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China's Silk Road
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE TOUR – 12 DAYS
July 24-Aug. 6, 2008
$3,295
(Includes all land arrangements and intra-China air fares)
(Trans-Pacific air fares will be available in September 2007)
A total solar eclipse has been described as a sensory overload, so imagine the drama of experiencing one in China, which itself can be a sensory overload with its frenzied modernization overlaying a deep and fascinating past conjured up by artifacts such as the breathtaking terra-cotta warriors of Xian, buried in full battle array near China’s first emperor to guard his tomb, and sites along its ancient and storied Silk Road.
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July 24, Thursday
DEPART FOR SHANGHAI |
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July 25, Friday
SHANGHAI |
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On arrival you’ll be met and transferred to our hotel, the Regent. A welcome-to-China reception and dinner has been arranged for you in the hotel. Your guide will brief you on the days ahead.
REGENT HOTEL (D)
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July 26, Saturday
SHANGHAI
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Today you’ll visit the 16th century Yu Yuan Gardens, a maze of pavilions, ponds, stone dragons, overarching trees and flowers surrounding the immediately recognizable “zigzag bridge.” Lunch will be at a local restaurant. You’ll take a stroll along the Bund, Shanghai’s waterfront park that was once the most famous street in Asia. |
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Situated along the western bank of the Huangpu River, it is the place to take in both the old Shanghai and the new Shanghai. This evening’s entertainment will be a performance by Shanghai’s foremost acrobatic troupe.
REGENT HOTEL (B,L)
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July 27, Sunday
SHANGHAI/URUMQI |
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You’ll transfer to the airport for our flight to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Urumqi means “a beautiful pasture” in ancient Mongolian. Some 2,000 years ago it was an important town on the northern route of the Silk Road. On arrival you’ll be met and transferred to our hotel.
URUMQI HOITAK HOTEL or similar (B) |
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July 28, Monday
URUMQI
You’ll take a drive this morning out to Heavenly Lake, where you’ll board a boat that will take you past some beautiful scenery and snow-capped peaks. A barbeque lunch will be waiting for you on the southern banks of the lake. In the afternoon you’ll visit a museum featuring several fine exhibitions, among them a collection of mummies excavated throughout Xinjiang and spanning more than 5,000 years of history, a Silk road exhibit and a series on the minority cultures of Xinjiang.
URUMQI HOITAK HOTEL or similar (B,L) |
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July 29 , Tuesday
URUMQI/TURPAN
Your journey continues today to Turpan – at 500 feet below sea level the second lowest place on earth after the Dead Sea, which is 1,300 feet below sea level. Turpan is an important cultural and historical town in Xinjiang, known as the “Fire Prefecture” because the temperature in the summer can get over 104 degrees. In the afternoon you’ll visit the ancient citadel of Jiaohe, or Yar City, on a raised section between two rivers. Jiaohe is protected as an archaeological site by UNESCO. You’ll also visit the underground irrigation system of Kariz and the Emin minaret before returning to our hotel.
OASIS HOTEL (B,L,D)
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July 30 , Wednesday
TURPAN |
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Today you’ll explore the fourth century Bezeklik caves and Astana
tombs, ancient burial grounds for nobles and aristocrats. More than 400
tombs have been excavated and the best-preserved artifacts have been
collected in an “underground museum.” Later you can pop a cork or two
in Grape Valley, on the western slope of the Flaming Mountains (russet sandstone mountains that sparkle under the blazing sun). Grapes were introduced to the area in ancient times because of Turpan’s hospitable climate. Grapes here have never suffered from plant disease or pests, so no chemicals or pesticides are applied. You’ll be able to taste some of those grapes and some of the wines made from them. OASIS HOTEL (B,L,D)
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July 31, Thursday
TURPAN/HAMI |
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A motorcoach today takes you to a onetime strategic stop on the Silk Road, Hami, or Kunwu as it was known in ancient times. It is the eastern gate of Xinjiang, and a convenient transport point. If time permits, today you’ll explore the ancient city ruins of Lapchok, one of 36 kingdoms in Central Asia during the Silk Road trade period. Later, perhaps, a visit to the Uighur king mausoleum, where nine generations are buried. (B,L,D)HAMI HOTEL, VIP Wing
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August 1, Friday
HAMI/YIWU |
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Today’s sightseeing redefines the term “sight-seeing” with one of the most spectacular sights of all – a total eclipse of the sun.First, you’ll take a morning drive through some scenic countryside and vistas in the Tianshan mountains, past the ruins of an ancient beacon tower, a locally-famous white stone outcropping, a “dipping” irrigation system, a salt lake and the ruins of a Tang Dynasty military garrison – all with plenty of time to get you to our specially arranged eclipse |
viewing site in Yiwu, 17 miles from the center line of a 152-miles swath. Duration will be 1 minute 55.3 seconds, give or take a half-second. Mid-eclipse will be 7:09 p.m. local time (11:08:51 GMT), with the sun 19 degrees above the horizon – well above the mountains to the west. Sunset will be 10:03 p.m.
YIWU HOSTEL (B,L,D) |
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August 2, Saturday
YIWU/HAMI
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This morning you’ll drive back to Hami. You’ll visit the ancient village of Karatal and its surrounding scenery with a lake and spring, and the Tang Dynasty Buddhist pagoda. Lunch will be a real treat – you’re invited to dine with a local farmer and his family.
HAMI HOTEL(B,L,D)
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August 3 , Sunday
HAMI/DUNHUANG
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Today you’ll be driven to historic Dunhuang, a pearl on the Silk Road. Known long ago as “Sha Zhou,” or beautiful desert oasis, it was the hub of trade between China and its western neighbors and was the most westerly frontier military garrison in China’s middle and eastern silk routes.
DUNHUANG HOTEL (B,L,D)
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August 4, Monday
DUNHUANG/XIAN
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First, you’ll visit the city’s famous Mogao Caves, or grottos, including some very special ones, then you’ll fly off to Xian for its amazing sights. Xian, the eternal city, records the great changes of the Chinese nation like a living history book and is one of the birthplaces of civilization in the Yellow River Basin area. And guarding it are 7,000 terra-cotta warriors.
SOFITEL (B,L) |
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August 5 , Tuesday
XIAN/SHANGHAI
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This morning you’ll experience a total eclipse of epochs with a visit to Xian’s storied terra-cotta warriors – among the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century and a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. Some 7,000 life-sized terra-cotta figures of soldiers, horses and chariots marshaled in battle formations guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor. This afternoon you’ll fly back to Shanghai.
REGENT HOTEL (B,L) |
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August 6 , Wednesday
SHANGHAI/DEPARTURE
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Depart for the U.S. (B/Meals aloft)
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Note: The schedule and accommodations in this itinerary are correct at the time of printing. They are subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control. Price may be subject to change.
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