The story of the day occurred today in the White House. First, Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, followed by a second session, with Zelenskyy and six other European leaders.- The public portion, with leaders praising Trump, was cordial. Trump too was generous.
- Much of what happen will unfold later, for they group went into private session.
- But it looks like there will be a united front to seek peace with Russia, possibly with a ceasefire, but maybe not, and the European Union and U.S. in a strengthened mode to end the war.
- Trump had earlier in the day talked to Vladimir Putin, and said there would be a second call after the European meeting.
- Looks like peace might now be closer than not, and Trump could well win a Nobel Peace Prize if all goes well.
So much to world affairs. I've recent viewed two questions in Quora. This morning:
Sicily. (Not a country but a region)
And last week, WHAT IS THE WORST COUNTRY YOU EVER VISITED? Mostly about how terrible Uzbekistan was 30 years ago. Others said Lagos, Nigeria, Haiti, Nassau, etc. Got me thinking about my worst.
Today, my standards of travel have matured to only visit relatively safe places.
- I have higher standards of safety than most others.
- Look at this list by Numbeo. The safest cities are in the United Arab Emirates (5 of the top ten), Qatar and Oman, with Taipei at #7 and The Hague (Netherlands at #9). I do worry about Taiwan because of the China threat.
- There is some irony here, for those three Arabian countries are next to Iran.
- The next ten are all in Europe, plus Hong Kong, which also worries me for China.
- #21-30 are also in Europe, plus Chiang Mai (Thailand at #21), Singapore (#25), Quebec City (Canada at #27) and Merida (Mexico at #30).
- The first U.S. city is Irvine, California at #78, then Boise, Idaho at #116.
- Moscow is #122.
- I thought San Diego was safe, but it is at #161. I'll be there in October.
- I was recently in Vancouver at #181, and thought it was okay.
- Honolulu? #220.
- Rome? #224. I think Rome is much more dangerous than Honolulu.
- Cairo? #251.
- New York City? #254. One of my recent stops. Walked around day or night and did not feel threatened.
- Travel agents say San Jose, Costa Rica is kind of safe. But it is #294.
- Las Vegas? #299.
- Paris? #309. About right.
- New Orleans? #358.
Numbeo also has a Quality of Life ranking:- Five of top ten are in the Netherlands, with #1 being The Hague.
- The top 19 are in Europe, with Brisbane, Australia at #20. Followed by Perth (22), Adelaide (23) and Canberra (24).
- Highest U.S. city is Raleigh, North Carolina at #28, followed by Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at #29.
- Goes up to #285, with Honolulu at #132.
But my interest in this posting are the worst countries. Numbeo's Crime Index for mid-2025.- #1 and #2 in South Africa.
- #3 is Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, the most dangerous placed I visited, and described below.
- In general, avoid South Africa and Central/South America.
- However, Memphis, Tenessee is #9, Detroit at #17, Baltimore #8, Albuquerque #21 (this is a dangerous city???--I was considering their hot air balloon festival), Saint Louis MO #25, Oakland CA #28, New Orleans LA #36, Milwaukee WI #37, Chicago IL #40, Philadelphia PA#42, and goes on and on.
- Las Vegas NV #92....I'm skipping a lot of U.S. cities...Los Angeles #117, Phoenix AZ #122, Miami FL #124, Sacramento CA #153, Honolulu HI #168, San Diego CA 225, Salt Lake City UT #273, etc.
- From the safest: Abu Dhabi UAE #385, Doha Qatar #383, Dubai UAE #382, Taipei TW #379, Munich Germany #373, Singapore #359, Seoul SK #353, Tokyo Japan #351.
- Our Fall 2025 trip will spend the most time in Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo.
Never heard of Numbeo before, but it must be relatively credible worldwide.- Based in Serbia.
- Launched in 2009.
- A crowd-sourced online database.
The U.S. State Department now has online security information for Americans traveling abroad. This was not available then. Visitors in 2006 were warned, don’t go to PNG. Many incidents of assaults and robbery occur in Port Moresby and Lae, and individuals are especially at high risk. Golf courses, parks and beaches are to be avoided, as are taxis and buses. (Can you believe I was there when it was worse...much worse?) In May 2006, the Australian government was a bit more descriptive, underscoring that there are high levels of serious crime, especially in Lae. PNG is only #12 in murders/capita (U.S. is #24), and is not in the bottom of 10 of worst countries (#148 of 182 countries) according to the United Nations, but it is not a pleasant place to visit.
I went to Papua New Guinea because I had a professor friend who was visiting the Papua New Guinea University of Technology at Lae, and decided to host an energy gathering, where I was to be one of the featured speakers with travel reimbursement.
- I did little research and just decided at the last minute to go. Dumb.
- Turned out that 1989 was a particularly dangerous year to do this. There was a rampant rebellion on Bougainville Island, and a series of no confidence votes against the government.
- To get to Lae, I flew from Honolulu to Sydney, Australia, then transferred to Port Moresby, New Guinea.
As I was picking up my suitcase, I noticed a sign saying, “Don’t enter the country if you have not taken Malaria precautions!” My initial reaction was, whoa, go home. But I had to physically proceed through the process to get out, and the customs official asked me about my visa. Aha, I thought, become an arrogant American and let them kick you out. I had a good excuse, for I did not know I needed a visa. At least I could report to the conference sponsors the “I tried” part. I said, “I am an important speaker from the United States and you must let me through even though I don’t have a visa.” He said, “okay,” and I could not think quickly enough to irritate him any further.
- So remember, now, that I did not have a visa to enter the country, and this became a problem when I tried to leave.
After the hour flight to Lae on Air Niugini, I was picked up at the airport by conference planners. Professor S. L. Hall, Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Technology from Australia, was on the plane. She casually mentioned that the president of Papua New Guinea University of Technology in Lae was the brother in law of the current head of state, and there was a move to evict him by the opposition party. At the hotel, over drinks, we were told don’t walk around in town, not even in the daytime. And don’t think of doing that at night. There are marauding packs called Rascals, who are mostly cannibals from the jungle who can’t find jobs in town and must rob and kill to stay alive. I thought they were exaggerating, but no one was smiling.
What really caught my attention, though, was when I mentioned that I had not bothered with malaria precautions and asked, “just how serious was it?” One of them dropped his drink and the others, wide-eyed, expressed alarm. First, Lae is a lot wetter than Port Moresby, and the problem is amplified here. Second, it was too late. Third, those trying to prevent malaria as a resident by taking medication can go blind. However, S.L. (don’t remember her first name) gave me a bunch of pills and said, all things concerned, it might help. I asked one of them about the getting blind part and asked for some details. He said he decided not to take that chance, the blind chance. So, he had malaria.
I went back to my room and only then saw that can of insecticide and black splotches on the wall. I was so exhausted after a flight that took more than 30 hours that I quickly fell asleep.
We were picked up the next morning and taken to the conference, which was held in an open auditorium with a roof. As I was glancing at the program, a strange brown mosquito wafted unto the page. Before I could panic, it flew off somewhere. Just then, the moderator opened the program and mentioned that some of the out of country conferees might be concerned about malaria. He said not to worry, for the only mosquitoes to give you malaria suck you just around sunset. And don’t worry about the male of the species. He was trying some humor. I later learned that there are various anopheles varieties capable of inflicting this disease, and they sort of look like those found in Hawaii.
I made one of those command decisions, and this time, to be smart and decisive about it. I remembered that someone in my family was sick with something more serious than a cold and went up to my friend the organizer, F. Welt, and said that I noticed my talk was to be at the banquet two days away. Unfortunately, there was a sickness in the family and I had to leave first thing tomorrow, so could I give my talk today. This was not an outright lie, but close. After some anguishing and discussions, we agreed on my presenting my message at the morning session the next day so I could catch a noon flight to Port Moresby and connect to a Quantas flight to Brisbane. He would be glad to make the adjustments for me. It was difficult for me to disagree with this kind of cooperation. So I was stuck at least a second night.
The foreign guests were invited to dinner at one of the professor’s home after the end of the meetings that day. We dawdled around for a while and walked to his residence. He was not there. No one was there. After waiting for an hour, I noticed that dusk was approaching, and imagined that those malaria mosquitoes were readying themselves for their evening meal. Then the family returned with groceries. Waiting outside did not matter much because the home was open to the elements. At some point a siren sounded and the local staff began to exhibit a high sense of anxiety. Finally, a phone call came and we were “reassured” that the problem was that students advocating the fall of their university president had invaded the faculty club and had stolen all the liquor. In addition, there was a riot in town and those with hotel rooms there were told to remain overnight at this home. The campus was a barbed-wire enclosure, not unlike a jail.
Unexpectedly, at about 10 PM, a government official showed up in an open air jeep and said that he would take S.L. and me back to the hotel. They were more apprehensive about her, being female. I asked, what about those rioting protesters, and he said he thinks we’re covered, as he had a case of beer in the back and if a group attacks us, we give them the beer. He was serious. But we made it back without incident.
The next morning, I gave my talk and was rushed to the airport. The plane was late. I was worried about the connecting flight, for if we left at noon, the 1:30 connecting flight time seemed awfully close. The uneasy state of politics was such that this was to be the last plane out of New Guinea that day. I was told that on Fridays (which it was) those who worked get paid, and become drunk and dangerous. Whatever happens, they said, don’t get stranded at the airport.
Finally at 12:30 PM the plane came and immediately left with me. We landed at Jackson at 1:35 and that Quantas plane was still there. I grabbed my luggage and began running to the plane…but was told I first had to go through customs. Well, it took a long time to clear, as first, they wondered about my visa. Finally, finally, I was allowed to board the flight. It turned out the airline was waiting just for me, and till today, I have joyful feelings about Quantas. Brisbane (photo below) is, maybe, among the most boring cities in the world. Those three days there were about the best I spent anywhere in my life. This is part of the reason why Australia is way up there as among the best places to live. However, scratch PNG from the list.
Hurricane Erin re-strengthen from 125 MPH to 140 MPH, but should safely keep away from the U.S. However, there is a new tropical wave behind Erin, and this second storm is currently projected to also become a hurricane, and possibly threaten North Carolina.
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