Wander Year Views

Regarding the Wander Year weekly series by Mike McIntyre: From Fiji we heard how he got sick because the Fijians have poor hygiene habits. New Zealand was boring because it’s so beautiful. India is full of con artists and poverty.

For an entire year we get to read McIntyre’s view of what’s wrong with the rest of the world. He would not be my choice for a traveling companion.

KAICHI GORO

Los Angeles

As an English teacher for 20 years and a world traveler, I must commend McIntyre for being one of the best travel writers I have ever read. His writing is so visual that I am vicariously experiencing his adventures--some places I have already been and some I haven’t.

I look forward to his Wander Year column each week, and I read it before anything else. Then I read it aloud to my husband so we can enjoy his picturesque humor together.

What talent! I give him an “A+.”

AUDRY HAUTH

Seal Beach

Regarding McIntyre’s “Caught in the Grip of Delhi Delirium” (The Wander Year, March 19):

I agree that there is traffic chaos in New Delhi, with no semblance of following the rules, and that there are daily accidents there. But does it mean in Los Angeles there are no accidents, with the so-called following of rules and policing done?

His statement that “it’s a mistake to arrive in a Third World capital at night, jet lagged and disoriented” is completely untrue. It’s dangerous to arrive at any major city of the United States in the night.

I strongly resent the claim that the $25-per-night hotel room he stayed in on his trip “might be the cleanest room we’d sleep in in India.” It’s making fun of a country noted for its hospitality. Some of the best hotels in New Delhi rival the world’s best.

The issues about cleanliness there are true, but how many U.S. cities are clean?

I feel he has hurt some feelings about my country, even though he is entitled to his opinions.

JAYANTH TARIMALA

Scarborough, Canada

Where did McIntyre ever get the idea that $25 per night is “a considerable sum for Indian accommodation”? That place must have been an absolute dive. His article gave me a good laugh.

Let your readers know that in the big cities, they should expect to pay closer to $100 per night or more in India. I’d also highly recommend booking accommodations through a travel agent who is knowledgeable about the country, or get referrals from others who have been there.

SIRI-VED KAUR

Los Angeles

Thanks for printing the Wander Year column each week. It is a delight to read. I look forward to the Sunday Times so I can enjoy the next adventure.

SUSAN McGAREY

Lancaster

Mike McIntyre and Andrea Boyles are doing what the rest of us wish we could do or had the courage to do.

A San Francisco couple started their global trek last year, and on the Web site https://www.madnomad.com they post their accounts of each of the places they visit. It’s great reading and a helpful site for others.

RICK ENG

Santa Monica