Travelers' Intercom
Stymied on advance seating
For a trip to Vietnam in January-February 2014, George Dottl of Rogers, Arkansas, called American Airlines and booked tickets for his wife and himself.
Timur’s summer palace
Tamerlane, also known as Timur the Lame and Amir Timur (1336-1405), is probably the best-known ruler of ancient Central Asia. Pictures of his mausoleum — the Gur-e Amir, located in Samarkand, Uzbekistan — are among the photographs most often seen in the travel literature on Central Asia.
70 hours on the Trans-Siberian Railway
My wife, Bonnie, and I took a month-long tour of China, Mongolia and Russia that included a 7½-hour daytime train ride from Ulan Ude, Russia, to Irkutsk, located to the west of the southern end of Lake Baikal. On Sept.
Macaws into the wild
A picture I took of two young scarlet macaws appears in my article on Costa Rica (Dec. ’13, pg. 32). These birds had been raised and released by the ARA Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rebuilding the wild scarlet macaw population
‘Otherworldly’ Yemen
Yemen proved to be an “otherworldly” experience, unlike any I’ve had.
Tropical paradise in Belize
My husband and I visited Belize in August 2013. We decided to stay on South Water Caye at the Pelican Beach Resort (P.O. Box 2, Dangriga, Belize; phone 501 522-2044, fax 522 2570).
Pedicure in Vietnam
I recall having a memorable pedicure while in Vietnam a few years ago.
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.
Parking in Freiburg, Germany
Freiburg is reputed to be both the warmest and the sunniest town in Germany. When my wife and I visited this “jewel of the Black Forest” in late November 2013, it was at least somewhat sunny, but temperatures were near freezing.
Relaxed-pace India with Worldview
If your “get up and go” got up and went, travel still can be wonderful. My husband, John, and I are in our 80s and kind of slow, but we still haven’t seen everything.
Wants affordable single rooms
As a single traveler, I read with great interest the article “Avoiding the Dreaded Single Supplement” in Lew Toulmin’s column “The Cruising World” (Jan. ’14, pg. 53).
Li River extravaganza
The article “Ten Cities in 20 Days — A Delightful Custom Tour of China” (Feb. ’14, pg. 18) was a delightful and informative article. It brought back wonderful memories of my trip to China in October ’12.
Rustic B&B in Samarkand
The driver of the taxi I shared with my travel companion, Bob, dropped us off at a bus station on the edge of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It was May 2013.
Traveling & Giving: Coins to kids
My wife, Ginny, and I have traveled throughout Europe via Grand Circle Travel (Boston, MA; 800/221-2610).
The QM2 transatlantic
My wife and I cross the Atlantic yearly on the Queen Mary 2 of Cunard Line (800/728-6273), usually in both directions — an elegant and comfortable way to get to Europe to visit our daughter.
The pleasures of Plan B
“When on a cruise, reserve ahead the tours you feel you must take.” I know you have heard this before and so have we, but on a cruise my husband, David, and I took from Copenhagen, Denmark, up the coast of Norway (Oslo, Stavanger, Ålesund, Geiranger, Bergen and back to Copenhagen) in September ’12, we
A short visit to Easter Island
Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is so remote that it is not “on the way” to anywhere else, which is why it took me over 30 years to finally get there. Prior to a tour of South America, I visited Oct. 24-28, 2012, reserving a hotel online and booking tours upon arrival.