Trekking to Death in India?

by Abha Malpani on

I was shocked that I wasn’t shocked to read this story about a man trekking in India and getting lost for 32 days. He wandered off from his group trekking trail, hit his head and fainted. When he woke up he couldn’t find his way back, ate grass and drank sewage water to survive. Over a month later was found by a local and taken to the hospital. The man is from Bombay, which is a 4-hour drive away from Pune – the city in the outskirts of which he got lost.

As much as India is truly “incredible”, and the tourism board is trying to get it’s act together; India is dangerously disconnected the minute you head off the standard marketed tourist spots. Comparing savage Indian outskirts with the Australian outback trails wouldn’t be fair, but in say Thailand, I think something like this would never happen.

I remember getting lost when I went on a school trail in the same area as this dude who got lost. We were missing only for a few hours. We didn’t move and all we saw was the odd snake, but it could have been worse; remote India can get wilder than you can imagine.

This is why I think Indian travelers are extremely daring, adventurous and courageous — I have uncles who have planned 60 day hikes in the Himalayas. Avid travelers in India don’t seem to be technologically well-connected (my uncles barely know how to send an email), unless of course you are from Bangalore (India’s Silicon Valley).

When I was in India last, I was thrilled to get in touch with OK TATA BYE BYE. It is the first and probably only website aimed at Indian backpackers – in India! There are dozens wandering off the beaten path in their own country, all the time (the Rupee doesn’t allow for much travel overseas), and the website gives great insight into traveling in India, stuff you won’t find in guidebooks.

Drivers Beware: The Most Dangerous Roads in the World

by Martha Edwards on

Living near the Rocky Mountains, I thought I had some experience with dangerous roads. The ones I frequent twist and in turn around, over and under the huge, jagged mountains, through avalanche plains, with only a guardrail protecting your car from plummeting off a cliff’s edge. It wasn’t until I started travelling that I realized that the most dangerous road that I’ve encountered in Canada would be considered a smooth, luxurious ride in other countries.

So if our roads aren’t dangerous, where are the dangerous ones? I did a bit of research and here are the most dangerous roads in the world according to USA Today (click here for the full list):

  1. Bolivia’s The Old Yungus Road, from La Paz to Coroico
  2. Brazil’s Interstate 116
  3. China’s Sichuan-Tibet Highway
  4. Costa Rica’s Pan-American Highway
  5. Croatia’s coastal roads (any of ’em)

Judging by this article on the Old Yungus Road, I think I’ll pass on taking a trip on it anytime soon.

Fisher’s Travel SOS: Emergency Guides for Travelers

by Willy Volk on

Fisher’s Travel SOS is a unique guide for leisure and business travelers. Rather than point out what sights to see, however, Fisher’s tells you how to avoid some of the dangers that might befall the unwary visitor. Detailing what to do when faced with an emergency, each guide provides critical contact information for dozens of locations around the world, as well as information concerning:

  • Ambulance
  • Police (local & national)
  • Fire services
  • Embassy
  • Consular services
  • Hospitals
  • Pharmacies
  • Lawyers

Available as a printed booklet delivered through the mail ($16) or as a self-print guide ($12), Fisher’s guides would appear to be a must-have if you’re traveling into any of the world’s most dangerous destinations. However, the most dangerous destinations in their library appears to be Johannesburg. That said, it’s worth pointing out that you can run into medical or legal trouble in any country at any time — even the “safest” countries in the world. Then, of course, it doesn’t really matter if you’re in Somalia or Prague.

The World’s Most Dangerous Destinations for 2007

by Willy Volk on

Here at Gadling, we usually profile places people WANT to go. However, sometimes it’s useful to mention places to avoid. Consequently, here’s an interesting (and not altogether surprising) list of the 2007’s 12 Most Dangerous Destinations:

  • Somalia
  • Iraq
  • Afghanistan
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • Pakistan
  • Burundi
  • Sri Lanka
  • Haiti
  • Chad
  • Lebanon
  • Liberia

Of course, you probably don’t think of these places as vacation destinations, unless you’re a whacked-out Robert Young Pelton. However, employees of governments, oil and mining industries, and telecom industries are increasingly being dispatched to these locations. If you work for one of those groups, be certain to ask about insurance, hazard pay — and a bodyguard.

Interestingly, the piece argues that the world is NOT getting more dangerous right now. Rather, globalization and the attendant “shrinking” of the planet is largely responsible for making the world APPEAR more dangerous now than before. Whether or not you agree with that assertion, the article is interesting, and the gallery is frightening.

The Most Dangerous Roads in Europe

by Willy Volk on

Although they may not be as terrifying as some of these roads, a new report (PDF) by Eurostat, the European Commission’s statistical office, claims that roads in Eastern Europe are the most dangerous in the EU. Conversely, the safest roads are found in the northern member states and in Malta. Other paranoia-inducing trivia includes:

  • Latvia, Romania, Lithuania, and Slovakia had the highest number of persons killed in road accidents.
  • Death rates on the roads in Greece are 5 times greater than death rates in the UK.

If you’re looking for some good news, you can rest a little easier in the big cities. According to the report, urban regions are the safest. Th report even singles out Berlin, Vienna, Stockholm, and Brussels as among the safest capitals in the EU.

If you’re planning on driving in Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, and Switzerland, and you want to know which roads are the safest, you may want to visit EuroRAP. EuroRAP lets you check the safety rating of roads in those countries before you actually hit the on-ramp.