STORY:
"Moments Until Midnight" Tours

Ya'lla Tours, Portland, Oregon, experts in luxury travel to the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, under the direction of owner and president Ronen Paldi, with his years of travel experience and expertise, has crafted four 'Turn of the Millennium' tours of extraordinary scope, style and substance.

At the heart of each is a 'Moments Until Midnight' gala on Dec. 31, 1999. The tours and their galas will transport travelers to places where time has stood still, and where once in-a-lifetime moments will be indelibly etched into the memory of where you were on New Year's Eve in 1999.

Sultan's Transcontinental Party in Istanbul

Focal point of Ya'lla's tour of Turkey will be the Sultan's Transcontinental Party at the deluxe Marmara Hotel in Istanbul, where Europe meets Asia. On New Year's Eve, participants will welcome the millennium at a sumptuous 10-course dinner styled to resemble the famous Sultan's Party. During Ottoman times, even the creme de la creme of society could only hope of one day attending such an event. A Turkish band, belly dancer, and disc jockey promise to make the evening truly memorable. Other tour events will include visits to the legendary Blue Mosque, the Topkapi and Beylerbei Palaces, and an evening in an authentic Turkish bath house. Four nights/six days, Dec. 28, 1999 -- January 2, 2000, priced at $4,995 per person, double occupancy, includes airfare from any U.S. city.

Christmas Eve in Bethlehem to New Year's Eve in Nazareth

In Israel, Ya'lla will take participants from Christmas Eve in Bethlehem to New Year's Eve in Nazareth. This spiritual journey will culminate with midnight mass at the Church of the Annunciation on New Year's Eve. Leading up to that moment, tour guests will walk in the international choir parade in Manger Square and attend midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve, travel to Jerusalem's ethereal Old City to walk the Way of the Cross, visit the Jordan River and cross the Sea of Galilee in a private boat. Eleven nights/12 days, Dec. 21, 1999, to Jan. 2, 2000, is $4,295 per person, double occupancy, for four-star hotels; $4,995 per person, double occupancy for five star. Includes airfare from any U.S. city.

1001 Arabian Nights Fantasia Party

The company's tour of Morocco features a black tie 1001 Arabian Nights Fantasia Party on New Year's Eve in a palace in the fabled Medina, the enchanting old city of Fez. With the Blue Men of the Sahara, dressed in traditional electric blue robes and matching headdresses, holding flaming torches to light the way, participants will sit down to an incredible 16-course feast. Music, dancing and other entertainment promise to enhance the celebration. In the days before, participants will tour Fez, its labyrinth of bustling souks, adorned in countless colors, bathed in pungent spices, and visit sites such as the old ramparts and exquisite Moulay Ismail Mausoleum in the imperial city of Meknes. Four nights/six days, Dec. 28, 1999, to Jan. 2, 2000, priced at $4,495 per person, double occupancy, includes airfare from New York's JFK.

Pharaonic Party in Cairo

Focus of Ya'lla Tours to Egypt will be a lavish Pharaonic Party at a replicated Pharaonic Village in Cairo where guests will see a musical play, revel in performances by top artists and musicians, and be treated to a midnight laser light show. Tour highlights will include visits to the wondrous pyramids of Giza and the remarkable Cairo Museum, as well as a private dinner cruise on the storied Nile. Four nights/six days, Dec. 28, 1999, to Jan. 2, 2000, priced at $4,995 per person, double occupancy in five-star hotels throughout Cairo, includes airfare from any U.S. city.

Individuals interested in celebrating Millennium Midnight with a once-in-a-lifetime experience should contact their travel agent and ask for the Ya'lla Tours USA package.

Source: Business Wire

DATE: 2/19/99

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