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The Badaling section of the Great Wall of China was made wheelchair accessible prior to the 2008 Olympics. A 400-meter-long ramp was built. In addition, elevators are available; alert the attendant at the Badaling ticket stand for a security escort.
The Israeli Opera Company (Tel Aviv; phone 972 3 6086200) presents the Masada & Jerusalem Opera Festival, June 2-8, 2011.
The highlight, Verdi’s “Aida,” will be performed three times at Masada, in addition to one-time shows in Masada of Verdi’s operas “Requiem” and “Jérusalem” at the Sultan’s Pool in Jerusalem.
Tickets are available only as part of a package. A two-night package, June 3-5, 2010, which includes “Aida” and “Requiem,” costs $1063-$1,913 per person, depending on hotel.
In Uganda, to encourage investment and to increase access to national parks, the government is allowing more hoteliers to build new lodges nearby. Those places that may gain accommodations are Queen Elizabeth Park, Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley, Lake Mburo and Semuliki National Parks.
As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 31 destinations: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mexico, Afghanistan, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Mali, Mauritania, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Chad, Haiti, Guinea, Nepal, Nigeria, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Georgia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Philippines, Algeria, Lebanon, Iran, Kenya, Colombia, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Yemen, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Somalia.
The Swiss train Glacier Express derailed on July 23, killing one passenger and injuring 42 others. Three first-class wagons came off the track and two of those tipped over. The driver had sped up too fast out of a slow zone, before all train cars had cleared the zone.
This is the most serious accident in the history of the Glacier Express. Operations have resumed.
An outbreak of bubonic plague has been reported in the Ascope province of Peru, on the northern border with Bolivia. There have been 31 cases in Peru, with one death, and eight cases in the town of Apolo, Bolivia. The infections have been limited to this region.
The rabies outbreak that began in 2008 in Bali, Indonesia, continues, with 78 deaths reported to date. The Indonesian government is attempting to vaccinate all dogs on the island; 300,000 dogs been vaccinated so far and over 20,000 strays euthanized.
As of August, 34,000 bites had been reported in Bali this year.
The CDC advises avoiding contact with animals (both domestic and wild), considering getting the rabies vaccine before visiting Bali and acting quickly if bitten or scratched. (Wash the wound immediately and see a doctor, even if you don’t feel sick.)
A 19-day strike by miners in the Potosí region of Bolivia in July-August shut down all road, rail and, for a short time, airport access. Thousands of protesters, mostly peaceful, blocked the roads while demanding the government fulfill its promise to invest in infrastructure. Thousands of people, including several hundred tourists, were trapped by the roadblocks, most for a few days but some for more than two weeks.
Greece has instituted stringent “austerity measures” that have caused many labor unions to protest and go on strike. Strikes in June, July and August effectively paralyzed the transport and tourism industries. The Greek armed forces were enlisted to escort fuel trucks to hospitals, airports and power stations.
The government is negotiating, but union leaders have indicated they may continue strikes and street protests.
The US Embassy issued a warning in Gaborone, Botswana, following six incidents of serious crime in July. Among these were a stabbing during an attempted robbery of a laptop computer; the theft of a handbag from a vehicle, and the attempted theft of a cell phone from a tourist at Riverwalk Mall (local shoppers caught the thief).
The Kgale Hill and Gaborone Dam areas are high crime areas where gangs of criminals target individuals or groups. The embassy suggests traveling there in very large groups with many strong individuals.