey begins with several fully guided tours in bangkok. with certified thai guides we visit the grand palace and its emerald buddha, the wat po temple, and the temple of the dawn. we experience the chao praya river by boat, visit a truly amazing flower market, become introduced to thai cuisine in buffet style dining, and receive our first traditional bangkok style thai massage. our comfortable accommodations are in a new 3-star hotel, conveniently located in a central part of the city
after a few full days in the current capital, a full day guided tour takes us to the bang pa-in royal palace and spectacular ancient buddhist ruins at the ancient thai former capital ayutthaya, located a couple of hours outside of bangkok. at the end of this day we board our flight to chiang mai in the north. located within the city walls of the old part of chiang mai, a charming guest house is our home base for majority of the Journey
a 60-hour thai massage certificate course taught by a thai master instructor. this professional 10-day training gives you an entire traditional sequence in the northern style of thai massage. we work with some of the highest qualified thai massage teachers available. (we do not bring people to the large commercial thai massage schools in chiang mai)
opportunities to explore thai culture and buddhism in its essence are abundant. you can visit buddhist shrines, give offerings, and receive blessings from temple monks. enjoy cultural centers with traditional music and dance, colorful markets, culinary delights, various festivals, and the fabric of daily life in thailand.
we provide information on where to go, what to do, and point you directly to the most worthwhile places to visit during your free timethe 3-day/2-night trekking (back-packing) adventure takes us to several hill tribes in northern thailand. we experience the life and traditions of fascinating indigenous peoples while we eat and sleep in their homes. an unforgettable elephant ride, bamboo river rafting, visits to waterfalls and healthy outdoor living are all part of this fun-filled experience
in the full-day thai cooking course we shop at the local market before preparing and enjoying numerous delicious thai dishes. the class setting is in a traditional thai lanna house and a cookbook is included with the class, so you can cook your own Thai food at home
numerous opportunities to receive an abundance of thai massage and a variety of spa treatments are readily available. foot reflexology, oil and herb massage, facials, herbal steam packs and herbal steam saunas, etc. some even opt for a high quality (and safe) and inexpensive tattoo
thailand offers so many amazing shopping opportunities of numerous kinds that you can easily "shop until you drop" while spending little of your foreign currency. wonderful local handicrafts are found in abundance
participants experience transformation and healing on many levels as a result of this carefully planned journey. in order to facilitate the highest quality experience for each individual and for the group as a whole, we limit the number of participants. spaces tend to fill early and we recommend early registrationwe provide a flight ticket that allows an extension of your stay in thailand (free of charge and valid up to 6 months)
many choose to travel to the south for a beach vacation with other members of the group after the completion of the Journey - or visit other asian countries such as laos, cambodia, vietnam, india, etc. some have family members come and join them at then end of the Journey for an extended vacation
another option is to join the annual anusara yoga retreat
the complete journey include roundtrip international airfare from newark (NJ) or seattle (WA) to bangkok, domestic flights bangkok-chiang mai roundtrip, transfers, spacious double room accommodation w/bath, guiding of important sites, thai massage course, cooking class, trekking adventure, and full on-site trip management by jonas and other shantaya staff
staying true to our simple but profound approach we make the Journey an affordable and extraordinary experience that you will never forget. the Journey is a well established and highly organized group adventure that draws from 25 years of travel and study in the east. you are in very good company all the way through
contact us for more information including the fee for the 2009 journey. if you are interested in participating you should let us know soon to allow for optimal preparation. once registered you will receive detailed information regarding all practical matters as well as a specific day-to-day itinerary of the 24-day Journey
