Georgia: Ajourney Through Traditions Tbilisi Led by Tashaled Vorderstrasse • Akhaltsikhe May 21–June 5,2019
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Land Program Rate: $6,895 (per person based on double occupancy) Single Supplement: $1,125 Included: All accommodation, hotel taxes • Meals per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner) • Arrival/departure transfers for passengers arriving/departing on scheduled start/ end days • All overland transportation per itinerary by private vehicle • Special cultural events and extensive sightseeing, including entrance fees • English- speaking Tour Manager throughout the itinerary • Welcome and farewell dinners • Baggage handling at the hotels • Gratuities to the Tour Manager, local guides and drivers • Comprehensive pre-departure packet Not Included: International round-trip airfare to/from Tbilisi. Our tour operator, MIR Corporation, can assist with reservations • Travel insurance • Meals not specified as included in the itinerary • Personal items such as telephone calls, laundry, excess baggage fees Air Arrangements: Program rates do not include international airfare to/from Tbilisi. Because of the global nature of our members and patrons, there is no group flight for this program. Information on a recommended flight itinerary will be sent by our tour operator upon confirmation. What to Expect: This trip is moderately active due to the substantial distances covered and the extensive walking and stair climbing required; parts of the tour will not always be wheelchair accessible. To reap the full rewards of this adventure, travelers must be able to walk at least two miles a day (with or without the assistance of a cane) and stand for an extended period of time during walking tours and museum visits. Flexibility and a willingness to accept local standards of amenities and services are highly recommended, as delays or changes in the itinerary are possible. Reservations and Payments: Please mail the completed registration form with check (payable to MIR Corporation-Trust) or credit card information to our tour operator, MIR Corporation, to the CVC address on the reservation form. The balance for all land and air costs is due by March 22, 2019, 60 th th days prior to departure. Payment of balance due is by check or bank transfer only. Discover Cancellations and Refunds: All cancellations must be made in writing to MIR Corporation and the Date of bir Date of bir Country following cancellation charges will apply: Cancellations received 61 or more days before departure, Email deposits paid or due in full of $500 per person; those received 31 days to 60 days before departure, 50% of land tour cost per person; those received 30 days or fewer before departure, no refund. Refunds cannot be made to passengers who do not complete the full tour for any reason at all. UC Oriental Institute and our tour operator, MIR Corporation, reserve the right, without penalty, to withdraw the tour announced (i.e., cancel a tour). MIR Corporation reserves the right to decline to accept any person as a participant on a tour, or to require any participant to withdraw from a tour American Express Exp date Exp Zip at any time at his/her own expense, when such action is determined by tour staff to be in the best interest of the health, safety, or general welfare of the tour group or of the individual participant, and subject only to the requirement that the recoverable cost of unused services and accommodations be refunded, if any. Mastercard Mastercard Note: Neither UC Oriental Institute nor MIR Corporation accepts liability for any airline cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a non-refundable ticket in connection with this tour. It is Smoker (shares are not guaranteed) are (shares Smoker class Economy (Work/Cell) (Work/Cell) recommended that you not purchase international flights until instructed by MIR Corporation. Visa Single Travelers: We make every effort to match single travelers who request a roommate. However, shared accommodations cannot be guaranteed and a single supplement rate will apply. State/Province Insurance: MIR Corporation can assist with medical/evacuation and trip cancellation/interruption insurance for U.S. residents only. Non-smoker Non-smoker Georgia: A Journey through Traditions Responsibility: A detailed statement of limitations and exclusions of liability of UC Oriental Institute and MIR Corporation for loss of property, injury, illness or death will be provided to passengers upon enrollment and is available to prospective travelers upon request. A signed release of liability/ Tbilisi • Akhaltsikhe • Kutaisi • Mestia Premium economy class economy Premium assumption of risk agreement is required for trip participation. • Ushguli • Tbilisi Led by Tasha Vorderstrasse MIR Corporation: CST #2082306-40. WST #601-099-932. Enclosed check, payable to MIR Corporation-Trust to MIR Corporation-Trust payable Enclosed check, ©2018 MIR Corporation, all rights reserved. Photos: Jeremy Woodhouse, MIR Corporation at the single supplement rate ($1,125). available wherever a single room alone and prefer I am traveling accommodations with ______________________________________________________________ I will share with a to share like I would Business class May 21–June 5, 2019 Credit card number number card ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Credit ___________________________________________________________________________________________ mailing address) from (if different Address Billing ___________________________________________________________________________________________ of cardholder Signature ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Full name #1 (as listed in passport) (Home) ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Full name #2 (as listed in passport) ___________________________________________________________________________________________ please) (no PO boxes Mailing address ___________________________________________________________________________________________ City Please mail the completed registration form with check (payable to MIR Corporation-Trust) or credit card information MIR Corporation, 85 S Washington St. Suite 210, Seattle, WA 98104. The balance for all land and air costs is due by March Reserva- Space is limited. only. Payment of the balance due is by check or bank transfer 2019, 60 days prior to departure. 22, tions will be processed in order of receipt, subject to availability. deposit of $ _________ ($500 per person) to hold ______ place(s). The enclosed non-refundable preference: Please indicate your International airfare is not included in the tour price. Information on the recommended flight itinerary on the recommended by our tour Information will be sent is not included in the tour price. International airfare operator upon confirmation. Tbilisi in: home city of _________________ and my air itinerary estimate between Please send me a recommended and fare For more info, contact MIR Corporation by phone (877) 535-9815 or email [email protected]. For more information or to register, contact: Nathan Cox at MIR Corporation (877) 535-9815 / [email protected] Program Highlights Day-by-Day Itinerary • Explore the archeological site of Dmanisi, where five 1.8-million- May 21–22 Depart USA • Arrive Tbilisi, Georgia May 28–30 (continued) Akhaltsikhe via Vardzia • Kutaisi year-old Homo erectus skulls were discovered. Depart the USA and arrive in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, the next evening. Marriott Tbilisi In Kutaisi, visit the State History and Archeology Museum, featuring a 7th-century Hotel (Meals in flight) BC fertility figurine, medieval weaponry, Georgian manuscripts and illuminated • Visit UNESCO-listed Mtskheta, the capital of the early Georgian books, gold treasures, and archaeological discoveries. Discover UNESCO-listed kingdom of Iberia, including 11th-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, May 23 Tbilisi 12th century Gelati Monastery, housing Georgia’s first academy. Akhaltsikhe: Gino its interior decorated in murals, and 6th-century Jvari Monastery. Set off to explore Tbilisi, accompanied by a local archaeologist. Visit the Simon Janashia Hotel; Kutaisi: Best Western Hotel (3B, 3L, 2D) Museum of Georgia for a look at some of the country’s most significant archaeological • Discover the cave-monastery of Vardzia, begun in the 12th century, May 31–June 3 Mestia • Ushguli • Kutaisi with frescoes that represent the pinnacle of the Golden Age of finds, such as treasures from 3,000-year-old burial mounds of the Trialeti culture. Enjoy a welcome dinner featuring traditional Georgian dancing. Marriott Tbilisi Hotel (B, L, D) Set out on a gorgeous mountain drive to Svaneti, a remote region of Georgia, Georgian painting. designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its remarkably preserved medieval • Browse the Museum of History and Ethnography, in the UNESCO- May 24 Tbilisi • Dmanisi watchtowers. Browse the collections at Mestia’s excellent Museum of History listed mountain region of Svaneti, to admire beautifully illuminated Venture out to Bolnisi to admire what is probably the oldest church in Georgia. Visit and Ethnography, as well as the Architectural Museum, with its examples of 12th gospels, golden altar crosses, and icons of amazingly high quality, all the archeological site of Dmanisi, where the 1.8-million-year-old H. erectus skulls were century Svanetian architecture. Visit 9th-12th century churches on the way to from the 9th to 14th centuries.