Travelers' Intercom
Cinque Terre hotel
Saltwater scents from the Ligurian Sea mixed with aromas of homemade focaccia from the nearby bakery, Forno di Monterosso, as my wife, Cindy, and I arrived at La Spiaggia Hotel (Via Lungomare 98, Monterosso al Mare; phone 0187-817-567), five
Populous China
CLARIFICATION — A reader questioned the statement in the letter “China with Viking River Cruises (March ’10, pg. 29) that Chongqing is almost double the size of Shanghai and Beijing.
Found anchorages inconvenient
I went on the 15-day “Romantic Rhine” cruise aboard the Viking Sun, Nov. 7-21, 2009, with Viking River Cruises. With a discount offered by Pennsylvania Travel Service, my cost was $3,520, land only.
Mobility-impaired cruiser
I had a mild case of polio as a child and had no problems with mobility for many years. However, in my late 40s or early 50s I started having weakness, first in my left leg and later in my right.
Standby versus confirmed
I work for an airline and might be able to offer an insider’s perspective on the whole “standby vs. confirmed” debate (March ’10, pg. 72).
Lalibela bargain
If you are going to Lalibela — and it would be a pity to go to Ethiopia and not go to Lalibela — try to get a room at the Mountain View Hotel (c/o Lalibela post office, Lalibela, Ethiopia; phone +251 333 360 804 or mobile +251 911 983 396).
Thomas Cook timetables
Okay, so you have read the Rick Steves guidebook and the Rough Guide to wherever it is you want to go in Europe. You have decided to see the wildflowers in one village and a museum in another and to go wine tasting someplace else, but you have no idea how to get to them all.
Hold that train
European trains generally run on time, but if your train is delayed and you have a tight connection, even the Swiss sometimes will hold the following train a few minutes until the arriving train comes in and passengers can transfer.
Tribes Travel in East Africa
In our 40 years of travel, my wife, Arnette, and I have never had a more perfectly planned and executed trip than our five-country, five-week independent East Africa experience, July 27-Aug. 28, 2009.
Seoul rejuvenation
Returning to the US from Vietnam back in December ’08, I had a six-hour layover at the Seoul, South Korea, airport. Inside security, near the short-time hotel, I discovered an upstairs area with six very comfortable lounge chairs. I spent most of my layover time in one of them. Very quiet!
Glasgow, Lake District
After visiting our new granddaughter in London in October ’09, my wife, Kay, and I traveled through Scotland and England’s Lake District via train. We obtained our Senior Railcards at a local train station for £26 (near $42) each, but it would have cost only £23.40 if purchased online at www.senior-railcard.co.uk.
Turkey on the cheap — in Fethiye
I traveled solo and on the cheap in Turkey for nearly all of May ’09. I described my visits to Bodrum (Oct. ’09, pg. 14), Selçuk (Jan. ’10, pg.
Cut a rug in Romania
My husband and I took a tour in June ’09 that focused on dance, with choreographer Theodor Vasilescu (in the US and Canada, contact Ping Chun, 49 Junard Dr., Morristown, NJ 07960; phone 973/539-7020 or e-mail ping.chun@att.net).
‘Budget buy’ barge, France
I read with great interest Lew Toulmin’s article “Cruising the Burgundy Canal” (January & February 2010 “The Cruising World” columns) because a friend and I cruised the Marne-Rhine Canal from Reims to Vitry-le-Fran
Private shore tours
On a 32-day cruise aboard the “Tahitian Princess” (now called Ocean Princess), Oct. 18-Nov. 19, 2009, my husband, Bob, and I did the following on our shore trips.
Inside Japan Tours
My husband, Jack, and I took a terrific, 14-night, small-group tour of Japan with Inside Japan Tours (Lewins House, Lewins Mead, Bristol, BS1 2NN, UK; phone ++44 117 314 4620), Oct. 2-16, 2009. The tour was reasonably priced at $3,820 each, not including air.
Tasty thali
In the first of the letters compiled for “What to Eat Where” (Jan. ’10, pg. 42), there was an error in the conversion of the price of a thali; 150 to 250 rupees does not equal $1 but is more like $3.25-$5.50.
Lousy options after missed flight
Editor’s note: In the following account, ITN has agreed to withhold the name of the subscriber and tour company. Nevertheless, we feel readers can benefit from the lessons imparted.
Disneyesque China
On a trip to China with Grand Circle Travel, Nov. 12-Dec. 2, 2009, my wife, Anne, and I didn’t visit Hong Kong Disneyland. However, we saw a number of attractions that reminded us of Disney, some of which out-Disneyed Disney.
Westernmost China
I chose the “Silk Road plus Shangri-La” tour, May 26-June 11, 2009, from China Plus (Irving, TX; 888/868-8811) because, after a day in Beijing, it went to the furthermost province in the west of China, Xinjiang. The cost, with air from the West Coast, was $4,298.