There is pattern and colour everywhere you turn in Uzbekistan.      The Khiva Retreat - A Journey Through Uzbekistan . . with me!! 17th - 30th October 2026  I am so looking forward to going back to Uzbekistan. Having led 2 x 14 day trips there in 2025, I know what wonders are in store for us on this exciting trip. This tour is particularly special as we will be staying longer in Khiva. There will be time to sketch, stitch, take photos, wander . . . This will be the first retreat style tour with Aahilya Holidays, I will be leading 4 more next year in Delhi, Spain, Morocco and Uzbekistan.  After all my tours last year, I felt there was a place for a slightly slower paced tour, spending longer in one city, giving us a chance to take in more, maybe develop some designs to stitch or get out and sketch. On this tour we will be traveling through Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and ending in Khiva for 5 days. I adore Khiva. It is small, everything is contained withi...

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 ...

Me in Registan Square, Samarkand So! I have just got back from 2 x 2 week tours of Uzbekistan with Isha Sharma and Aahilya Holidays. Well, I have been back 2 weeks. It has taken me that long to settle back in after such a remarkable time with 2 fabulous groups. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed . .  It is a weird feeling. I couldn't believe I was there, standing in front of those beautiful buildings. And when I got home I couldn't really believe I had been. To travel to a place you have always dreamed of visiting, but never, ever thought you would, it really was a dream come true. And it looks as though a few more dreams will be coming true - Isha (owner of Aahilya Holidays) and I have planned all my trips from November 2025 to November 2026. Having spent the last month traveling together, we managed to get everything finalised. Istanbul, India, Morocco, Uzbekistan and Turkey. You can find all the links to the itineraries for all the trips on my new 'Travel' webpage...