I stood on a hill overlooking a wintry landscape of dry fields stretching as far as the eye could see. All around me were stone jars. Enormous stone jars. Some stood six feet high. Some were no longer upright but tilted precariously. Others lay flat on the ground. My husband, Paul, moved from one jar to the next, standing on tiptoe to peer inside, hoping to discover. . . bones, ashes, undiscovered treasure?

Kham, our guide, told us, “This is called the Hill of Big Jars. As...

Dear Steve, do you know of any U.S. tour operators that have tours to Pumalín in Chile, that conservation land a USA couple bought in order to halt its development? — Mark S. Sommers, Dorchester, MA

Dear Mark, Pumalín, a vast, privately owned nature park comprising 800,000 acres of virgin land, is located about 70 miles south of Puerto Montt. It is owned by Americans Doug and Kristine Tompkins, who own, in total, about two million acres of property scattered around Chile and...

(Part 4 of 4 on Vietnam & Cambodia)

After my 1½ weeks in Vietnam, an evening arrival in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from Saigon provided me with the opportunity for an overnight respite before touring the remarkable remnants of the ancient Khmer civilization in and around the vicinity of Angkor Wat. I had arrived at one of the surviving great wonders of our world.

My accommodation for the next three nights was the luxurious, 238-room Sofitel Royal Angkor Golf & Spa...