International Travel News

Travelers' Intercom

August 2008 issue | Appears on page 37

All set in Santiago

Cecilia Parodi of Sol International Tours (Kodak, TN; 800/765-5657, http://solintl.com) provides excellent service. She arranged for our Feb. 6-7, 2008, stay in Santiago, Chile, and we found her to be efficient and professional, responding immediately to all our questions and concerns.

The four of us women paid $171 per person, which included transfers to and from the airport; our double-occupancy “executive” rooms at the Eurotel Hotel Providencia, and a car, driver and English-...

August 2008 issue | Appears on page 37

Beautiful Uluru

Ayers Rock, or, as it is now designated, Uluru/Ayers Rock, is the world’s second-largest monolith.* This huge red rock is spectacular, especially at sunrise and sunset. It changes from red to orange and various shades of purple as the sun rises or sets.

Ayers Rock is in the middle of nowhere, but there are more than 1,100 rooms at five lodges.

Because of its isolation, Ayers provided a wonderful opportunity to view the stars during a June tour of Australia with Overseas...

August 2008 issue | Appears on page 37

Macaw Mountain, Honduras

When my daughter, Heather, and I made a spring visit to Honduras, we stayed at a B&B in the country’s second-largest city, San Pedro Sula, close to the Mayan ruins at Copán. Based on the recommendations of another guest at the B&B, we decided to visit nearby Macaw Mountain (Copán Ruinas, Honduras; phone/fax 011 504 651 4245, www.macawmountain.com), which we had earlier dismissed as a tourist trap. It was well worth a couple of hours.

A few miles outside the town, this bird...

August 2008 issue | Appears on page 43

Repelling Insects

Harry Pearson of Cape Canaveral, Florida, wrote, “A reader suggested using Avon Skin So Soft bath oil mixed half and half with rubbing alcohol as a mosquito repellent (March ’08, pg. 4). Avon claims this product to be both a sunblock and an insect repellent. I believe it has limited use as a sunblock and is worthless against mosquitoes.

“A heavy application will protect against no-see-ums, properly classified as biting midges, but, rather than the biting midges’ actually being...

August 2008 issue | Appears on page 64

Visit Myanmar

For over six months, my husband, George, and I had been working on a trip to Bhutan, Laos and Myanmar set for May 16-June 16, 2008. When Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar on May 2, we weren’t sure if we should go. However, we were meeting our son and daughter-in-law, who were on a year-long trip around the world, so we couldn’t change the dates.

We did consider other destinations for the Myanmar segment, if rioting or disease broke out in the wake of the military junta’s handling of the...

August 2008 issue | Appears on page 65

Urubamba’s ‘old-world charm’

My wife and I took a trip to Peru, Bolivia and Chile, Nov. 11-Dec. 22, 2007. I had traveled most of South America as a single young man more than 30 years earlier, and I wanted my wife, who had not been there, to experience the warmth of the people and their culture.

We went first to Cusco, Peru, primarily to experience nearby Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. I immediately noticed how Cusco had changed, acquiring the veneer of most popular tourist spots throughout the world.

August 2008 issue | Appears on page 66

Cusco restaurants

While vacationing in Cusco, Peru, April 23-May 17, 2008, and going to school there for Spanish lessons, I had opportunities to try many good restaurants. I am pretty convinced that it would be hard not to find a good meal in Cusco.

Look for the “Meñu del dia” outside a restaurant or ask if they have one. It usually includes a soup, entrée, dessert and coffee or tea and generally runs from 11 to 18 soles ($4-$6) — a good deal.

Here are some good places.

Kusikuy (Calle...

August 2008 issue | Appears on page 67

Beautiful, friendly NZ

The following tips are the result of three trips to New Zealand (in 1983, 1993 and 2008) totaling some 16 weeks. The last visit my wife, Carol, and I made, in February, reconfirmed our conviction that NZ is the most beautiful and friendly country in the world.

Here are some general suggestions.

We think New Zealand should be visited independently instead of on a group tour so you won’t miss contact with the wonderful people. NZ is an ideal location to be traveled by motorhome...