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October 2009 issue

Guide in Yemen

A friend and I traveled to Yemen, once known as the Land of the Queen of Sheba, Nov. 3-17, ’08. It is a country of vast physical diversity, with deserts, mountains, volcanic wastelands and beautiful beaches, and it maintains a strong sense of its rich past.

We hired a local driver with a car, Mohammed Ghanem (phone 733206983 or e-mail mghanim2004@yahoo.com), who had come highly recommended by other tourists, for a 2-week trip around Yemen. He made every effort to meet our requests.

An enthusiastic presenter of his country, Ghanem speaks excellent English and is an excellent...

June 2009 issue

Heads up on Paris Métro

Travelers to Paris should be aware that, at least as of my trip in March ’09, there are no longer ticket booths in the Métro stations. The booths were where you used to be able to buy tickets for the subway and the bus lines. There are now two machines instead; apparently, one takes credit cards and the other cash.

The instructions are in French, of course, but if you look hard enough you can find a button to press for an English translation that will appear on a small screen. It is fairly complicated, so I bought enough tickets to last me through my next several trips to Paris....

November 2011 issue

Thai Customs rule change delayed delivery

I stay part of the year in Bangkok, Thailand, where I have an apartment. In fall 2010, for the first time, I used a luggage-forwarding service called Luggage Free to send over some of my possessions. It was just household bric-a-brac (clothing, books, DVDs, etc.).

Sometime in September 2010, I contacted Luggage Free by a form on their website and arranged to have them pick up four pieces of luggage from my home in North Carolina on Oct. 13. I also spoke with a company representative by phone and was informed that they would take care of all forms and fees and my luggage would be...

July 2011 issue

Costa, ‘designed to meet… interests of many cultures’

On Oct. 18, 2010, four of us left the US for an 11-day Mediterranean cruise on the Costa Cruises liner Costa Mediterranea, sailing from Savona/Genoa, Italy, to Rome and on to ports in Egypt, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey before returning to Savona on Oct. 31. My longtime girlfriend and I had a suite for $8,400.

At the beginning of the cruise, the butler who was assigned to our suite was supposed to help us get our luggage unpacked. He wasn’t there.

After the butler fouled up our first excursion in Rome, I didn’t use him anymore. I found out at 11 p.m. that an excursion he was...

May 2011 issue

Touring tips from a world cruise

My husband, Bob, and I took the trip of a lifetime around the world, November 2010-January 2011, by combining two Oceania Cruises voyages. Here are a few helpful hints for others who’d like to circumnavigate the globe.

We found that most of the world accepts US currency. Take lots of one-dollar bills and other small denominations. Bargain; most of the world does.

English truly is spoken — at least a little bit — almost everywhere.

Hiring a taxi is generally a great way to get a tour of an area, but make sure the driver speaks at least some English.

Hop-on/hop-...

August 2011 issue

Stugeron for motion sickness

Great article by Lew Toulmin in the June ’11 issue! My wife and I have crossed the Atlantic and Pacific oceans numerous times. We are in our 60s, and she usually gets motion sickness the first full day out.

I purchased Stugeron® at one place not mentioned in the article: on the ship. While sailing from Lisbon to Funchal on the Seabourn Pride in November ’09, I purchased the medication at the front desk. Even I needed it on that first day out. Stugeron® 15mg was most effective!

We always carry it on cruises, and it will be with us aboard the Seabourn Quest this October from...

June 2009 issue

Whale-watching in the Azores

In the article on the Azores in the April ’09 issue (“Far Horizons,” pg. 72), the writer states, “Today Pico is regarded as one of the best whale-watching venues in the world, with a viewing season running from April to October.”

I have no doubt the author was told this, as multiple people told me the same during a visit in September ’08. Of course, most of them had never been anywhere else but the Azores. One was a local guide, who then casually mentioned that I was lucky to have seen a whale, as she had been whale-watching three times and never seen one.

Apparently, the one...

September 2009 issue

Changing planes in Sydney

In October ’08, I flew to Sydney on United and then immediately connected to a flight to Canberra on Qantas. My bag was checked “through” to Canberra, though I had to claim it, of course, and go through Customs at Sydney.

After asking three people, I discovered that there is a “Qantas domestic transfer” desk hidden away in a corner of the international terminal. I expected I could drop off my bag there, but, after waiting in line, I was told that I’d have to travel with my bags on an airport shuttle bus to one of the domestic terminals. I suppose the domestic transfer desk is only...