After reading about an Apple app called OffMaps² in a subscriber’s article (“A Self-Drive Tour of Croatia Plus A Cruise Along the Dalmatian Coast,” Aug. ’15, pg. 30), I immediately downloaded the app to my iPad, since my wife and I were planning a trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu.
On the Caribbean island of Dominica from May 1 to Sept. 31, guests who book at least seven nights at the Rosalie Bay Resort (Rosalie, Dominica; call, toll-free in the US, 800/831-9249, www.rosaliebay.com) for the “Sea Turtle Experience” are guaranteed to see a leatherback, green or hawkbill sea turtle nesting or hatching.
Stephen O. Addison, Jr., described frustrations of using the Metro in Brussels, Belgium (March ’15, pg. 12). My husband and I totally agree with him, based on our experience in September 2014.
In the Red Sea city of Hurghada, Egypt, three tourists, two Austrians and a Swede, were stabbed at the Bella Vista Hotel on Jan. 8 when at least two attackers entered the 4-star hotel looking for kidnap victims. All three survived with nonserious wounds. Hotel security killed one of the attackers and apprehended the other. One of the attackers was said to be wearing an explosive belt.
The previous day, an Israeli-Arab tour bus was attacked in Cairo. No one was hurt. Daesh claimed responsibility, saying the bus was “carrying Jews.”
In his letter “Advice for Visitors to Bogotá” (Nov. ’15, pg. 12), Stephen O. Addison, Jr., gave a great overview of Colombia’s capital city. I can only add that my wife, Patti, and I had no difficulty getting pesos from ATMs when we were in Colombia, Oct. 20-29, 2015, and automatic teller machines are more often called cajeros automático or something similar. We found chip-and-PIN card readers to be more common in shops and hotels in Colombia than in Peru or Bolivia, where we were in late April/early May 2015.
(Second of three parts)
This month’s winner is JOHN WEISS of Canton, CT
I read the subscriber’s letter “South Caucasus Comparisons” (July ’15, pg. 15) with interest, as I visited Georgia and Armenia in 2009. I, too, enjoyed my visit, although my opinion of the museums there was not as high as the writer’s.
I was stunned at the cost of the tours the subscriber took, however. I found both countries to be excellent budget destinations, where it was possible to travel very cheaply, if not always very comfortably. Also, I did not find it necessary to travel with a US tour company.
Nine months in advance, my husband, Gary, and I (ages 70-plus) and our daughter and her spouse began planning a trip to Ireland. After much searching for tours and being frustrated with scheduling problems, we contacted ITN advertiser David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe (Middleburg, FL; 800/570-1351, http://davidmcguffin.com).
