NEW! for 2026 - Retreats with Aahilya Holidays

Girls just wanna have fun!! In Khiva.


 Hello, it's been a while - Happy New Year!

The change from teaching to traveling has been reasonably smooth. And very exciting. In 2025 I was tour leader for 2 x 14 day tours of Uzbekistan in March and April, and in November, I led 2 x 7 day tours of Istanbul. Working with Aahilya Holidays has been the new opportunity I didn't know I needed. It has changed how I feel about myself, I feel more confident . . and able!

Getting older is interesting, the things we worried about when we were younger hold less importance. We have different worries now, our knees and backs and occasionally, our memory!! And for me, my confidence. Who was I if I wasn't a tutor anymore? Did I have any value? Working and traveling with Isha from Aahilya Holidays really opened up my world, literally.

Isha and me in Istanbul

I discovered that all the years of teaching different groups of adults was a brilliant training for managing the groups of excited guests I traveled with. All those different personalities. 
 
And then I met Khushid, our wonderful guide in Uzbekistan. Khurshid is a very experienced guide across most of the Stans and has a deep understanding and knowledge of the history and architecture right across Central Asia and all along the Silk Road, from India to Spain. He really helped all us on the Uzbekistan tours to understand the timelines and context of Islamic Architecture in relation to the Silk Road. It was fascinating.
 
After spending a month traveling with Isha and Khurshid I began to realise what a great team the 3 of us made. Isha as the owner of the company and a enthusiastic travel expert in her own right, Khurshid with his remarkable knowledge of just about everything, plus his great way with our guests, and me. I had begun to understand what an amazing opportunity these tours were for design inspiration.

Me and Khurshid in a rooftop restaurant in Istanbul. The rest of the group were there too. We wanted a photo of us for the website.

I have always been interested in design inspiration as many of you will know. I had a basic understanding of Islamic architecture when I arrived in Uzbekistan, and left with a passion for it. I will be spending the next 4 or 5 years developing that understanding through different tours.
Because we all got on so well, I suggested to Isha that it would be good if Khurshid could be a part of all my tours. (where possible, as Khurshid is in very high demand as a guide across central Asia) Added to all his experience, he speaks 5 different languages, including Italian and Turkish. Here is a link to the Aahilya website and his information. a-craft,-culture-&-architecture-tour-of-turkey-with-kim-thittichai
 
So long story short - Khushid was a part of my 2 tours of Istanbul. We had 3 short lectures during the tour to help get everything we were going to see in context. It was a great help. Plus he was with us all the time to answer any questions. Very helpful. 
 
Going forward Khurshid will be traveling with us in 2026 to Morocco in February, in Uzbekistan as usual in October and on our Turkey tour in November. The shapes and designs on the decorated tiles, plaster work and wood carving on all my tours, as well as all the textiles, will be fabulous inspiration for stitch.
 
Working in my paper journal, isolating designs, shapes and colours to develop.
  

Me giving the group in Khiva some ideas on how to interpret the designs that they were interested in.

The textile studios that we visit and the workshops we take part in on the tours all help to inform us about the life and history of the area we are visiting. 

 

Working with the Master of embroidery in Bukhara in his studio 

A wonderful pile of exquisitely stitched Suzani in the Masters studio, such rich colours


The Khiva Retreat - a journey through Uzbekistan 17th - 31st October

Isha and I are now developing 'retreat' style tours.  Slightly slower paced tours with 4 or 5 nights in one place to really get to know the textiles and embroidery of the area, as well as being informed by the architecture. Not too much changing of hotels. The first one is in Uzbekistan, I have to go back to Uzbekistan, I have only just begun to understand the wonders of this amazing country. The people are lovely, very friendly. It is very clean and well organised. And the textiles - OH MY GOODNESS!!

Check out the itinerary here -  https://www.aahilyaholidays.com/tour/a00c/khiva-retreat---a-journey-through-uzbekistan-with-kim-thittichai-2026

We will have extra time in Khiva at the end of the tour, to relax, visit a few textile studios, take part in a few workshops, and spend time working on ideas and designs. You might like to develop a stitched journey of your tour. I will be on hand throughout the tour to encourage anyone who is interested to look around them and sketch or take photos of what interests them.

I will be leading 4 retreat stye tours in 2027, all based around the The Silk Road and Islamic Architecture. In India, Spain, Morocco and Uzbekistan. Plans are ongoing for 2028 . . All my tours are for the curious and the creative

Design information in the Summer Palace in Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Sightseeing and wandering 
Sharing coffee and thoughts in Khiva, Uzbekistan

One of the many delicious dinners we enjoyed in Uzbekistan.
 
***

A few images from our 2 trips to Istanbul . .


Our 2 lovely groups on the Istanbul tours

Making coffee on hot sand

The Blue Mosque

Basilica Cistern

A simit bread vendor 

Isha created the 7 day Istanbul tour in November 2025 as special trip (it sold out so we added another.) as our 15 day Craft, Culture & Architecture Tour of Turkey in November this year will only have 4 nights in Istanbul as we have the rest of the county to see . . Cappdocia, Ankara, Ephesus, Parmukle - you can see the itinerary here a-craft,-culture-&-architecture-tour-of-turkey-with-kim-thittichai
 
A balloon flight at dawn in Cappadocia, what a way to view the 'fairy towers'
 
I am very much looking forward to seeing Ephesus again, I was last there in the mid 80's, a lifetime ago! A balloon flight in Cappdocia is planned as an extra treat for me on this tour as it will be my 70th birthday!! They cost around €200, but it will be worth it, if the weather is right. 
Then there are the markets, the rugs and textiles and leather work. This will be a fabulous trip. So much to see and do, all escorted by Isha, Khurshid and myself.

***
 
 If you are still with me, thank you for reading this rather long post. It is good to be writing again. I will be writing up all the amazing places we visited in Istanbul.
If you would like to follow me and my travels on social media you can find me on Facebook here -https://www.facebook.com/kim.thittichai/  
And Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/kimthittichai/ 
 
 


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