March 2011

I first traveled to West Papua, New Guinea, Indonesia, 19 years ago when it was called Irian Jaya. I hiked steep trails to villages, slept on the floors of longhouses in headhunter/cannibal territory and wondered at the never-ending variety of penis gourds that were the dress for men, complementing the women’s grass skirts.

In June ’10 I traveled to West Papua with a friend. Perhaps not surprisingly, I discovered that it has made tremendous strides in catching up with the “modern” world in the intervening years.

Syria isn’t often visited by Americans. My wife, Arlene, and I first traveled there in 1999 and were so impressed with the country’s historical, archaeological and biblical treasures that we decided on a repeat visit in February 2010.

by Don Morris, Pismo Beach, CA

In the last three issues, we printed subscribers’ advice on renting apartments outside of the US. This month we lead with some practical advice by a reader followed by appraisals of specific apartments. We’ll do the same next month.

by Diane Harrison, Creve Coeur, MO

Using Globetrotter Guides’ “Turkey Travel Guide” to compare the itineraries offered by several large tour companies, my parents and I started planning our 2010 vacation. We decided on smarTours’ 14-day “Treasures of Turkey.”

Annie and Fred Dintzis of Peoria, Illinois, sent in a request: “We’d like to know how travelers with medical problems cope in different locations overseas. Please solicit readers’ experiences, comments and tips on dealing with diabetes, various allergies, high blood pressure, etc.”

On our way to a week in Umbria in September ’09, my husband, two friends and I debated descriptions of the various villas along the tourist trail and decided on a visit to the Villa d’Este (Piazza Trento, 5) in Tivoli, ground central for villas.

We made our way to the center of the city and discovered that we were practically at the doorstep of Villa d’Este. (Entry, €10 [near $14] adult; closed Monday.)

After my two teenage sons and I took the wonderful “Rhine Getaway” cruise from Viking River Cruises in June ’10, we took the train in Switzerland from Basel to Lucerne for a two-night stay.

When our group of 12 reached Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina, during ElderTreks “Adriatic Adventure” tour in September 2010, half of us had the pleasure of staying at Pension Botticelli (Muje Bjelavca br. 6, 88000 Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina; phone +387 36 319 057 or 63 890-658), just a three-minute walk from Mostar’s Old Town.