French couple found safe after getting lost while hiking in Sandakan
Published on: Monday, April 28, 2025
Published on: Mon, Apr 28, 2025 Text Size: The hikers board the boat. - Pic by JBPM SANDAKAN: Two French tourists were rescued after getting lost while hiking at the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) here on Monday. The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call at 1.24pm, prompting a search operation involving seven firefighters and RDC rangers. The couple, identified as Santarelli Antoine Pierre and Girodet Charlene, both aged 36, contacted authorities after losing their way about 7km from the RDC entrance. They were located safe and well by RDC rangers at 3.08pm and transported by boat to Kampung Bambangan, which was closer than returning by land. The pair were later taken back to the RDC by Forestry Department rangers for further action. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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She and her husband haven't made any changes 'at least for now', but they are 'hoping that travel doesn't become more unsafe'. Vicci Jaffe, 68, has second thoughts about an excursion to Berlin, Germany this fall. Her concern stems not only from the rise of the far right in Germany, but also from political changes at home. 'How will I be regarded while in Berlin?' she asked. 'At the very least, I am embarrassed, but also now afraid of retribution or violence.' Some people, including Verhaeghe, who is travelling to Mexico using his second passport (it's European), are adjusting their behaviour. Cheryl Carlson, 63, an educator in Chicago, Illinois, plans to reveal her nationality ahead of time to the owners of the accommodations she and her husband will be staying in during a trip to Canada. This is '... to make sure our presence would not cause a small business to feel uncomfortable hosting us.' Peter Serkian, 60, who travels to Canada twice a month from Michigan, pays in Canadian dollars, not US dollars. 'I try to hide that I am an American,' he said. Feeling spooked Those measures are preventive – none of the interviewees for this article have actually experienced anti-American sentiment. But the nervousness is taking its toll. Cameron Hewitt, content and editorial director for Rick Steves' Europe, has seen a dip in guidebook sales, 'literally starting the day of the inauguration', he said. Lisa Wirth, owner of Ataxito which offers tours to Oaxaca, Mexico, said that some prospective guests are feeling spooked. 'We had several American travellers decide to cancel a week-long tour in February, either because the travel partners they had planned on travelling with backed out due to concerns regarding safety in Mexico or because the current administration and their anxiety around it caused them to pause any trip decisions in the short term,' she said. 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One TikTok user in Scotland told 'MAGA tourists' that they are not welcome, and a farmer on the Danish island of Bornholm terminated an agreement he had with a US travel agency to receive tourists in his home for coffee and a chat. Panama has experienced a significant increase in tour and hotel bookings from Americans. — Photos: Pixabay 'I would feel ridiculous if I had to discuss democracy with representatives of such a government,' Knud Andersen, the farmer, told the Danish broadcaster DR. On a trip to Italy, California-based Rebecca Andersons and her family had a taxi driver whose criticisms of American politics started with former US president Ronald Reagan and ended with Trump. Andersons told him they were 'too young to vote for Reagan and actually are Californians who voted for Harris'. Apparently forgiven, they later found themselves singing along with the driver to Volare. Other Americans are adopting tactics designed to deflect criticism, like answering the question 'Where are you from?' with their state's name. Sue Rook Nichols from California ordered buttons off Etsy that read, 'I didn't vote for him.' She plans to wear them on a trip to Europe. The tactics may not be necessary. Mariana Hamman, who owns a tour agency in Mexico, said that none of her colleagues had reported encountering anti-American sentiment. 'Sometimes you see 'Go home, gringo' graffiti,' she said. 'But that's about overtourism, not politics.' When David Rojas-Klein, of California, travelled to Mexico recently, his expectation that he would 'see something anti-American' never materialised. 'What I learned was that people make a distinction between the American people and the American government.' The fear that people in other countries will equate them with their politicians' actions is a peculiarly American anxiety, one that also surfaced during the Gulf War, said Hewitt of Rick Steves' Europe. 'If you look at history, most European countries have had experience with a ruler who, especially in retrospect, they're not particularly proud of.' Bo Albertus, a 57-year-old school principal in Denmark, agrees. He administers a Danish Facebook group, 89,000 strong, that is dedicated to boycotting American products. But American citizens are welcome in his country, Albertus said. 'The Danish people don't have a problem with Americans. We have a problem with the American administration.' Even a tourist in a MAGA hat would be treated fine, he added, 'Because in Denmark, we have freedom of speech.' – LISA ABEND/©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
