C9 - Sanday, November 6, 1983 - North Shore News ceanveN |S | South American unrest deter tourists I GET LOTS of mail. Aside from letters associated with this col- umn, my name seems to be on every junk-mail list in the country and | owe a few bills besides. Alas, I don’t get too many letters from far-away friends any more because I’ve become one of those rotten correspondents who waits six months before replying. Even the best of friends gets fed up with that arrangement! One friend, though, always gets a prompt reply. Her let- ters are fascinating and have provided material for this column on many occasions - like today. First, I'd better tell you something about her so you’ll understand why I value her opinions. We met ten years ago in Argentina, on a cruise ship making it’s way from Buenos Aires around Cape Horn. She was travelling with her teen-aged son who turned out to be damn poor com- pany due to the fact that there were fifty or so teen- aged girls aboard. Dolly has a_ remarkable talent with languages. Her English is so perfect I assum- ed that she was Amenican. Not so. Her parents fled to Argentina just prior to the holocaust, one of the few Jewish families to see the writing on the wall and get out of Holland in time. When the cruise was over and I returned home, we got in the habit of writing every few weeks. She kept me up to travel- wise | by Barbara McCreadie date on news from Argentina as well as the rest of the world — Dolly and her hus- band are globe trotters. A few years ago, due to circumstances I’ll not go in- to, tne family immigrated to the United States. With the miles reduced, our famihes have gotten to know each other and we visit back and forth. It’s interesting, too, that our husbands despite a wide difference in background, get along just great. I should mention that Dolly’s hus- band wasn’t as lucky as she was — he spent WW II as a guest of Hitler in various facilities provided for Jews by the Third Reich. Dolly’s mother sull lives in Argentina and both Dolly and her two adult children visit there a couple of times a year. It was Dolly’s advice | passed on a few months ago about crossing borders. “*Never let on that you speak the language! If they can’t talk to you they’ll pass you through fairly quickly. Foreign border guards love to prove to their superiors that they’re doing a fine job so if they can talk to you they’ll throw the book at you.’’ Dol- ly stares at Spanigh-speaking guards as if they were talking Urdu. I'm going to quote directly from her latest letter. **Speaking of Buenos Aires, conditions are worse than ever. Inflation rampant, talk about civil war — can you believe it? Elections are this coming Sunday. (Note: Oc- tober 30). 1 had planned to visit Mother in December but now I think Ill wait till the new government is in power. Am I ever glad we left when we did.”’ A few days ago a friend of mine told me that a couple of her relatives — two women — were going to Argentina in a few weeks. They’d never been before, spoke no Spanish and although they knew some people there, had no definite arrangements to see them. I thought it was a lousy idea and said so. If Dolly, who has lived here most of her life, is changing her plans, it seems to me that travelling Cana- dians better put Argentina on **hold’’ for a while. oeeoe4ueees#8#s It should be required of all travellers intending to visit areas where civil unrest is possible — and that’s darn Near everywhere — to sit through the film ‘‘Missing’”’ at least twice. The movie, starring Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek, deals with an American who goes missing in a South Amenican country during a revolution. The man’s father (Lemmon) and wife (Spacek) attempt to find him. It doesn’t take a genius to see how these naive Americans get themselves in- to serious, in fact deadly, trouble. No one wants to get invoiv- ed in civil war, especially travellers. Your Canadian Nationality is about as much protection as a piece of Kleenex when it comes to dodging bullets. The Cana- dian government will try to save your hide but they aren’t apt to be able to get you out until the shooting stops. It is wise for any traveller in chancy countries to Tegister with the nearest Canadian Consulate. The government can’t help you if they don’t know where to find you. Should trouble erupt and you haven’t bothered to register, your safest bet is to move to the biggest, most expensive hotel you can find. North American tounsts are ex- pected to be in these plastic palaces and that’s where they’ll look for you. Plastic is another key word. Your Visa card or AmEx may save your life. Big hotels aren’t delighted with refugees unless you pro- ve you can pay. Plastic says it all. Famous RCMP St. Roch sails again THE ST. ROCH sails again. The famous R.C.M. Police arctic patrol and_= supply vessel, the St. Roch, remains open all winter, seven days a week, from 1000 to 1700 hours. Visitors may tour the vessel with Parks Canada guides Relive the hazardous adven tures of the histone St. Roch, the first vessel to circum navigate the North American continent, second to travel through the Northwest Passage, and the first to return through the Arctic This Parks Canada Na tronal Historie Site 1s located at the foot) of Cypress in Vamer Park at 1905 Ogden Avenuc large groups should phone 732 4362) to book tours tanlored to your group's specifie needs WAIKIKI All onty WAIKIKI 8 Days $459 7 NIgnts An & Mote! roseway Diane travel Diane at our office. PRIME TRAVEL Hollyburn Plaza 210-1760 Marine, W. Van PRIME TRAVEL Takes pleasure in announcing the arrival of Redfern to our experts. Diane’ brings with her many years of experience in the travel industry and looks forward to heiping you with your You may contact arrangements. travel t Ihe Hender Manager! Ce staff of travel 925-1212 ttci. DIO YOU KNOW THAT IT COSTS NO MORE TO BUY YOUR AIRLINE TICKETS FROM A TRAVEL AGENT? We in Canada find it hard to believe that people might actually shoot us. I’ve had a submachine gun aimed at me twice and I’ve never been more fnghtened in my life. If you should be so unlucky as to be caught in civil unrest, obey the rules! Keep off the Streets even if you’re starving to death. Above all, if you’re just looking for a quiet holiday in the sun, give some thought to the state of ‘‘peace’’ at your destination. If it’s adventure you crave, get your will in order before you buy that ticket to a war zone. NITA NORTH VANCOUVER ALL WORLD TRAVE! 1tO best ta Sa 980-9581 ATL YNN TRAVEL 1199 Lynn Valley Ra 980. 8301 CAPILANO TRAVEL (823 Cuptlano Rd 985 O44! 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