Letter of the week
My boyfriend and I both have experience of diving and want to find a good place for a holiday to get our Padi licence. I'd like my gay mum and her partner to come too. Mum has no interest in diving and is happy to look after my son of 13 (her partner, aged 52, would like to dive too). We need somewhere reasonably lively, with daytime activities for my son and mum, but a place that is cool with lesbians or has a gay scene as mum's reward for daycare.
Sam Hale, Belfast
Ranked as one of the world's top 10 diving areas, Phuket is the primary centre for the Thai scuba diving industry. A Padi course from one of the many outlets will cost between 8,000 and 11,000 baht (£120-£170). Make sure you shop around to obtain the best price, best equipment and the most personable instructor. While you are diving you can be certain that your mum and son will not be short of things to do. In addition to the endless beach activities and watersports, there are numerous day trips available - everything from elephant riding in the jungle to exploring Ko Phing Kan island (made famous by the James Bond film, The Man with the Golden Gun). Competition is high among local tour operators meaning that the trips are usually excellent value for money.
Nightlife is also plentiful with an abundance of restaurants, bars, cafés and clubs. Gayness isn't much of an issue in Thailand - the main reason why there is no significant gay movement is because there has never been an anti-gay establishment to overcome. Public displays of affection between couples (whatever their sexual orientation) tend to be frowned on in more rural areas but in towns and cities there are far fewer restrictions. For helpful information on travelling in Thailand with special attention paid to gay venues of all kind check out www.gay-media.com.
If you are concerned about the amount of time the course may take up, you might want to get qualified before you go. Check out the official Padi website at www.padi.com for details of a centre near you.
The spectacle of Northern Lights
I would very much like to see the Northern Lights but do not know how, when or where. I am in my late sixties and would travel alone, am a bad sailor and not in the luxury class.
P. M. Murphy, Stroud, Glos
The best time to see Aurora Borealis is between October and March - preferably during December and January. Try to get as far north as you can - far northern Scotland and the Shetlands are good bets. Flight deals are available to Oslo, Stockholm and Reykjavik, but it is cheaper to do Scotland. Unfortunately there are no guarantees of a sighting whichever you pick - even if there is solar activity, cloud can obscure visibility.
The Seafield Arms (01542 840791) is a few minutes' walk from the north facing beach at Cullen, Aberdeenshire is well positioned, and has single rooms B&B at £48 per night.
Culture in eastern Europe
We are planning a trip to Prague and Krakow for September 2002 and would love to listen to concerts performed by the famous orchestras of both cities. Do you know how to inquire about the programme and book seats in advance?
Domenica Varwig, by email
The acclaimed Czech Philharmonic has full details of where to watch it at www.czechphilharmonic.cz (tel 00 420 2 2489 3352 or fax 00 420 2 2489 3291). Krakow still has one of the most laid-back atmospheres of any of the popular central European destinations. For the Filharmonia Krakowska try www.filharmonia.dnd.com.pl (tel 00 48 12 422 9477; fax 00 48 12 422 4312).
· We welcome letters. Tom Hall and Rachel Suddart from Lonely Planet answer as many as possible here. Include a daytime telephone number and postal address. Email travel.tips@observer.co.uk or write to Escape, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER. The writer of the week's star letter wins a Lonely Planet guidebook of their choice. To order discount LP travel books, call 0870 066 7989.
