World’s most dangerous destinations

by Iva Skoch on

When writing my blog about the recent violence in Chicago last night, I stumbled upon the Forbes list of the world’s most dangerous destinations for 2008.

Here they are:

  • Somalia
  • Iraq
  • Afghanistan
  • Haiti
  • Pakistan
  • Sudan
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Lebanon
  • Zimbabwe
  • Palestine

Although some of these might not exactly be tourist destinations, it is interesting how that list has changed over the years.

Forbes writes that “in the 1970s, a traveler’s worst nightmare might have been a hijacked plane or hostage crisis. Today, the threats are equally perilous but reflect the changing times. Now, a tourist or business traveler might worry more about terrorist attacks on mass transit, getting caught in a spontaneous uprising or a bombing of a nightclub or hotel.”

Madrid airport luggage handlers smuggle 17 kilos of cocaine into Spain

by Abha Malpani on

4 luggage handlers at Madrid Barajas Airport have been arrested for smuggling cocaine into Spain by taking advantage of their position and access to luggage that is unloaded off air crafts.

A bag with over 17 kilograms(!) of cocaine was loaded onto the plane from an unspecified destination. The “loaders” then contacted their friends who worked at Barajas with identification details of the bag that had the drug. Once the bag arrived at Barajas, the luggage handlers picked it up and sent it to the person responsible for delivering missing luggage to its owners (who was also part of the scheme) — this is how they had planned to get it out of the airport. Sounds too easy to be possible, eh?

It seems like this wasn’t the first time it has happened, but the first time they’ve been caught. It is unclear at what stage they got caught, and how.

Spain has a serious cocaine problem: 3% of adults in the country consume cocaine (even more than the US), making Spain the largest consumer in Europe.

Spain is very lax in many aspects: it’s rules are not applied stringently, especially at the airports the controls are quite loose, nobody seems to be really bothered. For example: I have American friends living here for years without papers, sin problema. Once, one of them got questioned on her overstay when she re-entered Spain from the US. She told them she had fallen in love, that’s why she didn’t go back when she should have. Apparently, the officer smiled and let her back into the country! It could have been her lucky day, but I still don’t think that’s acceptable.

Another example: smoking marijuana in public is illegal here (you can grow and smoke it at home!), yet every one does it — I don’t know anyone who has been caught.

In my opinion, no matter what soup you are in, if you look innocent, behave with the authorities, and are a little smart, you’ll probably get away with it in Spain. So it doesn’t surprise me that even authorities take advantage of this chilled attitude. I am glad they got caught. Hopefully this will make Barajas re-evaluate their procedures and tighten controls!

Salt mine tours for health and fun

by Jamie Rhein on

Tom Barlow over at Wallet Pop and I started talking about salt mines a few days ago. He mentioned a post he wrote about the health benefits of salt mines and places one can go to see them. An impressive one that neither of us have been to, but agreed that we should is the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Krakow in Poland. It’s a World Heritage site, and part of it has been carved into a salt cathedral. Our talk reminded me of my own salt mine tour in Germany.

Touring the salt mine in Berchtesgaden was a totally funky, touristy thing to do, but one I have remembered over the years as a high point. Perhaps, it doesn’t take much for me to be amused.

We donned mining outfits (over their clothes), put cloth mining hats on our head and gathered with the other English speakers at various points along the way to listen to recorded messages about the history of the mine and how it works. The guides spoke in German. Part of the tour involved sitting, one of us in front of the other, astride two wooden chutes which we slid down to get to a lower section. One of the reasons for the mining outfits was to protect our clothing from the salt. Plus, it was a chance to play dress up and add some ambiance to the experience.

Berchtesgaden may sound familiar. It is also where Hitler hung out at Eagle’s Nest. This area in the German Alps is gorgeous.

Other salt mines to tour:

Also in Poland, there is the Bochnia Salt Mine which is older than Wieliczka, and from the comments people have written about it, sounds like it’s worth a visit.

There are three mines near Salzburg, Austria. Here’s the link that leads to info on all three of them: Salzwelten Salzburg, Hallstaat and Altaussee. There are discount tickets for family travelers. Rick Steves has recommended Hallstaat, according to what I’ve read.

The Kansas Underground Salt Museum in Hutchinson, Kansas. The museum is housed inside a working salt mine where you can learn about salt mining first hand.

Planning your European nightlife

by Anna Brones on

Despite the low dollar, some of us still have European summer adventures on the horizon. And just because the economy is in a rut, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t focus on fabulous things to do across the Atlantic. This weekend, the New York Times put together a set of 10 articles on things to do after midnight in various European cities. I tend to like the New York Times Travel section, but I really enjoyed this compilation of articles which takes us from hip billiards in Paris to 24 hour bookstores in Moscow to a tram-based nightclub in Prague.

The ten cities covered are:
Athens
Barcelona
Berlin
Copenhagen
Lisbon
London
Moscow
Paris
Prague
Venice

Go here to discover more of Europe’s after-midnight adventures, and then start scrounging for euros.

Touring Paris in the back of a “duck”

by Iva Skoch on

I am not the type to take a gondola ride in Venice. Yet, touring Paris in the back of the Citroën 2CV actually sounds kind of cool. It is a convertible car, so it offers a nice view. Being able to see the sky and “smell the city” is key.

A tour company called 4 roues sous 1 parapluie offers several different tours in the legendary “duck.” There is the Essential Ride, where you get a chance to check out the most famous landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, or the Champs-Elysées. The Magic tour adds places like the Moulin Rouge and Montmartre, among others. There is Secret Paris, Thematic Paris, Paris a la carte, etc. You get the idea.

I still think the best way to get to know a city is to walk it. If you can’t walk much, this could be the next best thing.

Thanks autobloggreen.com for the tip.