Loacker

Tulips, c'mon, we all judge cities based on pictures and travel anecdotes.
That's why most of us go to Paris but not to places like Chisinau or Minsk.

denisea

Wow, this is like my weekly edition of the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Report.

StCirq

Check this out, Loacker. Maybe you should just stay home, wherever that is that appears to be so "safe."

http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/Pages/home.aspx

Loacker

St. Cirq, I see your point but the West Nile virus is extremely rare compared to dengue. 200 cases per year, sometimes 35. You would have to be extremely unlucky to catch it.

Dengue, we're talking around 200,000 cases a year, in Bangkok alone. You do the math.

StCirq

Loacker, you just don't GET it. Stay HOME! The rest of us will travel wherever the hell we want to travel no matter what you post, so why not just give it up?

I live in SW France. In the middle of nowhere out in the country. You would freak out here. We have rabid animals, wild boar, snakes, lizards, salamanders a foot long, poisonous plants, adders, every imaginable kind of wildlife, every possible "threat" that you perceive. We love it here. It's beautiful. Quiet, calm, sensorily gratifying. It's what real life is all about.

We're planning on visiting Turkey in the spring. We'll probably go to Morocco this winter, too, because I love that country and my husband hasn't ever been. I suppose we might include Egypt, but I'll have to do some research to see if that's on our destination list.Our decision to visit or not will not depend on anything related to diseases or terrorism.

Disease never ever figures into my planning on any trip anywhere. That it does on yours speaks to me that you are a paranoid freak and not a good one.

But again, you go live your narrow, limited life and let the rest of us live ours.You lose, we win.

StCirq

<<I'm sure you'd fail at law school, >>

Oh, I wouldn't ever try, but would be ever so grateful to fail.

I love my way of traveling and don't for a second consider it reckless, just adventurous, Sorry you can't embrace the same mentality.

CounterClifton

Southeast Asia is just to dear to us not to go. Love it. The three of us (me, my wife and our 8 year old) went around Northern Vietnam and Laos earlier in the year and it was our best trip to date. Even better than past trips to Thailand and Cambodia. No mozzie bites, so no dengue. Repellent vigilance.

I like Europe for what it is. And it's many things - Transylvania to the Cotswolds (both worthwhile, but nothing alike). But I don't see how one can compare them to Southeast Asia either. The only basis is what you prefer spending your travel money on. It's just a matter of deciding if you want the Harley or the Lexus.

WoinParis

Today is a day of great adventure for me.

I will finish the dishwashing, then climb a ladder to fix a lighting device then I will have a walk in the ... woods ! with our kids (I'm a monster to take them to such dangerous palces...).

Will I survive ? Should I retreat in my shell like you Loacker ?

CounterClifton

Again, minimizing mosquito bites minimizes risk of any illness and that's done via repellent and light colors during the day time. The former of which isn't used much by locals in SE Asia. It might be worth noting that while dengue is no fun whatsoever, the mortality rate is exceedingly low. Lower than the flu. So if you did happen to get it, you're still going to live.

That said, if Bangkok is a concern, maybe try Hanoi where it's not as bad. Or travel in winter. Or.... like you're already thinking, just go to northern Europe.

Texas, Hawaii, and Florida have had outbreaks of dengue too, so it may start finding you in the summers to come.

Loacker

The mods are too busy deleting my banters with WoInParis to ntocied the Korea

Loacker

The mods are too busy deleting my banters with WoInParis to notice the Korean spammer.

janisj

They took care of the Koreans first

(I think they want to get rid of the name calling -- )

northie

loacker - "Australian cities bland" - ah well there's lots more to Australia than 2 cities. The Kimberley , Kakadu , Great Barrier Reef and more.
I didn't say dengue fever was only in 2 cities - I said it was in Australia - also Ross River fever and I'm sure and a few more diseases .
Most of our friends are more worried about people being able to carry guns in US and getting shot than "catching" dengue fever in South East Asia.

CounterClifton

And that key lime disease. Cold sweats of meringue are the worst.


When I grew up in the US, I thought Aussie cities were, well, I didn't know much about them. And I thought Europe was amazing. After years of travel and moving to Australia, I find Australia very liveable and actually kind of interesting. But I can see why a North American would find them similar enough not to be exciting.

And Europe for me is a nice, safe place with good food and wine and art and architecture. But I frankly find all but Eastern Europe a bit staid and unchallenging, socially speaking. It's really not much harder than staying home. In Asia, North Africa, Central American... those places feel more immersive. Which has it's negatives as well as positives, but most of those perceptions are really about the visitor, more than the place.

P_M

I live in the US where a boy in our community recently died of the West Nile virus.

My DH got terrible food poisoning in Amsterdam when he was served undercooked chicken. It was nighttime and we were sitting outside where it wasn't well lit. Because he couldn't really see what he was eating he took several bites before realizing the chicken wasn't cooked properly.

The only place in the world I have ever been robbed was in Canada. Yes I agree that is minor compared with a serious illness, but most people find it shocking that of all places I was robbed in Canada.

My point is that bad things can happen in any part of the world. If you do not wish to travel to Asia for any reason then that is your business. If others think it's worth taking the necessary precautions then that's OK too.

WoinParis

Hi P_M

Sorry about your relative.

However that is the kind of answer you might get :

'Lol sorry but that cancer / West Nile Virus analogy is very naive. Since when is cancer / West Nile Virus a mosquito-borne disease?

Also, a healthy lifestyle can help prevent cancer, but that's not the point of the discussion anyway. '

Some people find it funny when one says his cousin / member of community dies (Lol does means Loughing out loud, no ?)

Some people then tell you that your relative brought it on her since she probably didn't have a healthy lifestyle...
(if not what is the point of the remark ?)

StCirq

<<No wonder Belgians are the butt of jokes across Europe.>>

Another rude and absurd comment from someone who has demonstrated a complete dearth of understanding about Europe.

P_M

WoinParis, West Nile Virus is a mosquito borne disease.