Travelers' Intercom
Calming a crying infant
In The Wall Street Journal this April, a piece headed “Just a Spoonful of Sugar” by Yuliya Chernova described the medical use of sugar as a pain-management method for infants, e.g., during injections.
Notable in Argentina and Uruguay
Thanks to Stephen O. Addison, Jr. (Sept. ’06, pg. 86), we found WOW! Argentina (Av.
Attempts at Air India miles credit
My wife, Betty, and I flew Air India from Los Angeles to New Delhi on Jan. 25, 2006, and returned on Feb. 15, 2006. Wanting to apply to their frequent-flyer program so we could get credit for air-miles with Air India and/or their partners, I asked on the plane for an application.
Luggage wrap not free
I recently encountered an airport scam that other ITN readers might watch out for.
Day tour from Amsterdam
During a 4-day stay in Amsterdam in July ’05, we took a day tour to Marken and Vol
Insult result
I’m writing regarding the letter “An Altercation Escalated” (April ’07, pg. 66).
Missed cruise due to visa snafu
We flew out of San Francisco on Oct. 11, 2006, destined to board the Pacific Princess in Cape Town, South Africa, for a 29-day voyage across the Indian Ocean ending in Australia.
Attractions and museums in Paris
I returned to Paris in October ’06 and visited several places of interest.
A museum of wars remembered
“Saving Private Ryan” and “The Thin Red Line” are about as realistic as war movies get, but I saw a couple of battle films that they couldn’t hold a rifle to. In one, British Tommies in World War I clambered over the top of their muddy trench to face withering German fire that cut many down.
Frequent-flyer-miles Catch 22
An impossible situation occurred in September ’06 while I was booking a February ’07 air trip. My wife, Tina, and I would fly Delta from New York to Amsterdam, then take KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to Hong Kong, take a cruise, then fly out of Bangkok to Amsterdam and back to New York.
Italian language schools
I began learning Italian in my late 50s by taking a class at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. However, I did not really start learning and using the language until I began attending a variety of private and state language schools in Italy, taking classes in Rome, Puglia and Sicily.
Private tour of Myanmar
I took a 2-week vacation to Myanmar, Nov. 27-Dec. 9, 2006, and had a wonderful time. Mr.
Air France, SF-Paris
I have been a big fan of United’s nonstop from San Francisco to Paris, but it has been dropped, so this time (Feb. 14 and 26, 2007) we went Air France.
Mobal ‘the best buy’
I was looking for an international cell phone to rent for my summer 2006 trip to Romania and the prices were outrageous. After a lot of research to find the best buy, I discovered Mobal Communications’ GSM world phone (New York, NY; 888/888-9162 or www.mobal.com).
Not-so-safe safe
Siem Reap is the town nearest to Angkor Wat, Cambodia, and on my visit to the famous temple, Jan. 11-14, 2007, I stayed in one of the town’s smaller hotels (about 30 rooms). The room had an in-room electronic safe into which I put some U.S. dollars, my passport and a few travelers’ checks.
Poor pinotage
In the article on East Africa in the March ’07 issue, on page 45 the author gave a description of the wines he tried in Zimbabwe: “. . . some of which was drinkable and some of which was truly horrible (e.g. something called ‘pinotage’).”
Scouting out a flight Georgetown-Paramaribo
My wife and I have traveled to much of the world, but what stumped us was how to go by air from Georgetown, Guyana, to Paramaribo, Suriname. When we plugged the flight into the usual search engines, no answers appeared.
‘Superb’ guide in BA
The owner/operator of a taxi in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pablo Menendez (phone 15 5613 4386 or e-mail pablo336menendez @hotmail.com), was superb in transporting my husband, Dave, and me from the international airport to the domestic airport and, on our return, to our hotel in March ’06.
Japan’s Ainu
The island of Hokkaido, Japan, conjures up images of wild land and misty mountains where wild bears once roamed. However, on the Muroran, Hokkaido, port stop of our September-October ’05 cruise aboard Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess, what we first saw were tunnels.