Travelers' Intercom
Pick-me-up in Kobarid
If you’re visiting Kobarid, Slovenia’s, award-winning Kobarid Museum, you’ll do well to have a meal at Restavricija Kotlar (Kobarid, Slovenia; phone 386 [0] 5 38 91 110) before leaving town. It’s located on a square only a 2-minute walk from the museum.
Barrage of images on Japan cruise
Subscriber G.L. (Hal) Merow mailed to ITN a copy of the following letter, which he sent to Cruise West, regarding a 13-night/14-day “Japan Unveiled” cruise taken aboard the “Spirit of Oceanus,” March 18-31, 2006.
Driving and Buying Gas Overseas
We asked the independent self-drive travelers among you to share any tips on buying gas overseas (outside of North America and the Caribbean), including choosing which establishments to patronize, which gas to buy, etc., plus any warnings relating to the mechanical, economical or logistical aspects of automobiles, fuel
Yacht in the Cyclades
On a trip to Greece in September ’05, my wife, Margaret, and I took a 7-day cruise of the Cyclades Islands aboard the comfortable but not luxurious motor yacht m/s H&B, through Viking Yacht Cruises (4231 Lakemoor Dr., Wilmington, NC 28405; 800/341-3030, www.vikings.gr).
Normandy Safaris
For our trip to Normandy, France, in May-June ’04, we wanted to have one base for our 5-night/6-day stay plus a guide who would provide transportation and be familiar with the area.
Montevideo, Uruguay
During our stay in Argentina, March 30-April 13, ’06 (Sept. ’06, pg. 84), my husband, Joe, and I took a few days to travel to Uruguay. We wanted to see both Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo and decided to spend three nights in Montevideo.
Northern Ireland back roads
On a September drive from the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, to Belfast, we opted to take the more scenic coastal route. Although distances were not great, taking the smaller side roads meant adding additional time to our journey.
Attn: bird lovers
Lake Nakuru, Kenya, is a bird lover’s paradise. It is very shallow and can fluctuate up to 12 feet each day. When the water is low, you can see a white band of crystallized soda along the shoreline.
Bardo mosaics
I enjoyed the article in the September ’06 “Mideast and Mediterranean” column regarding the Bardo museum in Tunis. I’ve been there and it just keeps getting better.
Travelers’ checks in euros
In the past we’ve taken fairly large quantities of American Express Travellers Cheques with us overseas for reasons of money safety. At least we got them at no cost from AAA! On a trip to Italy in September-October ’06 we learned a painful lesson regarding euro-denominated American Express Travellers Cheques.
Elderhostel cruise fit the bill
I took the “Pearls of the Baltic Sea” trip with Elderhostel
Maps of Australia
Regarding the supposed unavailability of Australian maps in Australia (Oct. ’06, pg. 4), first, both of Australia’s major book chains (Dymocks and Angus & Robertson) have an extensive selection of maps, and one or the other (or both) are in most sizeable towns.
Tailored Travel in NZ
We had a fabulous 3-week trip to New Zealand in February ’06. I wanted to pass on the name of our guide, as he was the best we have ever had in all of our travels.
Re: passengers smoking on cruise
We took a 12-day cruise from Sydney, Australia, to Auckland, New Zealand, on the Diamond Princess, Feb. 24-March 8, 2006. We were disturbed by the cruise line’s lenient no-smoking policy, which is the most lenient of any cruise ship we’ve recently been on.
Treated at a Hong Kong hospital
I spent two weeks in Shenzhen, China, in July ’06 during my husband’s 10-week stay on business. This is a huge city with nothing to brag about. There is a 5-story “copy” mall for those interested in purchasing fakes. I’m not a shopper.
Reason to smile
While on a tour in France in the fall of 2005, my husband and I feared that we were going to run out of toothpaste before we got home, so we went to a pharmacy and bought a tube of toothpaste called Elmex. Even though we couldn’t read French, we could see that it had fluoride in it. The price was a little over $6.
Credit cards
I have been reading with great interest readers’ reports about credit card/debit card use while traveling.
Around Croatia
We spent two weeks in Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia, July 5-18, 2006, on the motorcoach tour “Crossroads of Cultures & Contrasts” with Brendan Worldwide Vacations (21625 Prairie St., Chatsworth, CA 91311-5833; 800/421-8446, www.brendanvacations.com). The cost was $1,623 per person, land only.