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Archive for October, 2005
Report Cards for October
On SOUTH AMERICA, July ’05. . . • We took a 14-day tour, July 3-16, ’05, with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA; 800/955-1925 or www.oattravel.com). The “Route of the Maya” started from Miami and covered San Salvador in El Salvador; Copan in Honduras; the colonial city of Antigua as well as Lake Atitlán and Tikal in [...]Far Horizons » The case of the lost room
by Randy Keck Most seasoned travelers at one time or another have arrived at a hotel with a reservation in hand only to be informed that the type of room they thought they had reserved was not available. In this edition of “Under the Microscope,” I will examine strategies for finding acceptable solutions for such situations [...]Adventure Travel » Distinctive cities and the Sahara
(Part 2 of 3 on Morocco) Casablanca The arrival/departure city for international flights to Morocco, Casablanca is a bustling major city with a population estimated at anywhere from three to eight million. Like all large Moroccan cities, Casablanca has an Old Town — a walled, self-contained marketplace and residential center (or medina) in the middle of the modern [...]Mideast and Mediterranean » The Kurdish village of Egil, Turkey
Moreen and I consider ourselves fortunate to have visited the Middle East often. Friends say perhaps we have tempted fate, though we disagree. We don’t speak Arabic, Turkish or other languages in this Muslim and Arab world, but we do respect carefully its many cultures. We believe personal travel articles, similar to those presented in [...]The Discerning Traveler » Settling your debts abroad
by Philip Wagenaar (First of two parts) Olpe, Germany, May 9, 2005. . . With disbelief, I stared at the notice on the wall next to the ATM in the Volksbank’s small foyer. No, I was not mistaken. It clearly said, both in German and in English, that cash withdrawals were subject to a 1% fee if you used [...]Better Travel Photography » Flash ’em!
by Janet Denninger Whether we travel to take pictures or just take pictures as we travel, we all want to come home with images which tell the story of our adventure and we are proud to share with friends and family. Each issue, this column will suggest simple techniques anyone can use, with any camera, to [...]The Cruising World » John Poh of Crystal Symphony
As the head chef at the famous Asian restaurant, Jade Garden, aboard the 5-star cruise ship Crystal Symphony, John Poh has reached the pinnacle of cruise cuisine. He owes his success to talent, hard work, a passion for food, and experience in over 100 kitchens around the world. I spoke to Mr. Poh while on [...]Viking Pride tulip cruise
My wife, Judy, and I took a “tulip cruise” in the Netherlands in April ’05 aboard the Viking Pride of Viking River Cruises (Woodland Hills, CA; 877/668-4546 or visit www.vikingrivercruises.com). We booked it through Covina Hills Travel (Covina, CA; 800/688-8728 or e-mail info@covinahills.com). The 9-night cruise was listed as $1,402-$2,154 per person, depending on class. For [...]Tahitian Princess in French Polynesia
We visited Tahiti years ago and always wanted to go back. When Princess Cruises announced their 2005 cruises to Tahiti, we booked a 14-day trip. It included pre- and post-cruise overnights at a hotel in Los Angeles. The price was $1,495, excluding airfare. Tips ran about $100. On Jan. 11, we flew from Philadelphia to Los [...]Unaware ship required shot
In April ’03 we booked a cruise with Orient Lines’ Marco Polo. We would embark February ’04 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We then personally applied for our visas at the Brazilian Consulate in San Francisco. We asked if shots were needed and were told, “No inoculations of any kind are required for Brazil,” although a shot [...]
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