International Travel News

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October 2008 issue | Appears on page 98

The Koe Taung Tengh pagoda, Myanmar

By Nili Olay

The Koe Taung Tengh pagoda in Mrauk U, Myanmar, has 90,000 images of Buddha in it. It is a very large pagoda — 250 feet in length, 230 feet in width and 50 feet high. A number of local kids were playing hide and seek with us as we toured the temple. It was funny to see them treat this treasure as a playground. — NILI OLAY, New York, NY

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 15

Affordable rooms in Greece

While I enjoyed the article “A Modern Greek Odyssey” by Henry Lee (July ’08, pg. 6) and found his travel experiences and tips interesting, I am concerned about an impression on the cost of hotel rooms that may have been created.

Mr. Lee did say, “we prefer higher-end rooms in which to unwind and be comfortable,” but some may be left with the impression that rooms are expensive in Greece. Au contraire! As recently as June of this year, on the Greek Islands I found spotlessly clean...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 15

Pros and cons of tour group audio systems

I suspect that many ITN subscribers have had some experience with the relatively new audio systems used by tour groups to allow better communication between guides and group members. I believe it might be worthwhile to exchange some thoughts on this subject.

These systems are essentially one-way, low-power radio links, with the guide having a small transmitter and microphone and each of the group members “wearing” a small receiver and headphones. My wife, Janet, and I have had both...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 18

Insurance came through — fast

After 50 years of traveling, my wife, Alma, and I, both 82, had our first experience with the need for medical insurance on April 17, 2008.

In Majorca, just 48 hours into our 4-week stay at the Riu Playa Cala Millor on a package booked through Saga Holidays, Ltd. (Enbrook Park, Folkestone, Kent CT20 3SE, U.K.; phone 011-44-130377119, e-mail overseas@saga.co.uk or visit www.saga.co.uk), Alma suffered a severe fall in a restaurant.

That day, we were on one of the four tours...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 19

Unwind on Jeju Island

Jeju, a tiny island paradise just 55 miles south of mainland Korea, is a paragon of peaceful relaxation. Truly away from the madding crowd, it is a place where anyone can simply listen to the quiet. Many couples choose to honeymoon there.

My husband and I stayed at the Jungmun Resort Complex on the southern coast. The area encompasses several 5-star hotels, all with spas, plus a botanical garden, Pacific Land (similar to Sea World), the International Conference Center, the Sound...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 29

Some disappointments on tour

I took a trip with Grand Circle Travel (GCT), Oct. 6-29, 2007. Along with a “Russian Waterways” cruise-tour I booked two optional extensions: the 5-night “Baltic Capitals: Tallinn, Estonia, and Helsinki, Finland” ($645) and the 3-night “Kiev, Ukraine” ($445).

The total price — including all air transportation from and back to Denver, Colorado; all internal transportation; the main cruise-tour and several optional day tours; the pre- and post-tour extensions, and recommended tips — was...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 30

The standby list

William Lewis of Johns Island, South Carolina, and his wife missed their US Airways flight out of Los Angeles after their Thai Airways flight arrived late from Bangkok. William told ITN that they still would have caught their flight to Charleston if their luggage had not taken so long to unload because the “Priority” tags had been ripped off of all four bags. (The tags went missing on their outbound Thai Air flight as well.)

They spent the night at an airport hotel and went back to...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 34

CPAP machines on Virgin Atlantic and British Air

My family and I had boarded a Virgin Atlantic plane for a flight from London to Nairobi on Dec. 26, 2007.

I was ticketed in economy, but one of my travel companions in an upper-class section switched seats with me because I had just ended a stressful week with my very ill mother and was exhausted.

As I was looking around the upper-class seat to investigate its features, specifically, where to plug something in, a stewardess approached. I asked, “Is it permitted to plug in a...