Informing the international traveler since 1976.
Apr 2006 issue.
Boarding Pass
Dear Globetrotter: Welcome to the 362nd issue of your overseas travel magazine. That’s over 30 years of publishing monthly — since 1976. Just a “heads up” here — the drought of the last few years in East Africa had, at press time, affected hydroelectric production not only in Uganda but in Tanzania. Money for infrastructure projects as [...]Travel Tidbits
Delightful Viterbo, Italy, north of Rome, has a colorful past. It was founded by the Etruscans and then became a temporary residence of popes in the 13th century. Every year, May 1-3, the streets are filled with flowers for the annual flower festival, San Pellegrino in Fiore, and on the evening of Sept. 3 there [...]Impressed with an introduction to China
—Mary Beltran, Associate Editor As our introduction to China, my husband, Cesar, and I toured the highlights of its imperial past and took a short cruise on the Yangtze. In April ’05 we participated in the 10-day “Imperial Jewels of China” cruise-tour, starting in Beijing, as a guest of Viking River Cruises (Woodland Hills, CA; phone [...]Bill paying while away
ITN reader Dorothy Morris wrote about not being able to mail her bills from New York’s JFK airport (Feb ’06, pg. 11). There is another solution to having your bills handled while you are gone and that is to use a bill-paying service. Most banks offer this service, but I prefer to use www.paytrust.com. I have [...]Europe independently
My wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Tunisia and several countries in Europe, Aug. 5-31, ’05. We had a great time, combining air, rail and autos as basic transportation. Several thoughts come to mind which might aid others planning to travel in Europe. We used our local travel agent to [...]Buenos Aires ‘tango’ shows
My wife, Judy, and I and two friends took a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in November ’05. We stayed at the Wilton Plaza, having arranged our reservations through a Peruvian online travel service (e-mail reservations@argentinas-hotels.com). As soon as we arrived, we had — out of the blue — an e-mail message waiting for us at [...]Wish you were here
Bill Goss’s packing suggestion (Jan. ’06, pg. 37) to use your computer to print mailing labels to take along for the postcards you plan to send is a real time-saver once you’re on your journey. I run the sheet of labels through my printer a second time to print the labels on the back of the [...]Funniest thing for April
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 [...]Paxos — Experiencing life fully on an idyllic Greek isle
Little Paxos embodies what most people think of when they conjure up an image of an idyllic Greek island: brightly painted fishing boats; transparent, deep-blue water; small beaches in hidden coves; seaside tavernas; silvery olive groves; enchanting hiking paths, and little traffic. On our 6-mile hydrofoil trip from Corfu, a Greek businessman told us, “There is [...]Fine print exclusions
My wife and I stayed at the Tokyo Hilton for six nights in October ’05. I am a member of the Hilton HHonors guest reward program, thus when we checked out I expected to see a note that said my HHonors account would be credited with a certain number of points. Since room rates are [...]Galápagos cruise plus airline caveat
In 2005, my wife and I were two of the estimated 60,000 visitors to the Galápagos Islands. Our trip, which we found out about through Bridgerland Audubon Society (BAS Mini-Grants, 1738 Country Club Dr., Logan, UT 84321; 435/753-7744 or www.bridgerlandaudubon.org), took place May 28-June 7 and cost $2001 per person, including everything except international airfare. We [...]Grand Princess cruise
Here are our comments about our transatlantic voyage, Aug. 27-Sept. 12, ’04, aboard the Grand Princess of Princess Cruises (Santa Clarita, CA; phone 800/774-6237 or visit www.princesscruises.com). On this trip, we flew from Detroit to Amsterdam, caught a flight to Copenhagen and boarded ship there. We stayed at the Radisson SAS, a wonderful hotel, near the [...]TravLtips didn’t blink
In late summer ’05 we booked with Cruise West, through TravLtips, a Central American cruise to take place during the Christmas holidays. At the time, we noted the ship’s departure on our calendar but forgot to note that we had to be in Costa Rica the day before. You can imagine our embarrassment upon arriving [...]Maximizing Scotland
I took a 2-week trip to Scotland. The first week, Sept. 10-16, ’05, was spent walking in the Highlands with a small group on an escorted trip arranged by a company I found on the Internet, Wilderness Scotland, Ltd. (3A St. Vincent St., Edinburgh, EH3 6SW, Scotland; phone 011 44 131 625 6635 or visit [...]Superb Emilia-Romagna trip
I reveled in a superlative trip to the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, Oct. 4-20, ’05. I planned it with the help and guidance of Leftheris Papageorgiou, owner of Hellenic Adventures (Minneapolis, MN; 800/851-6349 or www.hellenicadventures.com), which I learned of through their ad in ITN. Mr. Papageorgiou provided printouts with descriptions of hotels in the historic centers [...]HK and Beijing with a walker
I took an 8-day trip to Hong Kong and Beijing, China, Nov. 8-16, ’04, booking my trip through Asian Affair Holidays (800/742-3133 or www.asianaffairholidays.com), an arm of Singapore Airlines. I am a 76-year-old female with a shoulder replacement (not great), osteoarthritis (knees and left hip) and spinal stenosis that requires me to use a walker [...]Peru & Galápagos & Tropical Nature Travel
An article in the June ’05 issue of ITN, “Inca Ruins and Amazing Animals on a Private Tour of Peru and Ecuador” by Fred DeVinney, prompted us to contact Elizabeth Sanders of Tropical Nature Travel (Gainesville, FL; phone 877/827-8350 or visit www.tropicalnaturetravel.com). My wife, Dorothy, and I together with our friends Frani and Ted Bickart threw [...]Impressions circling South America
On our cruise around South America, we sailed on two oceans and cruised in grand fjords flanked by snow-covered mountains. We encountered penguins, petrels, cormorants and condors plus porpoises, sea lions and whales. Icebergs, large and small, passed by. We visited some of the continent’s most cosmopolitan cities and some of its smaller towns. This [...]Ancient Carthage secret
For me, the highlight of a visit to Tunisia was ancient Carthage. The city of Tunis has a number of suburbs. One is Carthage — modern and bustling — but located within it, on the coast, is ancient Carthage. Since I took Latin, I’ve remembered that one Roman senator always concluded his speeches with “Carthage [...]Eight lions, 15 tigers, and a whole lot of elephants — an Indian wildlife safari
—Susan Tartaglino, Alvord, TX India has so much to offer the traveler: palaces, forts, deserted cities, great cuisine, friendly people…. But did you know that it’s also a great wildlife destination? There’s a wonderful array of fauna, from the Asiatic lion to the Indian rhino, with over 1,200 species of birds plus landscapes ranging from arid [...]Clothes Shopping around the world
We asked you to tell us places (outside of North America and the Caribbean) where you couldn’t resist buying an article of clothing — high-priced or bargain, fashionable or practical. In addition to describing the garment, we wanted you to pinpoint where you got the item, about how much it cost and when you were [...]Eye on Travel Insurance » STA Travel, an alternative travel insurance source
STA Travel (7890 S. Hardy St., Ste. 110, Tempe, AZ 85284; phone 800/825-3001, fax 480/753-5847, e-mail staagents@statravel.com or visit www.staagents.com) is primarily a student travel agency, but their modestly priced and comprehensive travel insurance policies are available to anyone. The cost of most traditional travel insurance companies’ policies are based on a percentage of the trip’s [...]Tables d’hôtes — the best thing since French bread
—Paula Prindle, Orient, OH Many of you have stayed in bed-and-breakfasts in Europe and know that they have but a slight resemblance to those in the U.S. European B&Bs are not simply quaint alternatives to hotels; they are usually cheaper. There are other benefits as well, such as living with the locals and profiting from insider [...]Malta with Grand Circle Travel
Historical ruins, awe-inspiring cathedrals, great museums and spectacular scenery. A civilization that dates back 7,000 years. Because of its strategic location, Malta has been occupied by many different countries, and its culture, cuisine and architecture reflect this diversity. On our Nov. 8-22, ’04, tour of Malta with Grand Circle Travel (347 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210; [...]Morocco with Heritage Tours
As a single woman who prefers to travel independently and alone, when possible, I had the good fortune to tour Morocco with Heritage Tours (121 West 27th St., Ste. 1201, New York, NY 10001; 800/378-4555 or www.heritagetoursonline.com). The cost of the 8-day/9-night tour, Oct. 3-11, ’05, arranged for me by Heritage Tours’ General Manager Michael Diamond, [...]Belgium and France with Leger Holidays
“In Flanders fields the poppies blow/Between the crosses, row on row,/That mark our place;… — from “In Flanders Fields,” John McCrae, 1915 For anyone interested in WWI, the 5-day tour “In Flanders Fields‚ Passchenendaele and the Somme,” organized by Leger Holidays, Ltd. (Sunway House, Canklow Meadows, Rotherham, England S60 2XR; phone 0800 018 9898 or visit www.leger.co.uk), [...]Honduras with Maya Temple Tours
My husband, Maurice, and I had a remarkable trip to Honduras, Dec. 31, ’05-Jan. 10, ’06, thanks to Maya Temple Tours (Lobby Hotel & Suites Copantl, Residential Los Arcos, San Pedro Sula, Honduras; phone [504] 509 0555 or visit www.mayatempletours.com). We dealt with Maya Temple Tours’ Dilcia Arriaga, explaining our interests: outdoor activities, cultural events, archaeological [...]Italy with Patty’s Places
My wife, Felice, and I have traveled to Europe six times in the last seven years with Patty’s Places (1251 NW 195th St., Seattle, WA 98177; 800/775-3861 or www.pattysplaces.com). As a result, we have learned a great deal about Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Turkey. On our 3-week tour to southern Italy, March 9-30, ’05, [...]A wee taste of Scotland
—Steve Venables, Contributing Editor I flew to Scotland in April ’05 for a travel exposition in Aberdeen. Aberdeen is Scotland’s third-largest city, but the locals I talked to said that tourists often skip it. There’s actually quite a lot to see, however. With dozens of nearby castles, distilleries and golf courses, Aberdeen is a good center [...]A rare look into North Korea
In early October ’05, I learned that North Korea, otherwise known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, had begun allowing Americans to obtain tourist visas. As North Korea had long been closed to Westerners, I jumped on the opportunity and signed up for a tour, Oct. 7-15, with Universal Travel System (Box 7050, Santa [...]Central Europe left impression
Arriving in Poland for the first time, on a 3-country tour with Elderhostel (Boston, MA; 877/426-8056 or www.elderhostel.org), Sept. 7-24, ’04, took me back to the morning of Sept. 1, 1939, when I heard Hitler’s speech on the radio as he sent his troops across the Polish border. Of course, I couldn’t understand a word [...]St. Petersburg guide
In 2004 when we decided to take a Russian riverboat cruise in September ’05 with Linwood Rotary (from the state of Washington), we noticed a letter from ITN reader Helene Eckstein (Nov. ’04, pg. 82). She mentioned a terrific guide in St. Petersburg and really sang her praises. We contacted Sveta Motovilovets (phone [812] 275-34 [...]Guide in Lithuania
I’m a genealogist, and I wanted to explore the towns and villages in Lithuania where our parents and grandparents lived in the early 1900s. Through the Internet, I found Ms. Nijole Pakalniene of Lithuanian Holidays (Šeimyniškiu˛, St. 1a, LT-09312 Vilnius 5, Lithuania; phone +370 5 2636064 or visit www.lithuanianholidays.lt). I asked for a Jewish guide [...]Guide in Turkey
Being loyal ITN subscribers, and packrats, we scanned several years of back issues as we researched our October-November ’05 trip to Turkey. We found a reader’s referral (May ’99, pg. 117) for a guide/tour operator, so we followed up and made contact with Mehmet Ozbalci of Turfantastik Tours & Travel (Millet cad. Inan Is Hani [...]Driver/guide in England
I had a great trip to England along with four friends, July 23-Aug. 6, ’05. It was arranged through Midway Motor Travel (Southerwicks, Corsham, Wiltshire, England, SN13 9NH; phone from U.S. 800/214-8738 or e-mail admin@midwaymotortravel.com), and our driver/guide was Anton Prole. Anton is a great driver and a knowledgeable guide as well as charming and witty! [...]Military Highway in Georgia
Re the letter “Armenia’s Military Highway” (March ’06, pg. 19), actually the Military Highway and Mt. Kazbek are in Georgia, not Armenia. The highway follows the Terek River, which cuts an 8½-mile gorge, the Daryal Gorge. The route of the 1992 Russian exodus, the highway goes north from Tbilisi and terminates at the Russian border. The [...]Strange craft
I enjoyed Roger Canfield’s story on Macau in the February ’06 issue, but I should point something out. On page 40, he mentions seeing in a museum a boat used by Vietnamese people escaping the Communists. This particular boat was not “converted” from a basket but is of a type still in use today in [...]Train travel ease in Japan
My wife and I find that the train system in Japan is really efficient. Their departures and arrivals are timed with precision; the cars are very clean, and the system gives wheelchair users very good service. Also, when you tell them your destination, the ticketing agent takes into account various station changes. That’s much easier [...]Sense of direction
I read with great interest the various letters regarding driving internationally (August and September ’05 issues). I have had similar experiences in my travels in 70-plus countries. There is one bit of advice I would like to add. It has saved me on numerous occasions. Take along a good, dash-mounted compass and use temporary double-faced tape [...]Travels in central Serbia
—by Margaret and Roger Kinkle, Oro Valley, AZ For 10 days in early October ’05 we visited friends in south-central Serbia & Montenegro, touring three historic sites in Serbia: Niš in south-central Serbia; Felix Romuliana at Gamzigrad near Zaječar in eastern Serbia, and Staro Selo (Old Village), south of Užice in western Serbia. Getting there We flew Air [...]All Aboard! » Railpass roundup 2006
European railpasses continued their creeping inflation in 2006. New passes added to your plethora of options, and choosing the pass ideal for you became more and more complex. With the vast selection of passes now available, you need to study carefully to select the pass best suiting your plans. As many as seven different passes [...]The Cruising World » Cruising up the Shannon through the 40 shades o’ green
(First of two parts, jump to part 1, part 2) I close my eyes and picture the emerald of the sea, From the fishing boats at Dingle to the shores of Donaghadea; I miss the River Shannon and folks at Skibbereen. The moorlands and the meadows with their forty shades o’ green. — Johnny Cash (1961) As the song says, I [...]Ask Steve » Travel to Tunisia, credit card authorization for flights
Q STEVE, in your January ‘06 column you listed a number of airlines “that have not lost a single passenger since they were founded.” Just wondering if Aloha Airlines doesn’t consider flight attendants to be passengers. I recall the loss of one Aloha Airlines flight attendant, in flight, when the airframe came open about seven years [...]The Discerning Traveler » Turkish delight
(First of three parts, jump to part 1, part 2, part 3) “Çorba, çok ılık, lütfen” (“Soup, very warm, please”)*, I told the waiter when I ordered my first course. Five minutes later, the lukewarm liquid arrived. I repeated the phrase, “Çorba, çok ılık, lütfen,” and after another three minutes the soup was put in front of [...]Latin America » Destination: Cuzco
As a delegate to the Latin America Travel Mart in September ’05, I was invited by PeruRail to sample their luxury train, the Hiram Bingham, which links Cusco and Machu Picchu. PeruRail is widely recognized as having not only one of the highest rail routes on Earth but the world’s most scenic railway service. Their service [...]Mideast and Mediterranean » Unknown Little Petra
Moreen and I have been fortunate to have twice visited Petra, Jordan. To us, it is one of the crown jewels of the Middle East, along with Syria’s Palmyra and Lebanon’s Baalbek. (Egypt’s treasures are in Africa.) The first time we visited the rose-red city of Petra was in 1982. Then, the Middle East was inflamed [...]Adventure Travel » Soft adventure and soft beds
(Third of three parts, jump to part 1, part 2, part 3) Great white sharks! From the safety of a small “shark watching” boat, our small group of mildly adventuresome travelers was watching a group of “young and reckless” travelers on a nearby “shark diving” excursion boat in Walker Bay, South Africa, southeast of Cape Town, in [...]Far Horizons » China adventure: Chongqing, Xi’an and Beijing
(Third of three parts, jump to part 1, part 2, part 3) The final portion of my journey to China in October-November 2005 commenced upon disembarking in Chongqing after completing our 5-day/4-night Yangtze River Three Gorges cruise. Our local guide, Daniel, advised we were now in the land of spicy, fiery cooking, short-tempered locals and China’s hottest [...]April Report Cards
On MALAYSIA, January-February ’06. . . • We took a tour to Borneo with smarTours (Newark, NJ; 800/337-7773 or www.smartours.com), Jan. 28-Feb. 11. We travel often, but this tour was one of the best. Malaysia is just beautiful. The people are very friendly and much fun. The flora, due to the climate, is lovely and colorful. We [...]
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