Public Transportation

Aboard a double-decker bus with a kitchen below, you can enjoy a gourmet meal while on a sightseeing tour of Paris with Bustronome (2 avenue Kléber, 75116, Paris, France; phone +33 954 444 555, www.bustronome.com). A free "Audiopen" provides commentary (includes English).

Tours run daily, a 1¾-hour, 4-course lunch (meet at 12:00 or 12:30) and a 2¾-hour, 6-course dinner (7:30 or 8:30). A lunch tour costs €65 (child, €40) or, paired with wine, €85 (near $100) and dinner, €100 (child, €50)/€130.

At least 228 people were killed, with many more still missing at press time, after a passenger ferry capsized on Lake Victoria in northern Tanzania on Sept. 20. One crew member, an engineer, was rescued from an air pocket within the ship more than a day later; he had locked himself in a small room.

Traveling from Phuket, Thailand, to a small neighboring island for an outing, a ferry carrying 101 passengers (89 of whom were tourists, mostly from China), capsized in rough seas on July 5, killing 46 people. No members of the crew were among the dead.

Two other vessels in the area sank during the same storm, including a passenger vessel carrying 39 people. All passengers and crew were rescued in these other two incidents.

An overloaded ferry carrying passengers on Lake Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia, sank in bad weather on June 18. As of press time, 190 people were still missing, with three confirmed dead. Only 17 people were rescued, including the captain. 

The ferry was rated to carry only 60 passengers. The captain, who was also reported to be the owner, was arrested on June 21.

Lake Toba is, in surface area, the largest volcanic crater lake in the world and has a depth of about 1,500 feet. Recovery teams had not yet found the ferry as of press time.

In Tokyo, Japan, the Metro & Grutto Pass includes two unlimited-ride, 24-hour Metro tickets along with free or discounted admission to 92 museums in and around the city. 

The 2018 version of the pass can be purchased at the Metro pass office at any Tokyo Metro station — except at Nakano, Nishi-funabashi and Shibuya (Fukutoshin Line) stations — until March 31, 2019. ¥2,870 (near $26). For more info plus a downloadable PDF of the museums where the pass is valid, visit www.rekibun.or.jp/en/grutto.

On the Malawi side of Lake Malawi, the ferry MV Ilala travels for three days up the 365-mile length of the lake from the town of Monkey Bay (ferry is scheduled to leave each Friday at 8 a.m.) to Chilumba (arriving by 5:30 p.m. Sunday), with 11 stops in between. Each stop lasts roughly one hour.

Passage cannot be booked in advance. Tickets are sold only at the dock after the ferry has arrived, first come, first served, but for any number of stops. 

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Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 509th issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine.

In Australia, the new Whimit pass allows you to board any Greyhound bus on any route during the period of validity. Available for 7-, 21-, 45-, 60-, 90-, 120- and 365-day periods, passes cost AUD249 to AUD1,499 (near $188-$1,132). Contact Greyhound (in Australia; phone +61 7 4690 9850, www.greyhound.com.au).

A city bus in Rome, Italy, burst into flames on May 8, slightly injuring one person and completely destroying the bus. The fire was believed to have been caused by a short circuit. It was the ninth city-bus fire in Rome in 2018. In 2017 there were 22 bus fires in the city. There were no injuries in any of the other fires.

After weeks of touring Central Asia, my friend Scott and I stopped in fascinating Istanbul for a 3-day visit on our way home.

Despite gray skies and intermittent rain, on Oct. 25, 2017, we enjoyed our visits to the usual tourist sights, finishing with the Topkapı Palace complex. Afterward, Scott wanted to explore the Galata area while I wished to revisit the Grand Bazaar. Both of us are experienced travelers, so we split up.