Writers' Block: Lloyd's, a coffee spot

Your "Where in the World" quiz of November 17 incorrectly calls the Lloyd's Building in the City of London a brokerage. Lloyd's is neither an insurer nor a brokerage

It is, in fact, a building occupied by various underwriting syndicates. Lloyd's was founded by Samuel Lloyd in a coffee bar and it remains much the same. It is in this coffee bar that the underwriters sat and met brokers to place business. They still do. - Henry Tours, Plettenberg Bay

Too much gin?

In the article "Gin on the Jade Sea" (November 17), my attention was first drawn to the statement that "Nairobi is high, 2000 feet", when it is around 5000 feet.

Flying towards the Ngong Hills would be in the opposite direction to Lake Turkana, but perhaps they had to find the Rift Valley on the other side and turn right to fly below cloud all the way - rather expensive on fuel.

I was amazed to hear that the village of Loyangalani had a control tower and air-traffic control. Probably it was a blind transmission for anybody happening to be in the vicinity.

With a registration of Alpha Tango Sierra (ATS), it must have been a very ancient aircraft.

I could not understand the statement, "largest alkaline permanent desert lake" - not too alkaline for the fish, hopefully.

I don't think I should like to have a host with black fingernails and a "face covered in pustules of excess" - of what? - Ian Copley, Port Elizabeth

•  Barbara Adair, author of the article, replies: Nairobi is indeed approx 2000 metres, not feet. We flew that way because of the weather, lots of fuel used. Loyangalani has no tower so it was a blind transmission. It was an old plane, with a minimum of instruments so we had to fly only on visuals. The lake is definitely alkaline but fish do live in it - that's checkable on the internet. Excess? Of living the good life.