Travel letters: Kudos to Mom for taking kids to Myanmar

Hooray for Mom’s worldly ways

Regarding Myanmar [“Hoofing It Through the Mountains” by Lindsay Hawdon, June 9]: I want to congratulate her for exposing her sons to such wonderful worldly adventures. This is more than they would learn in a classroom. I have traveled to 75 countries, and those experiences are who I am today. Hooray for Lindsay.

Rhoda Lurie

Santa Monica

Hotelier’s best bet? Silence

Regarding “Hotelier Wants to Be Helpful But Not Rude” [On the Spot by Catharine Hamm, June 9]: I’m writing regarding the hotelier’s inquiry about the “proper” way to offer a nonstandard room to a person appearing to have special needs. My fellow attorneys are indeed correct that to make any such offer would not be in violation of the American With Disabilities Act, but all seem to miss a basic point. Having had family members and clients who were or are disabled, I can tell you that the one thing they want most is to be treated equally and not singled out because of the disability.

Those in service businesses must assume and acknowledge that people with disabilities are wise and practical enough to know that if they need something other than a standard room, they will request it. No matter the tone or how the question is phrased, the guest is still being made aware of the disability.

This is one instance where sensitivity and caring can best be achieved by remaining silent.

Barry S. Rubin

Beverly Hills

Life-changing time in Italy

Thanks to Phil Marty and his story on Italy’s Dolomites [“Sheer Spectacle,” June 2] , I was reminded of that beautiful part of the world where I spent months with the 88th Infantry Division in 1945. I was only 17. I had left high school to enlist and help win the war.

Being in Cortina d’Ampezzo changed my life. I’d never had on a pair of skis, but our division learned to ski, and I spent the next 70 years enjoying the sport all over the Western states.

I was really disappointed way back then that the war ended and that I never had a chance to actually fight.

William O’Connell

Dana Point

A different view of Bora Bora

Reading about An Amlotte’s version of Bora Bora was confusing because I was in Bora Bora and did not have the same experience [“So Into It,” May 26].

Motus are flat, while the main island’s cragged peaks and flora-smothered slopes are dramatic and contrast with pristine beaches. Further, the two main cruise lines that moor in Bora Bora are not considered massive with either 332 or 680 passengers, and the ships do not overwhelm the bay.

She described Vaitape as undesirable and the road potholed, which made me think she mixed it up with Papeete. I drove all around Bora Bora and found the road in good condition as well as nice shops in Vaitape. She is mistaken when she concludes that cruise passengers see only Vaitape. They probably see more of Bora Bora than Amlotte because they explore the island: They snorkel among the coral gardens with colorful fish, scuba dive, circle the island by boat or jet ski, swim with black-tip reef sharks, pet the sting rays, kayak, picnic on a motu, visit a black pearl farm, meet locals at Bloody Mary’s, take a 4x4 into the interior and to elevated knolls where the views are the most scenic in Tahiti.

Most excursions in Bora Bora have fewer than 12 participants regardless of whether you are a cruise passenger or a hotel guest, so cruise passengers don’t overcrowd the island. Further, there are over-the-water bungalows on the main island that are just as scenic as those on the motus, which some people find too isolating.

Amlotte mentioned in one paragraph that the main island is less scenic, yet while waiting on the motu and looking back at the main island she was enchanted by the view.

Joyce Hughes

Woodland Hills