Report Cards

From Brugge, BELGIUM, Jan. 16, ’05. . .

• There is no cash machine or currency exchange at the Brugge train station. There’s an ATM at the post office on Market Square. Money exchange and other ATMs are on Steenstraat off the Markt.

• Hotel Ensor (Speelmansrei 10, Brugge; phone 050/342589 or visit www.ensorhotel.be) — in a charming location on a quiet street overlooking the canal. Just a 5-minute walk from Market Square or a 10-minute walk from the rail station. Large, clean rooms. €60 (near $81) for a double (€80 in high season), breakfast and tax included.

• At Het Brugs Theehuis (Wollestraat 8 & 12, Brugge) I had delicious hot chocolate and pastry for €6. Attentive service. This tea room has a large assortment of teas and pastries plus an assortment of tea and accessories for sale.

— Sherry Sturges, Williamstown, NJ

From Iquitos, PERU, Jan. 9, ’05

• My husband and I spent a great two weeks over the 2004-2005 holidays in the Amazonian jungle with Margarita Tours (10821 SW 48th Terrace, Miami, FL 33165-6122; phone 786/232-2674 or visit www.amazon-ecotours.com). The price was $2,200.

These trips are best for adventurous travelers who are very interested in nature and are looking for an “up-close and personal” experience. There were guided hikes and small-boat excursions both day and night as well as plenty of time for independent exploration. The tour leaders were very knowledgeable, generally giving the scientific names of the plants and animals we were photographing.

We stayed either on the boat or in tents at research stations, where generators were run several hours a day, which allowed for recharging of camera batteries.

— Pauline Ho, Albuquerque, NM

On ITALY, December ’04. . .

• Toschause di Osvaldo Lorenzini hotel (Via degli Orti 7 52044 Cortona, Italy; phone/fax 0575 603760 or cell 348 3056146) — right in the center of Cortona.

Basic room, very clean. Good price, for the location. €60. No breakfast. Friendly people.

— Phyllis Jackson, Oro Valley, AZ

On CHINA, November ’04 . . .

• I took an 18-day China tour with smarTours (New York, NY; 800/337-7773 or www.smartours.net) for $2,300 including air from L.A. to Beijing. Although I have traveled to all seven continents, this was my first travel with a regular tour group. It was a fantastic trip (Nov. 4-20).

Ying Zhao (Mike) was our guide and he did a superb job. We had wonderful local guides, nice accommodations and just a great overall experience. It was much better than I ever expected and at a very reasonable price.

We had one friend who lost her credit cards, passport and plane tickets at the airport. She had them when she went to use the cash machine in the airport and didn’t discover they were missing until that evening. The guide was wonderful. They called the bank and stopped payment on her cards, then got her a new passport and a new plane ticket. So, except for the stress, everything worked out all right.

— Norma Nichols, Maroa, IL