Traveller letters: Unlike humans, checked luggage can't gain weight during a flight

At Melbourne, 45 minutes before take-off, I was handed an economy class boarding pass. Had I known this, I would not have travelled from Sydney and would have immediately cancelled.

Under pressure, the Jetstar team leader promised a refund. I paid $1400 but was refunded $911. It seems Jetstar is charging me $500-plus for a leg I only took because of their misinformation.

I ended up rebooking on Thai, which was more expensive from Melbourne than from Sydney, resulting in a double whammy.

Robin Shreeve, Wentworth Falls, NSW

RETURN TO EDEN

A most moving essay Nina Karnikowski, on why it's time to return to Sri Lanka (Traveller, August 3).

Earlier this year we opted (after much soul searching) to go ahead with our tour which started just after the tragic incidents of Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. Needless to say security was extremely tight. However, at no stage did we feel under threat.

As Nina's article confirmed, Sri Lanka's hotels are excellent, the scenery brilliant, and the food delicious. Most of all, the people are a delight and go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome.

The Sri Lankans urgently need to see a full recovery of their tourism industry and, really, there's no better time than now to visit this unique part of the world.

Robert Lygo, East Lindfield, NSW

POTHOLED PARADISE

In your "On the move" special edition (Traveller, July 27), Brian Johnston absolutely nails the experience of road travel in India. However, if you want to take it to the next level - try it on a motorcycle.

It's not for the faint-hearted, but riding a Royal Enfield puts you right in the middle of all the sights, sounds, smells and spectacular scenery of this wonderful country. In cities the advice is "the traffic is the sea, you are the fish".

When riding along a potholed, muddy goat track beside a sheer drop in the Himalayas: don't look down.

David Francis, Ivanhoe, VIC

LIGHTEN UP

In April I flew with Emirates from Sydney to Dublin via Dubai. The flight left Sydney at 6am so you had to be there by 4am which meant getting up far earlier than that (Traveller Letters, August 10).

The sun was just rising when we took off so when the air hostess asked all of us to put the shutters down I thought it was so we could catch up on some sleep.

The plane was kept in darkness for 14 hours to Dubai, the lights coming on for breakfast and lunch, then going back off again. I snuck a look at Lake Eyre and the beaches of Western Australia but felt the odd one out.

It was surreal being in darkness for that long and as I hadn't been on an international flight for years I wondered if it was to help with jet lag.

Lyn Williams, Boambee, NSW

LOSERS UNITE

Thank you, Jill Dupleix, for your article on "losing it overseas" (Traveller, August 3). I feel so much better knowing that there is someone more prone to this disease than myself and that the problem is now out in the open.

Now, please just tell me that Jill is a 20 or 30-something and I will feel even better knowing my habit of losing things is not just another old-age thing or the result of jet lag?

Graham Neal, Castle Hill, NSW

EDITOR'S NOTE We can confirm only that Traveller's editors and writers are all considerably younger than any of their frequent flyer numbers.

FINDERS NOT KEEPERS

On a recent trip to Japan I had the misfortune to lose my wallet on a day trip from Hiroshima.

After stopping my credit card I reported the loss to the local police in Hiroshima. They did not speak English and I do not speak Japanese, so all the details of the loss and my itinerary were translated by a phone app.

Two days later, a parcel arrived at my Osaka hotel containing my wallet and all its contents with no money or cards missing. How many places in the world would this happen? Respect and honesty are a hallmark of Japanese culture.

Phillip Sargeant, Pymble, NSW

TENDER MERCIES

In the middle of the 14-hour evening flight from Sydney to Doha on Friday, August 1, I suddenly became ill with violent retching and an escalating headache.

I was frightened. The attentive, professional care of the Qatar stewards was exemplary. They reassured me I would be okay and found a space for me to have undisturbed rest.

Although this is appropriate service for the situation I remain overwhelmed by the tenderness and compassion the stewards gave during the incident, and up until I disembarked.

Debra Phillips, Wollstonecraft, NSW

NOW HEAR THIS

In June my husband and I cruised from Hamburg to Ireland and Scotland on the MSC Orchestra ship. We had just left Belfast when the dome from my left hearing aid came off and became lodged in my left ear canal.

I was told that it would be €100 to see the ship's doctor, who took my temperature, blood pressure and asked if I was allergic to anything. All this plus the removal of the dome took five minutes.

Imagine our surprise when we got a bill for €180. We were charged €80 for the removal of the dome. Enquiries to the ship's concierge only got an answer of "you have insurance, don't you?"

A letter to the company said "the medical facility is owned and operated by independent operators who set their own price". Fortunately we did have insurance but five minutes at €180 is way above what our local doctor would have charged, let alone a specialist in Australia.

Anne Kinsky, Putney, NSW

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