REPORT ON NORTH KOREA
You don’t know till you go.
On my visit to North Korea with Universal Travel System (Santa Monica, CA; phone, in CA, 800/537-0773 or, elsewhere in US, 800/255-4338), June 1-8, 2012, I saw a few changes since my first trip there in 2005.
The local guides now have cell phones.
The men and women dress more casually than they did back in 2005.
Along with there being a few more vehicles, in the capital there are taxis with electric signs on top labeled, in English, “TAXI.”
The hotels in the 3- and 4-star category remain the same. However, the food has drastically improved, and you can get seconds and thirds on your coffee.
There are more restaurants, with a variety of choices, from fast-food hamburgers to real Italian-trained pizza makers.
They have duty-free shops and even sell stuff on the plane from Beijing.
One more thing — the DPRK is the safest place I have ever been. Whenever I am on a trip somewhere in the world, I worry about my documents, tickets, money, etc., but the moment I arrive in Pyongyang, I feel totally safe from robbers and pickpockets.
I travel to places like Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. People ask, “Aren’t you afraid?” I say, “Yes, I am… when I park at LAX.”
No one can begin to know a country unless they visit it. For North Korea, that means more than walking around the “talk table” at the border with South Korea.
I see cracks of freedom making their way into the DPRK. Just the local guides’ now having cell phones is a big deal.
Bill Altaffer, San Diego, CA
REPORT ON ITALY…
• My two daughters and I had an excellent stay, April 30-May 2, 2012, at an 18-room hotel in Bellagio: Hotel Centrale Bellagio (Salita Plinio 7, 22021 Bellagio, Italy; phone 39 031 951 940).
The main street is on the waterfront of Lake Como, and the hotel is in a wonderful location just mid block up from the main street. Within 50 steps are great restaurants and a lovely wine bar. Shops are on every side street nearby.
Mr. Giacomo Borelli and his two sons run the hotel and are extremely accommodating. The town does not have good parking and you cannot get close to the hotel; we parked near the church just up the street, and Mr. Borelli and son helped us with our luggage. The hotel has two floors and an elevator.
Our double room and single room on the main floor were immaculate. Each had beautiful wood floors, a bath with shower, A/C, free Internet and a door to a terrace.
Incuding an ample breakfast, double rooms run €110-€130 (near $138-$163) and singles, €100-€120. The breakfast room is glassed in.
I would definitely stay there again, as we could walk to the ferry building to take rides all around the lake, stopping at small villages.
Elvera Rollins, Modesto, CA
REPORT ON BALI…
June 4, 2012 — Am on another great bargain trip to Bali, Indonesia, set up by Sayang Holidays (San Francisco, CA; 415/986-1293). Singapore Air from San Francisco and 13 nights in three resorts, including daily buffet breakfast, plus transfers — all for $2,345 per person.
The Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort is newly refurbished; my favorite, the Nikko Bali Resort, has become a second home, and the Beji Ubud Resort is a delightful little hotel set in tropical surroundings.
Bali is getting too popular for its own good. Mammoth hotels are going up everywhere, and traffic has overwhelmed the narrow roads. But the beauty of the island and its wonderful people will lure you back.
Bruce Eastley, Sacramento, CA
REPORT ON JAPAN...
In Sapporo, Japan, home to more than 1,000 ramen shops, on May 31, 2012, I had a late lunch at the original, first ramen shop to open in that city: Aji-no Sanpei (phone 011 231 0377), located downtown at the Daimaru Fujii Central building, fourth floor, W3 S1.
I go to Sapporo every year (14 years straight), and all my Japanese friends say this place is the best.
Get the miso ramen, but be prepared for something you are not familiar with. It’s not sweet, just the best you will ever eat.
The ramen cost either ¥770 (near $9.65) or ¥830 ($10.40). Based on their reputation, I thought it would cost a little more.
Go between 2 and 4 p.m., as there are no tables, only 10 bar stools, so at any other time you will wait awhile (as long as an hour or more). They are closed Mondays and the second Tuesday of each month.
Stanley Osur, Hawthorne, NJ