Crime in Quito “critical.” Also, World’s worst traffic commutes.

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 418th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine, the one you help write. The news writes this page, however, and this month it includes a number of warnings.

ITN reported on the increase in crime in Ecuador (Aug. ’10, pg. 65). In October, the US State Department rated Quito as “critical” for crime, adding that that is “the highest level that a post can be rated.”

In September, the US Embassy in Quito issued a warning about the growing number of “express kidnappings” in the capital, particularly in the Mariscal district at night. In these cases, the victim is temporarily held and robbed or forced to withdraw money from an ATM. Lately, the thugs have been using pepper spray as well. Most of the kidnappings have taken place in illegitimate taxis. This has also been occurring in Guayaquil.

Legitimate taxis have orange license plates, an orange placard on the driver-side door and a registration number on the windshield. The embassy recommends that, if possible, you call a taxi dispatcher directly so there is a record of who picks you up.

Violent crime rates continue to rise in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan government in August disclosed that there were 19,133 murders in that country in 2009, or 75 for every 100,000 inhabitants. Just one year earlier the rate was 52 “intentional homicides” per 100,000, according to the United Nations Office of Drugs & Crime.

Of countries that provided this statistic to the UN (and that leaves out 41 countries, including some zingers such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Papua New Guinea and Haiti), from 2003 through 2008 the top 10 were Honduras (at 60.9 per 100k), Jamaica (59.5), Venezuela (52), El Salvador (51.8), Trinidad & Tobago (39.7), Colombia (38.8, down to 32 in 2009), Lesotho (36.7), South Africa (36.5), St. Kitts & Nevis (35.2) and Belize (34.3).

In case you were interested, in 2008 the US was at 5.2 and Mexico was at 11.6.

The US State Department warns that violent crime is pervasive throughout Venezuela — in cities, the countryside and even national parks, where it is recommended people travel in groups of five or more. Be wary of strangers, even those in uniform.

In the Philippines in August, a disgruntled ex-cop in Manila hijacked a tourist bus thinking he could force the government to dismiss extortion charges and rehire him. The rescue operation went bad, and eight Hong Kong tourists were killed and seven wounded.

In response to the ensuing criticism, the city of Quezon assigned an additional 20 tourist police to patrol popular sites. The officers are fluent in English and trained in tactical skills and (thinking ahead) have been vetted as having no pending court cases. Wearing helmets, light-blue shirts and black shorts, they can be spotted riding mountain bikes.

Another 20 female tourist police were to be added in that metro Manila area soon, and more teams are planned for other cities.

In Peru, four British tourists and two Peruvian pilots died on Oct. 2 when their chartered small plane crashed during a flight to view the Nazca Lines. Just over seven months earlier, seven people were killed in another crash there while flightseeing (June ’10, pg. 2).

At a resort in Side, Turkey, a British man fell 150 feet onto the beach and died on July 24 when his harness broke while he was parasailing. Parasailing is a sport in which a person attached to a parachute is towed behind a boat and soars into the air.

In June, another British man at the resort almost fell when his harness tore. He was parasailing with the same outfitters, who operated out of a beachside shack. The vendors were arrested, and an investigation commenced.

Travelers considering parasailing anywhere are urged to be extremely cautious and to check the gear thoroughly for signs of weakness or tearing.

Just in time for the Commonwealth Games, a new law implemented in Delhi, India, in October will remain in effect for only six months, though some would like it to be permanent. It prohibits “touting,” loosely defined as enticing, misguiding or coercing someone to patronize the shopping, accommodation, transportation or guide services of any particular premises.

Under the Delhi Prevention of Touting and Malpractices Against Tourists Ordinance, anyone offering or showing intent to offer unsolicited services to tourists or pestering them to use those services will be considered a “tout” and be subject to fines of up to INR10,000 (near $225) and imprisonment for up to a year.

Namibia has many mineral mines, and small-gem miners there have long sold their wares from roadside stands to visitors. Be aware, however, that glass items cut, colored and polished to look like beryl, tourmaline, topaz, etc., have been sold. In some cases, sellers, themselves, were unaware that the items were fakes, having traded rough stones for polished ones.

Some vendors now sell only rough stones. Cut and polished stones that are certified are available at certain cooperatives, such as the Uiba Oas gem market, which is in the Spitzkoppe area and near Usakos and is operated by members of the Erongo Region Small Miners Association.

Greater Beijing, China, has well over four million motor vehicles for its 22 million residents. Other cities have a higher ratio, but Beijing now often has the world’s worst traffic jams, matching or exceeding those of Mexico City.

Bejing drivers’ commutes average out to 52 minutes, but a traffic jam on the Tibet-Beijing Expressway, Aug. 15-24, lasted 10 days and stretched 60 miles from Inner Mongolia’s coal regions to Beijing and eastern ports. (The G110 highway varies in width, from two lanes in each direction to, within Beijing, TEN lanes in each direction.)

The problem was fueled by road construction projects and an increase in trucks carrying coal… not to mention the more than 2,000 new cars being added to Beijing’s streets each DAY. The city is expected to have five million vehicles by year’s end.

The IBM Commuter Pain Index shows the results of surveys in which drivers in 20 cities ranked the emotional and economic toll of their city commutes, covering 10 factors such as “commuting time,” “start/stop traffic is a problem,” “driving causes anger,” etc.

With 100 being the most horrendous, the top-ranking cities for 2010 were Beijing and Mexico City, at 99 each; Johannesburg, 97; Moscow, 84; New Delhi, 81, and São Paolo, 75.

On the opposite, least-stressful end was Stockholm, 15; Melbourne and Houston, 17; New York, 19; Montreal, 23; Berlin, 24, and (I had to get to it) Los Angeles, 25. See, things aren’t so bad where you are, after all.

Carolyn D. Taylor of Memphis, Tennessee, wrote to ITN, “At a DKG convention in Spokane, Washington, recently I did a workshop entitled ‘Best Travel and Packing Tips’ and shared several of my copies of ITN with the group, passing around a ‘Free sample’ sign-up sheet. Enclosed are the names and addresses of 38 people eager to learn more about ITN.”

Barbara Glavish of Incline Village, Nevada, wrote, “My introduction to this great travel magazine was via a free copy. I was traveling in eastern Siberia in September of 1993 and one of the tour participants took names and addresses to send to ITN. My free copy arrived shortly afterward and I was hooked!”

Jack and Liz Kaufman of Lake Quivira, Kansas, wrote, “ITN is our favorite travel magazine and we look forward to receiving it every month. It has made a big difference in our travel lives, and we now rely very heavily on it to plan future trips. Everywhere we go, we recommend ITN to people we meet, arranging for them to receive introductory copies. It is one way we have of expressing our gratitude for this wonderful publication.”

Spreading the word is just one of the ways our subscribers participate in this ongoing project called International Travel News. Enjoying the offerings of our advertisers is another. Writing in about the great times you had traveling helps fill the pages. And you can brighten someone’s day, once a month, simply by giving them a subscription as a gift. Or just get comfortable and appreciate reading and learning about travel.

Each of you plays a part. And the product is in your hands.

One reminder — I promised Tom Dickinson of Ann Arbor, Michigan, that every once in a while I would pass along his suggestion. Subscribers sending travel reports to ITN might consider including their e-mail addresses for publication so that others may easily correspond with them.

This isn’t an obligation, and ITN always will forward any mail from one reader to another anyway, but if you wish your e-mail address or full address or phone number to be printed with your trip report, please make that clear in your letter.

ITN is the original travelers’ forum! — DT