World Travel Watch is a weekly report designed to help you make informed judgments about travel. Conditions can change overnight, so always make your own inquiries before you leave home. The U.S. State Department and embassies or consulates are good places to start.

India: Jewish Centers at Risk of Terrorist Attack
Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau advised Israelis to avoid synagogues and Chabad centers in India because terrorists may be plotting attacks similar to those staged in Mumbai on Nov. 26, 2008. FBI agents investigating two Chicago men allegedly involved in planning the Mumbai attacks recently flew to India to share intelligence with Indian security officials. One of the Chicago suspects was arrested on charges that he was working with a Pakistani terrorist group to plot new attacks on Jewish gathering places. Indian and Israeli officials believe the threat is real, and logic suggests that all travelers, not just Israelis, should consider avoiding synagogues and Chabad centers at this time.

Mali: Risk of Kidnapping for Westerners Is Critical in Timbuktu, Elsewhere
The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued a warning urging Americans “in the very strongest terms” to avoid travel to the regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, and if present, to “leave immediately” because of the critical risk of kidnapping. The abduction of a long-term resident French citizen in November and the taking of three Spanish aid workers in neighboring Mauritania a few days later confirm the credibility of the threat.

Mexico: Drug Violence Increases in Chihuahua State, Ciudad Juarez
The U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, issued an alert Dec. 8 saying that drug violence has now spread to family members of rival cartel members and violent crime is increasing throughout the state of Chihuahua. Because of such violence, the consulate advises Americans to defer non-essential travel to the Guadalupe Bravo area southeast of the city—known locally as “Valle de Juarez”—and to the entire northwest quarter of the state, a region that “begins in Puerto Palomas and runs south to the municipalities of Namiquipa and Madera, and west to the Chihuahua state boundary with Sonora; it includes the city of Nuevo Casas Grandes and surrounding communities.” In other news, the Consulate General Hermosillo issued an alert Dec. 4 stating that a seasonal spike in robberies on toll roads in Sonora and Sinaloa states usually occurs at this time of year as criminals target visitors bringing presents to family members. Such robberies usually occur at night or before dawn when thieves pull over their victims using flashing lights that resemble police lights.

Northern Ireland: Police Urge Stores to Check Security in Wake of Car Bomb, Fears of “Real IRA” Campaign
Police urged retailers across the province to review their security arrangements because of concerns that a dissident IRA faction might mount a Christmas bombing campaign. The Real IRA splinter group left a car bomb that partially detonated at the Policing Board headquarters in Belfast Nov. 22, and authorities worry that they have access to a store of explosives and may try to stage a spectacular incident in the coming weeks. The warning followed security alerts Dec. 7 that paralyzed sections of Belfast when suspect devices caused two hours of gridlocked traffic and bus diversions on one of the city’s busiest streets.

Tanzania: Police Shoot Robbers Targeting Safari Lodge
Police shot dead five men they said were planning to rob a luxury tourist lodge near the Gurmeti Reserve west of Serengeti National park on the Kenyan border Dec. 1. Police acted on a tip and laid an ambush for the armed men. A police official called the incident “very rare,” but another armed robbery occurred in October in the neighboring Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya when bandits invaded a tented camp. Whether the incidents are rare or signal a trend, tourism officials know that their industry depends on keeping tourists safe, and they have increased security in response.

Alaska, with its immense tracts of pristine wilderness, is quite possibly the most beautiful state in the USA. The name itself is based on the Eskimo word meaning “great lands,” which only begins to describe its near limitless coasts, countless inland waterways and great snow-capped mountain ranges.

Alaska has diverse features and extreme climates
The most impressive aspect of Alaska is its size. It covers nearly 600,000 square miles (1,500,000 sq. km.) with over 33,000 miles (55,000 km) of shoreline and 1,800 islands. The interior has over 50,000 glaciers, 3,000 rivers and three million lakes. It contains 17 of the 20 highest mountain peaks in the USA including the 20,320 feet (6,194 meter) Denali.

Alaska’s two “panhandles” reach southward to embrace the warm Pacific Ocean currents which bless them with surprisingly moderate climates for such northern lands. On the western handle, the volcanically active Aleutian Islands extend over 1,000 miles into the northwestern Pacific where they enjoy cool summers and only moderately cold winters. The eastern handle extending down along the coast of northern Canada enjoys cool summers, mild winters and the most rainfall in North America.

The Interior plateau of Alaska suffers an extreme continental climate with surprisingly warm summers and fiercely cold winters. Temperatures can reach 100 F (+38 C) in the summer and drop below -55 F (-48 C) in the winter. The North Slope along the Arctic Coast is classic arctic tundra, a treeless semi-desert climate with extremely cold winters.

Summer days and winter nights become very long at these high latitudes. As you travel further north in Alaska, the summer days can stretch up to 22 hours. Alaskan natives call this “the land of the midnight sun.” Equally long winter nights often bring spectacular displays of dancing celestial lights known as the Aurora Borealis.

Alaska has lots of attractions and few people
Alaska is very thinly populated with less than one person per square mile. Most of the population is concentrated in a few cities and towns along the coast. The native population includes the Inuit living primarily along the coast of the arctic Bering Sea, the Aleuts living on the islands of the western panhandle, and Native Americans (Indians) living mostly along the eastern panhandle. The current population also includes many migrants from the “lower 48″ states plus European and Asian immigrants.

The scenic attractions of Alaska can be divided into several distinct areas with the city of Anchorage roughly at the center. Copper Valley, Mat-Su Valley, the Kenai Peninsula and Chena River State Recreation Area are all located near Anchorage, and are readily accessible by car or ferryboat. Many excursion cruises and charter boats depart from Anchorage, Seward or the nearby port of Homer to visit the beautiful Kenai fjords, Kodiak Island with its large population of wildlife, and Prince William Sound. It is also possible to visit the Aleutian Islands of the southwest panhandle from there, but that requires a much longer boat ride or a commuter flight.

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Colorado, Experts believe North America’s largest dinosaurs roamed Colorado’s mesas and mountains some 140 million years ago. Perhaps they had an appreciation for spectacular scenery: Four hours from Denver, Grand Junction’s deep red rock canyons and tall sandstone monoliths inspire awe among visitors to Colorado National Monuments.

Located within “Dinosaur Diamond,” Grand Junction’s excavation sites, fossil trails, Dinosaur Valley Museum exhibits, and hands-on archeological activities appeal to paleontologists of all ages.

Prehistoric people left their mark at Mesa Verde National Park outside of Durango. One of world’s most famous archaeological sites, it contains hundreds of cliff dwellings, evidence of the Anasazi Indian culture.

Fourteen centuries of history remain on display there at the country’s largest archeological preserve, which contains more than 4,000 sites built by ancestral Puebloans between 450 AD and 1300 AD. Mesa-top villages have been stabilized so that today’s visitors can walk, drive, or take a bus tour through the park to view them. They’re also welcome to hike and climb ladders in and out of the dwellings or embark on less rigorous but equally fascinating self-guided tours as they wander through the past. The park also features a museum and three wilderness areas.

Officially founded in 1880, the town of Durango was originally a mining center. Its railroad depot is now a National Historic Landmark, and a ride on the turn-of-the-century Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train reveals the beauty of the area’s remote wilderness from the tracks of an authentic steam-operated railroad.

Prospectors poured into Grand County following the discovery of gold along the Colorado River, building and then abandoning towns. Today, with six dude and guest ranches within its borders, the county lays claim to the title of Colorado’s Dude Ranch Capital.

Saddle up to recall the spirit of the American West at C Lazy U Ranch, the only five-star, five-diamond dude ranch. Extraordinary high-mountain scenery, like the 78 peaks 12,000 feet or taller in nearby Rocky Mountain National Park, helps riders appreciate the horsepower.

More than a century ago, Gunnison County was cowboy territory, and the region’s rough-and-tumble past comes alive again at July’s Annual Cattlemen’s Days. Guests who bunk at Waunita Hot Springs Ranch get their own horse for a week, and the high point of a stay is the high-country ride to snow-ridged peaks overlooking the Continental Divide.

To sample the best of the old West in style, check into one of the state’s historic hotels. The Strater Hotel in Durango, Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, and the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park are all lovingly preserved properties that combine the glories of bygone days with first-class accommodations and modern amenities.