December 2010

When in Riga or Jurmala, Latvia, you can rent one of 100 bikes from one of 11 BalticBike stands shown on a map on the website www.balticbike.lv.

In Swakopmund, Namibia, the landmark, WWI-era iron jetty reopened in August 2010 after extensive reconstruction.

In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, one minute after midnight on Aug. 11, 2010, the beginning of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan was marked by the start of the world’s largest clock. The Mecca Clock sits atop the 2,000-foot-tall tower five of the seven-tower Abraj Al Bait complex, scheduled to be completed in fall 2011.

In August, in response to women passengers’ complaints of sexual harassment and groping on the public rail system, Indonesia became the latest country to offer women-only passenger cars. Two coaches on each of 10 eight-coach Jakarta-Bogor commuter trains are designated women-only, with female conductresses and security officers.

Currently, 12 countries have women-only train cars. The others are Belarus, Brazil, Egypt, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates.

In August, under pressure from international human rights groups and various foreign governments over human trafficking violations, the Senegalese government began enforcing a 2005 law against using children to beg on city streets.

Chile-based LAN Airlines and TAM airlines of Brazil have agreed to a merger. The new company will be called LATAM. When the merger is complete, in April or June 2011, it will create the largest airline in South America, flying 241 aircraft to 115 destinations in 23 countries.

LAN also plans to purchase the second-largest airline in Colombia, the domestic airline Aires, at which point LATAM would be among the 15 largest airlines in the world.

United Airlines and Continental Airlines will be using a new logo after the merger of the two airlines in early 2011. The logo will incorporate the name “United” and Continental’s globe image.

We asked, “Where have you had the best ice cream outside of the United States?” We requested that you name the particular shop (along with its address or approximate location) and include when you were there and the approximate price of a treat.

Azerbaijan has ceased providing transit and short-stay single-entry visas (for up to 30 days) to visitors. (There are exceptions for diplomatic and official visitors.) Travelers entering at Heydar Aliyeve International Airport in Baku must obtain a transit visa in advance through an Azerbaijan embassy or consulate.

Advice on renting apartments: that’s what we asked for from those of you who have rented outside of the US. The responses we received were so comprehensive, we culled portions from them to present in categories. This month: the advantages and disadvantages of renting.

In future issues we’ll print subscribers’ sources for finding and selecting apartments; suggested questions to ask a property owner or rental agency; practical matters of apartment living, and appraisals of specific apartments.