Getting from the port at Tianjin, China, where the cruise ships dock, to the airport in Beijing several hours away can be quite a challenge. The port, itself, is 45 minutes from Tianjin.
My wife, Carol, and I took the 15-day “Legendary Turkey” tour with Odysseys Unlimited (Newton, MA; 888/370-6765), May 29-June 13, 2012. The cost, including round-trip air from San Francisco, was $4,592 per person.
Travel in countries ending with the letters “stan” has always been challenging, particularly navigating the visa requirements. Kudos to Kyrgyzstan, which in 2012, I just learned, became the first “Stan” country to waive visa requirements for citizens of core nations, including the US.
The item titled “2014 Sochi Olympics” (April ’13, pg. 69) stated that individual tickets for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, were sold out but might be available later.
About three miles outside of Siem Reap is a gem of a hotel: the Angkor Spirit Palace Hotel (Phneachey Village, Svay Dangkom Commune, Siem Reap, Cambodia; phone [855] 17 908 007).
20 days/19 nights, Aug. 20-Sept. 8, 2013. Highlights: Ankara, Turkey/Hittite site of Hattusa/carved rock reliefs in Yazilikaya/Greek Orthodox Monastery, Sümela/Mongol monuments in Erzurum/Batumi on Georgia’s coast/Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park/Gori, Stalin’s hometown. Land, $6,995.
