Letters: Trip to Antarctica? Phenomenal

I was excited to read Eddy Hartenstein’s article on Antarctica to see whether the writer shared our views [“South of Everything,” Feb. 15].

When I retired, my wife and I decided to visit both poles. In 2010, we traveled to Antarctica on the National Geographic Explorer. It was so phenomenal that words can’t really describe the trip.

Two years later (after saving up again), we took the same ship and captain to the Arctic. And yes, we saw the polar bears that people thought Hartenstein would see on his trip to Antarctica.

Here’s a suggestion for anyone considering taking both trips: Take the Arctic journey first.

We have traveled all over the world. Since the trip to Antarctica, we’ve never taken another trip that’s come anywhere close to being as great as that one was.

So, although the Arctic trip was fun, and we saw some great sights, it was a disappointment after Antarctica.

The author sums it up in the closing paragraph of the article: “The memory of our experiences … is the portrait we’ll treasure for a lifetime.”

John Tickner

Bell Canyon

Fox in Yosemite

In the late ‘70s, my family traveled to California to visit my sister. We went to Yosemite and drove into some upper road, way up.

We played in the snow, which in June was still plentiful. And we saw a red fox that looked just like the one in the Feb. 1 article “Fox Trots in Yosemite” by Mary Forgione.

I know there are pics somewhere of the one we saw. It was curled up at the side of the road and did not run away or try to move, but blinked its lovely eyes and posed for us without any signs of fear.

So there must have been other fox sightings throughout the years. I hope others write in to tell their stories. It was a magical moment for me, as I was only 13.

Mary Cannon

Pasadena

$25 well spent

I’d like to add a comment to Eric Rosen’s “More for Your Money” article on booking a ticket with your miles online versus by phone [“Flying for ‘Free’? Not Really,” Feb. 1]. I have found that with United and Delta, it’s worth paying the $25 charge to talk to someone.

The number of miles you need for a flight can vary widely. I always got quoted the highest amount online, and when trying to fly to New York on Delta, I was always quoted online a flight from LAX to Newark, N.J.

By phone, I got a flight to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport with no trouble.

Similarly, the United phone assistant just booked me from LAX to Hamburg, Germany, via Munich on Lufthansa, and back from London’s Heathrow to LAX, for 60,000 miles, the minimum I believe for an international flight.

The agent went to a lot of trouble to find the German airport most convenient for my nephew to come and meet me.

That’s a lot of service for the money.

Patricia M. Wolfe

Los Angeles