Travel-Learn Program

When: October 29, 2009 - October 21, 2009 (iCal)

Description

Aboard our private Boeing 757 jet, peel away the layers of time and distance to reveal compelling cultural icons around the world. Behold the magnificent city of Tikal, erected more than 2,000 years ago by the Maya people, and the secretive moai of Easter Island, whose mysteries science has yet to fully unravel. Witness Rarotonga’s timeless canoe-building and dance traditions, and the powerful fascination of Australia’s Uluru (Ayers Rock), the most sacred Aboriginal site. Against striking mountainous scenery, discover temples and hill-tribe traditions in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Explore Xian’s vast underground army of life-size terra cotta soldiers in China, Jaipur’s intricately adorned Amber Fort, and ancient and wondrous Petra, hidden among desert canyons. Experience Egypt’s Great Pyramid at Giza – last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing – and Istanbul’s soaring mosques, churches, and palaces that blend East and West.

Cost

From $64,950 per person, plus airfare to starting location.

Contact

Contact: For more information, contact Usha Sellers, Program Director, in the Office of Alumni Relations at usha.sellers@tufts.edu or 1-800-THE-ALUM (1-800-843-2586) or 617-627-5323.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive in Orlando, Florida

Meet fellow travelers, lecturers, and expedition leaders at a festive welcome dinner at our hotel.

Days 2 &3 - Tikal, Guatemala

The area around Lake Petén Itza in northeast Guatemala is alive with brilliantly plumed tropical birds, which we see on a bird-watching excursion.

The next day visit remote Tikal, where ancient Maya erected a magnificent city. Abandoned more than a millennium ago, it was lost to the jungle until its rediscovery in 1848. Explore its towering monuments, including the Pyramid of the Giant Jaguar and the Great Acropolis.

Days 4-5 - Easter Island, Chile

More than 2,300 miles off the coast of Chile, remote Easter Island hosted a sophisticated society that developed a millennium ago, then disappeared, leaving an archaeological legacy of ancient stone villages, open-air sanctuaries, and giant statues called moai. These tall, brooding figures – some weighing up to 250 tons and many 30 to 50 feet in height – were carved from dense volcanic tuff and transported for miles to the coast.

Accompanied by resident archaeologists, we examine several moai, visit the ceremonial center of the birdman cult, and explore the quarry where hundreds of unfinished moai were mysteriously abandoned.

Day 6 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Traditional dancers welcome our arrival to this South Seas paradise. Visit the Polynesian cultural center and relish the island’s beautiful beaches and exquisite reefs.

Day 7 - Cross the International Date Line

We lose a day crossing the International Date Line, arriving in Australia on November 5.

Days 8-9 - Ayers Rock (Uluru), Australia

Ayers Rock, the mammoth sandstone monolith also known as Uluru, has long been sacred to Australia’s indigenous peoples, who created a complex culture that has survived for 40,000 years. Explore its rock paintings, carvings, and formations, which symbolize strands in the web of life. Each feature is linked with the Dreamtime, the dawn of all creation and a timeless experience linking past, present, and future.

A short distance from Ayers Rock, walk among the 28 dome-like monoliths scattered across the plain of the Olgas. In the evening, watch Ayers Rock present an unforgettable display of changing colors at sunset, followed by a special dinner and stargazing under the night sky.

Days 10-12 - Chiang Mai, Thailand

Among the highest mountains in Thailand, Chiang Mai has reigned as an important trade and cultural center since the 1300s. Our resort, one of Asia’s finest, serves as base for two full days of your choice of activities.

Explore Doi Inthanon National Park from a boardwalk through lovely bird habitats, see an organic gardening project run by local hill tribespeople and enjoy their produce at a local restaurant, then be welcomed into a Lanna villager’s home.

Or let conservationist Richard Lair guide your exclusive access to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center to watch former working elephants bathe, train with mahouts, and carry guests into the wilderness. Enjoy lunch and a carriage ride in Lampang.

Or enjoy a full-day immersion into Thai culture through renowned Alex Kerr Origin Arts, including dance, lantern-making, martial arts, and more.

Another choice is to explore Chiang Mai’s temples then tour artists’ co-ops, including the dyeing and weaving gallery founded by Patricia Cheesman.

A final option is to enjoy our resort’s amenities, including a Thai cooking class with market visit, a rice-planting demonstration on the property, and an opportunity to shop in town.

Days 13-14 - Xi’an, China

At various times for more than 1,000 years, Xi'an was the capital of the Chinese Empire. We arrive to a special, private cultural celebration with fortune-telling, opera face-drawing, calligraphy and traditional foot massage.

Choose to visit a famed village in Huxian County where, for centuries, illiterate farmers have painted the stories of their daily lives – livestock grazing, children dancing, elders playing Chinese chess, vivid landscapes, abundant harvests, and busy festivals – all in vivid detail.

Or explore some of the 7,000 distinctive terra cotta warriors, horses, and chariots on display near the site where the tomb of China’s first emperor was unearthed.

We enjoy a magical Sichuan opera in which a master performer uses 14th-century “face-changing” techniques.

Days 15-16 - Jaipur, India

Upon arrival in Rajasthan’s exotic capital of Jaipur, a close relative of the maharajah welcomes us on a short elephant-back or vintage jeep safari into his estate of Dera Amer, former hunting lands and now a now a tiger and elephant reserve. At sunset, we arrive at elephant polo fields in this peaceful forest outside bustling Jaipur.

Jaipur’s founder – a passionate scholar and astronomer – built the world’s largest stone observatory. His18 precise instruments are still amazingly accurate.

Also see the ornate Amber Palace, and the “Palace of Winds” built for courtiers to view public events. In the City Palace, explore the elaborate buildings, gardens, and courtyards that blend Mughal and Rajasthani architecture. Enjoy a gala evening featuring costumed performers, artisans, and a lavish banquet.

Days 17-19 - Petra & Wadi Rum, Jordan

Lost to history for centuries, the mysterious desert city of Petra was rediscovered in 1812.Even today its stunning remains can be approached only on foot. In the morning, follow a narrow passageway toexperience ancient rock-carved tombs, temples, and treasury.

The next day, travel by 4x4 vehicles into Wadi Rum’s lunar landscape, and visit Aqaba’s spice market.

If you have previouslyvisited Petra, we would be happy to arrange an exploration of the beautifully preserved Greco-Roman ruins in Jerash, with accommodations at the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar.

Days 20-21 - Cairo &the Great Pyramids, Egypt

For ten centuries, Cairo was “the city victorious” where pharaohs built staggering monuments and invaders from Alexander the Great to Napoleon rode at the heads of great armies. Already ancient when it succumbed to its first invasion, the city was dominated by Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, French and British over 2,000 years until the Egyptian revolution in the 1950s.

Egypt ceased to be a Christian nation nearly 14 centuries ago when Arabs, bearing new faith called Islam, established a military and governmental center on the site of modern Cairo. The city – Africa’s largest – is still the cultural heart of Islam.

Explore the Mohammed Ali Mosque, lavishly adorned in alabaster, visit the historically-rich Ben Ezra Synagogue, and discover the 4th-century Church of Saints Serguis and Bacchus.

Nearby on the Giza plateau, visit the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, enduring symbols of ancient Egyptian strength and wisdom.

Days 22-23 - Istanbul, Turkey

Its skyline a jumble of domes and minarets, exotic Istanbul is an amalgam of East and West. The capital of the Roman Empire, it remained the capital through sixteen centuries of Byzantine and Ottoman rule. Atop the city, we have the hotel entirely to ourselves.

On our first day, choose to discover the beautiful Hagia Sophia, the vivid Iznik tiles of the Blue Mosque, and the 6th-century Basilica Cisterns. Or visit the baroque Nuruosmaniye Mosque and surrounding neighborhood, including some of the 6,000 shops of the 15th-century Grand Bazaar where everything from leather goods to spices to jewelry is sold.

The next day, explore the gilded Dolmabahce Palace and the collections of Islamic calligraphy, tiles, rugs, and nomadic artifacts at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. Or discover archaeological relics and ancient art in the private Sadberk Hanim Museum, and lovely frescoes adorning the Byzantine Chora Church. As a third option, stroll along the pedestrian-only Soguk Cesme Sokari en route to the Topkapi Palace, former residence of the sultans and now a museum with chambers including lavish harem rooms.

Day 24 - Depart Istanbul for Home

Following breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for commercial flights homeward.

This itinerary is preliminary and subject to change. An updated itinerary will be sent with final documents.