Travelers' Intercom

June 2013 issue

Belugas and bears in the far north
Polar bear shaking water from its head in Coningham Bay — Nunavut, Canada. Photos: Grantham

We had boarded our expedition ship in Kangerlussuaq, western Greenland, and a few days later headed east across Baffin Bay to the Northwest Passage. Eight days after that we would reach Kugluktuk, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, where we would disembark.

The Canadian High Arctic is better known for its rich and storied history of exploration as well as for the First Nations cultures, rather than for its wildlife, but the wildlife experiences that we had were outstanding. 

We had an amazing time following a herd of musk ox one day, and we rode in Zodiacs along bird...

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November 2013 issue

Gorillas with ElderTreks
By Victor Block

My wife, Fyllis, and I took the 16-day “Uganda” tour with ElderTreks (Toronto, ON, Canada; 800/741-7956). Ten travelers were on the Sept. 20-Oct. 6, 2012, safari, most of whom were primarily interested in seeing mountain gorillas and big cats. 

At a price of $7,895 a person (not including air from the US), participants anticipated an intriguing itinerary, excellent guides and high-quality accommodations and food, and all expectations were met with flying colors.

Most accommodations were in luxury tents, with more emphasis on the first word than the second. They included very...

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August 2013 issue

Adventures Abroad ‘runs great trips’
By Stanley Gorcik

The subscriber who wrote the letter “On Canceled Tours” (June ’13, pg. 26) was disappointed at not being able to take several tours with the company Adventures Abroad.

I have taken 12 trips with Adventures Abroad and, despite having six other scheduled trips canceled by them due to an insufficient number of clients signing up, I would readily recommend them. In each case, I received notice a couple months ahead of departure so that I had plenty of time to make other plans. 

Adventures Abroad runs great trips, but they do have a large catalog with many unusual destinations and...

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January 2013 issue

Hungarian cowboys
By Mary Hollis

During a late-spring tour to Eastern Europe with Grand Circle Travel (Boston, MA; 800/221-2610) in 2011, my husband, Mike, and I visited the town of Bakodpuszta, where we were entertained by Hungarian cowboys at a horse show. We were awed by their whip-cracking performance!

MARY HOLLIS Moline, IL

July 2013 issue

Black Madonna quandary
By Sharon VanDewark

A subscriber wrote about his day trip to Montserrat, Spain, to see the Black Madonna (April ’13, pg. 46). He and his companions had purchased their tickets at a tourist information office near the harbor in Barcelona, below the Christopher Columbus statue. They took a train from the Barcelona Espanya station to Montserrat.

At the end of a tour of Iberia, I flew to Barcelona for a 5-day stay, during which, on Sept. 19, 2012, I took a trip to Montserrat with Pullmantur (phone 902 09 55 12 or, outside Spain, 00 34 915 56 32 13). I had purchased my ticket via my travel agent before...

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October 2013 issue

Brussels’ Rue des Bouchers
By Nancy Norberg

My husband, Ed, and I were in Brussels, Belgium, one May ’12 afternoon.

Walking through Place de l’Agora, we found the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, a glass-roofed arcade built in 1847 in the Italian Renaissance style. It is considered to be the oldest indoor shopping mall in Europe and certainly set the tone for all other similar arcades. This building is probably 300 feet in length, and its glass ceiling gives a solarium feel to the place.

About midway in the Galeries is an exit onto Rue des Bouchers, where a lot of the restaurants are located. Even though it...

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May 2013 issue

Hiking Offa’s Dyke Path in the UK
By Samantha Sartain
Samantha Sartain on the walls of Chester, England.
It was my friend Claire's idea. From her home in Australia, she planned the details of our June 12-30, 2012, hiking vacation along Offa's Dyke Path.
February 2013 issue

Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda
By Lynda Howland
“Mini” getting her evening meal of porridge.

During a month in Africa with friends (June-July 2012), I boarded a fast boat from Entebbe, Uganda ($129 round trip), for a 45-minute ride to Ngamba Island, which houses the Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary (phone +256 414 320 662). At the time of my visit, the sanctuary provided care for 48 orphaned chimps that had come from families, circuses and even a US military base.

Entry costs $40 per person, and it costs $200 a day for room and meals. In addition, one can sign on as a caregiver for the day ($200), preparing the chimps meals, etc., or take an hour-long forest walk with a group...

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