February 2012

Throughout Europe, transportation strikes continue to occur frequently, affecting airports, trains, buses, subways, taxis, etc. In December, strikes in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom caused holiday travel problems.

Thailand and Cambodia have not settled their dispute over the lands around the temple known as Prasat Khao Phra Fiharn in Thai and as Preah Vihear in Khmer, but in December they agreed to remove their troops from the demilitarized zone. If the agreement is honored, it is hoped that tourism to the temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will be able to resume.

The Department of State warns that US citizens may be subject to harassment or arrest while traveling or residing in Iran.

The US Department of State warns that travel in all areas of Afghanistan remains unsafe due to military combat operations, land mines, banditry, armed rivalry between political and tribal groups, and the possibility of insurgent attacks. Some areas, especially in the southeast, are experiencing substantially increased levels of violence.

Remnants of the former Taliban regime and the al-Qa’ida terrorist network remain active. There is an ongoing and increased risk of kidnapping and assassination of Westerners.

The Department of State alerts travelers to the potential for civil unrest and disturbances in Senegal prior to and directly following the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for Feb. 26. Political demonstrations in June 2011 were particularly violent, and the potential for similar confrontations exists.

The Republic of South Sudan separated from Sudan and became an independent nation on July 9, 2011. The US State Department strongly recommends avoiding all travel to the states in the border region between Sudan and South Sudan.

In recent months, skirmishes have broken out between forces loyal to the government of Sudan and forces loyal to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, and there has been a buildup of military forces along both sides of the border. The Sudanese air force has bombed areas in the Unity and Upper Nile states.

In Yemen, political and sectarian violence continued in the northern Saada province, where fighting between Houthi Shi’ite and hard-line Salafi Islamist factions killed nearly 200 people in December. Large areas of southern Yemen are also controlled by separatist militants. The situation remains highly unstable, and the US State Department warns against traveling in Yemen.

Heavy rains in southwestern Kenya and in the Serengeti, Mt. Kilimanjaro and Arusha areas of northeastern Tanzania as well as the Mbeya region of southwestern Tanzania in late December caused floods and landslides that left at least 20 people dead and thousands homeless. Roads and bridges were damaged, and travel in the national parks, including Ngorongoro Crater, was delayed.

In December, a combination of the Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi) and continuing rains from stalled weather systems caused a series of floods in heavily populated coastal areas in the southern part of the Philippines. Most affected were islands of the Visayas and Mindanao and particularly the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro in the province of Misamis Oriental within Mindanao.

At press time, more than 1,400 people had been reported killed, with more than 1,000 missing. Tens of thousands of homes were destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced.

A highlight of my two-month trip to Spain in February and March ’11 was a day trip from Ronda to Benaojan to see La Cueva de la Pileta, which contains some of the oldest cave paintings found in Europe. Amazingly, the public may view the original prehistoric paintings (not reproductions). I visited the cave in the first week of March. I took the train from Ronda (round trip fare, €5). Guided tours of the cave are about an hour long, cost €8 (near $10.50) and are limited to 25 people. Tours leave hourly from 10 to 1 and 4 to 6.