This week rounds up a few questions that have come in on the live blog that I haven't had time to get to. Though it's not a live Q&A, please feel free to leave comments and follow-ups. Next week will be a lunchtime blog so any questions posted here will be considered for that unless readers can help here.
I'm a student planning a trip through Central America, starting in Cancun and ending in Panama City, and hoping to get in all the main sights on the way. I was wondering if you had any tips or must-see stops. Also, do you think Cancun to Panama is viable in two months, especially the months of July and August.
christophereb
Christopher, if you're talking about fairly constant movement, then you can make this journey in eight weeks. The advice would be different if you were pausing anywhere, for example to learn Spanish or undertake some volunteering.
The first half of this trip will take in southern Mexico and Guatemala. Once you've seen the main sights of the Yucatan from Cancun, head south to Belize and a spot of beach life on Caye Caulker. There's a choice to be made here: either continue south to San Salvador, capital of El Salvador, via a few more cayes, jungle boat trips and the Copan ruins, or head inland, to the ruins of Tikal, Guatemala, and then south to explore the country's lakes, volcanoes and traditional villages. As you head south, Nicaragua and Panama bracket the more well-trodden Costa Rica, and you have the choice, essentially, of hugging each coast, with Lago del Nicaragua offering the logical splitting point, or crossing over the Isthmus of Panama once during your trip, with San Jose in Costa Rica offering good transport links as a crossing point.
On such a long trip, however, it tends not to be worth doing too much planning. You'll make friends along the way who'll persuade you to take detours. In particular, the Bay Islands of Honduras and Nicaragua's Corn Islands as well as Panama's Bocas del Toro offer the chance for low-key, low-cost island hopping. The pace should be dictated by what you're enjoying rather than covering as much ground as you can.
As you might expect there's a huge amount of discussion of must-see sights on Thorn Tree.
I'm off to New York next week and heard about tours and expeditions in the disused subway tunnels. I know that the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association have just been told that they can no longer run tours in the tunnels but I was wondering if there are any other tunnel tours (unofficial or not!) that are available? If there are other underground sightseeing things I could do, that would be great.
catbox
The popular, offbeat tours run by the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association of the Atlantic Avenue tunnel, the world's oldest subway tunnel and dating from 1844, have been abruptly halted. You can read about these tours and the campaign to get them reinstated. It sounds like the future of the tour is mired in bureaucracy, which is a shame as it offers (hopefully that tense is correct) a fascinating window on a long-lost piece of New York's history.
I haven't found any more underground tours of the Big Apple but there's a treasure trove of fascinating history from the city, much of it underground, together with occasional tours, at Kevin Walsh's wonderful forgotten-ny.com. My New York-based colleague at Lonely Planet, Robert Reid, reports that South St Seaport's Unearthed NY archaeology museum, previously open by appointment only, has just this month closed with no plans to reopen. We're both frustrated by this news.
New York City is literally a mine for transport history. The New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn Heights rivals London as a destination for subway buffs. Their events programme is well worth investigating too. As this page attests, abandoned trains have been dug out of the ground in the past in New York. Gadling has some more suggestions.
Thinking about South Africa for two weeks in June. Is this a good time to go? We'd like to take in a Cape Town and a winery and have a bit or R&R. Any suggestions? Budget (including flights) £1,300 each.
Sairka
The best way to spend two weeks in and around Cape Town is to head east to Knysna and Plettenberg Bay and then back. On the way out you can travel along the Garden Route, but as this is a road well-travelled you may find the top half of the loop via Oudtshoorn – the proud ostrich capital of the world and the breathtaking Swartberg Pass – more surprising. That's not to advocate avoiding the Garden Route – it's an incredibly beautiful journey between Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay and there are good detours between Cape Town and the start of the route proper. You're in time to see southern right whales off Hermanus Any time of year is good to stand on Africa's southernmost point at Cape Agulhas, though it can be cold at this time of year with average temperatures between 8C and 18C.
Before doing any of that you need to see Cape Town and its surrounds. Three to four days is enough in the city itself, but if you're even vaguely interested in gourmet eating and drinking then the Winelands are an essential stop for a couple of nights. This Guardian guide to wineries with rooms may help you find the right place to stay. Of the main towns I preferred Franschhoek to Stellenbosch but you should visit both.
My travel partner cannot come to Marrakech and the flights are non-refundable. I am thinking of going alone. The trip is in 10 days' time. Is it safe for a single woman to travel to and in Marrakech? Do you have any recommendations? Thanks.
Name withheld
The writer of this question is a woman. I'm not, but I've canvassed several female colleagues who have been to Marrakech either with other girls or on their own. Two said they would go alone and another was initially hesitant but said she would if she had already paid for it. It is certainly safe, but the question is how much will you enjoy it. The answer will depend on your own tolerance for unwanted attention.
There's no denying that if you're female and not accompanied by a man you're going to be approached frequently and persistently. This is particularly true in the souqs during the day, when there may be fewer fellow shoppers, and around the Djemaa al-Fna in the evening when the square is packed with tourists, locals and enthusiastic hawkers. I certainly wouldn't suggest not going to these places as they're among its highlights, but you should be prepared to rebut unwanted advances. If you've already visited, for example coastal resorts of Turkey, then you'll have an inkling what to expect. Some people find this shocking at first, then develop a thick skin, but it really depends on your own tolerance levels.
You can take some steps to be less of a target by, for example, dressing conservatively, wearing a wedding band and sticking on some sunglasses. It'll help a bit, but this is one aspect of visiting this rightly-acclaimed city that you have to grin and bear if you do decide to go.
Opinions differ on whether to aim for a centrally-located riad or somewhere outside the old city walls so you still have somewhere to retreat to. Riad Bledna (riadbledna.com; £49 to £66pp) – located just outside the city and run by a Moroccan-British couple – would make for a quiet retreat. Lastly, excursions to either the Atlas Mountains or Essaouira will show you other sides to Morocco and give you the chance to meet up with other travellers. I'd be interested in readers' thoughts on this one.
