Sunday, October 12, 2008

Estimated Bulk Cost

  • Approximate Flight Costs: $7,010
  • Approximate Ground Transportation: $620
  • Hotel Costs: $5,700

Bulk Cost: $13,340

Back to Oak Park

Dates: 8/14/09

Transportation: From Ketchum, you need to get another cab ride back to Twin Falls. This will be $40. Then you depart from Twin Falls at 11 A.M. and arrive in Chicago at 1:30P.M. This flight costs $311. When you arrive in Chicago, you get a cab to drive you home for around 35$.

Ketchum, Idaho

Dates: 8/11/09-8/14/09

Transportation: Using your round trip ticket, you will fly back to Cancun at 6:15 P.M. and arrive there at 8:00 P.M. From there, you will board a plane at 10:05 P.M. and arrive in Twin Falls, Idaho at 6:00 A.M. This will cost $484. Then, from the airport, you will take a one hour 45 minute drive to Ketchum. This will cost $40.

Geography: Ketchum is a small city in the middle and southern part of Idaho. Idaho has many rivers and has multiple national parks inside it.

Climate: Summers in Idaho usually reach high temperatures but carry low humidities. Precipitation is at its highest in the summer in the southern part near Ketchum. Temperature ranges from 60-88 degrees Fahrenheit in August.

Stay: You will be staying in the Clarion Inn. It will cost $240 for three nights.This is within walking distance of many Hemingway landmarks.

Activities: 1. You will be going to see the Ernest Hemingway Memorial. This is a five minute walk from the hotel. It is a monument with Hemingway's sculpted head and inscriptions at the base.
2. There is the Sawtooth National Forest near Ketchum that you will want to see. It's a half an hour walk from the hotel to get there. Hemingway loved the outdoors, and this national forest would have been his element with all its vegetation and wildlife.
3. You will need to go see Ernest Hemingway's grave in the Ketchum Cemetary. It is also only a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Language: Idaho is in the U.S., so nearly all the people you meet will speak English.

Government: The United States is a Democratic Republic.

Currency: Idaho uses the U.S. Dollar.

Time Difference: Ketchum is an hour behind Oak Park. (-1)

Cuba, Sanfrancisco De Paula

Dates: 8/10/09

Transportation: You will be taking a taxi to San Francisco de Paula from Havana. It is a small village only nine miles south of Havana. The cab ride will cost around $20. When you get there, you can walk do your different activities.

Geography: This village is like a suburb of Cuba so the geography is nearly the same.

Climate: The climate is the same as in Havana.

Stay: N/A

Activities: 1. This village is where Finca Vigía is located. This was Hemingway's Cuban home. Now it is like a historical landmark in Cuba. It is just as it was when Hemingway lived there.
2. You can also view Hemingway's fishing boat, the Pilar. It is just a short walk away from his house. It is sitting on land like a monument.
3. You will want to take a tour of his village. Some of the townspeople give tours showing you what Hemingway would have seen and did years ago. This will cost no more than $15.

Language: Cuba's official language is Spanish, and that is what everyone in this village will speak.

Government: It is a Socialist Republic, just as in Havana.

Currency: The official Currency of Cuba is the Cuban Convertable Peso(CUC).
1 CUC=1.08 U.S. Dollars

Time Difference: Just as in Havana, they are an hour ahead of Oak Park.(+1)

Havana, Cuba

Dates: 8/6/09-8/10/09

Transportation: Now getting to Havana, Cuba will be a bit more trickey. First, you will have to fly in from Venice to Cancun, Mexico. You will depart from Venice at 7:10 A.M. on the fifth and arrive in Cancun at 5:05 A.M. on the sixth with one connecting lay-over. This flight costs $1,422. Then in Cancun you must buy a tourist card from U.S. Customs. This will cost around $20. From Cancun, you will fly to Havana departing at 7:20 A.M. and arriving at 9:00 A.M. on the sixth. You will need to come back through Cancun to get to the U.S., so it is a round trip ticket for $180. Now that you are in Cuba, you can take a 15 minute taxi ride from the airport to your hotel. Taxi will be the main form of getting around Cuba.

Geography: Havana is on the northwest portion of Cuba. It is a port city, bordering the ocean. The city extends westward and southward from the bay. The bay is entered through a narrow inlet, and it divides into three main harbors: Marimelena, Guanabacoa, and Atarés. The city lies on low hills.

Climate: Havana enjoys a year-round tropical climate. The average temperature in August is around 75 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stay: You will be residing in the Ambos Mundos Hotel for your visit. It will cost $628 for four days. This is the same hotel that Hemingway used to stay in. He wrote the first few chapters of For Whom the Bell Tolls in that hotel. It was his favorite in Havana.

Activities: 1. You will go to Hemingway's favorite Havana bar, El Floridita. Hemingway always had a spot in the corner reserved there, and still to this day it is roped off to be reserved for him.
2. Another place you will visit is actually in your hotel. It is room 511 of the Ambos Mundos Hotel. It is roped off and there is a Hemingway shrine there. His typewriter still sits in that room where he wrote part of one of his most famous works.
3. An additional stop you will make is to the Corona Cigar Factory. This is where Cuban Cigars are made that defined a life of party that Havana used to be when Hemingway came.

Language: The official language of Cuba is Spanish. That is what nearly everyone will speak there.

Government: Cuba's government is a Socialist Republic. This is basically where an assembly votes someone leader, and they have a broad range of executive powers. This would be Raul Castro in Cuba's case.

Currency: Cuba's currency is the Cuban Convertable Peso(CUC).
1CUC=1.o8 U.S. Dollars

Time Difference: Cuba is one hour ahead of Oak Park.(+1)

Venice, Italy

Dates: 8/1/09-8/5/09

Transportation: You will take a direct flight from Cairo, Egypt to Venice, Italy departing Cairo at 2:45 P.M. and arriving in Venice at 9:50 P.M. Once in Venice, all your travel will be done by gondolas and ferries. The hotel is a 15 minute ride from the airport costing only $20.

Geography: Venice is a city in northern Italy comprised of 118 islands. This is along the Adriatic Sea. It is an archipelago city, using 150 canals.

Climate: The climat of Venice in August ranges from 63-81 degrees Fahrenheit. It has a moderate climate with medium amount of rainfall.

Stay: You will be staying in the hotel called Gritti Palace. This is where Ernest Hemingway stayed after his second crash in Africa. He came to this hotel to recover. It will cost 325 Euro($440) for four nights.

Activities: 1. In Venice, you will be going to Harry's Bar. This was Hemingway's favorite Venice spot. It is a five minute walk from the hotel.
2. You will be visiting the Gritti Palace Luxury Suite. This is the best room in the entire hotel, and it is where he wanted to be brought to recover from the severe injuries of his second plane wreck. He stayed here for over a month and would have friends come and visit often.
3. You will also want to visit the Grand Canal. This is the most important canal in Venice. It is a sight that Hemingway admired, and you will to.

Language: The official language of Italy is Italian. This and English will be spoken in almost everywhere you go.

Government: Italy is a Parlimentary Republic. This is a kind of government where the head of state does not have broad executive powers because most of those powers have been directed to a prime minister of some sort.

Currency: The official currency of Italy is the Euro.
1 Euro= 1.35 U.S. Dollars

Time Difference: They are seven hours ahead of Oak Park.(+7)

Nile River

Dates: 7/25/09-7/31/09

Transportation: To get to the Nile River, you are going to fly from Entebbe at 5:15 P.M. on the 24th and arrive at Cairo, Egypt at 1:30 A.M. This is a 9 hour 15 minute flight with one connected lay-over. It will cost around $605. Once in Cairo, you will be able to get around by taxi and bus. From the airport, it will be a 30 minute taxi ride to your hotel.

Geography: Cairo is a very urban and large city. It is on the Nile. For the majority, the Nile river flows through the Sahara desert. Vegetation grows on each side of the nile, but past that is desert. It flows north out of Lake Victoria.

Climate: In July, there is a sizeable amount of rainfall that comes in the Cairo area. Temperatures range from 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stay: You will be staying in the Nile Hilton Hotel in Cairo. This is a riverfront hotel and will cost $915 for six days. From this hotel, you can get to downtown Cairo in 5 minutes by taking a bus.

Info: The Nile River is the longest river in the world. It has two main tributaries: the White Nile, the Blue Nile. Most of the north african civilizations have depended on this river for survival since ancient times. It north into the Meditteranean Sea.

Language: The official language of Egypt is Arabic, but most people will be able to speak English in Cairo.

Government: They are a Semi-Presidential government like France.

Currency: Their offical currency is the Egyptian Pound(EGP).
5.5EGP=1 U.S. Dollar

Time Difference: Cairo is eight hours ahead of Oak Park, Illinois.(+8)

Uganda

Dates: 7/20/08-7/24/09

Transportation: From Ambosi National Park, you will drive through Kenya to Entebbe, Uganda. This will take approximately 5 hours. On the way to Entebbe, you will stop at Murchison Falls and Butiaba for two of your activities. Once you have done that, you will continue driving to Entebbe, a city in Uganda.

Geography: Uganda is a landlocked country. Entebbe is on the northern shore of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa. Uganda is home to many lakes and also contains vast plains like Kenya.

Climate: Uganda has a very tropical climate. There is a high altitude most places so it is typically cool. In July, the temperature ranges from 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stay: You will stay in the Lake Vicoria Hotel in Entebbe. This will cost $440 for four nights. It is located on the lake.

Activities: 1. On your way to Entebbe you will stop and see Murchison Falls. This is near where Hemingway and his family crashed the first time.
2. You will see Lake Victoria. Hemingway may never have seen this massive lake but he did see the water coming from it when he was at the Nile. A tour guide boat rental will only cost $35 from the hotel.
3. After you stop at Murchison Falls to see where the first plane wreck was, you can stop at Butiaba and see where Hemingway's second plane crash happened. There is still reckage at the spot of the wreck.

Language: Uganda's official languages are English and Swahili. Both will probably be spoken along your way.

Government: Uganda has a Democratic Republic government. This is what the United States has also.

Currency: The official currency for Uganda is the Ugandan Shilling(UGX).
1,800UGX= 1 U.S. Dollar

Time Difference: They are eight hours ahead of Oak Park, Illinois.(+8)

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Dates: 7/20/09

Transportation: You will already be in the Amboseli National park on this day. This park borders mount Kilimanjaro. You will not be able to actually go up to the mountain, but you should be able to see it from your hotel at some time during the day.

Geography: Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa peaking at 19,340 feet. It lies in Tanzania and it borders Kenya.

Climate: At the base it is 40 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, while at the top it is below 30 and snow covered.

Stay: N/A

Info: It is an inactive stratovolcano, which means that it once was a volcano but now is dormant. It has a dramatic view, with vivid African plains surrounding it. There are three volcanic cones to the mountain: Kibo, Mawenzi, Shira. Tanzania allows tourists to hike around the mountain.

Language: The official languages of Tanzania are Swahili and English.

Government: Tanzania is a Republic.

Currency: Their official currency is the Tanzanian Shilling(TZS).
1,222 TZS=1 U.S. Dollar

Time Difference: Tanzania is eight hours ahead of Oak Park.(+8)

Kenya

Dates: 7/15/09-7/19/09

Transportation: You will leave paris at 10:25 P.M. and arrive in Nairobi, Kenya at Midnight the next day. This is a 12 hour flight and there is a lay-over, so it will take over 25 hours to get from Paris to Nairobi. When you arrive in Kenya you will have a rented car waiting for you to drive. This costs $412 and you get it for 9 days. The drive from the airport to the hotel should only take about 15 minutes because the airport is in the city and your hotel is in Nairobi National Park. Throughout the rest of your trip in Kenya, you will be able to drive the car where ever you go.

Geography: Nairobi is very urban and is the fourth largest city in Africa. Outside of Nairobi, there are very large plains. Kenya also has many highlands that are disected by the Great Rift Valley. It is home to a few very vast parks that cover much of the country.

Climate: The climate of southern Kenya is very Temperate and dry. Temperatures in July range from 50-69 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stay: Two nights you will stay in Nairobi Safari Club, the resort in Nairobi National Park. This will cost approximately 190$. The other two nights, you will be staying at the Amboseli Sopa Lodge, which is located in the Amboseli National Park. This is about an hour and a half drive from the Nairobi National Park. This will cost $205 for two nights.

Activities: 1. You will see the Nairobi National Park. These are the kinds of grounds Hemingway would have thrived on hunting.
2. You will venture to Amboseli National Park. This will let you see Mount Kilamanjaro from the perspective that Hemingway might have saw it.
3. East of the Amboseli National park, there is the Chyulu Hills. This was Hemingway's favorite African Hunting spot. It is located between Amboseli National Park and Tsovo National Park. This is a 30 minute drive from your second hotel.

Language: Kenya's two national languages are English and Swahili. You may hear both as you go about your adventure in Kenya.

Government: They are a Semi-Presidential Republic. They share basically the same type of government as France.

Currency: Their national currency is the Kenyan Shilling (KES).
74 KES=1 U.S. Dollar

Time Difference: Kenya is eight hours ahead of Oak Park, Illinois.(+8)

Paris, France

Dates: 7/10/09-7/14/09

Transportation: You will depart from Pamplona at 6:50 A.M. and arrive in Paris at 11:05 A.M. with one connecting lay-over. Your main transportation throughout the city will be done through walking. You will have to take a taxi once for a ten minute trip to do one of your activities. This will only set you back around $15.

Geography: Paris is a major world city and one of the most dynamic centers of culture on Earth. It is situated on the Seine River in northern France. Paris has several prominent hills just outside of the city.

Climate: Paris is affected by the North Atlantic Current and has a oceanic climate. This causes the city to never see any extremely high or low temperatures. In July, it ranges from 60-76 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stay: You will be staying in the Le Méridien Montparnasse hotel. This is located directly downtown in Paris close to many famous Hemingway sites. This will cost 740 euro($1,004) for four nights.

Activities: 1. Across the street from the hotel your staying at is the Auberge de Venice, formerly known as the Dingo Bar. This was the place you could most likely find Hemingway when he was out in Paris. This is also the place where he met famed American writer, Scott Fitzgerald and many other famous people. Many of the individuals he met there are portrayed in The Sun Also Rises.
2. You will also visit 74 rue du Cardinal Lemoine. This was Hemingway's Paris home. It is still dedicated to Hemingway as a historical site. This is a five minute bus ride from the hotel in Paris.
3. An additional place you will want to go is to the bookstore Shakespeare and Company. This was one of Hemingway's regular Paris hangout spots, and it's still there today. This is within 5 minute walking distance from the hotel.

Language: The official language of France is French, and that will be what is dominantly spoken in Paris.

Government: France has a Semi-Presidential government. This means that the prime minister and the president are both active in day-to-day administration of the country. This is a democratic and republic system.

Currency: Like Spain, France also has adopted the Euro as its national currency.
1 Euro=1.35 U.S. Dollars

Time Difference: France is seven hours ahead of Oak Park, Illinois.(+7)

Pamplona, Spain

Dates: 7/6/09-7/10/09

Transportation: You will take a flight from Valencia at 7:40 P.M. with one lay-over and arrive at Pamplona at 10:20 P.M. on the sixth. During your stay in Pamplona you should be able to walk everywhere u need to go because of the proximities of all the events and places to your hotel. If you need to go somewhere Pamplona has public buses going to most places of interest.

Geography: Pamplona is an elegent city with many examples of traditional Spanish architecture. It is surrounded by a very mountainous area of Northern Spain. It is on the right bank of the Arga river which is a tributary to the Ebo River. Pamplona is less than 60 miles from France's border with Spain.

Climate: Pamplona has decently hot summers with the temperature ranging from 80 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Like Valencia, Pamplona shares dry summers.

Stay: You will be staying in Hotel La Perla for your visit to Pamplona. This is the same hotel that Hemingway would stay in When he would come for the Running of Bulls. It is located along the path that the bulls take for the run near the center square of the city. For four nights this will cost 984 euro ($1,333)

Activities: 1. You will be in Pamplona at the same time as Hemingway was many years ago. Like Hemingway, you will also get to view the famed event that they call the Running of Bulls.
It begins on the seventh of July, which will be your first actual day there. The bulls run everyday at 8 A.M. Festivities follow and the streets of Pamplona become dense with people. You will be able to View this from your hotel, or you can step outside and join the excitement.
2. You will also visit Hemingway's private balconey that he viewed the Running of Bulls from the La Perla Hotel. This is where Hemingway and his friends spent their mornings of the festival watching the run.
3. The third thing that you will want to see is a Mascletá. This is a huge fireworks event that happens everyday of the festival at 2 P.M. in Pamplona's main square. This will also be viewable and auditory from your hotel.

Language: The language you will be hearing most in Pamplona is Spanish, which is the official language of Spain.

Government: Pamplona is also in Spain so it has the same Parlimentary Democracy government as Valencia and the rest of the country.

Time Difference: Pamplona is seven hours ahead of Oak Park, Illinois.(+7)

Currency: Pamplona uses the official currency of Spain, the Euro.
1 Euro= 1.35 U.S. Dollars

Valencia, Spain

Dates: 7/3/09-7/6/09

Transportation: To get to Valencia from Chicago you will take a one stop 13 hour 55 minute flight across the Atlantic. You will land in Valencia National Airport on July 3th at 12:45 P.M. Getting around Valencia should be easy since they have public transportation everywhere. Your estimated cost for that would be no more than $30.
* I have set up a flight package for your first four flights (Chicago-Valencia-Pamplona-Paris) for a cost of $3,933.

Geography: Valencia is located in the Eastern part of Spain. It is the biggest port on the Mediterranean's western coast. It is a very urban and busy city.

Climate: Summer in Valencia is generally warm and dry. July's temperature usually varies from 70 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Luckily, you aren't going to be visiting during storm season, so there should be mild weather.

Stay: You will be staying in Hotel Confortel Aqua 3, which is downtown across from Valencia's Center of Arts and Sciences. For three nights this will cost approximately 208 euro (282 dollars).

Activities: 1. For one activity, you will take a sailing or fishing trip off the coast of Valencia in the Meditteranean. You will have to take a bus to the Valencia Center of Aquatics, and it will cost you $50 for a two and a half hour trip. The supplies will be provided.
2. You will also be visiting La Pepica, one of Hemingway's favorite restaurants. It even includes some signature dishes that are named after Papa. This will cost between 10 to 20 dollars and is a 10 minute cab ride from the hotel.
3. Another place you will be going to see is the bar A Meson. This is where Hemingway met acclaimed bullfighter Vicente Barrera. It was also one of his favorite places to go in Spain. You can walk to it because of its proximity to the hotel.

Language: The language primarily spoken here is spanish. Some places you might hear valencian, but most likely it will be spanish.

Government: Spain is a Parlimentary Democracy. This just means that there is a king, but it is truly democratic, so the people run the country.

Currency: The euro is the offical currency of Spain.
1 Euro= 1.35 U.S. Dollars

Time Difference: Valencia is seven hours ahead of Oak Park in July. (+7)

Oak Park

Dates: Pre Trip-7/2/09

Transporation: To get around in Oak Park you can just drive your car to the various activities. When it comes time to leave for Valencia from O'hare International Airport, you might want to just call a cab from your house so you don't have to pay the airport parking fees for the duration of your trip. The cab should cost roughly $35 which is much less than the $100 plus fees you would be paying for parking at the airport for nearly 2 months. This trip is only 10 miles.

Geography: Oak Park is your area of residence and is a suburb of Chicago. It shares the urban atmosphere of a large city.

Climate: In July, the temperature typically ranges from 65-85 degrees Fahrenheit. It tends to be windy and humid during this time.

Stay: You will be staying in your house before your trip. Hopefully you enjoy sleeping in your bed because it will be the last time for over a month.

Activities: 1. One place you will want to visit in Oak Park is the Hemingway Museum. This is a museum dedicated to Hemingway's life, literature, and influences. This is approximatly a 15 minute drive from your house.
2. Another place you will be visiting is the Oak Park and River Forest High School. Hemingway was an alumni from this high school, and you will be able to see where he made his mark as a teenager.
3. The third place you will be seeing is the Ernest Hemingway Foundation. This is located near the museum and is dedicated to sharing Hemingway's influence on literature.

Languages: English is the national language of the United States, and it is spoken in Oak Park.

Government: The United States is a Democratic Republic.

Currency: The U.S. Dollar is used in Oak Park.

Time Difference: It has a time difference of 0 because you live there.