July/August 2003

Postcards - p. 4

The Boffo Cruise

I visited Fiji 22 years ago and have a cherished memory of it. When the opportunity came to take my husband there, I leaped at it and again took a cruise -- this time a four-day Captain Cook cruise (www.captcookcrus.com.au), led by Tui on the Spirit of the Pacific, a two-masted schooner. It was a fun and interesting learning experience. Our group of 11 ranged in age from 23-65, with swimming levels from new paddlers to the highly skilled. All enjoyed the snorkeling -- especially the first timers, who gained a great sense of achievement. We learned the Kava ceremony, traditional dancing, visited a village, and listened nightly to the beautiful harmonies of the crew who sang not to entertain us, but for their own pleasure in singing songs of the South Pacific. We enjoyed the warm waters, the beach at our door and showers by starlight. I highly recommend it to those who like a little adventure.

In terms of restaurants, we enjoyed the food and air conditioning at RJ's across from the Dominion Hotel and at Chef's behind Jack's trading store, in Nadi.

Wendy and Harvey Bowman
Vancouver, Canada
Courtesy of asia-hotels.com

India's Sticker Shock

We visited Agra and Jaipur through a tour operator and had a driver with an air-conditioned car and an all-inclusive package. Charging foreigners 750 rupees to visit the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort when Indians are charged 20 rupees is extortion of the worst kind. If that happened in the West there would be riots. The squalor and begging was distressing, not to mention the touts who pestered us continuously.

Robert Callaghan, London, England
Courtesy of asia-hotels.com