Travelers' Intercom

There are only so many New Year’s Eves we get to experience in our lives. One of the most memorable for my wife, Karen, and me was on Dec. 31, 2019, in the town of Puerto Villamil on the Galápagos island of Isabela.

December 31 started out with various organizations and vendors gathering on the main square, where a large stage had been set up at the end of the dirt street. In the afternoon there were two soccer games, the first with young males, then one played by females.

People were celebrating with each other throughout the day, and there was music in the evening....

Prior to embarking on a 7-country cruise in late October 2019, my wife, Patti, and I spent four days in China, and while in Shanghai, Patti discovered that she was blocked from accessing her Gmail account.

I learned from the desk clerk in the hotel we stayed at that all Google services (including Gmail, search and Maps) are blocked in mainland China, as is Yahoo.

We were able to access Google in Taipei and Hong Kong, so we used Gmail there.

I recommend obtaining an alternate email account for China travel. I have several email accounts; my AOL (owned by Verizon) and...

My wife, Thea, and I have visited Amsterdam in the Netherlands several times over the last few years, most recently in June 2019. We often get asked by friends and family for advice about visiting there, so I came up with the following notes.

Amsterdam is a great city for just “chilling” — wandering around the centre, enjoying a coffee or beer, watching people, window-shopping, etc.

Beware of bicycles. Cyclists will ring their bells and expect you to jump; you have to be nimble! What I found confusing was that roads have both cycle tracks and...