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20 Journeys 13 14 MEET THE TRIBES OF LOAS Until recently the heart of Asia’s opium growing triangle, northern Laos is now the HQ for the new Unesco Namtha ecoproject to provide jobs for cash-strapped farmers and ethnic minorities, and many of Laos’s 68 ethnic tribes live in this area. Himalayan Kingdoms (0845 330 8579; himalayankingdoms.com) is the first UK tour operator to plug into the project by pioneering a series of trekking and meetthe-villagers tours, the first leaving on 24 February. From the towns of Luang Namtha and Meung Sing you trek with local guides up into the hills and valleys to remote villages. Among the tribes are the animist Akhas, whose teenage sons sleep in their own huts, to which the girls are brought for trial sex and marriage; the Black Hmong, identified by their black clothing, who build stilted villages on high mountain ridges; and the Lenten people, who wear indigo and settle in longhouses in the valleys. Twoweek ‘Gentle Trekking in Laos’ tours with flights via Bangkok, transfers, halfboard accommodation, activities and stays in Luang Prabang and Vientiane, cost £1,750. 15 BECOME A DESERT NOMAD IN JORDAN Forget fake ‘Bedouin’ feasts and SWAP YOUR HOUSE FORA LUXURY VILLA ‘Beautiful three-bedroom house offered in the rural retreat of Mercatale near Cortona in Arezzo. Comes with 1,000-year-old olive trees in the garden, brand new pool, stunning panoramic views, fantastic local restaurants ...’ Oh yes, all that could be yours by just swapping homes with the owner. If you dream of retiring to Italy or downshifting to that Caribbean beach, it pays to try a place out first. Holiday exchanges for a fortnight or more are a good way to do this. If you’re worried about the Osbournes moving in, sign up with a home-exchange agency that will ease the matchmaking process for an annual membership fee of as little as £21. The basic premise is not unlike a TV reality show - you swap your life, right down to your bedsheets, for someone else’s. The main advantage is that you slot straight into neighbourhood life and can save money when compared to a conventional holiday, particularly if you have children. Note that if you want the Italian idyll listed above you’re more likely to be in luck if you’re offering a Mayfair penthouse than a Basildon semi. Specialist companies include Green Theme International (00 33 555 084704; gti-homeexchange.com), Home Base (020 8886 8752; homebasehols.com), Home Link (01962 886882; homelink.org.uk) and Intervac (01249 461101; intervac.co.uk). phoney folklore. ‘Riding in Jordan - The Bedouin Experience’ is a tour from Ultimate Travel (020 7828 7778; theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk) which will show you the desert as it really is - harsh, bleak, forbidding and magical. Setting out from Wadi Rum on spirited Arab horses (riders should be reasonably experienced and confident) you’ll head south towards the Saudi border, exploring deep canyons flanked by immense boulders and towering sandstone rock fortresses, edging your way along sheer cliffs and galloping among the dunes and flats on the best race course in the world. En route you’ll see Bedouin families who still live as nomads in the desert with their goats and camels, as well as historic landmarks described by Lawrence of Arabia in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Tents for the six-day trek are fairly basic, and most holidaymakers prefer to sleep under the stars with meals served from a traditional large communal plate. The 10-day trip - from 11-20 October - also includes visits to Amman and Petra, and costs £2,500. 16 BECOME A BEACH BUM IN GOA With the average house in the UK worth around £179,000, there’s a tempting case to sell up and live like a king or queen elsewhere. Palolem, in Goa, India, is a palm-fringed crescent beach where you can rent a thatched hut with bamboo beds, bathroom and veranda, from £15 a night. With meals next to nothing locally, you could sit pretty for 30 years of yoga, curry and sunsets. Bookings can be made via i-escape.com, a website that specialises in accommodation for independent travellers. Other dream-inducing options include a guesthouse in the medina at Essaouira, Morocco, or wooden beach huts on Zanzibar. Amazing Destinations 153

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