Travel Plan

Archive for May, 2010

Ethnic Groups In South East Asia

There are many different ethnic groups in South East Asia originating from Myanmar Burma Tibet and various provinces in China all with various different customs traditions and beliefs which can be greatly admired and respected. Even the main groups can be sub divided further giving hundreds of different groups across Asia. There are some agencies still trying to document all these ethnic groups.

Karen
The Karen are a very large hilltribe ethnic group mainly found in Northern Thailand and account for almost half of the entire hilltribe population. They live in many provinces along the Western border of Thailand and also further into Thailand. The Karen tribe originate from Burma and the ThaiBurmese border area. Over the past century they have moved further into Thailand to avoid political unrest. The Karen groups include the Padong and the famous longneck ethnic group symbolised by the tight bronze rings they wear around their necks. Karen settlements are normally at a lower altitude than other hilltribes approximately 500m above sea level and often reside in valley areas. They dont often move location and many villages have been in the same place for hundreds of years. They are skilled at weaving with the women weaving sarongs and dresses while the men weave large baskets for rice or cloths storage.

Akha
The Akha are believed to originate from Southern China or Tibet. Linguistically they belong to the TibetoBurman group and they are related to the Lolo tribes of Yunnan Southern China. The Hani tribe in Yunnan province is very similar to the Akha. Most Akha are to be found in Northern Burma North Western Laos and Northern Thailand; which would support the view that they migrated southwards from Tibet and China. Different Akha groups can be distinguished by their costumes and headdress with different tribes having different patterns on their coats and different shaped headdresses.
The Akha prefer to live at an elevation of over 1000m. They practice shifting cultivation growing dry rice corn vegetables peppers and beans and also rearing of livestock. They believe in all kinds of spirits and village gates can be found at the entrance to every Akha village at both ends which is said to protect the village from the many spirits outside. In one house you will find the whole extended family with a divide separating the men and women. The husband is monogamous and married couples with also have a smaller house apart from the large family house.

Hmong
The Hmong groups are found scattered throughout many countries including China Laos Vietnam and Thailand and can also be divided into sub groups which can be defined by their different styles and colours of clothing. Hmong families are male dominated and after marriage the bride moves into the husbands house the Hmong are also known to have several wives. They prefer to set their villages at high altitudes of 10001200m and practice shifting cultivation moving great distances looking for better land. They grow mainly dry rice and corn and vegetables and they worship their ancestors and many other spirits. The village priest and shaman are very important in the village and their ceremonies bare some resemblance to the Chinese culture.

Lisu
The Lisu are thought to originate from Southern China and probably from Tibet before that they first came to Thailand and Myanmar approximately 80 years ago and can further be divided into two smaller groups. They are part of the TibetoBurman linguistic group and their culture is closely related to that of the Chinese. At Chinese New Year they also celebrate their New Year making offerings to ancestor spirits and their village guardian spirit. The women dress in stunning costumes such as coloured robes with thin coloured stripes around the neck and upper arms. When a Lisu man marries there is always a dowry to be paid for the bride marriage are normally allowed only outside the clan and they practise monogamy.

Lahu
The Lahu are believed to have originated in Tibet and then migrated down to China Laos Burma and Thailand. They can be further subdivided into many groups and belong to the TibetoBurman linguistic group amongst them the dialect of the Lahu Na is recognised as standard. Lahu when translated means hunter and indeed they are great hunters with the men going off into the forest sometimes for many days at a time to hunt. Clan doesnt play a large part in Lahu villages and the headman has the most power with rules of the village being decided through a consensus. The Lahu like to stay mobile and if one doesnt like the rules of one village they would easily move and find another this isnt seen as a problem as the villages are all considered as one extended family.

Yao
The Yao Mien are very similar to the Hmong and form part of the AustroThai linguistic group. Their culture is similar to the Chinese celebrating the same New Year and they use Chinese characters to record traditional songs and legends. Many Yao can also speak Yunnanese or Mandarin they are found in Guangxi Yunnan and Guangdong provinces of China as well as Vietnam Laos Burma and Thailand.
Yao households normally consist of an extended family and like the Hmong; Yao men are allowed to take more than one wife. In the past the Yao were highly mobile always on the lookout for better land. The Yao set their villages at a high altitude and will not be situated beneath another tribe. The women are skilled at needlework and embroidery with the men being great silversmiths again like the Hmong.

Katu
The Katu group is found mainly in Vietnam but also across the Laos border in the Provinces of Sekong and Savanakhet they live in mountainous areas and belong to the MonKhmer division of the AustroAsiatic family. Women bear responsibility for the household and the upbringing of the children and for much of the agrarian work. Men are the decisionmakers and have the authority in the house hold.

Alak and Laven
Again part of the MonKhmer branch of the AustroAsiatic family. They live on the mountain slopes at an altitude of around 600m. They practice slash and burn agriculture and the Alak group can be found in the south of Laos around the Bolaven plateau which straddles straddling the provinces of Attapeu Champasak Sekong and Salavan.

For tour and more information about travelling in South East Asia visit http://www.xploreasia.com

About the writer:  After traveling in South East Asia for several years and falling in love with the area in particular Laos. XploreAsia was formed with the aim of promoting tours to increase responsible tourism for the local people and show the world the beauty of this area. After setting up operations in South East Asia XploreAsia expanded into the UK and is Directed by Alex Aziz.

Essential Tips For Relocating To Paris!

Imagine that you have been told by your company one day that you are posted to Paris. You will definitely be excited about it. The next thing on your mind would be relocating to the city and thee process involved for completing the process.

Moving to the exotic place excites you but the shifting would make you nervous. There are a lot of things required to be done if you are moving to another country. It’s not as easy as moving from one city to another city or one state to anther state. It is always recommended that a specialist company which is expert in relocation process. By hiring the service of the company you should not be worried about the details involved in relocation to Paris.

The relocation companies of Paris specialize in moving you into the city and they provide complete assistance to you while moving. They take care of the procedures like shifting of luggage and finding a suitable place for you to live. The relocation to Paris is not very complicated and you can work out different options with your company to move to the new place. The companies specialize in reducing your pressure and stress which you might face when you are relocating. The relocation companies provide different services.

Relocating to Paris is a costly affair specially if the shipping charges have to be paid by you and you also have to ensure that all goods are packed properly. Check whether your company will pay the bills for relocation or not.

The company you hire for your job will ensure certain things depending on the kind of services you have asked for. It includes:
* Packing all your belongings for the move so that they are not damaged during the journey.
* Ensure the safe arrival of all things.
* Make sure that you are provided with translator services at the airport.
* Shipping of your vehicle.
* Find a suitable house for you to live.

By hiring a relocation company you can be sure of this thing that all the things would travel smoothly and you would have no problems as far as relocation is concerned. You can make the process of relocation totally exciting y removing the element of stress form it. This is only possible if you hire a relocation company. If you try to do everything your self then you are bound to land into trouble and case yourself pain and agony.

Paris is a city where you should enjoy not only the city itself but also the very feeling of moving into it. This is made possible by a good Paris relocation company.

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Essences Of Indian Culture

Like in any society the way of you dressing affects your experiences. Your style choices state about your aims and these statements are focus to cultural understanding. Though a tiny component of urban India exposed to and usually accepted new style directions many Indians kept a more traditional view.

Many tourists dress for the fellow tourists. The logic looks to be whether it is odd in New York City why not Chennai. The difficulty is that in Chennai most of people you meet will not have the New York viewpoint. Your odd outfit can come across as comical bizarre or too suggestive. It is going to influence how people communicate with you.
Your best principle is to look through you understand what the local people are wearing choose good conscience what you could be convenient wearing and start from there. And fit your dress as the circumstances change. An outfit which will attract attention on the Goa or Kovalam beach can draw negative responses in Hyderabad. And a suave center such as Ben galooru will adopt more casual dress which the temple Madurai.

Excavations in the ten thousand year old Indus Valley Civilization in the Indus Valley in western India have turned up evidence of the flute the drum and other types of stringed instruments. This reinforces the universal belief that Indian classical music is one of the most ancient types still surviving. It has of course evolved over the centuries but its basic elements remain unchanged. As the great Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar has said: “Music the greatest art of my country has the unique quality of appealing directly to the hearts and minds of men Indian music especially has this quality in abundance for it is rooted in nature itself”.

Generally urban Indian men put on western dress some difference of a shirt and long pants. Western men dressing conventional Indian clothing are fast divided into the hippie category.

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