For more information on WEA tours contact the Tours Office at the WEA during office hours Monday—Wednesday— Friday. Phone: (08) 8223 1272

Contact Details

Write to: Tours Office, Box 7055 Hutt St PO, Adelaide 5000 Fax: (08) 8232 3690 Email: tours@wea-sa.com.au Web Site: www.wea-sa.com.au WEA Travel Lic No TTA183

The “fairy tale” city of Khiva

THE GREAT SILK ROAD

CITIES OF CENTRAL ASIA

15 May — 2 June 2007

Here is your opportunity to visit one of the world’s oldest civi-lisations and be entranced with the mystery of the cities of the Great Silk Road. From the Palaeolithic to the present day, trad-ers, missionaries and pilgrims have exchanged customs, cul-tures and religions along this grassy corridor from West to East. Among the many ancient Central Asian cities are Samar-kand, Bukhara and Khiva. Wonder at the fairy tale city of Khiva, now an outdoor museum, beautiful Bukhara whose Kalyan Minaret impressed even Ghengis Khan in his tracks across the region, and stunning Samarkand, the capital of Tamerlane’s empire. We will fly into and out of Uzbekistan through Tashkent the current capital. Your tour leader, Dr Suz-anne Brugger will ensure that while you visit the most worth-while sites and places, you will understand their significance in the history of humanity from the 5th century BC to the present. Tour Leader: Dr Suzanne Brugger is a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London where she taught in the 1960s. Her studies included Islamic Law and the art, archaeology and history of the Islamic world. She has lectured in Asian Studies at Flinders University and has led a number of previous WEA study tours to Uzbekistan and other Islamic countries. Currently she is collaborating on a series of four books on women in Central Asia. Weather: This tour has been carefully planned to show you these cities in the relative cool of spring, although the weather can be quite changeable at this time of year.

ITINERARY

DAY 1 Tuesday 15 May Deport from the international section of Adelaide Airport for your flight to Kuala Lumpur. Upon arrival we transfer to our hotel for an overnight stay.

(Meals in flight.) DAY 2 Wednesday 16 May Today is at leisure until we return to the airport for our over-night flight to Tashkent.

(Breakfast, in flight meals.) DAY 3 Thursday 17 May Arrive in Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan. Transfer to our city hotel, situated near the historic centre of Tashkent close to the park named in honour of Amir Temur. Uzbekistan, independent of USSR since 1991, became part of the Russian Empire in the 1860s. The Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan was created in 1924. Uzbekistan has 25 million people, mainly Uzbek Moslems. It has irrigated areas of cultivation, deserts, and mountains reaching over 4,000 metres high. We will begin our exploration of the city this afternoon after we have had a rest.

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 4 Friday 18 May We will complete a tour of many of the sites of this tree-lined city. The name Tashkent means “city of stone” and dates back to the 2nd B.C. Over 100 nationalities live here in a blend of the old and new. The city boasts the only Metro in Central Asia, which is lavishly decorated. In the old city we will be able to see the 15th &16th century mausoleums of Shah Khaventi Tak-hur and Yauus-khanas as well as medieval mosques like the

Jami and Cholpan Ata mosques. The old city is a maze of nar-row streets, lined with mud brick houses. People in traditional dress can be seen in the Chorsu Bazaar. We will visit the new sections of the city and the Fine Art Museum, which has 1,000 year old Buddhist statues, Zoroastrian artefacts and Turkistan art. Its main art collection came from the private collection of Grand Duke Niokolay Romanov.

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 5 Saturday 19 May We take an early morning flight to Urgench and then transfer to the nearby city of Khiva where we check into our hotel, which was a madrassah, for two nights. Your stay in this build-ing will be an unforgettable experience. We start with a visit to the medieval town centre, which has retained much of the ex-otic image of an ancient ori-ental city. The area where all the architectural monuments of this fascinating city are located is known as Ichan-Kala. Khiva is about 2,000 years old and made up of madrassahs, mosques and minarets. We begin our vis-its here with the Kunya-Ark citadel (10th-18th centuries) and the Tash-Hauli Palace and harem (19th century), which was once the home of the Khans. It has been pre-served intact with its ornate gates. The most famous monuments of this city are the turquoise glazed Kalta-

Minar minaret, which dates from 1835, and the Juma Mosque and minaret (10th century). We also visit the mausoleum of Pahlavan Mahmud (14th century), which has fabulous doors of carved ivory. Other sites include the Islam Khodja Madrassah and Minaret (19th century) and the Said Allauddin Mausoleum

(14 the century). Some of the monuments in central Khiva date from medieval times but many have had recent restorations. The buildings are espe-cially dramatic, beautiful and pho-togenic because so many are deco-rated with bril-liantly coloured turquoise tiles. Dinner tonight will be in an Uzbek family house.

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 6 Sunday 20 May This morning we travel 70 kms by coach to an area called Ellik Kala (Fifty Fortresses). On the way we walk across a bridge over the River Amu-Darya and pick up another coach on the other side! We may visit an archaeological dig where staff and students from the University of Sydney work. The actual exca-vation lies about one kilometre away from the work base across

undulating sandy ground. We will drive past other fortresses in the plain and climb to others standing on low hills. We have lunch in a nomad’s yurt today to add to the ex-perience of Uzbekistan. We return to Khiva at the end of the day. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 7 Monday 21 May Free time until we leave in the early afternoon for Bukhara travelling through the Kyzyl Desert. The 500 km drive will take us about 7 hours. Bukhara has long been fought over by khans and kings and has a fascinating history. It was at the height of its glory in the 10th century when the city was a large commercial centre on the Great Silk Road to China. Our hotel, the “Bukhara Palace” is located on the edge of the old city. For those who would like to shop, the bazaars may prove irresisti-ble, as Bukhara is famous for its carpets and rugs.

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 8 Tuesday 22 May Today we enjoy the oriental wonders of this beautiful city lying on the edge of the oasis of Soghdiana, once conquered by Alexander the Great. The old city has 140 protected buildings, famous for their exquisite brickwork. It is here that the old Turkistan culture comes alive. We begin our tour with a visit to the Ark (Citadel) with its fortress gates, which protected the city from as long ago as the first century AD. We also visit Ly-abi Khauz Square and Kalyan Square and their surrounding

buildings which include: Magoki- Attori Mosque (10th cen-tury), the Trading Domes (16th century), Abdulaziz Khan Ma-drassah (18th century), Ismail Samani Mausoleum (9th century) – the first monumental building built with fired bricks in cen-tral Asia, Chasma Ayub Shrine (14-16th centuries), Bolo Khauz Mosque (18th century) and possibly the Boghouddin Nak-shbandi Complex (14-20th centuries). We also visit the 20th century Summer Palace of the Emir. Some of these sites will be visited on day 10 of this tour. In the evening we attend a Folk Song and Dance Show.

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 9 Wednesday 23 May Today we travel to the Sarmysh Gorge to see pre-historic rock engravings. The Gorge is 170 kms from Bukhara and affords good views of the mountains. We have lunch in Navoii, before returning to Bukhara in the late afternoon.

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 10 Thursday 24 May Today we complete our ex-plorations of all the historic buildings and sites of central Bukhara that are listed above.

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 11 Friday 25 May Your morning in Bukhara is at leisure for private shop-ping, or exploring. In the afternoon we drive 300kms to Samarkand via the settlements of Gizhduvan, which has a ce-ramic workshop, and Rabat–i–Malik, which was a caravanserai stop on the old Silk Route. We stay overnight in Samarkand.

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner.)

DAY 12 Saturday 26 May The oasis of Samarkand, on the snow fed Zerafshan River, was founded according to legend, 5000 years ago by King Aphra-siab. Its documented history dates from 329BC when Alexan-der the Great found the city to be “more beautiful than he had imagined”. Tamerlane made it his capital and embellished it with beautiful monuments. We begin our tour by visiting the world famous Registan Square, where three magnificent madrassahs flank the central “sandy market place.” The tiling and mosaics remain both daz-zling and awesome in their detail and blaze of colour- tur-quoise, white and gold. We also visit the Bibbi Khanym Mosque (14-15th century), Ulugbek’s Observatory (15th cen-tury), the Shah-I-Zinda Ensemble (10-20th century) and the Gur-Emir Mausoleum (15th century), which was built by Timur the Great for his beloved grandson but became the great con-queror’s own tomb. It is absolutely stunning. The Shah-i-Zinda complex is known for its gleaming tiled facades. It is reputed that Tamerlane used 95 elephants to drag stone from the quar-ries for his great mosque of Bibbi Khanym but other buildings in Samarkand are equally as im-pressive and beautiful.

There will be some optional evening activities. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner)

DAY 13 Sunday 27 May Today we travel 160 km to Shakhrisabz (Tamerlane’s birth-place) to visit the Ak-Sarai Palace (14-15th century), the Dor-us-Syadat and Dor-ut-Tilovat complexes which both date from the 14-17the centuries. The entrance to Tamerlane’s palace has gigantic pylons, 40 metres high, which were once covered with filigree-like blue, white and gold mosaics. In its day this palace must have been magnificent. The Dor-us-Syadat complex has been extensively restored. The tombs of Tamerlane’s ancestors are also located here and the humble burial place he had in-tended for himself. We return to Samarkand.

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 14 Monday 28 May A day at leisure for you to revisit any of the sites your saw on tour, or to investigate the Bazaar, a traditional Eastern trade centre with its range of fresh produce, herbs and spices. The colourful shawls, veils, turbans and dresses of the vendors and customers- a sight mostly unchanged from medieval times, will delight the photographers!

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 15 Tuesday 29 May In the morning we drive the 300 kms to Tashkent. The after-noon is at leisure. Tonight we have a special farewell dinner in Tashkent.

(Breakfast, lunch, dinner) DAY 16 Wednesday 30 May This morning we will transfer to the airport and depart Tash-kent for Kuala Lumpur. We will then transfer to an onward

flight to Kuching for a two-day stop over. We will transfer to our hotel in Kuching.

(Breakfast, in-flight meals.) DAY 17 Thursday 31 May A day at leisure in Kuching which was the city of the white ra-jahs and today we can see their old forts, towers and bungalows dotted through the town. There are interesting optional tours available if you want, including a city tour, a visit to the Sara-wak Cultural Village, the Oran Utan Rehabilitation Centre, or maybe a sunset cruise on the river.

(Breakfast)

DAY 18 Friday 1 June You have another day at leisure and you could visit some old Chinese temples or buy some arts and crafts in the bazaar before your transfer back to the airport for your flight to Kuala Lumpur. We then connect with our return flight to Adelaide.

(Breakfast, in-flight meals.) DAY 19 Saturday 2 June This morning you arrive back at the international section of Adelaide airport at approximately 6.00 am.

g

COST

The inclusive Adelaide to Adelaide fee is $4600. (Subject to air-line increases and currency fluctuations) July, 2006. The single room supplement is $400, July 2006. A deposit of $300 is required with your Tour Enrolment. Final payment is due by close of business Wednesday 14th March 2007, with valid passport required from this date for obtaining visas.. To ensure that we have the necessary airline bookings and visa confirmations we will require early enrolment in this tour. Late enrolments may incur a surcharge on air flights between Kuala Lumpur and Tashkent.

INCLUSIONS

• Air travel Adelaide to Tashkent and return • twin share accommodation in first class hotels with

private facilities • meals as per itinerary - 17 breakfasts, 13 lunches,

13 dinners - In-flight meals and snacks served according to air-line policy

• all admission fees, transfers and tours as detailed unless speci-fied as optional

• pre-tour course and get-together at the WEA centre • study notes • Group visa

EXCLUSIONS

• Passports (6 months validity from date of departure required) • Travel insurance (must be obtained—refer clause 11– and

sighted by the WEA by the final payment date) • Airport taxes. (these will be advised prior to your final payment – Current estimate $300 ex Adelaide July 2006.) • Personal items and drinks with meals • Gratuities and tips • Single room supplement does not include stopovers provided by the airlines between connecting flights • Αctivities described as optional or additional cost and activities listed as possible on free days.

NOTES

• At the get together those travelling alone can choose their twin share companion.

• Any changes or extensions to the WEA Tour travel arrangements must be in writing at least two months before final payment date. No changes will be pursued if altered flights are not able to be con-firmed by the airline at the time of final payment.

• A service fee may be incurred for individual alterations to the Group Tour arrangements in addition to fees and charges levied by our suppliers.

The WEA regularly organises tours to many parts of the world includ-ing “Third World” destinations. Travel to such destinations can require special considerations. The WEA urges you to attend any pre-tour brief-ing that may be arranged. You are also urged to study the tour enrol-ment conditions following.

Current travel advisories from the Dept. of Foreign Affairs can be found at — www.smarttraveller.gov.au

Tour Enrolment Conditions

THESE CONDITIONS are to be read in conjunction with and deemed to form part of the attached TOUR ENROLMENT FORM. That form must be signed by you prior to your enrolment in the tour described herein. The conditions form part of your offer to WEA and of your contract with WEA. Please read them carefully. 1 EXCURSION FEE Subject to condition 8, the cost of the tour shall be $4,600 which is hereafter called ‘the tour fee’. 2 DEPOSIT 2.1 Upon enrolment, a deposit of $300 shall be paid immediately to WEA and 2.2 The deposit will not be accepted unless it is accompanied by a completed

TOUR ENROLMENT FORM 2.3 After acceptance by WEA of your enrolment, the deposit will not be refunded

by WEA under any circumstances. 3 CONFIRMATION OF ENROLMENT 3.1 Upon receipt of the TOUR ENROLMENT FORM and the deposit, WEA will

confirm in writing on your receipt the acceptance or non acceptance of the enrolment.

3.2 It is only upon the confirmation of acceptance of the enrolment that a contract shall come into existence.

3.3 The date of formation of acceptance of the contract and the acceptance of the enrolment shall be the date shown on the written confirmation of acceptance to be issued by WEA

3.4 WEA reserves the right to refuse to accept any enrolment and shall not be bound to give any reasons for its refusal.

3.5 If WEA does not accept your enrolment, your deposit will be refunded in full. 4 PAYMENT OF BALANCE 4.1 The balance of the tour fee shall be paid by the close of business on Wednes-

day 14th March 2007 at the offices of WEA at 223 Angas Street Adelaide 5000.

4.2 Enrolments in relation to which payments are received by WEA after that date may or may not be accepted by WEA at its absolute discretion.

5 EFFECT OF NON-PAYMENT OF BALANCE Both non-payment of the balance of the tour fee by the due date and non-acceptance by WEA of a late payment of the balance of the tour fee will result in: 5.1 The forfeiture of the deposit paid by you; and 5.2 Cancellation of your enrolment so that there shall thereafter be no further

contractual relationship whatsoever between you and the WEA. 6 CANCELLATIONS 6.1 Cancellations will be accepted after your enrolment is accepted but not after

the payment by you of the balance of the tour fee.

6.2 If a cancellation is made by you during the period after your enrolment is accepted but before the payment by you of the balance of the tour fee, WEA is not required to repay your deposit to you.

6.3 No cancellation of any nature whatsoever will be accepted after the payment of the balance of the tour fee.

7 CANCELLATION OF TOUR BY WEA - REFUND OF MONEYS 7.1 WEA may, at its discretion, cancel the tour prior to the date of commencement

thereof. Upon your request the WEA will provide reasons for its decision to cancel the tour.

7.2 WEA shall be entitled to cancel the tour after its commencement if, in the opinion of WEA or the tour leader:

(i) the continuation of the tour would for any reason jeopardise the safety of the participants;

(ii) the continuation of the tour would for any reason make the tour financially burdensome to WEA or the tour leader:

(iii) the continuation of the tour would for any reason violate any law or direction of any government authority and the re-routing of the tour is impracticable

7.3 Upon cancellation of the tour, WEA will repay to you in full any monies paid by you pursuant to this contract to the extent that they have not been paid by WEA to third parties.

7.4 WEA shall not be bound to seek to recover moneys paid by WEA to third parties, but if indemnified by you, will lend its name to an action for the recovery of moneys against such third parties.

8 VARIATION OF TOUR FEE 8.1 The tour fee has been calculated based on fees, fares and costs current as at

time of publication 8.2 Increases in fees, air fares and other tour costs of any nature whatsoever which

occur at any time before the commencement of the tour are at your risk and will be passed on to you.

8.3 Increased fees, fares and costs are payable by you within fourteen days of demand being made for the same by WEA.

8.4 In the event of failure by you to pay increased fees, fares and costs within fourteen days of demand being made for the same by WEA, you will be deemed to have cancelled your enrolment and clause 6 shall apply.

9 VARIATION OF TOUR 9.1 WEA reserves the right to change the itinerary of the tour: (a) when required to do so by events outside its control; or (b) if it or the tour leader is reasonably of the opinion that the change or changes

are in the best interests of the participants of the tour. 9.2 No compensation shall be payable to you by WEA as a result of such changes. 10 THIRD PARTY LIABILITIES 10.1 All travel arrangements in relation to the tour (including arrangements for the

issuing of tickets and the making or arrangements with travel agents, hotels, airlines, bus companies, railroad companies and other third parties) are made by WEA as your agent and not as agent for any third party.

10.2 Accordingly, WEA is not liable for any act, omission or default of any such third party (whether negligent or amounting to a breach of contract by the third party or otherwise) nor is it responsible for any loss, damage, or injury caused by any such third party.

10.3 In addition, you are subject to any conditions imposed by the third party on the tour arrangements.

11 TRAVEL INSURANCE 11.1 All tour participants must take out personal travel insurance to cover the costs

and effects of personal injury, property loss or damage, tour delays and cancellations (including cancellations before the tour commences), repatriation, and all other risks against which international travellers usually insure.

11.2 WEA may require production of the insurance contract prior to the commencement of the tour.

11.3 If you are unable to show to the satisfaction of WEA that such an insurance has been issued to you, you will not be permitted to commence the tour.

11.4 In that event, you will not be entitled to a refund of any monies paid by you to WEA pursuant to this contract.

12 EXCLUSION CLAUSE 12.1 WEA does not accept any liability or responsibility for: (i) any loss, accident or delay however caused whether prior to, during or

subsequent to the tour; or (ii) loss or damage caused to you or your effects caused (a) by the acts or omissions of its employees, whether negligent or involving a

breach of contract or otherwise (b) by any act or omission of any nature by any third party 12.2 Without in any way limiting the generality of the foregoing, WEA shall not be

responsible for any injury or loss caused by political disputes, border closures, refusal of visas, industrial action, delayed transport, effects of climate, war, natural disaster or other events beyond the control of WEA.

13 NECESSARY TRAVEL DOCUMENTS You are responsible for ensuring that all necessary travel documents (e.g passport, visas, certificates of vaccination (where and if required etc.) are current, valid and effective. 14 AUTHORITY OF TOUR LEADER 14.1 At all times before and after the commencement of the tour, the decision of

WEA’s expedition or tour leader or representative will be final on all matters pertinent to the safety and well being of the tour participants.

14.2 You must at all times strictly comply with the laws, customs and currency and drug regulations of all countries visited. Should you fail to comply with any such law, custom or regulation or should you interfere with the well being of

the group, WEA’s tour leader or WEA representative may order you to leave the tour and in that event you will have no right to any refund from or any other recourse against WEA.

15 DISCLOSURE OF MEDICAL CONDITIONS You are required to make full and true disclosure to WEA of all ailments and physical or psychological impairments of which you are aware that may affect in any way you ability to undertake the tour without endangering your health, or the health or safety of other tour participants or the orderly progress of the tour. The WEA may at its discretion request a medical report from a medical practitioner nominated by the WEA concerning your physical and or psychological medical condition. The reports will be provided to the WEA at your cost. Upon production of the report the WEA may, at its discretion, terminate your enrolment. Upon termination in these circumstances the WEA is not bound to provide a reason for that termination. If your enrolment is terminated in these circumstances the WEA will (except where the tour is cancelled) fully refund to you all moneys paid by you pursuant to this contract. 16 EFFECTS OF ACTING ILLEGALLY Should you act in any way contrary to the laws of Australia or any other country during the course of the tour, you do so at your own risk and WEA is not obliged to provide legal or other assistance to you. 17 LAWS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA This contract is subject to the law of South Australia and is to be interpreted in accordance with that law. The parties shall submit to the jurisdiction of the Courts of South Australia.