Not only is the euro putting the US dollar to shame, now Europeans are getting America's drugs too. "The United States believes that South American cocaine traffickers are diverting shipments away from the United States to Europe." These larger amounts of blow are being routed to Europe by way of Venezuela and West Africa. [AP]

Hermagoras "Fatty" Gonzalez, believed to be a leading drug lord and arms smuggler, was arrested Sunday by Venezuelan authorities. Gonzalez has been accused "of sending large quantities of cocaine into America, including 9 tons in just one year." The move is especially noteworthy considering the U.S. government's condemnation of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez's supposed lack of cooperation with U.S. anti-drug officials and failure to do "enough to stop Columbian cartels moving cocaine through Venezuelan territory." [Reuters]

We noted early last year that Venezuela was the new, hip Latin American travel destination for good sandal-shod lefties (or naive commies, depending on your perspective). Cindy Sheehan, Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte, among other famed agitators, had already made the trek. Now comes another breathless report on the phenomenon. “From a trickle a few years ago,” the Mail & Guardian reports, “there are now thousands, travelling individually and on package tours, exploring a left-wing mecca that promises to build social justice in the form of ‘21st-century socialism.’”

Laos
– “The Centuries-Old Allure of Laos’s Relaxed Capital” (NYT)

Colorado Skiing
– “Out of Bounds, Within Limits in Silverton, Colo.” (NYT)

Venezuela
– “In Angel Falls, Venezuela, a Forest of Islands” (NYT)

New Mexico
– “Albuquerque rising” (LA Times)

Tokyo for Cheap
– “Stretching your yen in Tokyo” (LA Times)

Iran
– “Intrigued By Iran” (SF Chronicle)

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Annual Geography Quiz
– “Where In The World?”

New Year’s Eve Travel
– “25 great New Year’s getaways” (Guardian)

“The LA Times’ Savvy Shopper
– “A Parisian present … pour moi?”
– “These bargains made in Mexico”
– “Hong Kong, a.k.a. treasure island”
- “In Saigon, spending is great frenzied fun”
- “Wrap up a little cultural cachet from Paris, London”

Southern Caribbean
– “In Los Roques, Venezuela, a No-Frills Vibe” (NYT)

Mozambique
– “Mozambique buries the AK-47” (NYT)

Nicaragua
– “The Rediscovery of Nicaragua” (NYT)