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The Nicaragua Tourism Board has set up an emergency phone number that will assist English-speaking visitors in emergencies. Twenty-four hours a day, they may dial “101” for free to reach a bilingual police officer, who will provide assistance in emergencies as diverse as auto accidents, crimes and loss of travel documents.
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Travel often presents serendipitous moments that create their own special memories. While touring Venezuela in 2008, my group visited La Ceiba cacao plantation, located in San José. After our scheduled tour of the facility, five of the workers at the plantation entertained us with a performance of Afro-Venezuelan music.
JIM HENDRICKSON
Lynden WA
Visitors to Königsleiten, Austria, in the Wald-Königsleiten hiking area, can ride the cable car to the top station on the Gerlospass and walk back down to town, via Larmachalm, on the Jodel (Yodel) Trail (www.jodelweg.at).
At each of eight stations, a tape can be played that teaches a bit more yodeling technique. Practicing, you can hear your echo. At one station, you can play cowbells, and another has a huge alpine horn to blow.
Off the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, western Canada, the new Glacier Skywalk opens May 1, 2014. A path has a series of stations explaining the Sunwapta Valley’s geology and history. Visitors then reach the U-shaped Skywalk, which juts out 98 feet from the cliff face. Through the glass floor of the open-air walkway, visitors can gaze down 918 feet to the valley below, which holds the 125-square-mile Columbia Icefield.
Skywalk is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in May; 9-6 June, July, Aug.; 10-5 Sept., and 10-4 Oct. 1-19. Entry, CAD24.95 (near $22) adult, CAD12.50 child.
In January, the US Transportation Security Administration stopped providing personnel to guard exits in the secure, “airside” areas of some airports, including New York’s JFK and LaGuardia. As part of a measure to reduce its 2014 budget by $88 million, it transferred control of exit-lane access to local airport authorities.
Airport advocates who object point to the shutdown of Newark International for several hours and subsequent flight delays after a nonpassenger snuck through an exit lane to kiss his girlfriend good-bye in 2010.
(Second of three parts)
Tulips, tulips and more tulips were the undisputed stars of The Butchart Gardens this day in mid-April 2013 on Vancouver Island, Canada. Tulips edged beds, outlined paths and admired their reflections in ponds, thanks to the importation of 300,000 bulbs from Holland each year.
Along with tulips galore, a bevy of other bulbs, plants, trees and shrubs were in full spring fling throughout The Gardens’ 55 acres.
The company LuggagePros offers carry-ons on which travelers can have a photograph, such as a picture of a family member’s face, a pet or natural scene (not copyrighted), printed/baked on the front. On the website, travelers can preview how the bag with photo would look.
Bags, each with a lightweight polycarbonate shell, four rotating wheels and a telescoping handle, are available in sizes 22"x13½"x9" ($129.99) and 26"x17"x10" ($169.99). Shipping, in 4-5 days, is free.
For travelers to Great Britain, Italy or France, here are a few important changes to be aware of in 2014.
GREAT BRITAIN
• London continues to grow and thrive, post Olympics. Free WiFi is everywhere, bus transportation is more efficient than ever, and the city’s freshly scrubbed monuments have never looked so good.