International Travel News articles from February 2001

International Travel News archives from February 2001

Report Cards.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... On-the-spot reports from around the globe From Bangkok, THAILAND, Nov. 29, '00... * Na Phra Lan (18 Na Phralan Rd., Bangkok; phone 221-2312) -- opposite the entrance to the Grand Palace. This is a small, very typical Thai...

Boarding Pass.(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2001... Dear Globetrotter: This from Irving E. Dayton of Corvallis, OR: "The Corvallis Gazette-Times of Oct. 4, 2000, reported that Holland America Line's Veendam had a problem with an electrical generator which disrupted heating, cooling,...

An adventure on the Zambezi.
February 1, 2001... The wild, whirling water of the mighty Zambezi River surrounded our tiny boat and swept ever downward toward its final plunge over Victoria Falls. The current was swift and I felt it pulling us quickly along. The only thing that kept us from...

Travelers' Intercom.(reader's tips)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2001... Readers' opinions, tips & recommendations Puerto Rico bargain shore tour In early November '00 my wife and I were aboard Holland America's Westerdam and we docked in San. Juan, Puerto Rico. Having been there a number of times on previous...

Funniest Thing.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the U.S., Canada or Mexico.) The ITN staff will choose each month's...

Fiji advisory.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... U.S. citizens are advised to exercise a high level of caution and personal security awareness when traveling to Fiji, particularly in and around Suva. U.S. citizens should maintain communication with the Embassy and closely monitor local media...

Northern Zambia caution.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... U.S. citizens are strongly cautioned to avoid all travel in Zambia's northern Luapula Province, including the entire Lake Mweru lakefront, and in directly adjacent areas in Northern Province near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo...

Defer travel to Burundi.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer travel to Burundi due to the uncertain security situation within Burundi and the surrounding Great Lakes region. On the evening of Dec. 4, 2000, two people were injured when a passenger...

Afghanistan travel warning.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to Afghanistan. The Department continues to receive threats from terrorists, including Usama bin Laden, who is based in Afghanistan, that do not distinguish between American government...

Sudan situation unstable.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against all travel to Sudan because of the unstable security situation throughout the country. In addition to the ongoing civil war that affects both southern and eastern Sudan, the government of...

Bosnia-Herzegovina dangers.(American travelers warned)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the potential danger of travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Americans in Bosnia and Herzegovina are urged to avoid crowds and demonstrations, keep a low profile and stay alert for changes in the...

Current warnings.(travel concerns)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 28 destinations: Afghanistan, Sudan, Burundi, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Haiti, Solomon Islands, Liberia, Indonesia, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza,...

Hiking England's towpaths from Bath to Reading.
February 1, 2001... When our Canadian hiking companions, Cathy and Keith, suggested Walking from Bath to Reading along the towpath of the Kennet and Avon Canal in August 2000, we readily agreed. Planning the walk England has an extensive canal system...

PUERTO RICO international flavor close to home.
February 1, 2001... Puerto Rico is usually thought of as a hopping-off point, connecting travelers from mainland USA to the Caribbean islands or as a port for cruise ship passengers to begin or end their journey. Occasionally, Puerto Rico may serve as a long...

Great Britain & Ireland.(Bodenham bed-and-breakfast)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... While vacationing in ENGLAND in summer '00, my wife and I were looking for an overnight bed-and-breakfast. We were directed by the local British Tourist Center to Bodenham Forge (Bodenham, Hereford, HR1 3JZ; phone 01568-797144 or visit...

Devonshire Arms Hotel.(United Kingdom accommodation)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... Here are a few notes from our trip to the United Kingdom, Aug. 14-Sept. 7, '00. * USAirways flight from Charlotte, NC, to London's Gatwick -- USAir recently resumed this route after surrendering it to British Airways five years ago. The...

Carhoomeengar Farmhouse B&B.(Ireland)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... Visitors, beware. IRELAND has changed. No longer the country of rose-covered cottages and thatch roofs, rather it is now the country of laptops and cellular phones. * However, there is a gem of a farmhouse in County Kerry where the true...

Mary Murrin's Bar & Guesthouse.(Ireland)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Mary Murrin's Bar & Guesthouse (Bruckless, County Donegal, IRELAND). They had the very best "sticky toffee pudding" in the whole world! The inexpensive and high-quality meals were served with friendly smiles. The price, 76 Irish punts...

Europe.(French country home rental)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... Consider this: a lovely French countryside of wheat fields and bright red poppies, a small village to meander through on morning walks while listening to church bells, and exceptional value. This is what our female foursome experienced May...

Ibis.(European hotel chain)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... My husband and I Spent three weeks in FRANCE from April to May '00. We were in Paris, Strasbourg, Nancy, Dijon and Bourges. In each city we stayed in an This hotel. We found the rooms always clean and bright, with good beds, TV and complete...

Landhaus Iris.(Oberbayern, Germany)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... I have found a truly fine gem, the Landhaus Iris (Buchener Strasse 26, D-83636 Bad Tolz, Oberbayern, GERMANY; phone 0049-08041/7836-0, fax 0049-08041/783642, mobile phone 0049-0172/9676353, e-mail forster@telda.net or visit...

Burg-Muehle.(Gelnhausen, Germany)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... While visiting GERMANY, we always like to spend a few days in Gelnhausen, a medieval city about 30 miles east of Burg-Muehle (Burgstrasse 2, 63571 Gelnhausen, Germany; phone [06051] 8205-0 or fax [06051] 820554). This hotel once was a...

Hotel Goldey.(Interlaken, Switzerland)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Interlaken, SWITZERLAND, turned out to be a wonderful place to hold our family reunion for two weeks in July '00. For our four families (including five kids from 13 to 22 years old, on up to the grandparents plus my husband and me), we...

Villa Gnocchi.(selection of Italian Riviera hotels)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... From our trip to the Italian Riviera and the Lake District we would like to share some of the bed-and-breakfasts we throughly enjoyed. * Villa Gnocchi (Santa Margherita [GE], 16038 ITALY; phone/fax 0185/283431). Beautiful views,...

Pensione La Calcina.(Venice, Italy)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... We stayed in the Pensione La Calcina (Venice, ITALY; fax 39 041 5227045) for two nights and highly recommend it. It is in a quiet part of Venice but with easy connections to anywhere else. We made our reservations very early and had a nice...

Pacific.(Windward House, Saunders Beach, Queensland)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Windward House (28 Reef St., Saunders Beach, Queensland 4818 AUSTRALIA; phone 07/4668-6861 or visit www.bnb.au.com) -- located right on the shores of the Coral Sea. You can watch dolphins swim by and black macaws fly overhead while enjoying...

Bed-and-breakfast at Twynham.(Twynham of Kinloch, New Zealand)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... We would like to recommend the exquisite bed-and-breakfast at Twynham at Kinloch, NEW ZEALAND (P.O. Box 326, Lake Taupo, N.Z.; phone 07/3782862, fax 07/3782868, e-mail twyham.bnb@xtra.co.nz or visit www. beds-n-leisure.com/twynham.htm). ...

Costa del Sol: a perfect winter getaway.
February 1, 2001... Have you ever wondered where to go when the cold weather descends on the U.S. but you don't want to visit any of the usual "snowbird" vacation spots of our country? We found ourselves in this dilemma in the winter of '97, and we tried a new...

Back-Roads Touring Co.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... I was fortunate to be one of the group of 11 on a tour of Tuscany, Italy, Oct. 4-17, '99, with Back-Roads Touring Co. (14A New Broadway, London, W5 2XA, U.K.; phone 44 181 566 5312). My trip was booked by Alec Cross of International Travel...

Club ABC Tours.(Morocco tour)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... I took a trip to Morocco with Club ABC Tours (200 Broadacres Dr. or Box 7021, Bloom field, NJ 07003-7021; phone 973/338-8687, fax 973/338-1682, e-mail info@clubabc.com or visit www.clubabc.com), April 15-22, '00. The trip cost $1,419,...

Imilchil Morocco Adventure Travel.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... In October '99 we returned from a 2-week private tour of Morocco with Imilchil Morocco Adventure Travel (1144 Cook St., Denver, CO 80206; phone 888/414-9070 or 303/3991953, e-mail jrobtakchi@aol.com or visit www. imilchil-travet.com); the...

Odysseys Unlimited.(package tour to Morocco)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... I traveled with Odysseys Unlimited (85 Main St., Ste. 101, Watertown, MA 02472; phone 888/370-6765 or 781/370-3600, fax 781/370-3699 or visit www.odysseys-unlimited.com) to Morocco, March 2-14, '00, visiting the major sites of Casablanca,...

Olive Branch Tours S.A.(package tour to Morocco)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... In March '00 we took a delightful 23-day trip to Morocco with Olive Branch Tours S.A. (35 Rue Eloraibi Jilahi, 20,000 Casablanca, Morocco; fax 212/2-260976 or e-mail olivtour@open.net.mo.). The cost was $2,635 per person. We had our own...

Sarah Tours, Inc.(package tour to Morocco)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... I would like to report on a tour of Morocco we took December '99-January '00 with Sarah Tours, Inc. (1803 Belleview Blvd., Ste. A-1, Alexandria, VA 22307; phone 800/267-0036 or 703/765-5114, fax 703/765-7809, e-mail sarahtur@erols.com or visit...

Smithsonian Study Tours.(trip to Saudi Arabia)
February 1, 2001... Not many countries are left on this globe which offer new experiences for the well-traveled individual and are just opening the doors to tourism. Such a country is Saudi Arabia, and in October '99 ours was among the first tour groups admitted...

Turtle Tours, Inc.(package tour to Ethiopia)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... For our April '00 tour to Ethiopia, we booked with Turtle Tours, Inc. (Box 1147, Carefree, AZ 85377; phone 888/299-1439 or 480/488-3688, fax 480/488-3406, e-mail turtletours@earthlink. net or visit www.turtletours.com), who contracted with a...

Is it feasible? Australia in two weeks.
February 1, 2001... It all began when my wife, Eve, and I dropped in on our travel agent for a chat about possible vacation destinations for October 1999 and the idea of Australia was broached, prompting the inevitable question as to whether it was worthwhile to...

Madurodam delights children of all ages.(miniature city in Holland)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... War memorials, at least in my limited experience, are typically static, stone monuments. Poignant, yes, and long-lasting, to be sure, but a place for laughter and smiles... not usually. Madurodam, located in Holland, is not your typical war...

Renaissance Cruises & the 'R5', Istanbul-Stockholm.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The repositioning cruise of the new Renaissance ship R5 during its inaugural season sounded intriguing, traveling from Istanbul, Turkey, to Stockholm, Sweden, including five ports in the Black Sea. The package, which had to be purchased in...

Getting to remote Angel Falls -- the world's highest -- is 'a piece of cake'.
February 1, 2001... I was with a tour group visiting Caracas and staying at the Macuto Sheraton, which isn't in Caracas at all. It's on the Caribbean as is the capital's airport. From the airport, continue eastward along the Caribbean coast, instead of...

Meeting the challenge: solo in Yunnan.(Yunnan, China)
February 1, 2001... It was intriguing articles in ITN that lured me to Yunnan. I previously had been on the whirlwind two-week, see-everything tour including a trip on the Yangtze and felt that I had seen enough of China's must-see sights. In February 2000,...

Cruises.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Cruise West acquires ocean vessel Since the inception of this column more than 20 years ago, it has been a self-imposed policy to give coverage only to the vessels that are large enough and properly equipped to cruise the open oceans. I...

CATHEDRALS GALORE.(package tour)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... CATHEDRALS GALORE on a 7-day tour of ENGLAND with overnights in London, Harrogate, Penrith and Coventry. Visits are made to St. Thomas Becket's Shrine in Canterbury; Westminster Cathedral; King's College Chapel in Cambridge; an Angustinian...

"LA FRANCE PROFONDE".(package tour)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... "LA FRANCE PROFONDE" -- On this 16-day tour, enjoy chateaux, gardens, museums and gourmet food and wine. Among are the Louvre and museums in Paris' Marais and Latin Quarter; the Barbizon School of Painters; in Chablis, walking tours of...

"MOZART'S SALZBURG".(package tour)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... "MOZART'S SALZBURG" -- On this 9-day 'tour in AUSTRIA, a highlight will be three performances of the Salzburg International Music Festival: the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; a chamber music concert in an old Salzburg palace and the Salzburg...

"FOCUS ON WOMEN".(package tour to India)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... "FOCUS ON WOMEN" -- A 20-day educational tour to North and South INDIA focusing on the role women play and how it has evolved. Have discussions with women artists, film directors, modern maharanis, sisters of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of...

"YANGTZE RIVER ADVENTURE".(package tour)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... "YANGTZE RIVER ADVENTURE" -- 19-day tour of CHINA includes a 6-day/5-night Yangtze River cruise from Wuhan to Chongqing -- see the sights before the completion of Three Gorges Dam. Tour highlights include the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Summer...

"OVERTURE TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC".(package tour)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... "OVERTURE TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC" -- 20-day tour of AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND. In New Zealand, visit Auckland, the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, Rotorua, Christchurch, Queenstown and Milford Sound. Also sail on the Pride of Auckland yacht on...

"THE KUELAP ANDEAN EXPLORER".(package tour)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... "THE KUELAP ANDEAN EXPLORER," a 12-day tour of remote north-central PERU, features seldom-visited archaeological' sites and biodiversity in the land of the "Cloud Peoples." Explore the highlands circling the Gran Vilaya Basin, source of the...

"TROPICAL GARDENS OF JAMAICA".(package tour)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... "TROPICAL GARDENS OF JAMAICA" -- 8-day/7-night tour. In Ocho Rios, visit the Cranbrook Flower Forest, Fern Gully (many ferns planted in the 1880s), Mount Plenty Great House and the home and garden of artist Graham Davis. After a free...

"Rome: The Mini Rough Guide".(Review)
February 1, 2001... * "Rome: The Mini Rough Guide" by Martin Dunford (2000, Penguin Books USA 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014. ISBN 1-85828-599-2 -- $9.95, 365 pgs.). This book joins 12 other city guides in the ever-expanding Rough Guide series. It is...

"Fodor's Rome -- The Compete Guide with Walking Tours of Classical Rome and the Vatican".(Review)
February 1, 2001... * "Fodor's Rome -- The Compete Guide with Walking Tours of Classical Rome and the Vatican" (1999, Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc., 201 E. 50th St., New York, NY 10022. ISBN 679-00232-4 -- $15.00, 232 pgs.). This easy-to-use paperback is...

Time Out: Rome.(Review)
February 1, 2001... * Time Out: Rome (1999, Penguin Books USA, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014. ISBN 0-14-028755-8 -- $14.95, 298 pgs.). While no travel book can cover everything a traveler wants or needs to know, with a few exceptions Penguin's most recent...

Tips for the Solo Traveler.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... QUESTION: I had planned a trip to Ireland with a friend, who decided not to go. Now I need to decide if I should go alone or not. I have looked at some group tours but just don't like to do that kind of traveling. We had planned to rent a car...

The Discerning Traveler.
February 1, 2001... Romania, an overlooked destination (Second of two parts) This month, I will continue with the description of our April 2000 Romanian itinerary. Day 6: Campulung Moldovenesc-Moldovita and Sucevita monasteries Using Campulung as our...

Barbados golf course.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The first public golf course in Barbados, the Barbados Golf Club, officially opened on Aug. 27, '00, after a soft opening of the front nine holes on June 3. The course has been sanctioned by the PGA European Tour to host the PGA Seniors...

Hospital for travelers in Dominican Republic.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... In accordance with the goals of new Minister of Tourism Ramon Alfredo Bordas, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic opened its first hospital for travelers in April 2000. The Clinica Hospiten Bavaro can provide medical attention for...

Cruise samplings.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... American Canadian Caribbean Line, Inc., is offering the following cruises in its winter schedule for 2001. Like its famed canal, Panama is fascinating. Grande Caribe takes passengers through the entire canal to visit both the Caribbean and...

Britain.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Discovering Sandwich and Richborough Our visit to Canterbury coincided with a World Cup match, so to escape the crowds our hosts took us to Sandwich and Richborough. I'd never thought about Sandwich as a place but only as a food, and in my...

Rick Steves' Europe[C].(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Historic York York, just two hours by train from London, will swarm with Vikings during its Jorvik Viking Festival after this month (Feb. 17-24 in 2001). You'll hear Nordic tales, blow a lur (long, melodious horn) and witness a reenactment...

European Potpourri.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Coming across America's wild West in Spain The abandoned Western movie sets in southern Spain continue to draw tourists as professional stuntmen hurl, themselves through barroom windows and desperadoes proceed to rob the bank. There are...

Africa.(cruising or land travel)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Approach to Africa By land or by sea? How do you best see, or at least get introduced to, Africa? Here are two ways that I want to pass along: an exciting 69-night cruise that circumnavigates the continent of Africa, offered by...

Timeless Roads of the Mideast & Mediterranean.(travelling to Maalula, Syria)
February 1, 2001... Maalula, where the language of Christ can be heard TV and pop Arabic music have changed the culture of Maalula, a beautiful village 30 miles east of Damascus, Syria. When Moreen and I first visited Maalula nearly 20 years ago,...

FOCUS ON ARCHAEOLOGY.(geoglyphs of Chile)
February 1, 2001... Geoglyphs of Chile's Norte Grande Its name is appropriate: the Norte Grande (Big North) of Chile. It's vast, covering an area stretching across the entire narrow northern portion of the country from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes. It...

Adventure Travel -- for the Mildly Adventuresome.(Iguacu Falls, Brazil)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Iguacu Falls and the Itaipu power plant (Second of four parts on Brazil) Brazil is a country of world-class travel destinations. Iguacu falls and the Itaipu power plant, near the intersection of the borders of Brazil, Argentina and...

Far Horizons.(managing problems on a package tour)
February 1, 2001... Dealing with tour-leader-related problems During the past year I have continued to receive a stream of letters and e-mails in response to both my original and follow-up columns regarding dealing with problem people on group tours. While...

Kilory Was Here!(no-frills air travel in Europe)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... No frills... "Travel agents say it's not foul weather that spoils their business in February and March but leftover Christmas bills." This from L.M. Boyd, who writes a syndicated column called "The Grab Bag," an excellent weekly article...

France/Britain weekender passes.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Low roundtrip fares on the London-Paris Eurostar train can be combined with either the new France Weekender Pass or the BritRail Weekender Pass to explore France or the U.K. beyond the two capital cities. * For $119 second class or $139...

Korea hotel service charge.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO) has announced that it will waive the hotel service charge on all tourist hotels during 2001 and 2002. Currently, visitors are required to pay a 10% hotel tax and then an additional 10% service...

Cruise to North Korea.(Hyundai Merchant Marine)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Hyundai Merchant Marine's revolutionary cruise ships sail every three days from South Korea's Donghae Port to the legendary Mt. Geumgangsan located within North Korea. Introduced in November 1998, Hyundai's groundbreaking cruise was...

Undersea live videocamera on Caledonian Star.(Lindblad Expeditions cruise ship)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... A video chronicler is part of Lindblad Exp editions' new Undersea Program on the 110-passenger Caledonian Star. On voyages in the Arctic and Antarctic, images taped daring dives (when conditions permit) will be transmited to the ship's video...

LAOS.(travel and tourism)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Our group of nine left Los Angeles on Oct. 15, 1999, traveling via Bangkok for our destination: Laos. We spent two nights in Bangkok, then took an all-day train ride to Chiang Mai, spending two nights there. The drive to the Chiang Kong Ferry...