01
In May 2000 we visited Solo on the island of Java in Indonesia. We particularly enjoyed Solo because it is a classic, traditional Javanese city, especially in regard to the music scene. Our favorite venue was the Sriwedari Theatre, a huge hall with live performances of gamelan and colorful comedy and drama every night between 8 and 10 p.m. Because the entry fee was only about 20¢, mostly natives were in attendance.
Just as our July ’03 issue arrived with Randy Keck’s article on Transylvania (Romania), we were about to leave on a self-planned trip covering the same sites. These are our observations, to augment his.
Hotels were all quite good, with Casa Viorel (phone 40-268-262-431) in Poiana Brasov being outstanding. The largest hotel we stayed in was the only place we found that accepted credit cards, but ATMs were available in every town we visited.
In April ’03 we were scheduled to depart for China on a tour with China Focus Travel (870 Market St., Ste. 1215, San Francisco, CA 94102; phone 415/788-8660, fax 415/788-8665 or visit www.chinafocustravel.com). Two weeks prior to our departure, China Focus canceled our tour due to the SARS outbreak. They did it to protect their customers and at a great financial loss to themselves. Within weeks they had mailed us a check for a complete refund.
ITN was mailed a copy of the following letter, sent by a reader to Mr. Joe Hyman of Country Cottages.
A Parisian friend arranged for us to be picked up at her nearby apartment, where we were visiting her in 2002, by Air Line Shuttle (112 bis rue Champimnet, Paris 18e, France; phone 01 42 51 2656). We were going to Charles de Gaulle Airport at about noon and thence home.
She called the service several days prior to our October date. When the office person answered, my friend was alarmed by her manner and thus visited the office the day before we were to leave. Many assurances were given that the shuttle would be on time (about 6:30) the next morning.
ITN received from a reader a copy of a letter he sent to Norwegian Cruise Line, parent company of Orient Lines, as follows.
by Lesley Friedsam, Tampa, FL
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 or Mexico.) The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.
This month’s winner is MATT HAUCK of Rector, AR:
After arriving in Barcelona, I sat in a park near the Ramblas with our luggage while my wife went to find a local hotel for us to stay in.
I recommend the following two new travel books.
In contrast to the opinion expressed in the reader’s letter “Tivoli, a Tarnished Treat” (Sept. ’03, pg. 18), the Tivoli that I visited in Copenhagen in September ’03 was a highlight of my trip. So enchanting was the theme park that I just had to go two nights in a row because I didn’t get enough the first night.
There is a cosmopolitan theme that runs the gauntlet in this beautiful amusement park. It isn’t Disneyland, Six Flags Over Texas or Coney Island. The park has its own flavor that is as delicate as Danish china and as flavorful as pickled herring in onions and wine sauce.