Get to Know Student Tours to Vietnam: Vietnamese Water Puppetry
The art of water puppetry is one of Vietnam’s oldest forms of entertainment and has kept its people captivated for over 1,000 years. Visit Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city, and you, too, can be awed by these magnificent puppetry performances. The shows are exactly as they’re named: puppet shows over water. And, so much more… Spectacles are enriched by chéo (or traditional opera), music, lights, firecrackers and even fire, especially when a mythical dragon makes an appearance. Keep an eye out for Teu, a carefree farmer, who appears in every show to guide you through tales of daily life and keep Vietnamese folklore alive. And with a name that means “laughter” in ancient Vietnamese, he’s bound to bring on a belly full of laughs.
Water puppetry originated in the rice paddies of northern Vietnam gaining the nickname, “Soul of the Rice Fields,” at a time when farmers thought that spirits controlled their crops. After the end of the harvest, farmers would use bamboo figures to entertain the spirits (and prevent them from making mischief) on ponds and paddy fields. Today, you’ll find modern puppeteers hiding behind an imitation pagoda and standing waist-deep in water-filled containers created to resemble a traditional Vietnamese village. And it’s from here where puppeteers master elaborately decorated wooden puppets—some as heavy as 33 pounds—using bamboo rods hidden beneath the water.
If you want to recreate some marionette magic during bath time back home, you’re unlikely to source any secrets from these Vietnamese puppet masters. That’s because in a world where “water is thicker than blood,” puppeteers are prepared to break family ties in order to keep their techniques under wraps. Not just under water!
Educational Travel Photo of the Week: Vote for your favourites edition!
All of the submissions are in for our Spring 2012 Photo Contest and now it’s time to vote for your favourites! You can vote once a day for each entry until May 16th – so head on over to our Facebook contest and vote now. Here are the top 3 contenders as of this Friday:
1. By Brynn
2. By Mitheha
3. By Dan R.
Educational Travel Tip Tuesday: Breaking the ice in a new country
What’s one of the best ways to learn about another culture? Try simply chatting with the locals. We know, sometimes breaking the ice can be a tad awkward. So, here are a few suggestions on how to open up dialogue, and perhaps, make a friend along the way.
1. Show your pearly whites
So you don’t speak the language of your host country? Not to worry because you do speak the language of the world. (Translation: a wide smile and a friendly face!) Smiling is welcoming particularly in European countries such as France, Germany and Spain because it suggests that you want to initiate conversation. And in many places good eye contact connects people. Yet in Japan and Peru, keeping a straight face and eye contact to a minimum is more respectful.
Get to Know: Student Tours to Vienna, Austria
A famous writer once said, “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”* Visit Vienna and discover what inexpressible sounds like. You’ll find new meaning because it’s overwhelming with orchestras, opera houses and choirs, including the 500-year-old Vienna Boys Choir. It’s also home to some of the greatest composers who ever lived—Haydn, Schubert and Strauss. And there are countless museums dedicated to music, including the popular House of Music devoted to the sweet sound of music. (Meaning actual music, not the von Trapp variety!)
Educational Travel Tip Tuesday: Take the Ills out of Travel
The state of your health is a guaranteed way to make or break your experience on a tour. Here are some simple tips to keep in tiptop shape and keep your tour on track.
1. Fly away from colds
For a first class ticket to Sickville forget the plane’s recycled air and think plastic. Because did you know that germs can stay alive for up to 72 hours on plastic surfaces? Consider using disinfectant wipes on tray tables or spraying the air around you. But better yet is to get on board with washing your hands regularly and avoiding touching your face. Hey, even if you can’t control the number of germs in the air you can still try to control the number of germs that reach you.
2. Move motion sickness out
Try these tips to keep your trip in motion (rather than your belly) because even the most fearsome traveller can get motion sickness en route.
Find a seat with the smoothest ride. That means heading to the middle of the bus, coach or plane.
Look at objects in the distance because it helps your brain match the movement your body feels. Sailors ahoy, keep all hands (and feet) on deck rather than going below for a better focus on the horizon.
Consider taking an over-the-counter antihistamine an hour before you travel. This works by targeting the part of your brain that causes nausea. (Be sure to check the side effects first.)
3. Happy tummy, happy travel!
Tap water is one of the main causes of an upset stomach while travelling. Pay special attention when visiting places in Asia, Central and South America and the Middle East where you’re better off buying bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth. (And don’t forget to make that soda “no ice, please.”) Finally, shy away from raw foods like fruit, salads and shellfish. They tend to be breeding ground for bugs, especially in hot climates.