Travelers' Intercom
Springing a young hawker
At the base of a pyramid near Cairo, Egypt, in January ’05, a young boy approached my wife, Mary, and me and asked if we would buy souvenirs. We smiled and said “No.” He thanked us for not ignoring him, gave Mary a small turquoise beetle and said, “You have a nice day. Smile at everyone you meet.
CDG Airport auto return
I read about the reader’s frustration in trying to find the rental car return location at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle International (Sept. ’05, pg. 46). I picked up a car and returned it there in late September ’05, and I found that if you watch the signs, it is not at all difficult.
Cottage stays plus cruise
We took a delightful trip to jolly old England, Sept. 9-Oct. 2, ’05. We stayed two weeks in cottages in the Cotswolds and spent one week on the canals.
Walks in Valparaiso
To sailors in the 18th and 19th centuries, Valparaiso, Chile, shone as one of South America’s beacons of light. The central city, embraced by steep hills and a beautiful bay, bustled with prosperity. Above, elegant wooded neighborhoods housed the merchants and bankers and fleet owners.
Dining in Paris
Karlette and her husband, Ward, shared a number of restaurant recommendations last month (page 42), gleaned from more than 20 trips to Paris. Here are a few more. (Reservations are advised.)
Ruminating on laminating
While I was spending a month in Paris, May 5-June 4, ’04, my daughter visited me for eight days. Both of us paid attention to visitors of various nationalities and found a couple of things that would have helped them navigate the tortuous streets of this city.
St. Petersburg guide
Prior to our trip to Russia in August ’05, we read about a guide in St. Petersburg named Sveta Motovilovets (phone [812] 275 34 77 or e-mail svetasad@hotmail.com) in ITN (Nov. ’04, pg. 82).
Hotel’s costly phone, Internet access
Looking for a “reasonably” priced but quality hotel room in London in October ’04, I was offered a “superior double room” at the Thistle Euston (TH) near Euston Station for about $200 per night and it did not sound too bad. The room turned out to be just fine.
Money Matters Overseas — a follow-up
Having traveled abroad over 33 times in the past 13 years, I heartily concurred and empathized with the preponderance of opinions expressed in the October ’05 issue regarding money.
The King and I
After traveling in Laos and southern Thailand on a trip in 2001, I found myself in Bangkok on the first of December awaiting my flight home in a week. The city was decorated with yellow banners and pictures of the King for his birthday on Dec. 5th.
Car hire snag in Britain & Ireland
In an article about the hiring of vehicles (July ’05, pg.
London Canal Cruises
We spent a very enjoyable day cruising the canals around London in May ’05 aboard the narrowboat Helix through London Canal Cruises (63 Salisbury Rd., High Barnet, Hertfordshire EN5 4JL, U.K.; tel. +44 [0] 20 8440 8962 or visit www.londoncanalcruises.com).
Give Bhutan a break
I have been trying to get a reader’s letter, titled “Bhutan Arrangements ‘Challenging’” (Oct. ’05, pg. 31), out of my mind, but I can’t. Bhutan, the country complained about, is my favorite place in the world, and I feel it was unfairly maligned by the traveler.
Dramatic sunrise in Morocco
The guidebooks say that when visiting Morocco, you should spend a night in Marzouga so as to witness the sunrise the next day. You could do that via camel or Land Rover, and on a trip my daughter Heather and I took one July, we decided to use camels.
Hear the roses
On our trip to New Zealand in March ’03, we chose to go to spectacular Doubtful Sound instead of Milford Sound. Getting there involved a motorboat across Lake Manapouri, a diesel-powered bus and another boat — hours of diesel motors and human voices.
Recommended Seville tours
My family and I had a wonderful 10-day trip through Spain in June ’05. We fell in love with Seville, where we had a fabulous local guide. Concepcion Delgado (phone 902-158-226 or mobile 616-501-100 or visit www.sevillawalkingtours.com) speaks excellent English and loves sharing her city with others.
Friendly haven
While awaiting information relative to a traveling companion who had been taken to the Wrexham hospital on May 23, ’05, my wife, Evie, and I spent several hours in the lobby of The Hand Hotel in Chirk (Church St., Chirk, Wrexham, LL14 5EY, Wales, U.K.; phone +44 1691 773472, fax 772479 or visit www.han
Owner-led Chilean Special Journeys tour
Chile I joined the 21-day “Chile in Depth” tour from Chilean Special Journeys (Montville, ME), April 7-27, ’05. This tour was led by CSJ’s owner, Scott Jones.
Kudos for TACA
I would like for people to know how nice the airline Grupo TACA is.
Cheaper guidebooks
The reader’s letter on travel to Iran in the June ’05 issue (page 40) was most interesting and informative. However, at the end, the references for guidebooks listed their prices if bought at full price.