TRIVIAL PURSUIT
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Like Marlene Lawton (Traveller Letters, April 30-May 1), I too am intrigued by the lack of perspective taken by travellers who find the most trivial matters to rant about.
On a recent BA flight from London to Singapore, just prior to take-off, one of the crew was being harangued by a passenger whose in-flight entertainment system was down. The crew member offered a change of seat after take-off, if one was available but with no guarantee.
Not good enough for this passenger whose solution was to disembark so she could take another flight. As Marlene says, travel is about the unexpected and accepting that mistakes will happen.
Despite many trips to Italy over the years, on a recent visit I still committed a rookie's error of buying tickets from a machine at Venice airport for the ferry across to St Mark's Square only to be refused boarding as the tickets were actually for the less appealing bus ride.
Stephen Kovacs, Singapore
LETTER OF THE WEEK
This is what I enjoy reading most in the Traveller: the road less travelled, the places off the beaten track. I love seeing Traveller feature articles on countries and cities which may not receive recognition otherwise for their richness, depth, history and culture; instead these beautiful places are unfortunately tainted in the media, projecting fear into would-be travellers.
Let's face it, anything may happen, at anytime, anywhere – be it New York, London or Paris – but surely it doesn't stop us from visiting these places. So why should we allow for anything to prevent us from experiencing the wonders of Istanbul, Indonesia, Myanmar, Kenya, even our own outback.
Yes, let's continue to stand strong and against acts of injustices, but let's also see the beauty this world has to offer. There certainly is a "wave of hope".
Tully Chantelle, Eltham, VIC
TART RESPONSE
While I concur absolutely with your writer's enthusiasm for Portuguese pastries (Traveller April 16), I was startled to read that "Porto is named for the port produced in the region".
She couldn't be more wrong. The Portuguese name for the city is Oporto, which means (surprise!) "The Port", because it has been an important harbour since the time of the Romans. The wine is named after the city which provided the export outlet for the precious fluid.
Caroline Miley, Heidelberg, VIC
EDITOR'S NOTE: Traveller regrets the error. The traveller.com.au version of the article with the offending mistake has been corrected.
PYRAMID SCHEME
I fully agree with Jacquelyn Hardwick (Traveller Letters, April 30-May 1) about Egypt. I went on a tour February 2015 with Peregrine and had a fantastic time. My leader was Ahmed and he was great as well. Seeing the size and scope of the civilisation was awe inspiring.
At no time was I worried. Funnily enough I went on an afternoon tour of Islamic Cairo with Hoda and remember her well. You are right about her female perspective and it opened my eyes. I am now travelling through Greece and Turkey with Peregrine.
Nick James, Haberfield, NSW
DEVIL IN THE DETAIL
As an avid reader of Traveller I was horrified to read the "Six of the best" on high tea around the world (Traveller, April 16-17) that encouraged people to experience a cup of tea and the Devil's Pool in Zambia. My daughter, young, fit, healthy and a risk-taker, watched as tourists experienced fear and panic at the top of the falls and some were sent back.
She found herself in the pool slipping and needing to be grabbed by the local guide. It was a frightening experience rather than thrilling experience. Shame on you for reporting this experience in such a way.
Liz Peel, Glenbrook, NSW
EDITOR'S NOTE: Catherine Marshall, author of the piece in question, responds: "No tourist has ever died swimming in Devil's Pool (to my knowledge) and swimmers do so at their own risk. None of the people swimming while I was there had to be sent back. It's a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime experience for many. The guides were extremely professional and ensured our safety every step of the way.
WHEEL DEAL
While I appreciate Simon Canfield's response to my letter on wheeled case design (Traveller Letters, April 23-24), it misses the point. I understand that luggage gets damaged, I wasn't writing about concerns with the strength of luggage in general. I am not looking for military or expedition-grade gear, just basic wheeled luggage for everyday travel.
The now almost universal "spinner" design is fine for smooth floors. It's hopeless for those who travel to places with cobblestones and steep gutters. It's hopeless if you are the kind of traveller who actually enjoys walking. Further, the "spinner" design is dangerous on escalators with some airports having signs on their escalators warning about them. They run away too easily on slopes.
I see the point in carbon fibre with clip locks rather than nylon bags with zips. Stronger and weather tight. Locks aren't a problem, but zips are. They are easily broken into no matter how good the lock.
What I would like is a carbon fibre type case with just two wheels, clip type locks and reinforcing on the back for the inevitable damage on high gutters and escalators etc. My current Paklite, with excellent reinforcing on the reverse side, would be perfect if the nylon fabric and zips of the main section were replaced by a carbon fibre case.
Mike Fewster, Bellevue Heights, NSW
WE WELCOME YOUR TRAVEL-RELATED OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES
The writer of the letter judged the best of the week will receive a Lonely Planet prize pack. See lonelyplanet.com.
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