Columns

by Philip Wagenaar, M.D. (Part 2 of a series)

After relating last month the beginning of the 72-day, ’round-the-world trip that my wife, Flory, and I took, Aug. 31-Nov. 11, 2009, in this issue I describe some highlights of the Australia portion.

Note that an electronic visa (ETA), costing AUD20 (near US$18), is required for US and Canadian citizens for a stay of up to 90 days in Australia. This is available online at www.eta.immi.gov.au or through a travel agent.

On Sept. 7 we flew from Tokyo, Japan, to Sydney, Australia. Our final destination was Melbourne, which was...

by Philip Wagenaar (Part one of a series)

I heaved a sigh of relief. For months I had been preparing a trip ’round the world (RTW) for my wife, Flory, and myself. For each of us, I had amassed the 220,000 frequent-flyer miles which Northwest Airlines required for RTW business-class travel.

I wondered if Northwest would ever let me do it, given the airline’s restrictions on traveling with miles. (Northwest was one of the airlines in the alliance SkyTeam and has, since then, been absorbed by Delta Airlines.)

For months I diligently researched country after country to...

The Kingdom of Jordan may not have the oil wealth of its Middle East neighbors to its east. It does, however, have wonderful art and historical riches available now for ordinary travelers to view in this troubled area. Petra is certainly Jordan’s crown jewel and a must for every tourist, but, having gone that far, travelers shouldn’t bypass Jerash, Madaba (July ’99, pg. 146) and Jordan’s capital, Amman. To these treasures, we’d add another site.

Several years ago, due to airline schedules, my wife, Moreen, and I arrived in Amman two days before our tour began. Instead of staying in...