The workshop that wasn't!

I had booked the workshop through Get Your Guide. The address was given as Tribe India, a ten-minute walk away along the side of the lake. When I got there, I was told I had to get on the back of a bike to go to someone's house on the other side of the lake. Had I known that was the case, I wouldn't have booked it! But I was there and I'd paid, so I went. 

When we arrived, I was shown into the artist's studio and given a seat. What followed was a 40-minute demonstration. It definitely wasn't a two-hour workshop! I had no input whatsoever in the designs or colours used. The 'teacher' first demonstrated the tie-dye technique on a piece of white cotton, with no explanation as to why he was tying it the way he was. It was a quick process, and then the reveal came as a ta-daa moment - like the end of a magic trick! Then, without pausing for breath, he moved on to a block printing design on another square of white cotton. After lining the first corner up quite carefully, he rushed to do the rest of the piece resulting in a smudged and poorly executed design. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. 

It was going to take 30 minutes for the fabric to dry. In the meantime, I had to get back on the bike and return to Tribe India to wait. There, they made me a coffee and we went to sit up on the roof. I took the opportunity to give the guys feedback on what I'd just experienced. They agreed with what I was saying and offered that I could return to do another workshop for no charge. I didn't commit myself. We were all distracted then by the appearance of a large crocodile in the lake just below us!

Back downstairs, I asked about my two pieces (neither of which I particularly liked!). I was told I could get them when I came back. I said I would have them now. So, one of the guys went on his bike to get them for me. I sat outside the shop to wait.Læs mere