LETTER OF THE WEEK
Perhaps Robin Grow (Traveller Letters, April 11-12) is lacking in humour and a sense of fun or needs to get a life and stop being a painful bore. Robin is totally wrong that we are bogans behaving badly and it's strange that he should connect fun with bogan behaviour (and Sydney).
We are two well travelled seniors, who enjoy life, and not from Sydney. I do not smoke cigars or drink rum but I can recognise a good photo opportunity! Furthermore, my partner speaks excellent Spanish and we developed many friendships from staying with Cuban families and took a suitcase full of gifts, as the Cubans have suffered for years with the trade embargo.
We consider ourselves good ambassadors. Rum and cigars (and having fun) are part of Cuban life and their fantastically preserved convertibles are a main tourist attraction, and a major source of much needed foreign currency.
That photo was 30 minutes out of a three-month trip through Mexico and Cuba. We found the poverty, the lack of services and goods in the shops, the decrepit and dilapidated buildings and the sex tourism far more shocking than a drive in a pink convertible!
Meredith Malcolm
BEAR FACTS
If, like us, your main purpose in travelling to the Alaskan wilderness is to see the grizzlies, you cannot do better than the Alaska Homestead Lodge in Lake Clark National Park. I felt sorry for Stephen Phelan (Traveller, April 11-12) in that he was unable to even see a bear, let alone see them every day and from as close as five metres!
Mothers and cubs wandering through the garden! Great food and service and a wealth of history and knowledge at your fingertips, not to mention the flight across Cook Inlet! An unforgettable travel experience.
Chris Nicholson
CASE STUDY
Just wanted to let readers know about a very convenient service for travellers in Japan, named takuhaibin (also known as Takkyubin). While my mother and I were there recently we learned of this luggage courier service from a Japanese friend.
We sent my large suitcase from the hotel in Osaka direct to our hotel in Tokyo, while we did a short side trip to Kyoto with a smaller suitcase. It was so easy to arrange and only cost about $15. All you need to do is inquire at your hotel reception and they will arrange it for you.
Janine Halls
NAME GAME
In response to Sandra Martin-Coppard's scathing review of Melbourne's "delusion of grandeur" (Travel Letters, April 11-12) in being called the "Paris of the South" I'd like to point out I have visited Dresden – touted as the "Florence of the North", Salzburg, the "Rome of the North", both Amsterdam and Hamburg – the "Venice of the North", Prague – "the Paris of the East" and even "little Venice" in Bamburg, Germany.
All of these places had their own distinct attributes but perhaps these subtle gems were not heard against the big names they sought as promotional partners. Taking people from the known to the unknown is the object of travel. Allowing the exploration of something more is the gift it offers.
We constantly read of Australians heading overseas more than they explore their own backyard and on my own return to Melbourne after an absence of almost 20 years I was surprised to find favourable comparisons to Europe's great cities.
Don't enforce our cultural cringe. Be glad we have a city that is brave enough to compare itself to the most popular tourist destination in the world and look for the day when some place is keen to style itself as "the Melbourne of the North".
Deb Hanrahan
LOTS OF LUXOR
I was pleased to read Dawn Vanderhorst's letter (Traveller Letters, April 11-12) praising Egypt travel. I have been visiting Egypt for many years now and covered most of the country – the deserts, monuments, the cities, the Red Sea and more – even during troubled times and just love the place.
In Cairo, I stayed at a few hotels, then tried the Sara Inn, which has now become like my second home, with Assim and his wife Hanan adopting me as family, their five children calling me "Amul" (uncle).
Now I don't have to concern myself with arranging tours and other activities as Assim takes care of it, seemingly having connections anywhere in the country. Dawn is correct. Yes, go to Egypt. They do need our travel support.
Dan Forrester
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 valued at almost $90, it includes The World's Best Brunches, The World's Best Spicy Food and The World's Best Street Food. See www.lonelyplanet.com. Letters may be edited for space, legal or other reasons. Preference will be given to letters of 50-100 words or less. Email us at travellerletters@fairfaxmedia.com.au and, importantly, include your name, address and phone number.
