I've thought MANY times that the adventures I take in other parts of the world could never be done in the US, due to the dangers and risks involved. I do believe that many people have become somewhat innured to the risks they face when they do things in other countries, due to the fact that in the US there are so many safety regulations in place, so many agencies and rules and inspections, that many people come to believe this is just the way things are done. Well, it's NOT done like that in other places. Just on this latest vacation to Costa Rica, there were several things that we did that I distinctly remember thinking could NEVER be done here...at least, not without major changes to the way they do things to accommodate all the safety regulations they'd face.

Donna I agree that we all must be aware of the risks involved in the adventures we take on. I'm a risk-taker myself...and that's a choice I make. I try to be smart about my risks, but I know I have put myself in positions of jeopardy that others wouldn't knowingly choose.

And of course the reality is that accidents can happen anywhere, no matter HOW many regulations have been put in place. Not too long ago there was a horrific bus crash that killed a number of tourists on their way to Vegas. And in October a tour boat carrying a group of senior citizens capsized and sank on an upstate New York lake, killing 20 passengers. The vaguaries of life, I guess. So even WITH all the rules and regulations here in the US, things are not always as safe as we'd like to think.

I did read that the Chile excursion was a privately arranged one. I find it irritating as well that some newscaster immediately began looking to assign blame to the cruiseline. Shouldn't newscaster know a little something of what they're talking about before they start spouting stuff like that?

Oh, as for the Amalfi Coast -- I stayed there several years ago with my sister and...get this...I had a car! You want to talk about a white-knuckled experience -- try DRIVING the entire Amalfi Coast road yourself, with these enormous buses coming at you all day, hogging 75% of the road! EEEEK!