Dangers Of Travel

I ran into a friend at lunch today. He introduced me to the friend he was having lunch with. They joined me at my table. New Acquaintance talked about what he saw in Cabo, I added my two cents about Kabul, and we carried on the conversation comparing notes. Friend looked at us, from one to the other, and back again.

Then he burst out laughing. "You're talking about Cabo, Mexico, and you're talking about Kabul, Afghanistan, aren't you?"

The three of us looked at each other as the truth of what he said registered. No wonder New Acquaintance said he didn't know the Taliban had been in Cabo.

In December, the Australia government updated their travel advisory. It now contains an "Exercise Caution" advisory about Canada. It lists Chile, South Korea, and Latvia as safer than Canada. Why? Apparently, bush and forest fire "can occur any time in Canada." In addition, "heavy snowfalls and ice" can make driving dangerous, and our "wind-chill factor can also create dangerously cold outdoor conditions."

Areas of Canada are also subject to earthquakes, avalanches, and tornadoes.

Not only that. The Australian government warns their people, "We advise you to exercise caution and monitor developments that might affect your safety in Canada because of the risk of terrorist attack."

Gosh, I'm now so scared living in Canada I'm thinking of immigrating. Maybe to Chile, South Korea, or Latvia.