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Ellen Jacobson of Centennial, Colorado, wrote, “I would like readers to write in about the good food experiences that others can expect to have in different countries. I’m not talking about specific restaurant recommendations but about the particular dishes or types of foods that travelers should seek out in new places.”
by Larry Taylor; Fullerton, CA
There is no doubt about it: the best snorkeling and diving in the world can be found in Raja Ampat. This west Indonesian archipelago contains more marine biodiversity than anywhere else in the world.
The subscriber’s letter about leasing a car for 30-plus days in Italy (Nov. ’09, pg. 51) led my husband, Klaus, and me to contact the agent at bonvoyagebycar@yahoo.com. The agent claimed he could get us a better price than we would with a lease/buyback via Peugeot or Renault.
We then contacted Kemwel (Portland, ME; 877/820-0668, www.kemwel.com) and were told that, as the direct agents with the manufacturer, they handle 80% of the lease/buyback contracts with Peugeot in the US, thus no one else can offer a lower price.
Just our luck! My husband, Frank, and I picked the rainiest week of the year when we visited Nicaragua in October ’08. Fortunately, almost every day had some sun, except the Sunday we watched an NFL game in our room during a sideways rainstorm.
We spent three nights in Granada, three in San Juan del Sur and one near Managua airport before an early-morning departure. Except at the hotel in San Juan del Sur, we spoke Spanish throughout our trip.
I traveled on a Grimaldi Lines freighter, Grande Spagna, June 6-July 5, 2009. From Valencia, Spain, we sailed past Gibraltar to England, Holland and Belgium. We docked at Portugal on the way back to the Mediterranean, stopping at Valencia again before heading on to Italy (three ports), Greece and Turkey and finishing at Valencia.
I was scheduled to leave Valencia on June 2. That was changed to June 3, and I finally left on June 6 on a different vessel than originally scheduled.
I have taken several tours with Innovative Immersion Tours (11664 National Blvd., Ste. 277, Los Angeles, CA 90064; 916/709-3249, www.iitours.com), most recently to Bali, Indonesia, June 17-July 2, 2009.
This one was called “Island of the Gods: Bali.” The value for the money was outstanding, and most expenses (meals, tours, entrance fees, etc.) were included. Including airfare from San Francisco on Singapore Airlines, it cost $2,850 plus a single supplement of $350.
After booking, on Air Berlin’s website (www.airberlin.com) on Feb. 9, 2009, a round-trip flight between New York and Düsseldorf in May, I unhappily discovered that reserving two economy seats would cost an additional €60, or $86, round trip. Nevertheless, on Feb. 20 I phoned Air Berlin’s US office (866/266-5588) and paid this amount to ensure that my wife and I would have adjacent aisle and window seats.
In March ’09 I received a promotional e-mail from American Express stating that if I opened a credit card account (and met other requirements), I could get 25,000 air miles with Delta Air Lines plus two passes to Delta’s airport lounges. Having a number of air miles with Northwest Airlines and knowing that Northwest was merging into Delta, I called and applied for the American Express Card.
by Paula Prindle, Orient, OH
