Letters: Vacations that can make a difference

Trips that can make a difference

Regarding “Trips That Led to New Chapters” [Dec. 20] by Amanda Jones: After traveling in Nepal frequently beginning in 1990, several trekking buddies and I started talking about forming a nonprofit to better organize our efforts helping children and women there. The Didi Project ( www.didiproject.org) was born.

While visiting Nepal in the fall, during boarding school vacations, we had the delight of living and traveling with “our daughter” Sabita, who now at age 15, helps a lot with the projects.

Sabita had come to us at age 7. She knows how to meet and greet at the annual Networking Conference we sponsor to encourage action partnerships. And she is a big promoter of the book “Sold,” by Patricia McCormick, which we are about to distribute in its Nepali translation from the English original now so popular here.

The young-adult novel is about a village teenager sold into a Calcutta brothel. “Sold” will become the centerpiece of a wide-ranging reading and listening educational effort to curb trafficking, a sad situation for about 15,000 victims each year from Nepal’s villages.

Room to Read, which was noted in Jones’ article, will be a distribution partner with their 1,400 school libraries. Read Nepal will distribute it as well among its 46 rural community libraries. We welcome helpers through our website.

-- Joyce Tapper, Van Nuys

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Regarding Jones’ “Trips That Led to New Chapters”: Great.

-- Al Garner, Laguna Woods

A gold medal for Vancouver

I’ve lived in Vancouver for 55 years and didn’t know half the places Hugo Martín ferreted out [“Two Cool,” Dec. 13]. Now I have to try them.

However, he did a disservice to Chinatown. There are lots of creditable, authentic eateries there. Also, he omitted some Vancouver icons -- Tojo’s, Bishop’s, Bridges, CinCin, Le Crocodile, Water Street Cafe -- which are worth mentioning.

Finally, by taking a 35-minute water taxi from Granville Island (beside Bridges), you can get to Bowen Island and try out Mik-sa (international tapas), Blue Eyed Marys (spawn of Bishop’s), Tuscany (wood-fired gourmet pizza) and Artisan Eats (fusion, with a charcuterie flair). All pass muster, by any standard.

-- Peter Frinton, Vancouver, Canada

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I read Martín’s story about Vancouver and Whistler with great interest since I was born and bred in this awesome city (but with historical roots in California).

I’m glad he enjoyed his stay, and I was impressed that he did so much. He will have to come back in July or August to explore the stunning hiking trails in Whistler (or try the extreme mountain biking, the zipline or bungee jumping over Fitzsimmons Creek) or local hiking in the North Shore, where Grouse Mountain, Cypress and Seymour mountains are located, which provide the beautiful backdrop for the city.

It does rain a lot here, so skies are gray and gloomy during winter. However, I wouldn’t live anywhere else in Canada.

-- Stephanie Ngai, North Vancouver, Canada