Mod's Note: It's still in the same place it has always been: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheTravelzine/files/ You'll need to have your subscription address associated with a Yahoo I.D. to get into the files.

Have any of you taken the boat trip down the Li River in China? Would love to hear some personal experiences. Also would be interested in the logistics of the trip.

Basically, would love any and all information about Beijing and Guilin hotels/restaurants/sights.

You may be interested in the deal we got on this trip. Malaysia Air is charging $747/person RT from LA to Kuala Lampur. Then for a 30-day period you can travel anywhere Malasia Air travels at no extra cost, and you can fly as often as you can manage. There are many exciting countries to choose from. You must always go back to Kuala Lampur, however, before flying to a new country. Since we've had the opportunity to visit many countries in this area, we're concentrating on 2 we haven't been to yet.

Hope to hear from some of you.

Thought I'd tack on to this message some comments about travel safety. I just got back from leading a culinary tour to Morocco. There was not even a hint of a problem there. Morocco is quite pro-Western, partially attributable to being a French Protectorate from 1912-1956. They are starving for tourists. Since 9/11 Americans have pretty much stayed home.

Earlier in the year, I spent 2 months traveling in India to research the food, and felt perfectly safe. Recall that this was the time of the terrible Muslim-Hindu confrontation in Ayodia. We were far away from that action. Now, of course, things are quite different. The situation between Pakistan and India has improved but I suspect the problem is not out of the woods yet.

Best,

Joan Peterson