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egypt 999 TRAVELER FACTS Population Density: 111 people per sq. mile Population: 69.500.000 Area: 622,272 sq. miles Language Spoken: Arabic People: Eastern Hamitic (Egyptians. Bedouins, and Berbers) 99%, European 1% How Far from NY: 5.600 miles From SF: 7.450 miles How Much from NY: 10.5 hours; SwissAir $500. EgyptAir $760 From SF: 18 hours; Turkish $939, Air France $1,109 Main Adventure Activities: Scuba diving, desert explo- ration nepal 999 TRAVELER FACTS mexIco 999 TRAVELER FACTS Population Density: 130 people per sq. mile Population: 100,294,036 Area: 769,080 sq. miles Languages Spoken: Spanish, and over 50 indigenous Indian languages People: Mestizo 80% (mixed European and Indian descent), indigenous Indian 10% How Far from NY: 2.090 miles From SF: 1,880 miles How Much from NY: 5 hours; AmericaWest $388 From SF: 4 hours; Delta, AmericaWest $338 Main Adventure Activities: Surfing, hiking, climbing, paddling. cultural exploration Egypt sits on the eastern fringe of the Sahara Desert; it is framed by the Mediterranean Sea to the north and bisected by the Nile River. Culturally. Egypt is at the cross- roads of Africa. Asia and Europe, and in many ways the cultural center of the Middle East. Dive Sharm el-Sheikh, wander the temples of Luxor. or camel-trek through the desert. Some of the terrorists responsible for the attacks of 9/11 hailed from Egypt and brought the country into focus beyond the lure of pyramids. And although some parts of Egypt are a tinderbox for anti-Americanism and terrorism. the government has so far been largely suc- cessful foiling plots before execution. An exception was in 1997 when 57 tourists at Luxor were killed by an Islamic militant group. Egyptian security forces labor to ensure travelers' security. If you take the train from Cairo to Luxor, you won't to be allowed get off before reaching your destination and if you want to travel near the Libyan border or off-road in the Sinai. special permits are required. www.touregypt.com Only a few hours by plane from San Francisco and a bit longer from New York, a trip to Mexico's interior provinces and southern beaches offers intrigue and adventure at the right price. Catch a bargain flight to tourist havens Cabo San Lucas or Cancun. drive two hours, and stake out a swath of beach all your own. Or. fly to Mexico City and climb the surrounding volcanoes. Take a week and summit the third, fifth. and seventh highest peaks in North America with no technical skills required. But Mexico demands caution from travelers. Violent crime has increased more in the last six years than in the previous sixty. Carry small amounts of cash and if you need a taxi, call a radio taxi or, "sitio" and ask the dispatcher for the driver's name and the cab's license plate number. Only get into a taxi that you've requested; hopping into a random cab leaves you at the mercy of the driver. Since 9/11 US Customs and Immigration have tightened security at border crossings, ostensibly to prevent terrorists from entering the States. Crossing time has increased to up to two hours at Tijuana, Nogales, and El Paso. In Chiapas and Oaxaca. near the Guatemalan border, Zapatista rebels, who draw from the impoverished Indian population, have been clashing with Mexican military groups since 1993. If you go to these areas, stick to the beaten path and be prepared to explain why you're there. www.mexonline.com Population Density: 274 people per sq. mile Population: 24,000,000 Area: 87.296 sq. miles Language Spoken: Nepali People: Newars, Indians. Tibetans. Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs. Bhotias, Rais, Limbus. Sherpas How Far from NY: 7,520 miles From SF: 7,570 miles How Much from NY: 25 hours; Aeroflot $1,009, Asiana $1,129 From SF: 23 hours; Aeroflot $822, Thai $1,659 Main Adventure Activities: Trekking, mountaineering With Everest, Pumori, and hundreds of jagged mountains, many still unclimbed. Nepal hypnotizes travelers with its spoils of nature. Though endowed with a spirituality rooted deep in Himalayan mountain culture, Nepal's political climate has provoked some deeply unsettling events in the past year. Last summer Nepal's Crown Prince Dipendra shot and killed King Birendra and eight other members of the royal family. With its ruling family in turmoil, civil unrest has left a stunned populace uncertain of its country's future. In November, Mao rebel uprisings resulted in the death of more than 70 policemen and 200 Maoists and provoked the king to declare a state of emergency. What this means for Western tourists is unclear. There are few reports of violence directed toward foreigners. and the Nepalese are known for their hospitality and warmth. That said, until things calm down visitors won't see Nepal at its best. www.welcomenepal.com india 9999 TRAVELER FACTS Population Density: 824 people per sq. mile Population: 1.014,003,817 Area: 1,229,737 sq. miles Languages Spoken: Hindi, Urdu, English, and 24 regional 59