Travelers' Intercom
Discovered Tallinn
My wife, Amber, and I decided to add a quick, one-night stay in Tallinn, Estonia, to our 2-week Nordic capitals tour in July ’07 simply because it was easy to get to and because there was a chapter on the city in our “Rick Steves’ Scandinavia” guidebook.
Transnistria ‘toll’
I read with interest the reader’s account of being required to pay money to agents on a train traveling from Chisinau, Moldova, to Kiev, Ukraine (Dec. ’08, pg. 11).
Street crime in Santiago
A friend and I really enjoyed ourselves during an 8-day stay in Santiago, Chile, Nov. 20-28, 2008. The country is very nice, traveling through the wineries was educational, and Valparaíso and Viña del Mar were really spectacular. But be aware that Santiago suffers from a serious petty theft problem.
JAL came through
My husband and I took a 3-week tour of Laos in late November ’08. About a week before we were due to fly home on Dec. 3, citizens of Bangkok, Thailand, demonstrated their dissatisfaction with their government at the airport. No planes were able to fly in or out of the city.
Preparing for an Australia trip
My husband, Ray, and I took the “Ultimate Australia” tour with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA; 800/493-6824, www.oattravel.com).
Re scripted school visits
I felt the letter titled “Tour Members’ Encounters Distorted?” (Jan. ’09, pg. 26) presented an unusually negative characterization of a tour experience in Southern Africa with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA; 800/493-6824, www.oattravel.com).
Traveling with a wheelchair
In response to Thora Jervey’s request for accounts of wheelchair travel (Sept. ’08, pg. 63), might my wife, Gerry, and I offer some thoughts?
Return to Myanmar
My husband, Paul, and I traveled to Myanmar (Burma), Oct. 12-26, 2008, with Asia Transpacific Journeys (Boulder, CO; 800/642-2742, www.asiatranspacific.com). The trip was wonderful.
Tour group audio systems
This is a postscript to my letter “Pros and Cons of Tour Group Audio Systems” (Sept. ’08, pg. 15), with clarifications.
Couldn’t avoid AA’s booking fee
Around Oct. 31, 2008, I went online and tried to get an award ticket on LAN Airlines from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to São Paulo, Brazil, using American Airlines AAdvantage miles.
Iwo Jima in WWII
Japan opens the island of Iwo Jima to visitors one day each year, usu
Offsetting poverty
In her letter on India, Martha Spring asked how other ITN readers “respond to poverty on their travels” (Dec. ’08, pg. 58).
Britain driving more difficult
What’s one thing we would do differently if we were to take our last trip over again? (See Oct. ’08, pg. 2.) After our experience in late April and early May ’08, we would not drive ourselves in England again.
Assumed cabin was booked
In January ’08 I reserved a cruise to Norway for May 31-June 11, 2008, with Taitbout Voyages. I sent them a check for €1,180 (about $1,636) for the basic price and added €346 ($480) for a single cabin.
Sapporo summer festivals
• Founded in 1990 by Leonard Bernstein, the Pacific Music Festival is a celebration of classical music held annually in Sapporo, Japan. For two of the last three years, I’ve attended the festival’s Picnic Concert, held the last Sunday of July in Sapporo Art Park.
Bucharest taxi snag
Prior to our trip to Romania in April ’07, we had read many bad things about the taxi drivers in Bucharest, so we had the hotel send a taxi to the airport for us since we would be arriving at 12:30 a.m. on British Air.
Luggage cart cost
In October ’08 we found airports in Italy now requiring a one- or 2-euro piece to secure a cart to transport your luggage. When you return the cart, you get your money back.
Impressions of Russia
From childhood, I was taught that Russia was my enemy and to fear it. My impression was that it was a mighty superpower of great warriors and conquerors.
Prinsendam and the Amazon
We are happy to pass along that we completed our 60th anniversary yearlong celebration in fine style as planned. Alma’s fall in Majorca in April, reported in my letter in the September ’08 issue (“Insurance Came Through — Fast,” pg. 18), gave us four months of concern as she fought back successfully to walk again.