Asia

“. . . and let it begin with me.”

Installed in 1955, the subject of October’s photo is the Peace Statue in Nagasaki, Japan’s, Peace Park.

The first time I was in Shanghai, China, in 2000, the skyline of the Pudong district reminded me of the 1960s space-age, animated TV show “The Jetsons.” When I returned in April ’12, I was even more impressed with the city’s development.

In 2011, workers laying the foundation for a new bar near the pool at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi (15 Ngo Quyen St., Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam; phone +84 4 3826 6919) broke into a 50-year-old air-raid shelter.

Hotel guests can take a free guided tour of the bunker, offered daily at 5 p.m. Among the residents of the bunker during the Vietnam War were an Australian diplomat, Jane Fonda and Joan Baez.

Nightly hotel rates run from $225 double to $580 Prestige Suite to $1,660 Grand Luxury Room.

21-day / 20-night tour of MYANMAR, CAMBODIA & LAOS. Highlights: In Myanmar, balloon ride over hundreds of temples in Bagan / monasteries in Mandalay / boat ride on Inle Lake, visit Intha villages / Oudomxai, Laos, home to 14 ethnic groups / Buddha images in Pak Ou Caves / Angkor Thom in Siem Reap, Cambodia / Angkor Wat / 12th-century Koh Ker. Land, $10,000; call for single supp. Big Five Tours & Expeditions (Stuart, FL; 800 / 244-3483).

6 days / 5 nights, Feb. 9-14. Highlights: In Hong Kong, Flower Market, Victoria Peak, Aberdeen Fishing Village / Year of the Snake parade / Kowloon cultural tour / New Year’s fireworks cocktail cruise / horse racing / lunch in Po Lin monastery. Land, $1,995. Single supp., $1,070. SITA World Tours (Encino, CA; 800 / 421-5643).

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) There are no restrictions on length. The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.

This month’s winner is PAUL ROTH of Elizabethtown, PA:

The difference between “travelers” and “tourists” is huge. As travelers, my wife and I found that special bistro in Paris; that pub in London that isn’t written about in any travel book; a 250-year-old farmhouse in a village near Pisa, Italy, where we stayed for weeks; a house in Thailand that was made completely from teak, and a quiet patio restaurant in Switzerland overlooking a valley right out of “The Sound of Music,” complete with a valley floor of yellow flowers and the sound of cow bells.

In response to the editor’s request for info on acceptable budget accommodations (Aug. ’12, pg. 67), I have three companies to suggest. There are no luxuries at any of their lodgings, but the locations are very good and the prices are great. I would gladly stay at any of them again.

I was checking in for my Air China flight from San Francisco to Mongolia — the only Westerner in line — and the reservation clerk seemed very concerned about my beat-up passport and lack of a visa (which is not required for US citizens in Mongolia).

After waiting through several consultations, I finally succeeded in getting my boarding pass. This was the start of the June 29-July 13, 2011, journey that took me to Chinggis Khan country.