Travelers' Intercom
Panama, Costa Rica train rides
While on a 15-day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles on the Island Princess of Princess Cruises (800/774-6237), Oct. 30-Nov. 14, 2013, I signed up for two shore excursions involving trains.
Seoul airport’s delights
If one has to have a long layover, I’m here to tell you that Incheon International Airport near Seoul, Korea, is the best place to have one. I flew from Siem Reap, Cambodia, to Portland, Oregon, via Incheon and Seattle on Feb. 18-19, 2014. The journey included a 13-hour layover (5 a.m. to 6 p.m.) at Incheon.
Driver in Cape Town
My wife and I try to do a world cruise every year. Rather than take each ship’s shore tours, we usually hire local taxis, asking the drivers to show us what they are “proud of” in their city. We can never predict the results but are almost always pleasantly surprised.
Pickpocket ploy
I was in France in September-October 2013 and would like to warn travelers about something that was occurring in both Paris and Toulouse.
Turkish dessert
I find it ineffably sad whenever I see an old friend for what I believe may be the final time, and so it was with Istanbul on my sixth and last visit there in January ’14.
Portable WiFi router
In the article “Ten Cities in 20 days — a Delightful Custom Tour of China,” the writer said that at a particular hotel, she and her husband “had to perch on a couple of benches by the front door” in order to use WiFi, which wasn&rsqu
Turkmenistan worth a visit
In a letter about Turkmenistan (March ’14, pg. 23), a subscriber made many valid complaints about travel in that country.
Air Tahiti Nui and Paris’ CDG
Early in 2013, my wife, Josie, and I used our American Airlines mileage to book round-trip coach-class tickets to Paris for the last two weeks of September.
‘Greenland & Wild Labrador’
Are you looking for a trip that few have taken and which includes natural splendor, archaeology, hiking, history, native culture, music and lots of laughter? My husband and I experienced such a trip, the 14-day “Greenland & Wild Labrador,” Sept.
Money changer lesson in Laos
The tour books we read seemed to discourage the use of ATMs in Luang Prabang, Laos, especially by folks like us who would be traveling for six months and couldn’t afford to have their card chewed up at the beginning of their trip.
Explore UNESCO sites
I would like to commend Marcia Brandes for the well-written article “Ten Cities in 20 Days — a Delightful Custom Tour of China” (Feb. ’14, pg.
Guide in Ethiopia
On a trip to several remote tribes in Ethiopia’s lower Omo Valley, Oct. 19-Nov. 1, 2013, my wife and I and five other photographers hired an experienced Ethiopian guide, Robel Petros (phone +251911 423112 or email robguide28@yahoo.com).
Praise for tummy fiber
I read the subscribers’ accounts under the title “Maintaining a Special Diet While Traveling” (Feb. ’14, pg. 42).
Lessons learned in Australia
My husband and I consider ourselves experienced travelers, and I thought I had gone over our itinerary with a fine-toothed comb, but there were a few glitches on our Oct. 12-26, 2013, trip to Australia that I might have been able to avoid.
Impressions of Turkmenistan
I read the letter from, and had a different view than, the traveler who came away with a negative impression of Turmenistan (March ’14, pg. 23).
Now carries a doctor’s note
Traveling by myself in November ’13 on a tour arranged by a tour company, I was using Djibouti as a base of operations to fly to Puntland, Somalia, and to Mogadishu, Somalia, and back.
Lufthansa bag lag
My husband and I were scheduled to fly Lufthansa on Dec. 9, 2013, from Los Angeles to Frankfurt, with a transit time of about two hours before continuing to Nürnberg.
Be nice to your airline agent
In her letter “Air Travel Tips” (Jan. ’14, pg. 10), Ms.
Lycian rock sarcophagus in Kas, Turkey
While traveling solo in Turkey for 26 days in May ’09, I was in Olympos and wanted to visit the town of Kas (pronounced Kash). I waited near a small store at the top of a dirt road and took the first bus that had an open seat. The ride took three hours.