That little Mexican village has gone way uptown

I read the recent article about Puerto Escondido with great interest [“Good Life on the Cheap,” by Nick Hilden, April 2].

My wife and I first visited there in 1978. At that time, they had just gotten electricity and there were no paved roads in town except the coast highway.

We stayed in a campground near the beach for $1 U.S. per night. We bought sandwiches for a few pesos from a friendly local who had a small restaurant on the beach.

Even at that time, the town was famous among the surfers of the world.

We went back many years later, only to discover that our little restaurant on the beach now had white-jacketed waiters and that there was a Gold’s Gym near the beach with an adjacent bar where nobody spoke Spanish.

My wife’s reaction was to turn to me and say, “Get me out of here!”

Jack Rogers

Long Beach

Indian visas

Regarding “For This Visa, Consider a Pro,” On the Spot by Catharine Hamm, April 2: In February, I applied for an Indian visa online and did not receive an email confirmation of approval. I had noticed that there was an option for checking on the status, which I did and found it marked as granted and printed it out. No problem.

The best website is indianvisaonline.gov.in, then click on the E-visa tab on the right-hand side.

Lonnie Horn

Irvine

I must disagree with the advice given in “On the Spot.” We left for India on Feb.14, and I had little trouble filling out the online visa application. You need not complete it in one sitting — you get a code that enables you to return to your application — and after you pay online you receive the authorization by email. You may apply for a visa 30 days before departure. I would certainly try the online method before using a much more expensive visa service. I am not an IT person, but a 73-year-old retiree.

Betsy Handler

Pacific Palisades

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