Q: For the kid in me, I'd like to combine some thrills with amusement rides but wish to avoid Disneyland as I did this when I was a kid. Could you provide me with a list of some places that have roller coasters?
-- F. Maloney, Scarborough

A: There are a variety of online resources that purport to offer the quintessential index on all things related to roller coaster rides.

Billed as both an online community and a website that started in 2001, coastergrotto.com has detailed theme park reviews from coaster fans, thousands of photos and a searchable database with statistics on rides from around the world.

Coaster Grotto has free online membership and lets members rank their top 20 rides, save a record of all their coaster rides, post comments and contribute news and data. You'll find lists from "tallest coasters" to "fastest coasters" to "biggest coasters."

Over in Jackson, New Jersey, Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure is billed as world's tallest steel roller coaster at 139 metres and fastest at 206 km/h. Opened this year, the $25-million coaster ride uses hydraulic motors to launch the trains along a horizontal section of track that revs up to its top speed of 206 km/h in a mere 3.5 seconds. The whole trip aboard Kingda Ka runs just under a minute.

Another cool website for the roller coaster minded is ultimaterollercoaster.com. When this site began in 1996 it was one of the earliest online resources for roller coaster enthusiasts. Now nearly eight years later, ultimaterollercoaster.com claims it has become one of the Internet's most respected authorities on roller coasters. You'll find information is divided into eight categories such as theme parks, thrill rides, discussion forums, news and more.

According to the folks at ultimaterollercoaster.com, the world's longest roller coaster is located in Japan. Called "The Steel Dragon 2000," this thrill ride is 2,479 metres long.

Q: When does Chile have a better climate? We're looking at spending a week there either in December or in May.
-- K. Vandershin, Toronto

A: Chile has perhaps one of Latin America's strongest economies and is a country of startling contrasts and extreme beauty that is also apparent in its climate -- depending on where you choose to roam.

South America's longest and most slender country which hugs the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, offers the best climate during its summer season. During the months from October through March, you'll find plenty of tourists making their way here. The days are hot, nights are cool with low humidity and it rarely rains.

Chile receives a lot of rain in May which usually trickles down in August so if you're considering a trip here, try their summer season.