July 2008

The letter about crime problems in Barcelona (May ’08, pg. 58) brought back an interesting (and embarrassing) memory from when I was there in September ’07, traveling alone and independently.

I read about the reader’s experience with U.S. Immigration’s computers not being able to read a passport of someone whose first name is an initial (May ’08, pg. 11).

In reference to the letter titled “Initial Snag at Immigration” (May ’08, pg. 11), I offer comments on my experience having a passport that lists my first name only as an initial (W James Brasher).

I read the item “Venice’s 2-tier pricing” (Jan. ’08, pg. 24), regarding different prices for locals and tourists at restaurants and hotels and for water transport in Venice, Italy. Yes, there are scams in Venice as well as unintentional and unneeded services and their subsequent charges, but, more often, there are just high prices.

We timed a September Ethiopia trip so that we would hit local market days in the south. We visited the Key Afer Thursday market, the Dimeka Saturday market and the Konso Monday market.

My husband, Bob, and I planned a 15-day trip to Ethiopia, March 21-April 4, 2008, through an agency based in Addis Ababa. The arrangements included a driver and an experienced professional tour guide who traveled with us the entire time.

Once we arrived in Ethiopia we learned, to our delight, that our guide had a rare and unique background: he grew up among the Hamer tribe in Ethiopia’s lower Omo Valley. He also spoke perfect English, having been schooled in Addis Ababa.

My husband and I traveled in Bulgaria, May 12-16, 2007, with a guide I found on the Internet: Patrick Peneff (e-mail patrick@guide-bg.com or visit www.bulgariaprivateguide. com).

Puerto Varas, or the City of Roses, in Chile, is just that, with rosebushes lining the streets, both in the median as well as along the curb. The setting with Osorno Volcano in the background is breathtaking.

On a March trip to the Lake District of Chile, our tours included a half day in and around Puerto Montt and a half day to visit Frutillar, a small, German-style village, also on Lake Llanquihue.

A 45-day self-guided trip to southern South America and Antarctica that my wife, Shirley, and I took Dec. 31, 2007-Feb. 14, 2008, took a great deal of planning. I’d like to share some of the valuable lessons learned from this trip.

by Jim Hendrickson, Lynden, WA