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). The cost of the entire trip, including plane fare from Los Angeles, hotels, all meals (including mid-morning and afternoon tea or coffee), a private guide and driver and all sightseeing was $2,989.

We have been to over 70 countries, and Bhutan is the most...

During the latter part of October ’03 we visited London and stayed at the hotel De Vere Cavendish St. James’s, located just behind Fortnum and Mason. In general, we were very pleased with our hotel stay. . . until we received the final billing.

On the third day of our stay we decided to spend the afternoon in our hotel room. After we had been in the room for about two hours, a message was pushed under the room door. This message indicated that a phone call from our niece had been...

In mid-December ’03, 759 people — most from the U.S., Canada and Europe — gathered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to board a ship going 1,000 miles down the mightiest river in the world, the exotic Amazon. They looked forward to stopping en route at several Caribbean islands, including Devil’s Island.

As required, each had obtained a yellow fever inoculation and a Brazilian visa. Most had also purchased antimalaria pills. Many had done extensive research on the Amazon and its indigenous...