Travel Tidbits

I visited Petra, Jordan, while on a cruise ship in 2000. You can travel through the Siq on foot or in a horse-drawn cart. Note the number of your cart to insure a return trip. If you choose to walk down the Siq and through Petra, then return to the Siq and walk back out, understand that it is a trip of four or five miles. You’d better be in excellent condition. — LESLIE STEVENS, Raleigh, NC
  

On a trip in France in April ’01, we decided to travel on local roads from Provence to Grasse, famous for its perfumeries. We stopped on the way at the quaint hilltown of Le Bar sur Loup and wandered around. This is a great drive and one of those small moments when you’re glad you rented a car. Driving into Grasse, we could smell the perfume in the air. We went to the Fragonard perfume factory and walked through the museum and gift shop, picking up a few items to take home. We passed on the guided tour which was crowded with tour bus groups. — RICHARD BERNER, San Diego, CA

During a tour of Egypt a few years ago, we took a felucca ride around Elephantine Island and landed on the west bank near Aswan to visit the Mausoleum of the Aga Khan. The Mausoleum and the view of the Aswan Dam are beautiful after hiking up a steep paved path with a 500-foot rise similar to that of France’s Mont-Saint-Michel or of Delphi in Greece. — REG ULLMAN, Westmont, NJ

 “Don’t miss” highlights of New Zealand’s South Island include the breathtaking views of the majestic Mt. Cook glaciers, a cruise on the mirrored waters of Milford Sound, the rampaging river at Franz Josef Glacier and the zippy jet-boat ride on the Shotover River. I was not as impressed with the TranzAlpine train journey from Arthur’s Pass to Christchurch, but the drought that the country was suffering from during our visit in January ’98 no doubt affected the scenery. — NORM LOEFFLER, Wichita Falls, TX