Traveller letters: Qantas passengers give free strip show in business class the thumbs up

LETTER OF THE WEEK

STEPPE THIS WAY

I'd like to advise fellow travellers about a possible problem when travelling by train in Russia.

We obtained our visas to Russia in Sydney at the Russian consulate and had to submit our itinerary in and out of Russia as well as our accommodation for each night. We caught the train from Moscow to Riga on December 8 - the date we stated on our visa application that we were leaving. Unfortunately we did not get to the border until 2am on December 9 and we were woken by the border guards, ordered to get dressed, told not to speak and frog-marched off the train in the middle of the forest in the snow.

Then we were put in a taxi, told to get out and walk to the border, a distance of 600 metres in the snow (lucky we only travel with carry on). The young Russian border guard who greeted us was fantastic, saying, "so you are the Aussies thrown off the train". We had to pay $20 each for a visa extension and then the guard organised a passing bus to let us board. My husband is 70 and I am 66 and we were only delayed about four hours.

I could have put December 9 on our application but I didn't, nor did the consulate in Sydney advise me to do so. The guards on the train did say that they "catch lots of Australians" this way. It is now a fantastic travel story but it wasn't so exciting at the time.

Erin Petersen, Kingsford, NSW

OPEN THE GATES

Regarding the article on Ypres, Belgium (Relax Havens, Traveller July 6), it states that the Menin Gate records the names of soldiers who died before August 16, 1917.

This is incorrect as I have two relatives who died in late September 1917 and their names are inscribed on the Menin Gate. If any one wanted to find their soldier relative they would be misled by this information and therefore may not visit this wonderful and solemn place.

Bernadette Graham, Croydon, NSW

DAYLIGHT ROBBERY

My husband and I recently returned from a fabulous trip to Taiwan (which we highly recommend as a destination). As I struggled to sleep on an overnight flight we decided to do a daytime flight with Cathay. Leave in daylight - arrive in daylight - nice views - more to do - sounds like a good plan?

Wrong. After feeding us breakfast the lights were turned off and we all sat in the dark until they fed us again just prior to landing. The only time I saw a flight attendant during this enforced sleeping time was when one came and told me to shut the blind (I was trying to have a peek at the view).

I can't see the point in disrupting one's circadian rhythm unnecessarily. Is there a logical reason for this routine?.

Diane Hill, Kew, VIC

OPEN AND SHUT CASE

We recently travelled around Switzerland and decided to leave our winter clothing at the Zurich train station while we did a weeklong trip to Nice. When we returned to collect our luggage the office was closed.

As we were flying home that night, we had no alternative but to leave our luggage and contents; the cost of missing our plane and booking another flight the next day far exceeded the value of the luggage contents.

Lots of other people were hanging around the luggage office obviously believing an international arrival/departure city would have extended hours of operation. Lesson learned – always check the opening hours.

Denis Hennessy, Winston Hills, NSW

PARIS LICKED

Regarding the Lisbon post office, went into to a busy post office in Paris 2nd arrondissement. A tall uniformed man looked at my husband and said, in English, "Stamps? You look like a man who needs stamps."

He then directed us to a counter. In French, the young lady queried our request for 20 stamps for postcards and we explained they were for our grandchildren. She then went through about ten folders finding suitable stamps for each child. What wonderful service.

Hilary Nourse, Woolooware, NSW

ONE SMALL MISTEP

In the "Rocket Man" letter (Traveller, July 6), Peter Digwood correctly asserts that Michael Collins didn't land on the moon. However, unless he resided in the US at the time, Peter incorrectly states "I remember it like it was yesterday as it occurred on my eighth birthday – July 20, 1969."

The actual moon landing (in Australia) was 12:56pm (AEST) on 21 July 1969.

Adrian Brown, Pascoe Vale, VIC

GOOD GOVERNMENT

The cheapest ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) for Canada is online through the official Canadian Government site, Joseph Ting (Rants & raves, June 29), www.canada.ca

iVisa still charged your wife $14 service fee on top of the government fee of $7. There is no service fee through the government site and the visa was issued within 10 minutes. I had to sign up to get a username and password beforehand.

Julie Cook, Stockton, NSW

HOUSTON, WE HAD A PROBLEM

I accept that weather can play a huge part in what can happen during a flight but after we were diverted to Austin, Texas, aboard a Sydney to Houston Air New Zealand flight, the onground care of passengers left a lot to be desired.

Five hours parked on the runway with virtually no food or drink; half-an-hour taxiing to the gate; one and a half hours standing at the luggage carousel still without food or drink; a three and a half hour bus trip to Houston, still without food or drink and no comfort stop.

Furthermore, there was staff to meet us on arrival at Houston when we arrived - 11 hours after the scheduled time.

Susan Smith, Cremorne, NSW

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