Travelers' Intercom
Guide in Rome
A friend and I were in Rome for a few days during October ’04, and we want to add our recommendation for a guide to that of Dorothy Smith (Sept. ’04, pg. 94).
To wrong terminal and missed flight
On Nov. 7, I was scheduled to take Northwest Airlines flight No. 49 to Detroit, Michigan, out of Paris’ Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport. My e-ticket did not indicate which terminal I would be leaving from. When I told the Gare Montparnasse Navette bus driver “KLM,” he dropped me at Terminal Two.
Egyptian Museum
The single most important, not-to-miss place in Cairo is the Egyptian Museum. We wish we’d had more than one day there on our visit in March ’97, but the one we had was wonderful.
Lockstep
I used the special Transportation Security Administration locks on my luggage for flights from Seattle to Dulles to Vilnius, Lithuania, and then home from St. Petersburg, Russia, through Dulles to Seattle in June ’04. The locks were not cut, but the red symbol came off. The store would not exchange them.
Rothschild Safaris
I read with great interest Nili Olay’s article on her South Africa trip (Jan. ’05, pg. 36) arranged by Leora Rothschild of Rothschild Safaris USA (1685 S. Colorado Blvd. #197, Denver, CO 80222; phone 800/405-9463 or visit www.rothschildsafaris. com).
Introduction to Bhutan
I spent 15 days in a very remarkable country, the kingdom of Bhutan, which is located in the eastern Himalayas and is one of the last bastions of the Tibetan Buddhist culture and religion. It is often referred to as the Land of the Peaceful Dragon and is regarded as one of the last “Shangri-las” in the world.
Former leadfoot
I found out that many brands of shoes have a steel plate in them which sets off the alarm at airport security stations. I now wear shoes with no plates. At the end of 2004 I went through three airports in one month with no problems! JEAN CATER Dover, NJ
Booking hotels in Asia
Www.hotelclub.net is the best online hotel reservation service I have found. I have reserved hotels in Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Macau through them and have gotten the best prices I could find plus total reliability.
Freighter adventures
I found the freighter travel articles in the October ’04 issue most interesting. I would like to add some comments in order that individuals contemplating going this route will have another viewpoint to consider.
LHSDGT, anyone?
Randy Keck’s article on long-haul, single-destination group tours, or “LHSDGT” (Sept. ’04, pg. 106), really hit home with me. For 25 years, when working in the corporate world, I was lucky to be able to go away for a whole week.
Vouchers and car dropoff rules differ
ITN was mailed a copy of the following letter sent by a reader to U.S. and U.K. offices of the Hertz Corporation.
Awed in Dublin
Dublin, Ireland, is a city of much charm and history. On our visit in July ’97 we walked past the impressive Custom House building and the 18th-century Bank of Ireland, which once housed the Irish Parliament. Heading up Grafton Street, we passed many excellent shops and galleries.
Luggage locks cut
I obtained through the TravelSmith catalog (800/950-1600 or www.travelsmith.com) two TSA-approved luggage locks with the red TSA-approved logo plainly visible on them. On Nov. 20, ’04, at the end of a trip, I boarded LanChile flight No. 500 from Santiago to Miami.
Seeing Hungary by car
My husband, Norman, and I were lured into visiting Hungary by the idea that it was one of the bargains left in European travel. As we found on our trip in September ’04, this proved to be correct. It has joined the E.U. but, for now, is still using the old currency (forint).
Ethiopia recommendation
I was in northern and southern Ethiopia, Jan. 9-27, ’05, and I can heartily recommend our travel guide and agent. We have traveled overseas from one to four times a year since 1981, and all three of us on the Ethiopia tour agreed that this was the best guide we’d ever had on any such trip.
Poverty in Bhutan
I visited Bhutan Nov. 4-15, ’01, fly-fishing with a guide and driver. I saw beautiful streams, few fish, beautiful country and a unique, most interesting culture and delightful people, but Shangri-la it ain’t!
Cost of medications
Did you know that prescription drugs are sometimes less expensive than over-the-counter versions?
Bangkok observations
In Bangkok, the SkyTrain continues to be a godsend for getting passengers up and out of the awful fume-ridden traffic. The SkyTrain is quite crowded during rush hours, but it’s air-conditioned, so being packed in isn’t bad.
Colorful memories of Vietnam
It was with a sense of great anticipation and adventure that we started our 3-week tour of Vietnam in December ’03. We experienced a country where the people are a delight, the scenery is exceptional and history and religion resulted in other wonderful sightseeing opportunities.
Speaking of ‘hub and spoke’
I enjoyed the article on LHSDGT (Sept. ’04, pg. 106). My idea of a great time is one location for two to three weeks with day trips out from a single location. Commonly known as the “hub and spoke” concept, it is much easier on an older population and allows for choices.