Informing the international traveler since 1976.
Jan 2006 issue.
Boarding Pass
Dear Globetrotter: Welcome to the 359th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine. The world is keeping an eye on overseas outbreaks of bird flu. So far, fortunately, human cases are limited. To be better prepared to deal with any pandemic influenza that might occur, the White House in November released an outline of measures that could [...]Travel Tidbits
A very surprising highlight for us on our trip to New Zealand was Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World in Auckland. It features an excellent aquarium walk-through, a polar theme ride and a museum, all situated underground beneath a highway! — NORM LOEFFLER, Wichita Falls, TX During our trip to New Zealand in March [...]Guatemala — exploring the land of the Maya
—Story and photos by Judith Anshin, Contributing Editor Guatemala, after suffering years of civil war, is now beckoning. Peace accords were signed with the guerrillas in 1996, and they have held to today. In the hope of attracting more high-end travelers, new hotels have been built in the Flores/Tikal area, the airport is being upgraded, and [...]Tips for East Europe travel
Here are a few tips from our travels in late April-May ’05. We spent seven days in Budapest, three in Kraków, seven in Praha and five in Berlin. Use ATMs to get local currency. Don’t get too much, because in getting rid of excess money you are hit hard. Hungary’s forints were hard to get rid [...]Libya denied entry to Americans
In October-November ’05, Americans arriving on ships were being denied entry into Libya and Libyan waters. Despite proper visa applications, the ships Sea Cloud, Le Levant, Le Ponant and Marco Polo were told not to enter Libyan waters since the majority of passengers were Americans. The Minerva, with mainly European passengers, was allowed to dock, [...]Kudos for Caravan-Serai Tours
In September ’05, my wife and I began a trip that was supposed to last six and a half weeks and cover Jordan, Egypt and Libya. The arrangements were made by Rita Zawaideh, president of Caravan-Serai Tours (3806 Whitman Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103; phone 800/451-8097 or visit www.caravan-serai.com). To save time and expense, Rita arranged [...]Osaka shuttle
I’m writing in response to the reader’s letter “Call for Airport-Ship/Hotel Transport,” regarding the exorbitant charges made by cruise lines for transit to and from airports (Nov. ’05, pg. 16). On a cruise we took in October ’02, we disembarked in Osaka, Japan. As we had obtained our own air separately, transport to the Osaka Kansai [...]Airport Transit Guide
My husband, John, and I have been on over 30 cruises, usually arranging our own transport to and from the ship rather than buying the cruise line package. In June-July ’04 we did a 35-day freighter trip out of Southampton, England, to several countries in Europe. Our bible is the “Airport Transit Guide” (2004. ISBN 1890407070 [...]Florence info
The Florence tourist office (Ufficio Informazioni Turistiche, Borgo Santa Croce 29r, 50122 Firenze, Italy; phone 055 2340444 or visit www.tours-italy.com/florence/tourist_offices.htm) was really helpful when I wrote in March for maps to help me with my trip to Italy in September ’05. The office sent me not only maps but lists of museums (also showing opening [...]Preparing for Japan trip
In preparation for my trip to Japan, I wrote to the Japan National Tourist Organization offices in Los Angeles, Kumamoto and Kagoshima. Their responses were in the form of pamphlets, maps and a valuable Japan Rail timetable. The offices in Kagoshima and Kumamoto provided more details and gave us information of tours offered. Next I bought [...]Where to stay in South Africa
South Africa is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries in the world. There is a rumor that every other house in South Africa is a B&B. We are sure this is an exaggeration but only a slight one. There are literally thousands of B&Bs, guest farms, lodges, game parks and other variations on the [...]Indian and Greek in London
On our trip to London in May ’05, we enjoyed the following restaurants. • For a good Indian meal in London, we would highly recommend the Punjab Restaurant (80 Neal St., Covent Garden, London WC2H 9PA, U.K.; tel. 020 7836 9787 or 020 7240 9979 or visit www.punjab.co.uk). It has been in the same family since being [...]Pastries in Picton
One of the best bakeries we found in all of New Zealand’s South Island on our visit in April ’05 was Picton Village Bakery (46 Auckland St., Picton; phone 64 [0] 3 573 7082). It’s on the corner of Dublin and Auckland streets, about two blocks from the train station and the ferry landing. They bake [...]Funniest thing for January
Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.) The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries [...]UNESCO World Heritage Sites — How are they chosen? How many are there?
I continue to be amazed at the number of people who travel a lot and are still unaware of UNESCO’s designated World Heritage Sites. ITN readers are undoubtedly exceptions, yet there are many others who are not aware of the criteria used by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for identifying the 812 [...]Felt markup was ‘excessive’
ITN was mailed on Aug. 13 a copy of the following letter, sent by a reader to Latin Tour Dimensions on June 21, 2005. I first contacted you on July 19, 2004, because your 800 number was listed in “Frommer’s Spain” for making reservations at Parador de Granada. I subsequently made an additional 13 calls before [...]Know your coverage
Since our retirement, every year we save for an international vacation. We always take out travel insurance. In November ’04 we went to Guatemala, and while at a friend’s country home in a remote area my wife slipped over some rocks. Where we were staying, there was no doctor, not even a telephone nearby. We [...]Tanzania safari
When we decided to see the wildebeest migration in Tanzania, we researched different companies online and in ITN and decided on Africa Dream Safaris (4825 Torrance Blvd., Ste. l4, Torrance, CA 90503; phone 877/572-3274 or visit www.africadreamsafaris.com). Michael Wishner arranged our entire trip, which went off like clockwork. He was easy to talk to and would [...]West Africa arrangements
My wife, Charlotte, and I (in our 70s) had a wonderful, unforgettable trip to Mali, Burkina Faso and Benin in January ’05. I had searched the Internet and contacted all of the reputable travel agents in Bamako, the capital of Mali, and the only one who would do exactly what we wanted was Toguna Adventure [...]Customized NZ tour
I spent two wonderful weeks on the South Island of New Zealand in March ’05. On the Internet, I found South Sea Mermaids, Ltd. (55A Townsend Rd., Miramar, Wellington, North Island, New Zealand; phone [from the U.S.] 01164 973 0675, e-mail info@southseamermaids.co.nz or visit www.southseamermaids.co.nz), which advertises tours for women. Liz Sullivan designed a custom trip for [...]Romania, Moldova & Bulgaria tour
Having read another traveler’s comments (April ’05, pg. 35), we engaged a tour operator in Romania who turned out to be exceptional. Her name is Costela Petcu of AKS Tours (phone +40 21 313 6338, cell +4 0744 294 373 or e-mail costelape04@yahoo.com) For our trip in Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria, Aug. 31-Sept. 22, ’05, she [...]Guide in Romania
My wife and I would like to second Harriet Hughes’ warm endorsement (Nov. ’05, pg. 93) of Cristian Florea of Crif Tours (phone 40 722 606 610, e-mail remtours@digicom.ro or visit www.discoverromania.ro). We traveled through Romania with Cris on a modified “Classic Tour of Romania” in October ’04. The cost for two was €3,190 (near [...]Driver in Hungary
Based on a reader’s recommendation (March ’05, pg. 87), we hired Gabor Stern to drive us on a Danube Bend trip in Hungary in May ’05. We took the trip at a leisurely pace — nine hours — and spent slightly less than if we had taken a group tour: at $18 per hour, $162 [...]Czech Republic guide
We took a wonderful trip to the Czech Republic in July ’05. Since my husband’s hobby is genealogy, this theme has directed our last several trips. We found, through ITN, a wonderful guide for our days in Prague. Sárka Pelantová (tel. [+420] 777 225 205, e-mail saraguide@volny.cz or visit www.prague-guide.info) continues to live up to her [...]Ireland driver-guide
My wife and I took an excellent “Splendor of Ireland” tour with Harp & Shamrock Tours, June 7-19, ’05. (We opted for a 4-day extension, and our actual return was on June 23 because Aer Lingus had a mechanical problem that caused us to remain in Ireland a fifth day.) Aidan Murray, the driver and tour [...]Guide in Cambodia
My sisters and I traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia, independently in February ’05 and used Bun Pao Smith (e-mail bunpaosmith@yahoo.com) as a guide and driver. He charged $25 a day for van transportation around Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. (We paid a little more to go to Beng Melea, which is a couple of hours away.) [...]Angkor Wat worth the climbing
When we toured Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, we first spent an entire afternoon in the temple complex. Later, we went to see the sunset on a famous hill. You can climb the hill up a very rough, rocky (actually boulders) path or take an elephant ride up. The sunset was something I have not seen the like [...]Volcano vistas in Kamchatka
In the central volcanic range in Russia’s Siberia, the town of Esso is on a tributary of the Kamchatka River. When we visited in July ’03 the streets were unpaved and without sidewalks. Nearly everyone was using most of their yard for a large vegetable garden. Many kept chickens, rabbits, goats or cows. Buildings and greenhouses [...]A few packing suggestions
A few years ago, in the August-October ’02 issues, ITN printed “what to take along” lists. I would like to add my two cents’ worth about what to pack for a trip plus offer some trip suggestions. My wife and I can easily travel for 20 days on one carry-on and one small roll-along suitcase [...]Packing decisions
For a world cruise on Holland America’s Rotterdam, I packed just two suitcases for the 99-day trip. Here’s what I included: five pairs of shorts, 21 tops, 10 pairs of slacks, four formal outfits (for the 33 formal evenings), six pairs of shoes (two of which were sneakers), one hooded nylon jacket, one skirt, two [...]Confessions of an overpacker
I admit it. I am an overpacker. I used to read stories of how to pack light, but within a few paragraphs I would begin skimming the contents — looking not for helpful hints on how to slim my stack but for new items I might need to add. I do not limit myself to logic [...]Social icebreaker
Following on the “Thoughtful Gift” letter from ITN reader Charles Treadgold (Nov ’05, pg. 44), I offer this. During the last two years, my travels have taken me on tours to Central and South America. Usually, a half day of each itinerary had us visiting an indigenous village in the jungle. The visit typically followed the [...]Incredible India — The South
by Ian McGary, Mountain View, CA Continued from last month’s “Incredible India — The North” After saying good-bye to our Philadelphia travel companions with whom we toured North India, my husband, Chuck, and I flew from Mumbai to Kerala at the southwestern tip of the country. The next two weeks of our tour were customized for just [...]Flying around the world
After Nancy Stott of Walnutport, Pennsylvania, asked readers to write about their experiences arranging around-the-world itineraries with airline alliances, we received a number of responses and printed several in last month’s issue. One reader took the task to heart, and we’re printing a portion of her letter here. If you have anything to add on the [...]Bulgaria — embracing tradition with an eye on the future
by Judith Rosen, Alexandria, VA Having completed a tour of Romania, Judith Rosen continues her month-long trip with a visit to Bulgaria. Veliko Turnovo Following our visit to the Thracian tomb at Sveshtari, it was another 160 kilometers through varied countryside to Veliko Turnovo, where we were warmly greeted by the owner of the Gyurko Hotel. Small and [...]Scotland’s Orkney Islands
Having completed a cruise on the Caledonian Canal, the Betty and Dick Wood’s Scottish journey continues with an Orkney Islands extension. Following a tour of the lovely city of Inverness, a group of 10 of us boarded a 37-passenger turboprop plane for a flight to Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands. This group of 70 islands, rising out [...]Black Watch cruise appraisal
My wife, Carol, and I booked a 54-night cruise on Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Black Watch, leaving Jan. 5, 2005, from Southampton, England, and arriving Feb. 28 in Sydney, Australia. We booked this cruise because of the ports of call: Málaga, Spain; Malta; Alexandria, Cairo and Port Said, Egypt; the Suez Canal and Sharm el Sheik, [...]Cruise to St. Helena
My wife, Eileen, and I enjoyed a holiday on the remote island of St. Helena, one of the last outposts of the British Empire, in the South Atlantic Ocean. We traveled July 13-Aug. 11, ’05, on the part-cargo and part-passenger vessel Royal Mail Ship St. Helena, the island’s only contact with the outside world. Everything [...]Peter the Great Cruises
My husband, Ken, and I visited Russia for the first time, Aug. 19-Sept. 3, ’05, taking the river cruise between St. Petersburg and Moscow. After doing much research on the Internet and reading appreciatively the readers’ comments in the March, April and June ’04 issues of ITN, we chose to go with Peter the Great [...]Cycling in Sweden
The upside of high gasoline prices in Sweden is that it encourages people to bike to school, work or shops. And since southernmost Sweden, the region known as Skane, has so many cyclists, it has developed an extensive system of bike lanes and trails, including converted rail lines, to accommodate them. That plus terrain ranging [...]Enjoyed Benasque
In the Aragon region of Spain, we spent three days in Benasque, Huesca Province, in July ’05. This lovely town, surrounded by the highest peaks in the Pyrenees, is accessible only by car and provides a very interesting experience. The architecture of the oldest houses is unique, and the area offers trekking and fishing. An excellent [...]Paris find
On a trip to Paris in April ’05, we came upon a small restaurant with terrific food and ate dinner there every night. It was the Café des Musées (49 rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris, France; tel. 01-42-72-96-17), open every day. My companion especially liked the fresh fig tart one night (warm from the oven), and [...]Money in Russia
If you are traveling to Russia, here are some things I learned during my trip in October ’04. Take lots of single dollar bills. You will need them for tips and small items in flea markets and at stalls. But take ONLY new or almost-new dollar bills. The Russians will not accept any money that is [...]Card limits
Before traveling to Italy in October ’05, I phoned my local bank, through whom I have a combination debit/credit Visa card, to let them know I’d be using my card in Italy for the next four weeks. The information I received (and I hadn’t actually realized I should ask about any of this!) was that [...]For your safety or control?
I believe the September ’05 “Boarding Pass” column has inadvertently pointed out the truth of the TSA (Transportation Security Administration): the TSA is not so much about passenger “safety” as it is about control and power over a, now, much less free citizenry. What a sad state of affairs for a people founded in the belief [...]Double time
I read with interest the tidbit by Iris Bing on carrying a second inexpensive watch to keep track of the time at home as well as where you are (Nov. ’05, pg. 4). I have done that for years but with an inexpensive Timex watch that has two time zones. In St. Louis I use the [...]Can that pill hurt you?
Marilyn Chase, in her article “Buying the Wrong Medicine Overseas,” in the Aug. 16, 2005, edition of the Wall Street Journal, warns about buying brand-name prescriptions abroad. She states, “Several drugs in foreign countries sometimes have the same brand name as U.S. medications but contain completely different ingredients. “A safety alert issued to hospitals and doctors this [...]Crosswalks for safety
When you are in small towns, remember that you are making it hard on some of the locals by not using crosswalks or following traffic rules. You may have all day to tarry, but locals don’t. I remember trying to walk across a street in Brussels just as the light turned red. A cabbie tried to [...]Springing a young hawker
At the base of a pyramid near Cairo, Egypt, in January ’05, a young boy approached my wife, Mary, and me and asked if we would buy souvenirs. We smiled and said “No.” He thanked us for not ignoring him, gave Mary a small turquoise beetle and said, “You have a nice day. Smile at [...]All Aboard! » Pendolino to Tampere
by Jay Brunhouse While you feel the acceleration of your S220 Pendolino to Tampere leaving Hämeenlinna, Finland, look left for one of the most impressive sights you can see from a mainline train. The view across the narrow lake reveals the redbrick Hämeenlinna (linna meaning “castle”), dating from the 1260s. It was built by the Swedes [...]The Cruising World » Tragedy fuels debate re Antarctic cruising
The tragic death of popular cruiser, explorer and businessman Stephen Glyn Thomas in a hiking accident in Antarctica has fueled debate about the future of cruising and tourism in that region. Stephen Thomas, 51, of Cambridge, England, was a successful businessman and multimillionaire who had launched three major information technology firms, including Geneva Technology, which he [...]Travel & Health » Dealing with Avian Influenza: hysteria does not help
The President recently made an alarming statement that if Avian Influenza, or bird flu, reached our shores, infected Americans would be quarantined and, if necessary, military troops would be used to enforce this. Naturally, this has scared people, even panicked them, and quite unnecessarily. Avian Influenza is a flu infection of birds. The germ responsible is [...]Better Travel Photography » Antarctica — penguins on ice
ITN reader Donna Judd asked for tips on getting good shots in Antarctica and Alaska. In this column I’ll discuss Antarctica, as most visitors go there in the Austral summer, November to March, and many of the techniques apply to both destinations. I recommend some preparatory reading. Photo books can be expensive, but many are available [...]Ask Steve » Statistically safest
In last month’s issue I introduced myself and invited readers to submit travel questions. The deadline for this month came along before anyone had a chance to respond, so, rather than answer the kind I get every day, like “How far in advance should I check in at the airport?”, “What’s my baggage limit?” or [...]Focus on Archaeology » Nicaraguan archaeological gems
by Julie Skurdenis Nicaragua, wedged between Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south and with both an Atlantic and a Pacific coast, was a serendipitous discovery. I’m always on the prowl for archaeological sites and artifacts. Nicaragua did not disappoint in its variety: a rediscovered colonial-era settlement which was the country’s first capital; [...]Adventure Travel » Luxury adventure travel in South Africa
by Wayne Wirtanen (First of three parts, jump to part 1, part 2, part 3) South African game reserves Everything you ever wanted to know about South African game reserves but didn’t know what to ask! Imagine that your very large, fenced-in backyard had wild animals in it. You could keep track of the animals, and you could [...]January Report Cards
FIRST, FAST & FURIOUS ? The following is a sampling of reports received from ITN readers around the globe. ITN invites you to join our corps of reporters ? just drop a card in the mail while the travel impressions are fresh in your mind. To obtain your ITN Report Cards, send a self-addressed, stamped, [...]
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