Letters: Dubai and gay travelers

Regarding “Destination: Dubai” by Catharine Hamm [On the Spot, Aug. 14]: It is less than safe for gay travelers in much of the Middle East (lesbians “don’t exist” in Muslim cultures). Dubai is quite homophobic. Let readers be aware of the pitfalls for gay male tourists traveling to much of the Muslim world, where leaders and the media are routinely anti-gay. I know, having visited such countries, from Syria to Malaysia.

Henry Nicklin

Pacific Palisades

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Another thing travelers to Dubai can do in a single day is take a tour of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. Tour operators pick you up at your hotel and drive you to Khasab on a road that rivals Highway 1 to Big Sur. From Khasab, you take a small boat through the waters of the peninsula. You see marvelous, undeveloped ancient lands and are back in your hotel by early evening.

Leslie Stepp

Woodside

Dolphin dives

Visiting Anthony’s Key Resort in Honduras sounds like a great family trip, especially when diving lessons are kid-friendly [“Dive! Dive! Dive!” by Amanda Jones, Aug. 14]. I would never visit there, no matter how appealing it seems. I’m sure the marine biologists at Anthony’s Key Resort love these brilliant, personable mammals and mean well, and that there’s no overt cruelty going on. But their marine research is being funded by a resort, and a resort is a business. Its bottom-line interest is money, not animal rights. It’s not a place I want my money supporting something I can’t justify.

A.G. Pachulski

Beverly Hills

Seeing code red

Regarding Cheryl Hammond’s letter [“Seating Problems,” Aug. 7] and complaint regarding British Airways’ extra charge for seat assignments: At least Hammond had the opportunity to get a seat assignment.

I was flying to Kenya on Iberia with a British code share. When I tried to reserve my seats before the 24-hour rule on British, I was informed that my tickets were on Iberia ticket stock, so British couldn’t issue the seat assignment. I called Iberia (no charge for seat assignments) and was told they could not access British Air’s seat inventory.

Michael Nemeth

Dana Point

Lobster buffet

I enjoyed reading Irene Lechowitzky’s article on the Valley View Casino [“Caesars It’s Not, but Oh, the Lobster!” July 24]. I hadn’t heard of it, and my first thoughts were, “Oh good, a casino with reasonably priced, spacious rooms. I must check this place out.” Then the Travel section published a letter from a reader who was dismayed by the mention of “a money-making operation that preys on the false hopes of the desperate” [Letters, Aug. 7]. I guess we all see things differently.

Donna S. Cohen

Simi Valley