Trans-Canada Rail Adventure
September 30 to October 11, 2008
The ILEAD Study Travel Committee has planned a Trans Canada Rail trip
originating in Toronto, Ontario and ending in Vancouver, B.C. The travel
dates will coincide with fall colors in Ontario and the Canadian Rockies.
We will fly to Toronto from Boston on September 30 for two nights with
a full day to explore the city. We will board the Via Rail Canadian on
October 2nd. Bedroom accommodations and all meals are provided in the 3
day/2 night trip to Jasper National Park in Alberta.
While in the Canadian Rockies we will stay overnight in Jasper, 2 nights at
Chateau Lake Louise and 2 nights in Banff. Chartered buses will provide
tours in Jasper, Banff and Yoho National Parks.
In Banff we will board the Rocky Mountaineer for a 2 day all
daylight rail trip to Vancouver. We will be in unique dome cars with
gourmet breakfasts and lunches. We will stay overnight in Kamloops, B.C.
We will pass through the Rockies and the spectacular Frazer River Gorge. We
spend overnight in Vancouver and return to Boston the next morning or select
one of two options for an additional night in Vancouver.
Rocky Mountaineer Vacations, based in Vancouver, B.C. has been in business
since 1990, specializing in rail travel in the Canadian Rockies. Included in
the cost of the tour, which will in the $4800 to $5200 range (per
person double occupancy) are:
Round trip air fare from Boston
Bus service Hanover to Boston Logan Airport
Luggage handling (2 suitcases) at hotels and trains
Excluded are required travel insurance and meals when not on
the Canadian or Rocky Mountaineer train.
ILEAD is planning to offer courses to travelers beginning in October
2007. Emphasis will be on the building of the Trans Canada Railway,
geology and art of western Canada. Travelers will be required to
participate in 2 courses prior to the trip. Call ILEAD at 603 653 0154 for
further trip and registration information.
Mesoamerica
November 7, 2008
The ILEAD Study Travel Committee has planned an amazing 2-week trip to
Mesoamerica starting November 7, 2008. Mesoamerica includes the countries
of:
EL SALVADOR—San Salvador City, Joyas de Cerén (the Pompeii of the
Western World) 1 night
HONDURAS—Archeological site of Copán, 2 nights
GUATEMALA
1. Antigua, old capital of Guatemala, 3
nights
2. Lake Atitlan at Panajachel with a boat tour to Santiago and San Pedro, 2
nights
3. Visit Solola on the way to Guatemala City, 1 night
4. Fly to Flores to visit archeological site of Tikal, and Yaxha, the third
largest Maya site in Guatemala, 2 nights
BELIZE—Archeological site of Caracol or Lamanai, 2 nights
Antigua, Copán, Tikal, Joyas del Cerén, Yaxhal, and Caracol are UNESCO World
Heritage Sites. We will also experience today’s Maya culture—all led by an
expert local guide who stays with us for the whole of the tour; he is a native
Maya, whose knowledge is inexhaustible and speaks excellent English as well as
Spanish and his own Maya language.
Included in the cost of the tour will be airline tickets from Boston to El
Salvador, return flight from Belize to Boston, all accommodations, all internal
transportation and one flight from Guatemala City to Flores, all breakfasts, 9
lunches and 6 dinners.
Not included:
Bus fare to and from Boston,
5 lunches, 9 dinners (an excellent three course meal is less than $10),
Travel Insurance
$89.73 airport departure taxes and border crossing fees,
Gratuities for tour director ($7-10 per day), driver ($4 per day), and hotel
rooms ($1 per night).
The cost is $2,695 pp double occupancy. Singles at extra cost available. The
travel group will be no more than 16 people with an active lifestyle, enjoy
good health and mobility, are comfortable participating in 6-8 hours of daily
physical activities and sightseeing,and are able to walk 3 miles unassisted
over the course of each day. ILEAD is planning to offer courses to travelers
beginning in the Spring and the Fall of 2008. Emphasis will be on the
History of Mesoamerica prior to the Spanish
conquest and Maya history since then.
Influence of the ancient Maya civilization on our gastronomic table including
the veritable Chocolate.
Slow but steady ability to read the Mayan script in glyphs,
Evolution of the enormously accurate Mayan calendar
Acheological details of each site.
*4-5 day side trips, at additional cost, are available to Panama: Passageway
to the World, and/or Belize’s Glittering Cays. Since only 16 people can
participate an early $350 deposit, made out to Overseas Adventure Travel, will
guarantee your place in this once in a lifetime adventure. Call ILEAD at 603
653 0154 at 10 Hilton Field Road, Hanover NH 03755 if you are interested.
Egypt
March, 2009
At least once in your lifetime you must see Egypt. The name conjures
up images of Pharaohs and Pyramids, sultans and harems, slaves and dancing
girls. If you have seen mummies or King Tut’s treasures in a museum, you
have just a hint of the amazing 7,000 years of history of this unique
country.
The itinerary of this trip includes four days in Cairo and vicinity, four
days on a Nile Cruiser going from Aswan to Luxor, three days on a ship cruising
Lake Nasser from Abu Simbel to Aswan, an additional day in Aswan, two days in
Alexandria, and a final day in Cairo. Airfare is included in the price,
which will be around $3,500.
An optional post-tour extension would be to Jordan to see Petra and
Amman. That would be an additional $1,000 or so.
This trip involves considerable walking on uneven terrain and at sites of
ancient ruins. You should be in good physical condition to enjoy the tour
to its fullest.
Preparatory courses are in planning stage. There will be one covering
Ancient Egyptian history given in the Spring of 2008. A second course in
the Fall of 2008 will cover Egyptian history from the Roman time to the
present. A third course in the Winter of 2009 will include discussion of
such topics as Egyptian culture, politics, religions, art, and language.
For those ILEAD members who are at all interested in this trip, there will
be a meeting on Tuesday, November 13th at 3:30 p.m. in the Kendal at
Hanover Gathering Room. We hope to answer any of your questions there,
but if you have any before then please call Tom Wilson at (603) 643-9549.
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