Travelers' Intercom | International Travel News

January 2009 issue

Incongruous Moment: Frosty in Malaysia?

For a year, from July ’86 to June ’87, we lived in Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor state in Malaysia. The town is about 25 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur, which is only a few degrees north of the equator.

Malaysia is officially Muslim, although the native Malays, who are by definition Muslim, constitute only a bare majority of the population. About a third of the population is ethnic Chinese, who practice a great variety of religions, including Christianity. About 10% are Indians, mostly Tamils from South India who are Hindus. About one percent are expatriates, mostly Americans and...

December 2011 issue

Arlequin in Brussels

My husband, John, and I had the luck to find a wonderful hotel in the center of Brussels’ I’lot Sacré (the historic district). The fairly modern, 92-room Floris Arlequin Grand’Place (rue de la Fourche 17-19, B-1000, Bruxelles, Belgium; phone +32 [0] 2 514 16 15) has an ambiance of comfort and coziness and a location that is not to be beat.

On a quiet section of rue de la Fourche and set just off the busy rue du Marché aux Herbes, it’s simply steps away from the Grand Place, the shops of the Galleries Royales Saint-Hubert and the famed rue des Bouchers (...

July 2009 issue

Civil welcome in Costa Rica

We took a 2-week trip to Costa Rica in February-March ’09 with Overseas Adventure Travel. The airport security staff in San José were polite, efficient and thorough, in direct contrast to the way we were treated as we left Miami airport.

Does the TSA go out of its way to hire rude individuals? Certainly, they are no advertisement for the USA.

CHRISTOPHER HARTLEY

Ormond Beach, FL

December 2008 issue

Equitours, Travelex and Botswana

I booked a week-long horseback safari in Botswana from Equitours (Dubois, WY; 800/545-0019 or 307/455-3363, www.equitours.com) for Aug. 5-12, 2007. The land price was $2,450, and I used air mileage to upgrade a $2,000 round-trip coach fare to business class on Delta (Lexington, Kentucky, to Johannesburg, South Africa, via Atlanta, Georgia, and Dakar, Senegal).

Equitours strongly advises its clients to purchase travel insurance, as horseback touring has some extra risks inherent. This was my second trip with them, and both times I purchased insurance through the company they...

October 2011 issue

Improving any medical treatment overseas

I read the subscriber’s advice regarding carrying medical records while traveling (Sept. ’11, pg. 35).

My wife and I have been to 52 countries, and, based upon my experience, I recommend that — in addition to a prescription record, a list of your allergies and your doctors’ contact information — you should also carry a copy of your last blood-work report, including a notation of your blood type, as well as a copy of your last electrocardiogram and stress test, if you’ve had one.

All this provides a baseline with which to compare the results...

June 2011 issue

Panama City guide

My husband, Norman, and I knew we wanted to hire a tour guide to show us the major sights of Panama City in August 2010, and our trip’s best find was Alvamayita (Alva) Pinzón (cell phone 507 6676 4147 or e-mail alvamayita@yahoo.com).

We called her from the US to discuss our tour needs and her rates and availability. I had researched and called many tour companies recommended in the travel books, so I knew what our tours would typically cost. Prices for Alva’s tours were equal to or less than those of any group tour, and with just the three of us, we could go at our own speed and...

June 2011 issue

Guide in Nicaragua

My wife and I were assigned Juan B. Padilla (mobile phone [505] 86641048 or e-mail juansinmiedo44@hotmail.com) as our guide on four days of our visit to Nicaragua, Dec. 27, 2010-Jan. 3, 2011. We were using a package of hotels and day tours purchased through Tara Tours (Miami, FL; 800/327-0080), which advertises in ITN.

Tara Tours contracted with the Nicaraguan branch of Gray Line (Denver, CO; 800/966-8125) for our hotels; airport-hotel transfers; transfers between Managua, Granada and Leon, and several day trips, including a city tour in each and two volcano excursions. Juan...

February 2010 issue

Shroud of Turin to be shown

Is it a fantastic forgery or a miraculous image? Either way, the Shroud of Turin is one of the most researched and most mysterious artifacts in the world. Thoroughly studied, yes, but rarely seen — in the past 300 years, the enigmatic piece of linen has been on public display only 17 times.

Soon that will be 18. In the city of Turin (Torino to her residents) in Italy, the Shroud of Turin will be on display in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, April 10-May 23, 2010. I’ve made my plans to see it and found the arrangements to be pretty simple.

Visits are by reservation only...