Columns

March 2007 issue

You asked!

by Janet Denninger

Thanks to all of you readers who contacted me to let me know you like this column and to share your photographic questions. I do enjoy hearing from you and helping you to make your photos better. What I am learning from you is we all face the same challenges.

• A small, wise investment! Many of us stretch our budgets to buy the best camera for our purposes, then go out and drop it on a marble temple floor (personal experience). Most often this either breaks or scratches the lens or destroys the threads, making it impossible to use a creative filter.

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September 2007 issue

International bereavement fares
By Philip Wagenaar

by Philip Wagenaar, M.D.

“I know, you just saw me two months ago,” my favorite aunt, Lenie, said. “I am in the VU hospital in Amsterdam now. My doctor says that I don’t have much longer to live. You think you could see me again? I would rather have you come and visit while I am still alive. You don’t have to come when I am dead.”

(Although my aunt Lenie died five years ago, I always refer to her statement when somebody might be reluctant to visit. “Come and visit me now,” I will say. “You don’t have to come after I am dead.”)

“Are you having a lot of pain?” I asked....

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July 2008 issue

Kwai River cruise and Death Railway

by Randy Keck, part 2 of 3 on Thailand

The highlight of my March ’08 Thailand adventure, hosted by Value World Tours and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and the primary reason for my taking the journey was the 3-night/4-day cruise sector on the Kwai River.

The cruise-tour featured the combination of a relaxing river cruise with many interesting shore excursions plus pre- and post-cruise touring in central Thailand. Included were several sites central and integral to the fascinating history of the infamous WWII Death Railway.

R.V. River Kwai

Our vessel, the...

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February 2008 issue

Cavalieri Hotel in Greece
By David Tykol

The Cavalieri Hotel (4 Capodistriou St., Corfu, GREECE; phone +30 26610 39041, fax 10 39283, www.cavalieri-hotel.com) is such an elegant place! I stayed there three nights in October ’07 at €90 ($132) per night, with breakfast.

They have a rooftop bar/restaurant with lovely views, and my room overlooked the Old Fortress and the sea.

PATRICIA McKEVLIN

Charleston, SC

December 2007 issue

Tips on snorkeling
By Lew Toulmin

by Lew Toulmin, (First of two parts, jump to part 2)

Many cruise and expedition passengers enjoy snorkeling off beaches, Zodiacs or dive boats. Snorkeling is an easy sport and provides fantastic views of beautiful coral and fish. The sport is open to swimmers of any age. I have seen snorkelers from ages five to 85 enjoying themselves on cruises.

The sport is so easy that I, myself, thought I knew it all, then I met the master snorkeler and diver Dr. Jack Grove, an expert on the fish of the Galápagos, a fellow of the Explorers Club and one of the founders of Zegrahm...

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October 2007 issue

Pumalín nature park, using travel agents
Q:

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

A:

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 Argentina.

Doug at one time was an owner of the Esprit clothing label. The park has a website at...

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November 2007 issue

Boarding Pass
By David Tykol

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 381st issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

This September, the Arctic’s Northwest Passage — between the Pacific and the Atlantic — was “fully navigable,” with sea ice melting to its lowest level since satellite measurements began 30 years ago, according to the European Space Agency.

Many shippers would find the route cheaper than taking the Panama Canal, and it certainly would be a quicker route between Europe and Asia. The Northeast Passage through the Russian Arctic remained partially blocked.

Most...

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May 2008 issue

Personal memories of yesterday’s Mideast

Longtime readers of this column certainly realize that Moreen and I are extremely fond of the Middle East, especially its people.

Having said that, 9/11 hurt us personally, seeing that men of the Muslim faith, others of whom had always treated us with utmost respect and kindness, would initiate such violence toward our country. No, we weren’t naive. We knew that some reviled our country’s global power controls and others envied our open lifestyle.

During 35 years of travel in this area, we’ve witnessed major changes. In particular, the modernization brought about by oil...

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