Asia articles

The friendly Bhutanese
Travelers' Intercom, April 2004 issue.
My wife, Jackie, and I took an 11-day trip to Bhutan in October ’03. The trip was arranged by Ron at Starlink Tours (5250 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 617, Los Angeles, CA 90045; phone 866/337-0909 or visit www. starlinktours.com).

A wealth of wildlife in East Africa
Features, April 2004 issue.

Given insufficient connect time
Travelers' Intercom, April 2004 issue.
In March ’03 we took a trip to India and around Africa with Orient Lines, which arranged all flights. Our troubles began early on.

India's Norkhill Hotel
Accommodations Worldwide, April 2004 issue.
On a trip I led to Sikkim state, northeastern India, in fall ’03, I found that the Norkhill Hotel (phone 910 3592-25637) in Gangtok has upgraded its guest rooms and bathrooms. In addition, the front office manager, Gyan Thapa, is a very capable person.

Yuzana Hotel in Burma
Accommodations Worldwide, April 2004 issue.
After almost 40 years of travel in Southeast Asia, I’ve found a new candidate for the region’s most beautiful hotel-room view.

An Oasis in the City
Travelers' Intercom, April 2004 issue.
Have you ever been in a big, busy city overseas, dodging traffic, recoiling from the noise and gasping for air, when suddenly you came upon an oasis of calm and beauty in the form of a garden or park — a refuge of (relative) quiet and nature where people could escape the commotion of downtown

Romania and Bulgaria with Balkan Travel & Tours
Tours in Review, April 2004 issue.
Having been to all but a handful of European countries, my wife and I were thinking, “Where next?” As luck would have it, she had just read Randy Keck’s article on Romania (June ’03, pg. 108). She immediately got on the Internet and contacted all the companies mentioned in the story.

Maiden voyage of the QM2
Travelers' Intercom, April 2004 issue.
There she was, in all of her advertised superlatives: the greatest, the largest (151,000 tons), the costliest (about $800 million), the most beautiful superliner ever built, ad infinitum. It seemed that not enough praise could be lavished on any one vessel.

Russian river cruise
Travelers' Intercom, April 2004 issue.
Clutching our tickets, passports and visas (at — gasp! — $100 each), my husband and I inched into the Aeroflot line. It was Sept. 5, ’03, and we were bound for Moscow from San Francisco.

Idyll, Ltd., a ‘wonderful solution’
Travelers' Intercom, April 2004 issue.
My husband and I have done quite a bit of traveling. We research in depth the places to which we are going. We do not like traveling with large groups, as we travel for art, history and architecture and do not want to be rushed through places where we would like to spend a lot of time.