Informing the international traveler since 1976.
January 2007 issue.
Articles are displayed in the order they appear in the magazine.
Boarding Pass
Dear Globetrotter: Welcome to the 371st issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine. In Kiev, Ukraine, racially motivated attacks by skinheads have increased, the U.S. Embassy stated in November. These have been occurring mostly against people of Asian, African or other non-European descent, without provocation, in downtown areas frequented by tourists. In fact, people of color have been [...]Travel Tidbits
We took an exhilarating, 2-hour white-water rafting trip down Chile’s Sarapiquis River during a December tour with Overseas Adventure Travel (800/221-0814 or www.oattravel.com). We were told the Sarapiquis was a Class III river (medium to moderately difficulty). We would experience a few minutes of rapid paddling on our trip interspersed with periods of calmly floating [...]Adventure in Mongolia
Story by Dave G. Houser, Photos by Jan Houser, Nogal, NM It was 7:00 on a crisp July morning in northern Mongolia. Nine of us — veteran travelers — were eager to get under way on a 17-day adventure with Pacific Delight Tours. For the moment, we were comfortably loaded into a pair of 4WD Russian-made UAZ [...]Karneval in Germany
In the November ’06 “All Aboard!” column, Jay Brunhouse mentions Karneval in Cologne, Germany. However, in 2007 Ash Wednesday occurs on Feb. 21, not April 4. Good Friday is April 6. We have been in Cologne for Karneval six times in the past eight years. The last five times we went, we were there from the [...]Exchanging money abroad
In my previous letter on how to handle money abroad (Oct. ’05, pg. 53), I noted that going to the ATM was virtually always the best way to get local currency. At the time of that writing, ATM withdrawals (straight from a bank account) were usually executed at the interbank exchange rate, and there were [...]‘Excellent resources’ in Ireland
A trip to Ireland my husband, Maurice, and I took, Aug. 21-Sept. 2, 2006, was greatly enhanced by two excellent resources. • We highly recommend utilizing the services of Peter Galvin of Wonderful Ireland, Ltd. (63 Dundrum Gate, Dundrum, Ireland; phone +353 87 7613344 or visit www.wonderfulireland.com). He set up a well-organized hiking program for us [...]Discovery — ‘low-key’ cruise with Brits
My wife, Esta Lee, and I took the “Grand Voyage to Scandinavia,” May 13-June 5, 2006, on the MV Discovery of Discovery World Cruises (1800 SE 10th Ave., Ste. 205, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316; 866/623-2689, www.discoveryworldcruises.com). The package combined a 2-week transatlantic cruise from Nassau in the Bahamas to Harwich in the U.K. and a one-week [...]Sights in Amsterdam
The hub of Amsterdam is Dam Square. When we visited the city in July ’05, there was always lots of activity here — jugglers, mimes, musicians giving impromptu concerts. . . . The magnificent Royal Palace is on the edge of the square. Across from it is the Gothic De Nieuwe Kerk (new church), dating [...]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 [...]Italy — Visiting the villas of Piedmont
by Jim Sajo, Polcenigo, Italy If you are like me, after seeing the passion of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin you wanted to jump on a plane for the Piedmont region in northwest Italy. Great idea, but, without Olympic action, what should you do there? My advice is to see the area’s magnificent villas, remnants [...]Frequent-flyer joint account
Many years ago, my husband and I acquired a United Airlines MasterCard for which we paid $60 per year and which accumulated many frequent-flyer miles, which we used as needed. We each had a credit card, but all charges, no matter which credit card was used, went to just one bill, so it was basically [...]Switched companies after lapse in contact
In September ’05, my traveling companion, Lynn Drake, and I, contacted PNG Holidays and arranged to take an 11-day “Goroka Festival” tour in Papua New Guinea a year later, Sept. 11-21, 2006. Including three internal flights in PNG, the cost was to have been $3,100 for each of us. In late November ’05 we sent PNG [...]The Panama Canal and so much more
My adult daughter Jennie and I chose the line Cruise West (Seattle, WA; 888/851-8133, www.cruisewest.com) for our highly anticipated January ’06 trip through the Panama Canal plus Costa Rica. Cruise West is tops in small-ship cruising. Their ships, carrying only 94 passengers each, are totally unlike the megaships cruising the Caribbean and we really appreciate them. [...]Pleasant HAL Med cruise
Four of us took a 2-week trip with Vantage Deluxe World Travel (Boston, MA; 888/734-0188, www.vantagetravel.com) in August ’06 that included a 10-day eastern Mediterranean cruise, “Roman Empire,” on the Noordam of Holland America Line (Seattle, WA). For a cabin with balcony on the Veranda deck, the cost was $4,259 per person, plus an air add-on [...]Northernmost New Zealand
My wife, Carole, and I took a 2-week trip to New Zealand in March ’06. We spent most of our time north of Auckland, especially in the Doubtless Bay area. This area received its name from Captain Cook, who when he passed by wrote in his ship’s log, “Doubtless there is a bay.” Our main stay [...]Untour in Nafplio
My wife, Margaret, and I spent 3½ weeks in Greece in September ’05, and for the first two weeks we were based in Nafplio, less than two hours west of Athens by car. We had arranged to rent an apartment through Untours (Box 405, Media, PA 19063; 888/868-6871, www.untours.com). The cost of our Nafplio Untour [...]Birding at Daintree
Chris, an expert bird guide and owner of Chris Dahlberg’s Specialised River Tours (Daintree Village, Queensland 4873, Australia; phone 07 4098 7997 or visit www.daintreeriver tours.com.au), was one of the reasons we chose to visit Daintree on our trip to Australia. On our October visit, we rose early and caught the boat at the Daintree Village [...]Ringside seat
I read the letter “Screaming Infant on a Flight” (Nov. ’06, pg. 30), regarding a reader’s ordeal on a Virgin Atlantic flight. I had a similar experience in May ’06. On a Finnair flight from Helsinki to New York, a tall man occupied a bulkhead seat. I am sure he asked for it due to his [...]Solution for crying babies
Regarding the “screaming infant on a flight” (Nov. ’06, pg. 30), the problem should have been referred to a pediatric physician, not an airline customer relations executive or legal officer. “Dr.” Mueden prescribes a whiskey or gin tit — an age-old remedy, not my invention. Soak a piece of cloth in a sugar, water and gin [...]Canceling in-flight noise
A reader recently complained about a screaming child on a flight. I can certainly empathize and offer the following tips. 1) For this situation, the best investment a traveler could make is noise-canceling headphones combined with an MP3 player with soothing music. 2) If No. 1 doesn’t work, add two Tylenol PMs. CHRISTI SUMMEROUR Fort Worth, TXJapan — Traveling solo in Tokyo
Susan Benton, Hermosa Beach, CA Recently, I had the opportunity to visit a friend’s parents who live in Tokyo. While I had a free place to stay, I had no tour guide, no mode of transportation and no sense at all of Tokyo and its culture beyond what I had gleaned from guidebooks and depictions in [...]National Trust hotels in Great Britain
The National Trust (Box 39, Warrington, WA5 7WD, UNITED KINGDOM; phone 0870 458 4000 or visit www. nationaltrust. org.uk), founded in 1895, owns many historic properties (houses, manor houses, abbeys, etc.) across England and Wales as well as properties of natural beauty, most of which are open to the public for a small admission fee. In [...]St. Margaret’s Hotel in London
For decades, I have been staying now and then at the delightful St. Margaret’s Hotel (26, Bedford Place, London WC1B 5JL, ENGLAND; phone +44 [0] 20 7636 4277, fax 7323 3006 or visit www. stmargaretshotel.co.uk), most recently in July ’06. Mrs. Rosanne Merazzi, the delightful owner, is still about and greeting visitors. On a quiet street [...]Hôtel Arvor and Ferme Savigny in France
On our trip to western FRANCE in May ’06, we stayed in two places that were especially noteworthy. • Located in a quiet part of medieval Dinan in Bretagne is Hôtel Arvor (5 rue A. Pavie, Dinan 22100, France; phone 33 [0] 2 96 39 21 22, fax 83 09 or visit www.hotel-arvor-dinan.com). The hotel is [...]Hotels in Australia’s Northern Territory
From my March 12-26, 2006, trip to AUSTRALIA, here are appraisals of hotels in the Northern Territory. (For others in New South Wales and South Australia, see September ’06, page 48.) • Before picking up my rental car in Alice Springs, I had lunch at the Royal Flying Doctor Service facility (8-10 Stuart Terrace, Alice Springs, [...]A walk through history in Berlin
History never leaves you in Berlin. It is palpable in the city’s buildings, institutions, neighborhoods and memorials. Devastation and division, restoration and renewal, give the city a special look. Mitte, the pre-World War II center of the city, is in the area which became East Berlin following the war. Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate, the [...]Impressionist French painting on Elderhostel trip
The Impressionist School of French painting was the focus of a 10-day/12-night trip, Sept. 26-Oct. 8, ’05, with Elderhostel (11 Ave. de Lafayette, Boston, MA 02111; 800/454-5768, www.elderhostel.org), in conjunction with Experiment France (89 rue de Turbigo, Paris; phone +33 [0] 1 44 54 58 or visit www.experiment-france.org). The land price of the program was $2,888 [...]Baltic states plus Russia with Grand European Tours
We were pleased with every aspect of our 18-day “Russia and the Baltic States” tour from Grand European Tours (6000 Meadows Rd., Ste. 520, Lake Oswego, OR 97035; phone 800/552-5545 or visit www.getours.com). Our tour, May 20-June 6, 2006, visited FINLAND, RUSSIA, BELARUS, LITHUANIA, LATVIA and ESTONIA. The basic tour cost about $8,000 for the two [...]Cambodia and Vietnam with Journeys Within Tour Company
To characterize our trip to Cambodia and Viet-Nam from Journeys Within Tour Company and Bed & Breakfast (Box 93155, GPO Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia; call toll-free 877/454-3672, fax 855 63 964748 or visit www.journeys-within.com) as a “tour” would be a major understatement. Our experience would be better described as a personal invitation from a [...]Wales — walking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path
by Robert Buckley, Marion, IA The wild and rugged coastline of Wales is as spectacular as the fancy travel brochures promise — indeed, even more so. This is particularly true in Pembrokeshire, Wales’ most western county. And the best way to enjoy its awesome scenery is by hiking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, a 186-mile-long footpath, the [...]Across the Russian Federation by train
My wife, Darlene, and I, following a private tour in Mongolia (June ’06, pg. 85), were among a group of 96 people from all over the world who made an incredible private train trip across the Russian Federation along the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway, Aug. 19-31, ’05. We took the railroad’s classic route, westbound from Vladivostok [...]Armenia, Karabakh and Georgia
My wife, Barbara, and I took a 12-day trip in September ’06 to Armenia and Karabakh (in Azerbaijan), plus an add-on of three nights in Georgia, through Levon Travel (1132 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91202; 800/445-3866, www.levontravel.com). The cost was $900 for Armenia, $450 for Georgia and $1,600 for air (from Tulsa to Tbilisi, Georgia, [...]Budapest’s House of Terror
In Budapest, Hungary, the Terror Háza, or House of Terror Museum (Andrássy út 60, Budapest 1062, Hungary; phone + 36 [1] 374 2600 or visit www.terrorhaza.hu), deals with the years of fascist and communist oppression, from WWII to the fall of communism in 1989. The building was previously known as “The House of Loyalty.” It is [...]‘India isn’t a trip for everyone’
In regards to the article “India: Enjoying Your Visit While Leading a Group Tour” by Judith Anshin (Oct. ’06, pg. 22), she wrote only about the upside of her trip to Rajasthan and none of the downs. India isn’t a trip for everyone. I spent a month in Rajasthan and Kashmir, India, on the “Rajasthan Adventure” [...]Ziggy in Poland
We had the most incredible two days in Poland in 2005, thanks to the best guide ever, Ziggy Pelczyk (e-mail zpelczyk@wp.pl), and the ITN reader who wrote and told me about him, Elizabeth Moore. We went there for two days over the 4-day Thanksgiving weekend. We left home on Wednesday and arrived in Warsaw midday on [...]Pick-me-up in Kobarid
If you’re visiting Kobarid, Slovenia’s, award-winning Kobarid Museum, you’ll do well to have a meal at Restavricija Kotlar (Kobarid, Slovenia; phone 386 [0] 5 38 91 110) before leaving town. It’s located on a square only a 2-minute walk from the museum. In a village of fewer than 1,500, this white-tablecloth restaurant was an unexpected find [...]Supper in Sicily
While traveling by car in western Sicily in September ’06, we were in need of a restaurant for supper. A local merchant directed us to Garten Pub (Via Erice 145, Valderice 91019,Trapani Province, Sicily, Italy; phone/fax +39 0923 892377) as a place to get good rustic Sicilian cuisine. The welcoming owner, speaking passable English, informed us [...]Peruvian fare
On a trip to Lima, Peru, in May ’06, we took a day trip to Chosica, a weekend retreat 25 miles east of Lima. Our friends had recommended Fuego Restaurante (Jr. Trujillo sur 406, Chosica; phone 360-2425), and our meal there was the best that we had in all of Peru. It was typical Peruvian food [...]Zero latitude in Ecuador
In Ecuador, La Mitad del Mundo is a site 22 kilometers north of Quito that marks where the French geographical expedition marked the equator in 1736. From the city, catch any bus that has a white sign saying “La Mitad” in the windshield. Ask around because they’re available in many places; more than one company goes [...]The Cruising World » Transatlantic the hard way
by Lew Toulmin Fancy a romantic transatlantic cruise with your sweetheart? How about a nice, relaxing voyage where you row 16 hours a day for 60 days, eat lukewarm freeze-dried food, roll your vessel upside down four times and fend off the amorous advances of a 60-foot whale? Meet Liz O’Keeffe and Richard Mayon-White, two British adventurers [...]Reviewers’ Corner
Here are a couple of the latest travel-book reviews written by ITN readers. “Panama” by Sarah Woods (2005, Bradt Travel Guides/Globe Pequot Press, Inc. ISBN 184162117X — 340 pp., $21.95). There’s more to Panama than the canal, and the best thing you can do is let Sarah Woods’ guidebook introduce you to this fascinating land only three [...]Ask Steve » e-ticket printouts, lowest fares from London
Q: Steve, I am an 81-year-old, longtime subscriber to ITN, and you and ITN are my last resort for a problem that I have never seen addressed in print. I made a reservation for my wife on US Airways and was given a confirmation number. I paid by credit card and asked for an e-mail or fax [...]Travel & Health » Immunizations — required vaccines
by Alan M. Spira, M.D. (Third of three parts) In the prior two issues, routine and travel-specific immunizations held our attention. Now we turn to immunizations which are “required” and relevant to travelers. There is good news, here. The only immunization mandated by international law is that for yellow fever, through the International Health Regulations (IHR) of the [...]Mideast & Mediterranean » Impregnable Termessos, Turkey
by Ed Kinney Turkey, located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean, is a gold mine for travelers due to its rich heritage and reported 40,000 ancient sites. Though my wife, Moreen, and I have seen less than one percent of these, we feel fortunate to have visited many of its well-known ones during [...]Focus on Archaeology — Pula, a Roman treasure in Croatia
by Julie Skurdenis “You’ve come at just the right time,” commented the cheerful young woman in the Tourist Information Office. “If you look just outside our front door, you’ll see the archaeologists excavating the Roman Forum. They just started six weeks ago.” My husband, Paul, and I were in the Croatian town of Pula at the tip [...]Report Cards
From Rome, ITALY, Nov. 10, ’06. . . • Hotel Mozart (Via dei Greci 23/B, 00187 Rome; visit www.hotelmozart.com) — great central location near the Spanish Steps, with the main lobby on a pedestrian-only street. Lots of restaurants and shopping in the general area. We stayed in one of the Vivaldi Luxury Rooms, with Internet access in [...]
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