Travel Tidbits: the Mursi, JetRest, and Luang Prabang

 We visited the Mursi people of Ethiopia. The women stretch their lower lips and insert wooden or terra-cotta discs. We found this, along with corncobs in their hair, quite unattractive, but to the Mursi, the larger the lip plate the more desirable the wearer.

The Mursi were quite aggressive in wanting their pictures taken, for which payment was required. A thoughtful gesture of our guide was to get us new, small-denomination birr notes, as that is what the tribal people wanted. — NELL Q. McCOMBS, Ventura, CA

I found a wonderful travel pillow called JetRest in the Magellan’s catalog (800/962-4943, www.magellans.com). Item No. IF780, it has a soft, washable cover and costs $29.85. It’s L-shaped, and you put your head upon the larger end when sitting in the middle seat of a plane or resting against the window or against your husband’s shoulder, as I do. — CLAUDIA REED, Las Vegas, NV

Luang Prabang, Laos, is a joy. It is a place to slow down, kick back and relax. Its main street is lined with colonial-era shops, cafés and houses. It was one of the few places I found in Southeast Asia where one could opt out of staying in a large tourist hotel. During our trip in February ’07, we saw many guest houses that were converted homes with wonderful local charm and moderate prices. — HARLAN HAGUE, Stockton, CA