Travelers' Intercom
Drying clothes in hotel room
I thoroughly enjoyed Bill Kizorek’s article, “One Shirt, 40,000 Miles. . .” (Dec. ’06, pg. 6). I have the solution to his wet socks problem.
Telestial cell phone
I am sharing with ITN readers my satisfaction with Telestial, Inc. (1804 Garnet Ave., Ste. 385, San Diego, CA 92109; phone 858/274-2686, fax 2757 or visit www.telestial.com), the international cell phone and prepaid phone card company.
Santiago de Compostela
My husband, Karl, and I took a long weekend trip to Santiago de Compostela in the far northwest corner of Spain, April 29-May 2, ’06.
Hotel + guides in Russia
With a Viking River Cruises trip in Russia planned to start on Oct. 1, 2006, my husband and I decided to arrive a day early in St. Petersburg and also stay an extra night in Moscow after the cruise.
Frequent-flyer joint account
Many years ago, my husband and I acquired a United Airlines MasterCard for which we paid $60 per year and which accumulated many frequent-flyer miles, which we used as needed.
Canceling in-flight noise
A reader recently complained about a screaming child on a flight. I can certainly empathize and offer the following tips.
Supper in Sicily
While traveling by car in western Sicily in September ’06, we were in need of a restaurant for supper. A local merchant directed us to Garten Pub (Via Erice 145, Valderice 91019,Trapani Province, Sicily, Italy; phone/fax +39 0923 892377) as a place to get good rustic Sicilian cuisine.
Exchanging money abroad
In my previous letter on how to handle money abroad (Oct. ’05, pg. 53), I noted that going to the ATM was virtually always the best way to get local currency.
Pleasant HAL Med cruise
Four of us took a 2-week trip with Vantage Deluxe World Travel (Boston, MA; 888/734-0188) in August ’06 that included a 10-day eastern Mediterranean cruise, “Roman Empire,” on the Noordam of Holland America Line (Seattle, WA).
Armenia, Karabakh and Georgia
My wife, Barbara, and I took a 12-day trip in September ’06 to Armenia and Karabakh (in Azerbaijan), plus an add-on of three nights in Georgia, through Levon Travel (1132 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91202; 800/445-3866, www.levontravel.com).
Sights in Amsterdam
The hub of Amsterdam is Dam Square. When we visited the city in July ’05, there was always lots of activity here — jugglers, mimes, musicians giving impromptu concerts. . . . The magnificent Royal Palace is on the edge of the square.
Ringside seat
I read the letter “Screaming Infant on a Flight” (Nov. ’06, pg. 30), regarding a reader’s ordeal on a Virgin Atlantic flight. I had a similar experience in May ’06.
Ziggy in Poland
We had the most incredible two days in Poland in 2005, thanks to the best guide ever, Ziggy Pelczyk (e-mail zpelczyk@wp.pl), and the ITN reader who wrote and told me about him, Elizabeth Moore.
Switched companies after lapse in contact
In September ’05, my traveling companion, Lynn Drake, and I, contacted PNG Holidays and arranged to take an 11-day “Goroka Festival” tour in Papua New Guinea a year later, Sept. 11-21, 2006. Including three internal flights in PNG, the cost was to have been $3,100 for each of us.
Peruvian fare
On a trip to Lima, Peru, in May ’06, we took a day trip to Chosica, a weekend retreat 25 miles east of Lima. Our friends had recommended Fuego Restaurante (Jr. Trujillo sur 406, Chosica; phone 360-2425), and our meal there was the best that we had in all of Peru.
‘Excellent resources’ in Ireland
A trip to Ireland my husband, Maurice, and I took, Aug. 21-Sept. 2, 2006, was greatly enhanced by two excellent resources.
Northernmost New Zealand
My wife, Carole, and I took a 2-week trip to New Zealand in March ’06. We spent most of our time north of Auckland, especially in the Doubtless Bay area. This area received its name from Captain Cook, who when he passed by wrote in his ship’s log, “Doubtless there is a bay.”
Budapest’s House of Terror
In Budapest, Hungary, the Terror Háza, or House of Terror Museum (Andrássy út 60, Budapest 1062, Hungary; phone + 36 [1] 374 2600 or visit www.terrorhaza.hu), deals with the years of fascist and communist oppression, from WWII to the fall of communism in 1989.
Birding at Daintree
Chris, an expert bird guide and owner of Chris Dahlberg’s Specialised River Tours (Daintree Village, Queensland 4873, Australia; phone 07 4098 7997 or visit www.daintreeriver tours.com.au), was one of the reasons we chose to visit Daintree on our trip to Australia.