ROLLING MEADOWS — Thank you for the wonderful piece on Yellowstone (“Yellowstone in Winter”; Nov. 29). It was particularly enjoyable to my wife and me since we just spent several days in Yellowstone, Bozeman and Jackson in the latter part of September — also a fine time to be there in terms of avoiding a lot of the summertime crowd, not to mentions RVs.
It was really refreshing to sit on Sunday morning and learn about your experiences and observations (and see your photos) rather than reading the depressing stuff that normally takes up the news sections.
— Ronald C. Brown
TIME TO GO
CHICAGO — My family and I just had the good fortune to visit Yellowstone this past June and had a great time. In August, while looking at pictures, I told my wife that I would visit Yellowstone in winter at least once. As the seasons have changed and I watch the weather maps for out West, I have imagined what it is like out there. Then your article runs in the paper, and it convinces me all the more that I have to see the park in winter.
— Gerry O’Brien
A BRAVE EATER
CHICAGO — I thoroughly enjoyed Alan Solomon’s articles on Asia (“Big City Deals: Tokyo & Bangkok”; Dec. 6). I was especially interested and entertained by his piece on Bangkok as I spent one year in Thailand teaching English in a Thai high school. While reading the article, I could almost smell the wonderful spices of the dishes he mentioned and was impressed that he ate the food from the street vendors whose hygiene is, at best, questionable. Thank you for painting a realistic picture of a colorful city.
— Ellen Boomer
PATPONG WARNING
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Your article (on Bangkok) was very good. However, you gloss over the Patpong district. I’ve been there, and it can be a very dangerous area at night. It may be fascinating, but it’s a rough area. One needs to be wary.
— C.J.
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Yes, travelers who patronize any of the more, ah, exotic bars and clubs in Patpong should be particularly cautious of — among other things — drugged drinks, robbery by “dates” and strong-arm tactics in collecting padded bills. And wandering off into the smaller dark, deserted sois (alleys) isn’t advisable here or anywhere else. But the main danger for those just visiting the night market or only ogling (from the street) the raunchier nightlife is pickpockets. The main sois are jammed with people, and tourist police are everywhere.
WRONG CONTINENT
ORLAND PARK — A friend of mine from Oaklawn called a local travel agent and made reservations for travel to Dhaka, Bangladesh, Asia. The travel agent called back and confirmed travel by KLM. A few days later he found out that KLM does not fly to Dhaka. The travel agent had booked him to fly to Dakar, a city in Senegal, Africa.
— Shafiq Ahmed
P.S. — Reminds me of a story when a man from Europe boarded a plane from L.A. to Auckland instead of Oakland. Several hours into the flight he inquired as to why it was taking so long to reach Oakland.
