Sri Lanka The Island of Serendipity

Transcription

1 Sri Lanka The Isand of Serendipity October 5 21, 2018 Coombo Dambua Kandy Nuwara Eiya Yaa Gae

2 Join Us! Dear Johns Hopkins Aumni, Famiy, Students and Friends: Though ony a sma isand nation, Sri Lanka gives visitors a perfect trifecta of experiences with its diverse natura offerings, vivid cuture, and ayered history. We begin in Sri Lanka s coasta capita city, Coombo, where Sri Lankan artistry is on fu dispay and the scars of the country s ong civi war, now over, can be best understood. Head to Dambua, the isand s ancient capita, with sacred rock-carved tempes and the extraordinary od paace buit into the very countryside. Expore the sight of Poonnaruwa and Anuradhapura consumed by junge unti its rediscovery in Drive to the rock fortress of Sigiriya, which rises 600 feet above the surrounding pain. For eeven years this was the fort and paace of King Kasyapa, today it dispays eighteen remaining frescoes of vouptuous maidens hoding baskets of fowers that seem to foat among the couds. In Kandy, the ast capita of the Sinhaese kings, visit the Tempe of the Tooth Reic which is is said to have been snatched from the fames of the Buddha s funera pyre in 543 BC. Drive to Sri Lanka s beautifu tea country to earn about the industry, the iveihood of many ocas. Spend a night near Yaa Nationa Park, a widife refuge of the highest order, protecting one of the most diverse ecosystems and endangered species in the word. End with a visit to the od Dutch settement of Gae, a prosperous port town that retains a its coonia charm despite centuries of change. Return to Coombo for fights home. This trip is being imited to 19 participants and reservations wi be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to join us and make your reservation today! Cordiay, Marguerite Ingas Jones, A&S 74, Bus 88 Trave Program Director Office of Aumni Reations

3 October 5: Depart. Friday. Depart the US. ITINERARY October 6: Coombo. Saturday. R. Late afternoon/eary evening arriva in Coombo. Upon arriva transfer to the Gae Face Hote. Enjoy a wecome drink and hors d oeuvres upon arriva. October 7: Coombo. Sunday. After an introductory ecture, begin exporing Sri Lanka s capita city at the Nationa Museum. Enjoy unch at the Coombo Fort Café ocated in the Od Dutch Hospita compex, a heritage site. After unch at a oca restaurant, visit the Sapuma Foundation. Their gaeries contain over 200 paintings and drawings, which trace the deveopment of art in Sri Lanka. Return to the hote mid-afternoon. Wecome dinner at the hote this evening. October 8: Coombo. Monday. Morning briefing with Dr. S. I. Keethaponcaan, the head of the department of Poitica Science and Pubic Poicy at the University of Coombo. Dr. Keethaponcaan s research has focused on confict and peace buiding in Sri Lanka. Next, visit the Seema Maakaya Meditation Centre designed by Sri Lanka s renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa. Incorporating an ecectic mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese architecture, the tempe incudes a museum, ibrary and is one of the most important tempes in Coombo. Continue on to visit the Gautami Vihara at Borea, which has a fine set of paintings by George Keyt who is considered Sri Lanka s most distinguished modern painter. Enjoy unch at the Barefoot Gaery and a chance to admire the work of oca artisans. After unch enjoy an orientation tour of Coombo incuding waking by the Lighthouse Cock Tower, down York Street past shops ike Cargi s and Mier s and the President s House and its grounds. Afternoon briefing at the US Embassy. Dinner this evening at a oca restaurant. October 9: Dambua. Tuesday. This morning depart Coombo and drive to Keaniya, a center of traditiona Sri Lankan pottery and the site of the Keaniya Rajamahavihara, perhaps the most important tempe in the Coombo area. Continue on to the government-run Pinnewaa Eephant Orphanage. The orphanage was estabished in 1975 to save abandoned, injured and orphaned wid eephants. After unch continue by road to Dambua and the Kandaama Hote, which was designed by Sri Lankan architect, Geoffrey Bawa and has picturesque views of Sigriya across the horizon of the Kandaama Tank, or reservoir.

4 Begin exporing the site of Ga Vihara, the Roya Paace and the 13th century Hindu tempe of Siva Devae. In the ate afternoon expore the Tivanka Image House, one of the few surviving structures of the Jetavanarama monastery. Return to Dambua in the ate afternoon for dinner and overnight. October 13: Kandy. Saturday. Late afternoon visit to Dambua, a Word Heritage site. The caves here were the refuge of King Vaagambahu when he was in exie for 14 years. When he returned to the throne at Anuradhapura in the 1st century BC, he had a magnificent rock tempe buit at Dambua. Dinner at the hote this evening. October 10: Dambua. Wednesday. Drive north for a fu day excursion to Anuradhapura, the country s capita for 1,400 years. Anuradhapura was founded as the capita by King Pandukabhaya in 380 B.C. and is the most gorious of the ancient cities of Sri Lanka. Spend the day exporing this ancient city spread out over a arge area. Enjoy a deightfu drive past spice gardens, coffee pantations and pepper vines to Naanda, the odest surviving stone buiding in Sri Lanka dating back to the 8th century. It is said to be a shrine of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism, incorporating tantric carvings. The next stop is at the rock monastery of Auvihara. The monastery caves are situated in rocks, which have faen in a jumbe from the mountainsides high above the vaey. Many of the caves have fine frescoes. Continue on to the Matae Heritage Center, which was founded by Batik artist, Ena de Siva, who returned to her ancestra home in the his above Matae and founded a women s cooperative to make batiks and needework aong with a brass foundry and wood-carving workshop. There wi aso be a chance to sampe a deicious array of Sri Lankan curries. After unch drive to Kandy and the Cinnamon Citade Hote. Returning back to Dambua stop at the great water tank of Kaawewa to see the 5th century statue of the Aukana Buddha, which stands 42 feet high. Dinner at the hote this evening. October 14: Kandy. Sunday. Dinner at the hote this evening. October 11: Dambua. Thursday. By the eary morning ight visit the huge rock of Sigiriya which rises 600 feet from the surrounding forests. It was the fort and paace of King Kasyapa and was a wonder of the word. He hed court amid ush gardens and commissioned muras on the east face of the rock. Morning visit to the Tempe of the Tooth. The actua tooth (rarey visibe to the pubic) is said to have been snatched from the fames of the Buddha s funera pyre in 543 BC, and was smugged into Sri Lanka during the 4th century AD, hidden in the hair of a princess. It is neary impossibe to underestimate the importance of this tempe to most Sri Lankan Buddhists, who beieve they must compete at east one pigrimage to the tempe in their ifetime. Return to the hote for unch. Afternoon at eisure or choose to earn more about the art of making Batik. Dinner at the hote this evening. October 12: Dambua. Friday. Morning drive to Poonnaruwa, the capita of Sri Lanka from the 11th to the 13th centuries. Athough the ruins here are ess vast than Anuradhapura, they are better preserved. The ruins are impressive and the scupture is some of the best on the isand.

5 wonderfu train ride in first-cass seats through tea estates to Nuwara Eiya, in the heart of the tea country. Upon arriva drive about 1 hour to the Tea Factory Hote. Late unch today is at the hote, a former tea factory. The afternoon is at your eisure. Dinner tonight is at the hote. October 16: Nuwara Eiya. Tuesday. Spend the day exporing this very spectacuar part of Sri Lanka. Depart the hote very eary to enjoy one of the country s most famous and stunning views at Word s End where the southern Horton Pains come suddeny to an end and drops amost straight down for 700 meters (2,300 ft). Continue on to the Nationa Museum and the Archaeoogica Museum, which house a fine coection of scuptures. Enjoy unch today at a oca restaurant. After unch visit the tempe at Embekke, dating back to the 14th century, which is dedicated to the god Peradeniya and is famous for its woodcarving. Nearby is the 14th century Lankatiaka Vihara on top of a granite outcrop with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside. Before returning to the hote, meet with staff from the Institute of Socia Deveopment to earn more about their work to protect and empower the marginaized and discriminated teapantation community. Dinner at the hote this evening. October 15: Nuwara Eiya. Monday. This morning drive south of Kandy to the Tea Workers Museum and Archive which is situated in a hundred year od ine room (workers quarters) in the Od Peacock s Estate in Paradeka Gampoa. Drive 30 minutes to the Peradeniya train station and take a Enjoy unch at the Hi Cub of Nuwara Eiya, then visit a tea pantation and earn more about this industry that is such an important part of Sri Lanka s economy. October 17: Yaa Nat Park. Wednesday. BL,D. Drive south toward the coast passing through the Yaa Nationa Park, one of the best paces in the country to see eephants and other game. After unch set out in game vehices to expore the park. There are six nationa parks and three widife sanctuaries in the vicinity of Yaa. The park hosts a variety of ecosystems ranging from moist monsoon forests to freshwater and marine wetands. The area around Yaa has hosted severa ancient civiizations and two important pigrim sites, Sithupahuwa and Magu Vihara, are situated within the park. Overnight at the Cinnamon Wid Yaa Hote, ocated just minutes from the game park. October 18: Gae. Thursday. Enjoy a eisurey drive aong the southern coast past densey packed rows of coconut pams. Drive to visit the Mugirigaa Tempe ocated north of Tangae. The arge rock at the site

6 bears a strong resembance to Sigiriya and is home to a series of cave tempes that date back to the 3rd century. Stop at Koggaa, hometown of a famous oca writer Martin Wickramasinghe and a Museum of Fok, Art and Cuture buit in his honor. There wi aso be a chance to see the unique stit-fishing method traditionay used by oca fishermen. Arrive in Gae and transfer to the Lighthouse Hote, another property designed by the word renowned architect, Geoffrey Bawa. October 19: Gae. Friday. Begin the day with a waking tour at the heart of Gae which is the 36-hectare Gae Fort, a UNESCO Word Heritage Site that occupies most of the promontory that forms the oder part of Gae. Wak to the Dutch Period Museum which offers an insight into ife in the days of the Dutch East India Company. End the morning at the Nationa Maritime Archaeoogy Museum with exhibits of marine artifacts found in underwater exporations. Enjoy a ovey unch within the fort compex. After unch visit the Dutch Reformed Church, founded in The church contains a record of marriages since 1748 and baptisms from Enjoy some free time before returning to the hote. Farewe dinner at the hote this evening. October 20: Depart. Satuday. B,L. Afternoon departure to drive to Coombo aong a recenty buit road. Arrive ate afternoon in time for internationa fights home.

7 PROGRAM COSTS AND INCLUSIONS Trip Price: $5,960 per adut based on doube occupancy Singe Room Suppement: $1,290 Trip Price incudes a hote accommodations as isted in the itinerary based on doube-occupancy, meas as isted in the itinerary (B,L,D) with botted water, a tours, excursions, sightseeing, entrances, transportation in an air-conditioned motor coach with daiy botted water, services of a tour escort/ guide throughout the program, gratuities and porterage. Trip price based on a minimum of 15 traveers. Price subject to sma group surcharge if group size is under 15. Does not incude airfare to and from Coombo, meas and beverages not isted in the program, visa and passport fees, transfers for those not arriving on the designated group fights, excess uggage charges, persona insurance for heath, baggage and trip canceation, chambermaid gratuities and items of a purey persona nature. Note: Program not recommended for chidren under 12 years of age. Participants must be abe to wak for ong distances and up and down stairs without probems. Pease note that this tinerary is subject to change. For more information or a more detaied itinerary, contact Karen Siman-Tov at (800) or via emai at KarenS@distant-horizons.com Distant Horizons, Johns Hopkins University s tour operator, is a Caifornia Seer of Trave (CST # ) and a participant in the Caifornia Trave Restitution Fund. Information regarding the rights of Caifornia residents to make a caim may be found at tcrcinfo.org. Registration as a seer of trave does not constitute approva by the State of Caifornia. TRIP DESCRIPTION Pease note that our itinerary invoves some time driving from city-to-city. We use comfortabe buses whose size varies depending on the size of the group to do these drives. Furthermore, whist the bus wi transport you directy to most sites, in most cases there wi be a fair amount of waking invoved around the sites incuding cimbing up and down stairs (sometimes without handrais), as we as waking tours in some cities. Some days have an eary-morning start and incude a fu day s schedue of activities, ectures and specia events. Participants must be in good heath and abe to keep up with an active group. The weather in the region during this time of the year is warm, rainy and humid. October is the end of the rainy season, but rain wi come in the form of thunder showers or bursts of rain foowed by sunshine. The average daiy temperature is in the ow 80s ( F). This program can accommodate famiies. However, we recommend this program for chidren over the age of 12.

8 RESERVE YOUR TRIP TODAY! Pease read and compete the form carefuy then mai appication aong with a copy of your I.D. and a deposit of $1,000 per person to: DISTANT HORIZONS, INC 350 Em Avenue, Long Beach, CA Or Ca: or Trip Name: Sri Lanka: The Isand of Serendipity Trip Date: October 5-21, 2018 WHEN YOU RETURN THIS APPLICATION, PLEASE INCLUDE A LEGIBLE PHOTOCOPY OF YOUR PASSPORT Name: Dr. / Mr. / Ms. / Mrs. Exacty as isted in your passport (First) (Midde) (Last) Preferred first name: Maiing Address: Home Phone: Business Phone: Ce Phone E-mai Address: Describe your heath and mobiity: Are you presenty under a doctor s care or taking any medications? If yes, pease eaborate Pease ist any aergies or physica imitations: Pease ist any diet restrictions: Emergency contact person, phone number, and reationship: ACCOMMODATIONS Distant Horizons wi do everything possibe to satisfy requests to share a room for singe tour members. On occasions when it is not possibe, the singe suppement wi appy. f I want a singe room (singe suppement wi appy) f I wi share a room with: f I request a roommate (not guaranteed) BED TYPE (not guaranteed) f One arge bed f Two twin beds Reservations are subject to avaiabiity and processed on a first come, first served basis. Reservations to be paid in fu 90 days prior to departure. Reservations received after this date must be accompanied by payment in fu. Fina payment may be made by persona check, payabe to Distant Horizons. I have read the trave terms and conditions and agree to abide by them. Signature Date

9 TERMS AND CONDITIONS Reservations and Payments: Reservations for this tour require a deposit of $1000 per person and an appication form signed by the participant. Fina payment is due upon receipt of invoice no ater than Juy 8, 2018, and must be paid by check. Eigibiity: At east one member of the traveing party is required to make a sustaining financia contribution of $50 or more to the Johns Hopkins Aumni Association within the fisca year. Pease visit aumni.jhu.edu/support. Note: A sma portion of the cost of your trip supports the Johns Hopkins Aumni Trave program. Tour Price Incudes: Hote Accommodations: Accommodations in hotes as outined in the itinerary based on doube occupancy, prices isted are based on two persons sharing a twin room. Distant Horizons reserves the right to substitute hotes for those named in the brochure when necessary. Distant Horizons wi do a possibe for singe participants to satisfy requests to share rooms. On occasions when it is not possibe, the singe room suppement wi appy. If Distant Horizons assigns you a roommate and your roommate cances or changes their mind about sharing a room, you wi be iabe for the singe room suppement. Meas: American breakfast (B), unches (L) and dinners (D) are incuded as specified in the itinerary. Botted water is incuded with unch and one with dinner. Wecome and farewe receptions incude beer and wine. A Land Trave Listed: Educationa program of ectures and discussions, entrance fees to monuments, botted water kept on the bus, transportation in a deuxe, air conditioned motor coach, airport transfer for those arriving on the designated group fight, the services of a tour escort/guide and of a Johns Hopkins University Schoar, specia activities as quoted in the itinerary, and a gratuities to the oca guides, tour escort, driver, and waitstaff for incuded meas. Tour cost is based on rates of currency exchange at time of printing (March 2018) and is subject to change with or without previous notice. If there is a price increase prior to the day of departure in the basic costs, such increases may be passed on to the participant. If bookings fa beow the minimum required, passengers wi be advised of additiona costs for that departure date. The minimum group size of this departure is 15 paying participants, shoud the number of participants fa beow this number, a sma group surcharge and/or revised staffing wi appy. Tour Price Does Not Incude: Air service to and from Coombo, internationa airfare, meas not specified in the itinerary, transfers for those not arriving on designated group fight, chambermaid gratuities, acohoic drinks at incuded meas except for wecome and farewe receptions, persona items such as aundry, emai, fax or teephone cas, iquor, room service, independent and private transfers, Visa fees, uggage charges and private trip insurance. Any increases in the in-tour security, or fue surcharges imposed after the initia pricing of this program are not incuded. Canceations: Distant Horizons and Johns Hopkins University reserve the right to cance any tour prior to departure for any reason, incuding insufficient number of participants, and to decine to accept or retain any person as a participant at any time. Shoud this happen, refunds wi be made without obigation, athough we cannot be hed responsibe for any additiona costs aready incurred by participants. The tour price is based on a number of peope traveing together. If a participant cances, the foowing refunds wi be avaiabe upon written notice of canceation to Distant Horizons: Notice more than 90 days prior to departure: a refund ess a $500 canceation charge. Notice on or between 89 days and 30 days prior to departure: a refund ess 50% of trip price. No refund sha be issued if canceation is received ess than 30 days prior to departure date. No refunds sha be issued after the tour has commenced. No refunds sha be issued for occasiona missed meas, sightseeing tours or any unused services. Responsibiity: Distant Horizons and Johns Hopkins University act ony in the capacity of agents for the hotes, airines, bus companies, rairoads, ship ines or owners or contractors providing accommodations, transportation or other services. As a resut, a coupons, receipts or tickets are issued subject to the terms and conditions specified by the suppier. By acceptance of tour membership, the participant agrees that neither Distant Horizons nor Johns Hopkins University nor any of their subsidiaries sha become iabe or responsibe for persona injury, damage to persons or property, oss, deay or irreguarity caused by persons not controed by it, such as (without imitation) airines, bus and shipping companies, suppiers of accommodations or other services, or resuting from any acts of God, defects in vehices, strikes, wars, whether decared or otherwise, civi disturbances, medica or customs reguations, acts of terrorism, epidemics or government restrictions. Distant Horizons and Johns Hopkins University cannot be hed responsibe for unfavorabe weather or cosure of access routes due to bad weather conditions. Distant Horizons and Johns Hopkins University cannot be hed responsibe if the tour ecturer or eader cances, and passengers wi be advised of a comparabe repacement shoud time permit. Distant Horizons and Johns Hopkins University are not responsibe for any additiona expenses or iabiity sustained or incurred by the participant as a resut of the above mentioned causes. The University is not the Tour Operator. The University is not responsibe for the itinerary, fight times, hote or transportation arrangements, or any other aspects of this tour. The University and the Tour Operator act ony as agent for the participants with respect to trave services, and it sha not be responsibe for changes of fight times, fare changes, dishonor of airine, hote or other reservations, injury, damage, oss of baggage, accidents or for the acts or defauts of any person or entity engaged in conveying participants or in carrying out other arrangements of the tour. Further, the University and Tour Operator sha not be responsibe for osses or additiona expenses of the participant due to sickness, weather, strike, civi unrest, acts of terrorism, quarantine, acts of God, or other causes beyond its contro. The University and Tour Operator sha not be responsibe for ateration in the itinerary as deemed necessary for carrying out the tour and the right is reserved to substitute hotes of simiar quaity. The right is further reserved to cance any tour prior to departure; in which case the entire payment may be refunded without further obigation on its part. The right is aso reserved to decine to accept or to retain any person as a member of the tour shoud such person s heath, actions or genera deportment impede the operation of the tour or the rights or wefare of the other participants. No refund wi be made for the unused portion of any tour. Appicants for participation in this tour accept in fu a of the conditions set forth above. Tour participant acknowedges receipt of a copy of these terms and conditions and signifies acceptance of, and consents to, a of the terms and conditions set forth herein, on behaf of any participants they may act for and for themseves when registering for, or making payments on, this tour.