Letter of the week

I have a desire to visit Suriname as it sounds like a really interesting country - multi-ethnic, a varied ecology, loads of birds - but I can't find anybody doing trips there. Is it a particularly difficult country to visit and, once there, is it hard to get around?
Jackie Lummis, Swadlincote, Derbyshire

Suriname, sandwiched between Guyana and French Guiana on the north coast of South America, is one of the least known travel destinations out there. It offers, as you say, diverse cultures, as well as fantastic food ranging from Javanese noodles to Creole and indigenous fare you almost certainly won't have come across before. Most visitors come for the pristine rainforest with its stunning variety of wildlife, often only accessible by river transport. The catch is that it's quite expensive and tricky to get to Suriname.

Regular if infrequent flights to Paramaribo with KLM via Amsterdam can be booked with South American Experience (020 7976 5511) but you'll do well to get one for under £700.

We've also had problems finding anyone offering tours from the UK. The best thing to do is have a read up about your requirements then contact a tour company in Paramaribo to see if they can help out in arranging some travel. The Foundation for Nature Preservation in Suriname is a good place to start; they run a range of trips to fund their research. Also check out the Movement for Eco-Tourism in Suriname. A good place to begin your research about the country is the website Welcome to Paramaribo.

Crazy about baseball

I'm travelling to New York City later this month and would like to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in upstate New York. Can I do this as a day trip from Manhattan or would an overnight stay be required?
Austin Baird, Cramlington, Northumberland

Cooperstown is more than a hefty home run from Manhattan, and at almost 470 miles would probably be a better weekend excursion than a very long day trip. Once you're there (try www.mapblast.com for driving directions, or www.greyhound.com for bus links) there's plenty to see in the area.

Baseball is the prime reason for visiting Cooperstown, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame should satisfy the keenest fan. It's a vast repository of the game's history, showcasing great players, matches and memorabilia from baseball's earliest times to the present day.

Once you've had your fill of Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio stories in the place where the sport was born, you may wish to explore Cooperstown. Its brick buildings give the place a picture-book American feel, and there are several interesting attractions, notably the Fenimore Art Museum. However, if seeing live baseball is your main reason for visiting New York, head for Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, where top-class games are served up regularly from April to October. For tickets and fixtures, see the website.

Stopping off in Bolivia

We're off to Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in December but may have an additional 7-8 days at the end of November. Could you suggest places of interest in Bolivia to visit prior to our main trip?
Lorna, via email

There's so much to see and do in Bolivia that your only problem will be fitting it into such a short time frame. Try and concentrate on a relatively small area. There's no point in trying to see everything, as it simply can't be done - you'll spend most of your time on the road and end up tiring yourself out before your main trip.

La Paz is the country's largest city and a great place to use as a base. It is 4km above sea level and home to half a million people, many of whom are of Indian heritage.

A great place to observe the local way of life is by wandering round the city markets. Perhaps the most unusual is the Mercado de Hechiceria - otherwise known as the witches market. Here you can pick up strange herbs, potions and talismans that are used to manipulate the spirit world. Watch out for the witch doctor wandering round among the traders. Other highlights include numerous museums of everything from revolutions to indigenous instruments and science displays, the San Pedro prison and the cemetery district.

You should certainly make time to visit the magnificent Lake Titicaca. Long rumoured to be bottomless, it is actually about 457m deep. Day trips can be arranged from any of the agencies in La Paz. Try and book one that stops off at Copacabana, a town that has been the site of religious pilgrimage for centuries. If you go on the weekend you may be lucky enough to witness cha'lla, a Saturday morning blessing that takes place outside the cathedral. People bring their vehicles and a petition to the Virgin Mary is made by pouring alcohol on the bonnet, thus consecrating it for the journey home.

From La Paz you can also take a day trip out to Tiahuanaco and explore the ancient ruins. This ceremonial centre is situated on the southern shore of Lake Titicaca and is the country's most important archaeological site. Most agencies and operators in La Paz offer inexpensive excursions that you can arrange once you arrive.

Advice for blind travellers to Hong Kong

I'm trying to research travelling in Hong Kong and New Zealand for two friends who are blind/visually impaired but the disability information on the net is very much geared to those in wheelchairs. Any help would be appreciated.
Barbara Robinson, London

Your first stop should be the the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the leading national charity for blind and partially sighted people in the UK. Its holiday service (020 7391 2108/ 2042) only arranges holidays in the UK but it does offer advice to those wanting to venture further afield.

Preparation is the key to a successful holiday. Most travel agents/tour operators should be able to help you with planning as long as you let them know your exact requirements well in advance. Service providers often don't know what's required of them. This is something the RNIB is working towards improving.

Destination-specific information is thin on the ground. Assistance Travel Service (01708 863198) can organise tailor-made itineraries in New Zealand but requires a sighted carer to accompany all travellers.

Try contacting Enable New Zealand (PO Box 4547, Palmerston North; 0064 6952 0011; fax 6952 0022), which can offer further information and has an extensive resource library.

Information on Hong Kong is even harder to come by. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (020 7533 7100) produces a guide for disabled travellers but it is mainly geared towards those with limited mobility.

The international airport at Chek Lap Kok has been adapted for those who are visually impaired. Features include tactile guide paths and audible indicators in lifts.

The Joint Council for the Physically and Mentally Disabled (00 852 2864 2931) and the Hong Kong Society for the Blind (00 852 2778 8332) offer limited advice.

If anyone has further information, we would love to hear about it.

Over to you... reader feedback

You gave good tips to Claire on solo travel (Escape, last week) but you missed out on something that could make an enjoyable trip into a memorable one. She could join the 5W's, or to give the organisation it's full title, Women Welcome Women World Wide (01494 465441).

It costs £25 to join, but as a seasoned solo traveller I can assure you it is money well spent. With more than 2,000 members in 72 countries, including more remote parts of the world such as Tanzania and Belize, it's a fantastic organisation. It allows solo women travellers to journey with fewer worries, knowing that they can be sure of a warm welcome from members overseas, even if they don't share a common language. And what better guide is there than a local?
Maggie Stevenson, Flintshire

· We welcome letters. Tom Hall and Rachel Suddart from Lonely Planet address as many as possible here. 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 guide of their choice (so include a daytime telephone number and postal address). No individual correspondence can be entered into.