mimschat

Can someone please confirm for me whether the surname (family name) or first name (given name) is written in UPPER CASE in a french passport?

A fraudster has used my credit card to make lots of payments, and when queried, my credit card has sent me the details of the customer account associated with the payments, and a photocopy of the guy's French passport. It also has a form completed by the account holder.

The interesting thing is that the name given in the passport in capital letters is the name placed second when he is asked to write his full name. Is this right?

We want to go away for a fortnight in late Sept / early Oct. The primary aim is to wind down, so it would be great to be able to swim every day, lie out in sunshine, read novels, maybe walk in pretty scenery or see wildlife. Good snorkelling, or availability of spa treatments would be a definite bonus.

We've been to the Maldives several times and liked it there a lot. Also liked Bali, Canadian Rockies, Sweden, Maine, South Africa, Caribbean. The essentials are a comfy bed, vegetarian options on the menu, and peace and quiet. We tend to dislike anywhere we find large amounts of Brits, especially places that are famed for their nightlife, eg we hated Malia in Crete, Bugibba in Malta, Cavos in Corfu. Would also avoid bad weather or political instability.

We like to either go somewhere luxurious (but at a bargain price, due to a late deal or good exchange rate) or somewhere that is not a corporate resort (eg an eco-lodge or local boutique hotel).

Any inspiring ideas?

My husband and I are considering visiting for Japan for the first time in about 3 weeks time, but haven't booked anything yet. We want to make it special, to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.

However, we are a bit worried because it is not a normal tourist destination from the UK, so we'd have to plan it ourselves.

Is it a good time of year to visit?

Do we need to stay in the big cities to get vegetarian food and speak English?

Is it better to stay in a big hotel or a small local place?

We would love to see Tokyo (ideally see some technology, people in costume, manga, etc) and also want to visit Mount Fuji and the Ghibli museum. However, we have had a very stressful time recently, so it would be nice to also have time to really relax, perhaps swim, sunbathe, read novels, perhaps have some spa treatment.

Any ideas where we should go?