Tour Buses Now Visit Gorby’s Prison <i> Dacha</i>

The newest must-see sight on the Soviet tourist trail is the three-story, Mediterranean-modern summer house in the Crimean foothills where President Mikhail S. Gorbachev was imprisoned during the failed August coup. Chauffeurs and tour bus drivers now stop at the red tile-roofed dacha to point out the building and separate staff quarters. Trouble is, tourists can’t see it very well from the road, although cyclists and hikers can get closer and gaze through an iron fence at the grounds, which are filled with olive trees. The area immediately around the dacha --above a little bay at Foros where the southern tip of the Soviet Union noses into the Black Sea--remains off-limits to anyone not authorized by the Kremlin or the Gorbachevs.

Travel Quiz: In what year did the last measurable snow fall in Palm Springs?

Madagascar Caution: The State Department is advising U.S. citizens that the political situation in Madagascar has stabilized and travel there is now considered safe. However, visitors, especially those to the capital of Antananarivo, should exercise caution, avoid political gatherings, demonstrations and public mass transit, and be vigilant when walking on the street. International air travel, interrupted during this summer’s violent strikes, is again on a regular schedule, the advisory notes, but Madagascar is entering a transitional period leading to new elections and political violence is a possibility. Visitors also should take into account the possibility of street crime such as muggings and purse snatchings.

Tisk Tax: Effective immediately, visitors to all of Mexico, including the border cities, will benefit from a 5% reduction in the value-added tax applied to consumer purchases and services, including hotel rates, restaurant prices and tour packages. Instituted to control inflation in the Mexican economy, the reduction in the value-added tax from 15% to 10% has been extended to include the border cities which, until last week, were exempted from the reduction. It is hoped that the change will encourage tourism that has suffered during the U.S. recession, according to a Mexican tourism official.

Quick Fact: Number of passengers expected to be at Los Angeles International Airport during the Thanksgiving weekend: 675,000. Number of parking places at LAX: about 25,000. (Source: City of Los Angeles Department of Airports.)

Getting a Line on Spain: A toll-free information line, (800) SPAIN-92, offering information for planning travel to Spain for the Summer Olympics in Barcelona and Expo ’92 in Seville, has just opened and will operate throughout 1993. Open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., operators will answer questions about events, transportation, hotels, restaurants, shops, sightseeing and cultural activities. The line, sponsored by American Express, Iberia Airlines and Turespana, the Tourist Office of Spain, cannot be used to make travel arrangements. But callers can order a free 43-page “Spain, So Much To Si” brochure that includes information on packages to Spain.

It’s Snow Cold: Early season snowfall and cold temperatures permitting snow-making have prompted eight of Colorado’s resorts to open and more are considering early openings as conditions allow. The following are projected opening dates for the 1991-92 ski season, as of press time: Arapahoe Basin, this week; Arrowhead, Dec. 20; Aspen Highlands, Thursday; Beaver Creek Resort, Wednesday; Ski Cooper, Nov. 22; Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Wednesday; Eldora, Nov. 22; Howelsen Ski Area, next Sunday; Powderhorn, Dec. 7; Purgatory-Durango, Nov. 22; SilverCreek, Dec. 12; Snowmass, Thursday; Steamboat, Nov. 22; Ski Sunlight, Wednesday; Telluride, Nov. 23, and Tiehack/Buttermilk, Dec. 14. Already open at press time were: Aspen Mountain, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain Resort, Keystone Resort, Loveland Ski Areas, Monarch Ski Resort, Vail and Wolf Creek.

Michelin Does D.C.: Michelin--publisher of those red-and-green guides that are fixtures of so many European driving trips--recently added Washington, D.C., to its short but illustrious list of touring guides for city destinations. The new sightseeing guide is the first of a series of American-produced books, with others in the works for California and Quebec province. The $14.95 guide includes practical information (addresses and phone numbers of shops, places of worship, embassies and universities) along with the usual Michelin fare--sightseeing itineraries, detailed plans of museums and historic sites.

Braille on Airline: The Braille version of the English-language South China Morning Post is now available, by advance request, on Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Cathay Pacific operates the only daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

Comparatively Speaking: Cruise ship sanitation scores for ships inspected in October (a score of 87 or higher indicates acceptable sanitation): Azure Seas, 89. Discovery I, 96. Festivale, 94. Mardi Gras, 95. Pacific Princess, 88. Regal Princess, 70. Royal Viking Sun, 86. Sea Bird, 86. Seabourn Pride, 92. Viking Serenade, 71. Club Med I, 81. Crystal Harmony, 94. Spirit of Alaska, 89. Polaris, 76.

Fair Warning: An old-fashioned holiday will be celebrated with carriages drawn by golden Belgian draft horses, an exhibit and sale of quilts, Christmas tea and a reading of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by members of the Mendocino Theatre Company during the Mendocino Christmas Festival, Dec. 3-22. Also on the schedule are a sing-along Messiah and a candlelight tour of bed and breakfast inns. For more information, call (800) 726-2780.

Quiz Answer: The year was 1979, when two inches fell over the city.