February 2008

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A  young elephant calf tries to keep up with its mama while crossing the grasslands outside our deck at Kwetsani Camp in Namibia. We stayed here one summer as part of a safari my wife, Liz, and I took to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. We had planned a “sleep-out” in the bush one night at Kwetsani, but the weather was so cold that we opted for a dinner in the bush instead. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

DEAN RAMUS

No one planning a trip to Europe needs to be reminded to see Big Ben and the Leaning Tower. But it’s the unusual experiences that are often the most memorable part of a trip. Study up in advance and you can enjoy places and experiences like these.

As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 28 destinations: Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Somalia, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Lebanon, Indonesia, Yemen, Nepal, Pakistan, Syria, Timor-Leste, Sudan, Haiti, Central African Republic, Iraq, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Chad, Colombia, Iran, Philippines, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan.

For details, call the State Department at 202/647-5225 or visit http://travel.state.gov/travel/warnings.html.

The World Health Organization has issued a warning of higher risk of malaria for the region of Southern Africa because of unusually wet weather. Countries affected include Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. Use malaria-prevention medications and insecticide-treated nets.

Regions of Indonesia were hit by the worst landslides in 25 years in December, destroying villages and roads and killing more than 81 people.

In Indonesia’s Central Java province, the Karang Anyar, Wonogiri and Sukoharjo districts were hit. In the Madium district a bridge was washed away. Flooding and landslides also caused damage on Sumatra and Sulawesi and in Gianyar, Bali.

In Bangladesh, Cyclone Sidr wiped out villages, infrastructure, livestock and crops and killed nearly 3,300 people in November 2007. The worst-affected districts were in the Bay of Bengal, including Patua­khali, Barguna, Bagerhat, Barisal and Pirojpur. The damage to roads, power systems and telecommunications continues to disrupt travel and services to the region.

The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to consider carefully the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia. The security threat level remains high due to the continued presence of terrorist groups, some affiliated with al Qaida, who may target Western interests, housing compounds and other facilities where Westerners congregate.

With periodic episodes of political unrest and violence, the security situation throughout Côte d’Ivoire continues to be poor and unpredictable, particularly in the western part of the country. Special care should be taken when traveling outside Abidjan.

Crime poses the highest risk for foreign visitors within Abidjan, including mugging, robbery, burglary and carjacking.

Travel to Algeria poses a risk to personal safety, the Department of State says. Sustained small-scale terrorist attacks occur regularly, particularly in northeastern Algeria.

On Dec. 11, 2007, two vehicle-borne explosive devices were detonated at the UN headquarters and the Algerian Constitutional Council in Algiers. The attacks occurred in residential areas where many diplomatic missions are located. The group that claimed credit for the attacks has pledged more attacks against foreign targets, specifically American.