My friends are incredulous that I would risk exposure to Ebola by heading to Namibia over the New Year, but the truth is that I'm safer there (no cases have been reported) than in the U.S., where ten people have been treated for the disease, two of whom died. The odds of Namibia encountering a major outbreak are next to zero as well: It's the second least populous country in the world and nearly 3,000 miles from Guinea, where the scourge first appeared. And while I'm at it, it's also silly to avoid South Africa, Kenya, and a slew of other fascinating countries just because they happen to be in Africa.