♀︎🌀✊🏾 WOMEN | GODDESS | ACTIVISTS ✊🏾🌀♀︎

A Gaia's Garden Journey to VIETNAM & CAMBODIA
NOVEMBER 9th - 23rd

BOOK NOW!

🌟Come on a life changing journey! 🌟

Step outside your comfort zone & explore a new country with purpose!
Join an amazing group of women on an exciting new adventure where the focus is on activists who are making a difference in their community & Goddesses who have provided a spiritual home for women over thousands of years.

Gaia's Garden Journeys encourage women to tap into their own spiritual depths & explore Goddess within, Goddess between and Goddess around within the mystery of another culture, whilst learning and supporting the women whose community we journey to.

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WHY VIETNAM & CAMBODIA
Vietnamese legend says that her people are the descendants of the marriage between a General and a Goddess, so it is no wonder that the Goddess is present in many forms along this unique country. In fact, UNESCO has recently recognised a Mother Goddess religion which has developed over some hundreds of years in the north of the country. In other parts there are temples to Kwan Yin and in yet others Hindu Goddesses are worshipped. Both Vietnam and Cambodia have ancient sites of Goddess worship including the world heritage site of Angkor Wat where over 1500 sacred images of goddesses exist and remains of Cham temples deep in the jungles speak of Goddess worship going back hundreds of years.

Dive into the culture from this incredibly beautiful and uniquely sacred place in Asia, whilst making a positive difference, traveling with purpose and exploring Goddess in these lands.

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JOURNEY OVERVIEW

Each day we will meet in circle to honour the Sacred Mother and debrief from the day’s experiences. This is an important part of the journey which strengthens and deepens our experience, especially in relation to integrating the spiritual experiences we will have throughout the day and the wide range of Goddess energies we will be encountering.The circles will usually take place immediately after dinner.

Day 1:
Our first stop on this journey is Hanoi the home of the UNESCO recognised Mother Goddess religion and home to a number of Goddess temples all set within a bustling cosmopolitan city full of dynamic, women entrepreneurs and change makers. We will start the journey on the first night with a circle to ground ourselves in a new country.

Day 2:
The Women's Museum is unique and can take hours to go through - although we won't take hours. There are more than 1,000 artefacts on display depicting the many faces and changing roles of Vietnamese women. Stories of matriarchal communities and how they have survived, it is a surprise; as is the section on the Mother Goddess religion!

Women are the heart of the silk shops and tailoring businesses in the centre of the city and we will support the local businesses and then have lunch at one of the social enterprises which is supporting young people to learn and gain employment in hospitality.

Day 3:
The Mother Goddess religion is unique to norther Vietnam and we will participate in a ceremony on this day. This is so amazing that it is almost impossible to describe. It is a uniquely women's religion although men participate and the women are the channellers or the Goddess messages. These rituals are not on the usual tourist schedule and it is an honour to participate.

Day 4:
Halong Bay is one of the wonders of the world and we will spend a day on board a local boat floating through limestone islands that have been shaped by the sea and wind to form amazing images which inspire and mystify. In one cave we will see the naturally formed Kwan Yin statue’.

Days 5 & 6:
Our trip to the hill tribe village is being hosted by Chie Crafts, a Fair Trade Social Enterprise. This will take us four hours out of town where we will work with local craftswomen to learn their weaving and dying skills and stay with them overnight.

Day 7:
The next stop on our journey is Hoi An a beautiful seaside village where we will take a break, have a swim, wander the ancient streets and visit three social enterprises where we will eat and fill our bags with local goodies.

Day 8:
A journey out of town allows the group to visit the ancient site of My Son Hindu Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is the best remaining example of the ancient Champa civilization, located in the southern part of Vietnam. It was an independent state from around the 2nd to the 17th century. A Hindu site, My Son provides a glimpse into the ancient civilisation and their worship of Goddess.

Day 9:
On the third day in Hoi An we will visit the 30 storey high statue of Kwan Yin in Da Nang. If we are very lucky we will hear the chanting of the nuns from this temple. This is an incredible site with structured gardens, temples and many different people worshipping the Goddess Kwan Yin.

Day 10:
Following a short flight we will land in Siem Reap Cambodia, the site of Angor Wat, a UNESCO site of high cultural and religious significance. It is visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking.

Day 11:
A real treat is a visit to the Citadel of Women, which contains the finest, most intricate carvings to be found in Angkor. Located in a remote area the temple was rediscovered in 1914 and cleared some 10 years later. The carving here is so fine that it is considered that it must have been done by women such is the quality of the fine work.

Day 12:
A visit to the Women’s Resource Centre will connect us to the real lives of women in Cambodia where the literacy rate is extremely low and the levels of violence against women is high. This centre provides counselling and a drop-in information service to support women who are facing a range of challenges. In the evening we will attend dinner and a performance of Cambodian dance – one of the dances portrays the victory of the Goddess over a devil.

Day 13:
A flight from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) where we are met by the team from the 'Farm to Table' cooking school an organic farm which raises its own cows, buffalo, chickens, and ducks, as well as a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, and spices — plus fish and prawns. We will visit the local market, pick vegetables and herbs from the organic garden and cook and eat our dinner.

Day 14:
On our final day in Vietnam we will visit three temples: two dedicated to Kwan Yin and one to Marianmam, a Hindu Goddess. There will also be time to visit the Central Market for final shopping.
We will Celebrate our time together with a final sharing circle and early dinner before heading off to the airport and home...

What a Journey!

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🌟Payment Terms:🌟
Total $2500

👉Inclusions:
All accommodation on a twin share basis in 4 star hotels Breakfasts, 11 Lunches and 11 Dinners Entry to sites and theatres Guides Local transport to all activities Tips in restaurants, hotels and local transport

👉Exclusions:
All airfares Other activities Additional tips Most drinks
Deposit of $500 Australian per person is due at the time of registration.
The balance of the journey cost is due 90 days prior to departure.

👉Deposit account information:
$500 AUD - Humanitix booking$2000 AUD - Direct Deposit

👉Deposit Account:
Tricia Szirom
Westpac
BSB: 033-257
ACC: 383998

👉Payment plans:
From the point that the preliminary booking deposit is made, equal remaining monthly standard order's to be direct deposited to deposit account

👉Cancellations/Refunds:
Cancellations must be submitted in writing. Deposits are non-refundable. Cancellations received 61 to 89 days before the departure date are subject to an additional $500. cancellation fee. Cancellations received zero to 60 days before the departure date are not eligible for any refund.

💚Costings have been made exact to order numbers and just to cover costs.💚
Gaia's Garden Group is a not for profit organisation reinvesting all proceeds from Gaia's Garden Journeys back into the programs it provides for growing Goddess community globally.

💚your Deposit is Giving back from the start💚
Gaia's Garden Journeys partners with Humanitix so from the start we are giving back.
At Humanitix, they donate 100% of the profits to social and environmental impact projects
Women | Goddess | Activist has nominated to donated to Literacy programs for young girls.Literacy and poverty are inextricably linked, with children in the most disadvantaged areas of the world often working instead of attending school to help their families. This fate most often falls to girls. Knowing how to read makes girls safer, healthier and more self-sufficient. This project transforms the literacy skills of primary school children in low income countries, and ensures girls have the skills and support they need to stay in high school and complete their secondary education.