I can’t do it

If you go on holidays to a certain country right now, I can’t bring myself to “like” the photos on social media.

I just can’t.

I am terrified by what’s happening there, as it teeters on the edge of totalitarianism, and I’m mystified by the Australian travellers who don’t seem the least bit bothered, lured by a bite of the big apple.

DD flew over yesterday for a conference. I kept telling him he shouldn’t go. I’ve peppered him with news reports about the violence and desperation and airport delays gripping the country.

How Smart Traveller hasn’t issued a Level 3 – Reconsider your need to travel alert is beyond me.

At level 3, there are serious and potentially life-threatening risks. This can make the destination unsafe for tourism and unsuitable for most travellers. This could be due to:

• an ongoing threat of terrorism or kidnapping
• travel disruptions
• frequent incidents of violent crime
• ongoing civil unrest
• widespread infectious disease
• other safety risks.

All of those things are happening there right now: people are disappearing from the streets, airports are closing due to lack of air traffic controllers and there are frequent shootings, protests and disease outbreaks as vaccination rates fall.

I know there are lots of good, kind people who live there and want nothing to do with their wannabe dictator’s agenda.

And I feel for the country’s tourism industry, which is suffering a significant downturn in international visitation that is threatening to erode billions in spending.

Aussies, weirdly, don’t seem as fazed as the rest of the world. Nearly 70,000 Australians travelled there in May — up almost 8% on the same time last year.

But it’s a hard no from me.

Each day seems to bring new lows. Like multi-million-dollar Gatsby-themed tone-deaf parties being thrown while millions of people go hungry.

Yet nothing seems to shake the faith of his followers.

I’ll admit I am curious to hear from DD what it’s really like beyond the wild headlines. How can life be continuing normally when all that other shit is going down?

I am still waiting for a message from him to say he has landed and is safely through customs. Hopefully soon. Will advise.

Song of the day: Fergie “A little party never hurt nobody”