Q and A
Diving Off Sipadan Island
Q.
I have heard that Sipadan Island off the coast of Borneo has outstanding scuba diving. I would like to combine a trip there with one to the Kirabantan River in Borneo. Is this possible? -- Laura Benish, Bronxville, N.Y.
A. The diving off Sipadan, about 12 miles from the northeastern part of Borneo, is superlative, especially for those who like to dive from shore. About 30 feet from the beach, and starting in only about 6 to 10 feet of water, is a coral wall that drops about 2,800 feet and teems with marine life, including a large concentration of sea turtles. There is also diving from boats, the farthest site being only about a 10-minute ride from shore.
Sipadan (pronounced Sih-PAH-dahn) is 30 acres, with thick jungle completely surrounded by white sand beach. Borneo Divers resort, which accommodates 36, is most often recommended by American dive operators. It is on the beach closest to the coral wall; there are two other resorts on the island, but getting to the wall requires swimming several hundred yards over rocky coral. Borneo Divers consists of several small thatched huts on stilts, one main hut for dining and a dive shop. The huts have electricity. There are hot showers in outbuildings and outhouses with flush toilets.
The Kirabantan River and other sites on Borneo are commonly included in Sipadan expeditions. Near the entrance to the river is an orangutan reserve, and along the river are proboscis and other monkeys, and tropical birds. Visitors may stay in a small lodge up the river and do more extensive exploring.
Dive operators report that the relatively few rooms on the island fill up as much as a year ahead, especially for July through October, when conditions are the best.
Getting to Sipdadan involves three days of traveling with several changes of plane, a drive and a boat ride.
One company with experience on Sipadan is Tropical Adventures, 111 Second North, Seattle, Wash. 98109 (800) 247-3483, fax (206) 441-5431.
A 13-day package leaving Los Angeles includes seven nights at Sipadan, and a visit to the orangutan preserve and other Borneo sites. The cost is $2,535 a person, double occupancy, including air fare, meals, diving and transfers. Tropical Adventure's most popular Sipadan package is a 16-day trip, $2,699, including seven nights on Sipadan and a day trip up the Kirabantan among other visits. A 22-day tour, $3,385, includes 10 nights on the island and two overnights up the river.
Another company, Sea Safaris, offers a 14-day package from the West Coast at $2,750. That includes a week on Sipadan and four days of sightseeing, two of them devoted to a trip on the Kirabantan. Additional days are about $100 a person. Sea Safaris, 3770 Highland Avenue, Suite 102, Manhattan Beach, Calif. 90266; (800) 821-6670, fax (310) 545-1672.  Payment for Lost Luggage
Q.
Is there a limit to how much an airline pays for lost luggage? -- O. Chin, Owego, N.Y.
A. The maximum that airlines are required to pay for lost luggage on a domestic flight is $1,250 , according to the United States Department of Transportation.
On international flights an airline's liability, as set by the Warsaw Convention, is $9.07 a pound. On checking in, the airline may weigh your luggage and write the total weight on your ticket; others assume a bag that each bag weighs 35 pounds, usually with a limit of two bags, making the liability $317.45 a bag.
Airlines may sell "excess valuation" that increases the line's liability. United, for example, charges $2 for each $100 in additional coverage. Also, several travel insurance companies sell coverage for lost luggage and some credit card companies provide such coverage when their cards are used to buy the plane ticket. Kosher Food on Liners
Q.
Are there any cruise ships that offer freshly prepared kosher food? -- Joseph Friedenberg, Baltimore
A. A company called Go-Kosher Tours is offering a Caribbean cruise aboard the Regent Star from Feb. 14 to 21 that will include fresh glatt, or rigorous, kosher meals. The cruise starts in Jamaica (Montego Bay) and calls at Aruba, Cartagena, and the Panama Canal before returning to Jamaica. The organizers expect 50 or 60 of the ship's 950 passengers to be part of their group, which will get four kosher meals a day and eat in a special section of the dining room. Part of the ship's kitchen will be made kosher and several rabbis will be on board to supervise food preparation. Prices start at $1,609 a person in double occupancy, including air fare from most Eastern and Southern cities ($95 or $125 additional for flights from other areas). Go-Kosher Tours, 1373 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, N.Y. 14209, will mail a brochure on the cruise but asks that reservations be made through a travel agent.
The Kosher Club, an organization that helps members find kosher restaurants, says there is no cruise ship with a permanently kosher kitchen and that on cruises other than the one mentioned here, passengers who request kosher food are likely to get frozen meals. The Kosher Club recommends that those who want kosher meals request them on making reservations. If the line says it has such food, the club suggests asking for a list of meals available to be sure the selection is acceptable. The dinners are rather small, the club says, and passengers may want to request more than one meal per sitting. The Kosher Club is at 82-84 Genung Street, Middletown, N.Y. 10940; (914) 344-1933.  Inside Wright Homes
Q.
I have heard that in the Chicago area there is a tour of private homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Will you please provide information? -- Timothy Garneau, New York, N.Y.
A. On the third Thursday of May the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation conducts a walking tour that includes interiors of private homes designed by Wright in Oak Park, Ill. The next tour, called Wright Plus, will take place May 15, 1993, and will take in eight private homes and two public buildings. The houses will be in the Prairie School Historic District; the tour is held there every four years. Two buildings by E. E. Roberts, a contemporary of Wright's, will be included. Tickets, $25 for foundation members and $35 for nonmembers, go on sale March 1 at the Oak Park Visitors Center, 158 First Avenue, Oak Park, Ill. 60302 or by charge card by calling (708) 848-1500. Tickets usually sell out by mid-April, the foundation says.
The foundation also plans a walking tour of Wright houses on Oct. 2 in the North Shore Chicago suburb of Glencoe, the first such tour in the fall and in that area. Tickets, $35 for members and $50 for nonmembers, will be available from Aug. 1.