Travelers' Intercom
Guide in Bulgaria
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).
Audio guide advantages — London
My wife and I visited London in April ’07 for the 11th time. On our first trip, in 1984, we were with a hosted group. We learned that we prefer to have the freedom to explore in more detail, so we have been traveling independently ever since.
Abu Simbel with Select Egypt
An alternative to taking the expensive flight from Aswan, Egypt, to Abu Simbel is going by minivan with a driver and guide.
Surprise extra charge
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.
72-person ‘small-group’ tour
My husband, Steven, and I took the 10-day “Life in Japan” tour, May 13-22, 2007, with General Tours. The cost was $6,328 for both of us, including one extra day in Tokyo, another in Kyoto and the optional tour to Nikko. We purchased airfare separately.
Southern South America & Antarctica
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.
Out of sight, out of luck
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.
Tips for Southern Africa
Best meal — This was in Cape Town at the Khaya-Nyama Game Restaurant (267 Long St., Cape Town, 8001, South Africa), which served everything possible, such as buffalo, ostrich, warthog, etc. The average price was $20. Small place; reservations almost a necessity.
Guide in Georgia
In Tbilisi, Georgia, in February ’08 I had the best personal guide I have ever had: Anna Uturgauri (Str. R. Eristavi 9, Apt. 1, Tbilisi, 0179 Georgia; e-mail annau@caucasus.net).
Ethiopian guide
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.
Gliding through time
An Amsterdam-Budapest cruise on Viking River Cruise's (877/668-4546) Viking Pride one May evoked these observations: The Danube, immortalized as “blue,” is actually a dirty gray color.
The sounds of Cairo
You don’t have to be in Cairo very long to realize that the traffic is horrendously congested.
No Immigration snag
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).
Get multi-entry visa
My wife and I took a trip in January ’06 that included Brazil, and we got the necessary visas. In January ’08 we returned to Brazil and, while preparing for the trip, I was asked if we had ever been there before and when.
Galápagos procedure changes
When Karen Scott and I went on our annual catch-and-release striped marlin sports fishing trip to the Galápagos, Feb. 26-29, 2008, we found some changes in procedures that we think ITN readers will want to know about.
Continuing travel
As a recent widow, I want to encourage others in my situation to not give up traveling now that your spouse is gone. Changes can be made.
Pleased with travel insurance coverage
During our “Discover Thailand” tour (including pre-trip to Cambodia) with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA: 800/221-0814, www.oattravel.com), Jan. 14-Feb. 2, 2008, I slipped and fractured my ankle within 24 hours of our arrival in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Airport Q Ratings
Here is the first batch of readers’ Q Ratings of international airports — plus, as you’ll see, a few revisions in the instructions which will make the tallies more useful. The goal is to generate an idea of the comparative wait times at airports.
Tips for Italy
• In both the Roma Termini and Napoli Centrale train stations in Italy, the overhead signs that point toward washrooms, exits, platforms, etc., also direct travelers to ticket sales offices (biglietterie).
Defaults to U.S. carriers
We don’t fly a foreign carrier when a U.S. carrier has the route, even though we realize the U.S. carrier will not match the foreign airline in service. Why? Because our carriers need all the help they can get to stay alive; if not supported, more will go the way of Pan Am, TWA, etc.