2019 Silk Road

FUN FOR LESS

Tours

“t h e BE S T f o r LE S S ”

EXOTIC SILK ROAD 2019 “We Don’t Send You, We Take You!” 800.591.2432 | funforlesstours.com

A ONCE IN A LIFETIME IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO

THE EXOTIC SILK ROAD TOUR 20 Day September 28, 2018 - with Dr. Michael Wilcox

Registan Square - Samarkland

Jim & Carol Tyndall with their daughter, Jamie Soucy boarding The Silk Road Private Train

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Your BEST opportunity to experience the Silk Road You really need to understand what a rare opportunity this will be to travel the ancient Silk Road. It has taken us many months to put this special package together. To make this the BEST experience possible, we chartered a private deluxe train through Central Asia that will follow the Silk Road.

Like a ship on land, we will travel by night in our deluxe sleeping cars to our next destination, spend the day touring and then re-board our private train to our next destination. The train also has DELUXE toilets and showers!

Jim, Carol & Jamie (owners of Fun For Less Tours), spent the month of October 2015 traveling the Silk Road. Part of their travel was on the Orient Silk Road Express Train through Central Asia, (the Heart of the Silk Road) - to say the least, they loved every minute!!!! Traveling by train was the perfect way to travel. The only issue they had was the train’s itinerary. They felt there were important areas the train did not visit. The only way to improve the itinerary was for Fun For Less Tours to Charter the whole train which would allow them to design their own itinerary AND that is exactly what we did. It is our train - with our special designed program, never offered to others!

This special tour, with our own private train, includes Dr. S. Michael Wilcox as our guest educator! The Silk Road is rich in history: Marco Polo, Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Tamerlane, Russian Czars, and so much more. Michael will be teaching us about how the Silk Road changed the world; he will also cover Marco Polo and the many famous conquerors that controlled Central Asia. Michael will bring all this rich history to life.

There is so much to see, you will need a digital camera to hold the many thousands of pictures you’re going to take. Every day is another highlight day. There is not room to express how phenomenal all the ancient sites are. Central Asia is filed with UNESCO World Heritage Sites! As an example, the ancient town of Bukhara and the surrounding area has 997 monuments (ancient buildings and structures), UNESCO just made the whole area of Bukhara a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

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Ancient Buildings on the Silk Road – Registan Square in Samarkand with over one BILLION individual beautiful colored tiles.

P o s s i b l y, t h e m o s t b e a u t i f u l b u i l d i n g s w e h a v e seen anywhere in the world and that i n c l u d e s t h e Ta j M a h a l .

Registan Square - Samarkland

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“We Don’t Se nd You, We Ta k e You! ”

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Travel by Planes, Buses,

nbul

Kiva Ashgabat

Bukhara Merv

Samarkand

Tashkent Khujand

Bishk

Shakhrisabz

Ancient Explores traveled from Europe through Middle Asia into China. They helped open up a trade route between Europe and China. That route has become known as the Silk Road. We are going to follow the ancient explores along the Silk Road routes starting in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, ending in Xi’an, China. Xi’an was where the Emperors lived during the time of the Silk Road. If you look at the map above you will see our tour starts in Ashgabat and ends in Xi’an. Over the many years of camels carry heavy amounts of items to trade, there ended up being several routes that have become known as the Silk Road. We have picked the best of the routes, the one that has the most ancient history and ancient World Heritage Sites. In addition to Ashgabat, you will experience Bishkek, Tashkent, Khujand, Shakhrisabz, Samarkand, Khiva, Bukhara, Merv and Almaty. Truthfully, we were shocked at how much there was to see and experience on the Silk road. There are hundreds and hundreds of ancient buildings that have become UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Ashgabat is where we will find our PRIVATE DELUXE Train. We will travel throughout Central Asia by our Chartered Private Train - almost every stop was part of the Silk Road! We will then fly into China spending another 7 days 6 nights, exploring the Silk Road inside of China. We will also visit the Jade Gate. There was a wall between China and the rest of the world, all trade into China or out of China, had to pass through the Jade Gate. The remote outpost played a major role in the Silk Road Trade. With the changes, everyone will be able to visit the Jade Gate.

It really is a once in a life time chance, to experience the Silk Road in a way NO ONE ELSE can!

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“We Don’t Se nd You, We Ta k e You! ”

High Speed Train & our Private Train

Almaty

kek

Urumchi Turpan Dunhuang

Xi’an Silk Road

Very Important information: There are a total of 7 countries that end in Stan. We will actually be traveling through 5 of those countries: Kazakhstan (the 9th largest country in the world), Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. There are two other countries that end in Stan THAT WE ARE NOT VISITING – Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is critical to understand the difference. The 5 Stans we visit were part of the Soviet Union from the 1800’s until 1991. After 70 years of Russia’s no religion policy, there are very few that practice religion, be it Christian or Muslim. Just because a country ends in Stan, does not make them an Afghanistan or Pakistan.

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Traveling the Silk Road - China

Breathtaking ancient Buddhist carvings and murials in the Mogao Grotto - Dunhuang, China

The Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang is the World’s richest treasure trove of Buddhist manuscripts and art. There are over 900 years of carvings that began as early as 386 AD. The grottoes total over 480,000 square feet and boast thousands of murals and sculptures.

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The Zenkov Cathedral, Almaty Kazakhstan

The Zenkov Cathedral, Almaty Kazakhstan.

A wooden Orthodox Cathedral built without any nails. click o r c all | fu nfo rl es s tours . c om | 800. 591. 24 3 2

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Traveling the Silk Road - Central Asia

Central Asia (The Heart of the Silk Road)

The Silk Road brought riches to Central Asia, which was used to create some of the most beautiful buildings in the world. The best way to describe Central Asia’s Architecture is Unique, Majestic and Breathtakingly Beautiful. In Samarkand alone there were billions upon billions of tiles used to create some of the most beautiful structures in the world Page 4 & 5 is one example of work that dates back to the 1400’s. Central Asia’s Architecture is not only beautiful on the outside it is also unique and beautiful on the inside!!

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Why NOW is the Time!

As mentioned, Carol and Jim Tyndall went on the same train we will use in 2018. Only we are chartering the whole train. Here is why that is so important: • This is the only time the train has ever been able to visit all 5 Stans. The train Jim and Carol were on in October 2015 visited only 3 Stans: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan. They did not visit Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan. A train is not like a bus that you can just take a different road, pull over almost anywhere and stop or park. Getting permission to travel by rail, wanting to stop and park your train like a bus is not easy.

After over 6 months of hard work with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, for the first time ever, our private train has received permission for us to travel through all 5 Stans. The only reason this is possible, is because we chartered the whole train, changed the itinerary, and added an additional night on the train.

• The huge price savings from our chartering the whole train. As far as we know, no one has ever chartered the entire private train in Central Asia, which created huge savings. This is the same train with the same train company we are using for Trans-Siberia. Our 16-day train portion for the Silk Road is $2,000 less expensive than the 16 day Trans-Siberian Rail Trip. Please understand – chartering the train is giving you the chance to have the lowest price possible to experience the Silk Road by Private Train!!!! See “Price Comparison” on page 15.

• Even when we added tours & airfare in China, we are still less than others paid for just the Silk Road Train that visited only 3 Stans! There were 16 passengers on the train with Jim and Carol from the USA. They knew Jim and Carol were preparing for a tour in 2017, 2018 and 2019 that would be substantially better than their tour. They asked what we expected to charge for our tour that included chartering the whole train, improving the itinerary, adding additional Stans, adding an additional night on the train, adding China along with airfare in China and the adding of an educator? They were shocked at our pricing. For the same cabin category they were in and without China, educator, additional Stans AND one less day on the train, they had paid over $3,000 more per person than what we planned on charging our passengers for everything!

• NO LONG DRIVES! On Jim and Carol’s trip they met many people traveling through the Silk Road by bus. When they asked how they liked their tour, every one said they loved the sites, and the hotels were ok, but the long drives were exhausting and grueling! They spent ½ of their time or more doing long drives that were often well over 6 hours on terrible roads. Then when they arrived, they were given less time then they would have liked to see the sights. WE HAVE NO LONG DRIVES! We will travel by train at night and then tour during the day. Some of the bus travelers they met said they had looked at the train but it only visited 3 of the Stan countries. They wanted all 5, so they went by bus. You will get all 5 Stans without any long drives, plus you will have plenty of time to enjoy the many beautiful sites.

Please, Please, Please listen to us. This is the BEST designed tour of the Silk Road, the BEST in hotels, the BEST deluxe train, and the BEST educator – All at the BEST price you will ever see!!!!

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Ashgabat - The White Marble City

Hotel Lobby

Your Hotel 12

“We Don’t Se nd You, We Ta k e You! ”

Our first stop in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan is one of the richest cities in the world. You have to see this city to believe it!!! The whole city is made out of white Marble. It is impossible to describe the staggering beauty of this city. Italy produces the best marble in the world. From what we were told 70% of all the marble produced in Italy is shipped to Ashgabat and even that is not enough, they also buy additional Marble from other countries like Spain. Every building, even apartment buildings are built out of white Marble. That is why it is often called the White City. When you can spend over one billion to build a church out of Marble, you have money to burn.

There is even a 8 to 10 foot statue of the president made out of gold. Your hotel you will stay in (pictures to the left) would rank as one of the finest hotels in the world; it is above 5 star luxury. It looks like a copy of the flagship hotel of Dubai. You will spend two nights in absolute luxury in this fantastic hotel.

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We Love the People Along the Silk Road One thing really stood out to us. Everyone is friendly in Central Asia. People were willing to let us take pictures of them or with them everywhere. Most would give us a hug and bless us after taking the pictures.

Some even tried to get us to come to their home for tea.

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“We Don’t Se nd You, We Ta k e You! ”

Our Fantastic 20 day Silk Road Package Price Includes: We have combined our Chartered Private Silk Road Express Train through Central Asia (5 Stan‘s), with a land tour of the Silk Road in Western China. We are using the same train company as the one we used to cross Siberia Russia. Chartering the whole train has made it possible to do the Silk Road at prices substantially less than the Siberia Russia Rail trip. The cost of the classic cabin in Siberia was $8,395 – the cost for the Aladdin (same cabin), on the Silk Road is $6,595. That is $1,800 less PER person over what we paid to travel through Russia. We have even more savings on cabins that include their own toilet and shower – the savings range from $5,000 to $7,000 less then what we had to pay for the train in Siberia Russia.

Chartering the train has created a huge savings.

The Silk Road private train portion includes the following:

• It is our train, with only our passengers on it. We have designed a special tour including stops not offered to others including visiting all 5 Stans.

• Private Chartered Train in Aladdin Cabin.

• Most days you will have three meals.

• All touring, Guides, Entrance fees in Central Asia.

• 2-nights 4-star Deluxe hotel in Samarkand.

• 1-night 3-star First Class hotel in Bukhara – best location to enjoy Bukhara.

• 2-nights in one of the best 5-star Luxury Hotels in the World – Ashgabat.

• All transfers in Central Asia.

• Shows and cultural performances along the way.

• Special experienced train staff that will accompany us on the train and with us on all tours.

• Dr. S. Michael Wilcox as your special guest educator.

• Fun For Less Tour Staff: Anita and Eric Towner.

• Whisper Perfect headset receivers that allow you to hear everything, even when you step away from the group to take the important picture.

The China Portion Includes:

• $880 in airfare.

• Almaty to Urumqi.

• Dunhuang to Xi’an.

• High Speed Train between Turpan and Dunhuang, China.

• 1-night Deluxe Hotel in Urumqi, China.

• 2-nights Deluxe Hotel Dunhuang, China.

• 1-nights Deluxe Hotel Turpan, China.

• 2-nights Deluxe Hotel Xi’an, China.

• All transfers in China.

• All tours in China.

• Breakfast and dinner in China.

• Dr. S. Michael Wilcox as your special guest educator.

• Fun For Less Tour Staff: Anita and Eric Towner.

• Whisper Perfect headset receivers that allow you to hear everything, even when you step away from the group to take the important picture.

Total 20 Day Package Price: $8,690*

*Per person cash discount price, based on double occupancy. Does not include Domestic or International airfare, visas and tips.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have already done the China Silk Road portion & want only the train portion - that is possible. Please Call Us.

* NOT included in the 20 day package price:

• Airfare into Ashgabat or return home from Xi’an, China. Airfare will not open up until approximately 10 months before your tour. We estimate the airfare to be around $2,000 per person.

• Visas, tips, personal expenses.

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FUN FOR LESS

Tours

"the B E ST f or LE S S " 392 East 12300 South Suite D, Draper, Utah 84020 801.619.1022 • 800.591.2432 www.funforlesstours.com

Our Private Orient Silk Road Train Cabin Choices: Aladdin Cabin

This category of compartment has two lower beds (27.5 in. x 74.8 in.), plus a small table and storage space. The picture is looking from the window to the open door and the train car hall. There is a door that closes and locks when needed. The Aladdin Cabin does not have a shower or toilet in the cabin. There is a combination western toilet and washbasin located at both ends of your car. There is a large shower compartment in your car or the car next to your car. The showers have a sign up schedule sheet. There is plenty of room in the shower area with two sinks and one shower. * The price of the tour includes the Aladdin Cabin Category

Sultan & Kalif Cabin

Both the Sultan & Kalif categories are approx. the same size. The main difference is the bathrooms. The Sultan has a showerhead directly in the middle of the bathroom. It has a shower curtain that pulls around, separating the sink and toilet, which works fine, we tried it. The Kalif has a separate shower stall and a larger bathroom. Other than that they are basically the same. They are almost 60 square feet of space in these cabins. They each have two beds, with the upper measuring 31.5 x 69.3 in. and the lower 44 x 72.4 in. It is possible to sleep two on the oversized lower bed. These compartments also offer comfortable seating, a generous-sized table, and a small clothes closet. Each compartment has its own lavatory equipped with a toilet, washing basin, and integrated shower with shower curtain in the Sultan OR a separate shower stall in the Kalif. This configuration of train car has only six compartments compared to the 8 or 9 cabins in the Aladdin cars. * The Sultan or Kalif Cabins are at an optional increased price.