Travelers' Intercom
Lodge near Johannesburg
When my wife, Karen, and I headed from Washington, DC, to Walvis Bay, Namibia, in June ’12, we required a place to stay in Johannesburg after our flight of 17-plus hours and before our flight the next morning.
Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda
During a month in Africa with friends (June-July 2012), I boarded a fast boat from Entebbe, Uganda ($129 round trip), for a 45-minute ride to Ngamba Island, which houses the Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary (phone +256 414 320 662).
An overview of Colombia
North of Ecuador, the Andes mountains split into three branches, dividing Colombia into western, central and eastern regions. On an 18-day tour of Colombia, March 19-April 9, 2012, our group observed the central and western areas, including three national parks.
Weekend in Barcelona
My daughter, Debra, and I spent a lovely weekend in the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain, Oct.
Duly noted
My husband and I found ourselves with three days’ notice to go on a trip to Southern Africa in October ’11. A pamphlet given to us by our travel agent stated that to go to South Africa, leave and reenter we each needed three sets of blank pages in our passports, each set to be two blank pages facing each other.
Jaldapara in India
My husband, Clyde, and I took a 35-day trip to India in March-April 2012 with arrangements made by Swagatam Tours (New Delhi, India; phone 91 11 25444000, fax 25444010).
Costly SIM card
For a 5-day London visit, Nov. 15-20, 2012, I took my cell phone which is capable of being used outside of the US. I had planned to buy a SIM card in London, but upon arriving at Heathrow Airport I saw a vending machine offering SIM cards from a couple of different companies.
Accommodations in Venice
After a 3-week tour (No. “CE-2”) of Central Europe in May ‘12 with Adventures Abroad (Blaine, WA; 800/665-3998), which was wonderful, my husband, Bob, and I flew from Prague to Venice on Air One ($100 for both tickets) for a 5-day stay.
Brussels hotel
My wife and I stayed in Brussels at the Floris Arlequin Grand’Place (Rue de la Fourche 17-19, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium; phone 00 32 [0] 2 514 16 15, fax 514 22 02), May 7-9, 2012, having booked online. The price was €397 (near $523) for three nights, which included breakfast.
Guide and driver in Senegal
During a trip to West Africa in June ’12, I spent 11 days in Senegal. In Dakar, I was fortunate to use the guide services of Massaer Dieng (e-mail dieng.massaer@yahoo.fr), who goes by “Ali.” He is knowledgeable, experienced, very personable and speaks English well.
A night out in San Miguel
The Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende offers a number of cultural events every week, as my husband and I found in February and March 2012 (Nov. ’12, pg. 14).
‘Outstanding’ in Canada
We stayed in an outstanding B&B in South Rustico, Prince Edward Island, in April ’12. The Barachois Inn (Prince Edward Island, Canada; 800/963-2194) was a splurge, at about $240 per night, but a memorable one.
Moorea’s Club Bali Hai
I made my 24th annual visit to the island of Moorea in French Polynesia, March 3-31, 2012. Tahiti and its neighbors in this archipelago are the loveliest islands I’ve visited in the South Pacific.
B&B near Hjo, Sweden
My wife, Jan, and I and our 12-year-old granddaughter, Paige, traveled independently in Scandinavia for a month in summer 2012. We made advance reservations in only three cities (Oslo, Göteborg and Bergen), where accommodations were reported to be tight and expensive.
‘Fantastic’ gîte in Brittany
My husband, Mike, and I stayed in Brittany at Gîte Lapin Kerguedalen (Kerguedalen, 56160 Ploërdut, Bretagne, France; phone +33 [0] 297394228). During planning, e-mails were answered promptly, and the owners accepted PayPal, which makes things easier.
Wildlife not guaranteed
I read the subscriber’s article “Searching for Wildlife in Three of India’s Top Tiger Reserves” (Aug. ’12, pg. 44), in which the writer described his disappointment.