Is there any country you would not go to even if you were paid to go there?

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

Deleted User wrote: »

Same, although I also know plenty of people who visited a variety of African countries and seriously didn't enjoy their experience.

It all boils down to the person in question.. and honestly, when it comes to Africa (or many other countries) where it's easy to come across something outside their comfort zone, most people won't know until they experience it firsthand. Like the poisonous spiders, snakes, sharks, etc in Oz didn't bother me much, but I know many who completely flipped when they encountered even the less deadly of what's available. At the same time, I know people who were seriously uncomfortable around the Black townships in Africa.. I know I had my own very fearful experiences, but I was mostly able to shrug them off because I did get away without anything terrible happening to me.

The point being that Africa.. (yes, it's a massive generalisation), tends to force people to look at very different and uncomfortable realities... unless they're happy to stay most of their time in a compound/hotel, and be guided everywhere. (which I've found many actually do)

Oh, I won't argue there, I know people who've had those experiences too. And with many other countries or regions too.

Andrea B.

boardlady wrote: »

I did India decades ago - 5 months and 1 month in Nepal. I agree with everything you say - but i'm still glad to have had the experience

Same as. Nepal nice.
What stuck with me about India was how sh#te they treated each other and the general acceptance of the poverty and misery of lower castes.
Sure, there were some good charitable people and organisations, but I felt they were a minority.

Eggs For Dinner

AMKC wrote: »

Me I would not go to Turkey. I was there once and would never go again. I found the people rude and small minded as well as backwards.

As a Leeds United fan all my life, I would never go to Turkey following the murders of Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus

HerrKapitan

Mad_maxx wrote: »

I really disliked Hungary , found the people incredibly surly

I know it's not the fashionable thing to say, but I thought Hungary was really nice. The people there were really friendly and helpful. One of the friendliest in Europe I thought, after Slovenia and Croatia.

OMM 0000

TXPTGR1 wrote: »

UAE- been to Dubai on a stopover- horrible place frequented by awful people
I know i

Dubai does seem to attract the sort of people who think they're classy because they drink wine and get waxed every few months.

boardlady

Andrea B. wrote: »

Same as. Nepal nice.
What stuck with me about India was how sh#te they treated each other and the general acceptance of the poverty and misery of lower castes.
Sure, there were some good charitable people and organisations, but I felt they were a minority.

I think it was the sort of trip that can only be taken in youth! There is not a chance that post-kids me would be able to control my anxiety to the point that I could function in India now. What amazed me most, was how quickly I adapted to - and almost became indifferent to - the poverty. I began to pass people begging, with limbs missing from leprosy, almost without 'seeing' them

OMM 0000

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Dubai does seem to attract the sort of people who think they're classy because they drink wine and get waxed every few months.

I think one of the problems with Dubai is that it attracts people who consider having money as being some kind of powerful status/class... and then, they encounter the locals who look down on them as being foreigners, so, all they have left is their money, as a status symbol within a culture that values money, but values the local ethnicity/culture more.

Dubai is a weird place, full of isms. Incredibly racist at so many levels. Elitist. While also having a huge underclass, who do little to support each other.

cdeb

Eggs For Dinner wrote: »

As a Leeds United fan all my life, I would never go to Turkey following the murders of Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus

Cannot understand this attitude tbh. It's like a Juve fan saying they'd never go to England - but we all know there's a huge amount more to the country than football hooligans.

Turkey's too large and interesting a place to forego just because of one tragic incident 20 years ago.

Mad_maxx

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Dubai does seem to attract the sort of people who think they're classy because they drink wine and get waxed every few months.

Dubai is just Saudi Arabia with a good PR management team , a wafer thin veneer of tolerance

Mad_maxx

bubblypop wrote: »

Friend of mine lived in Lagos for two years. Confined to compound to live in, 24 hour armed security, when they left it was in a car, with an armed driver.
Long two years!! That was the 90s

I had no idea Nigeria was like that , I thought it had a pretty strong middle class ( relatively speaking ) and was fairly advanced ( relatively speaking ) in the likes of Lagos ?

A neighbour of mine spent three weeks in Zambia when he was circa seventeen on a school trip , he was working on a project to deliver water to the locality , this guy was a bit of an engineering genius so being seventeen didnt stop him providing help

he loved Zambia , felt completely safe and found the people incredibly friendly , he said the land is extremely fertile , " you could grow two crops of grain in one season in the right year " ?

My friend working in Nigeria had a very scary experience when his armed convoy got mobbed. They got away but yeah, you aren't going around that country alone. Boko Haram operating there as well.

ILoveYourVibes

How much am I being paid?

ILoveYourVibes

Deleted User wrote: »

I think one of the problems with Dubai is that it attracts people who consider having money as being some kind of powerful status/class... and then, they encounter the locals who look down on them as being foreigners, so, all they have left is their money, as a status symbol within a culture that values money, but values the local ethnicity/culture more.

Dubai is a weird place, full of isms. Incredibly racist at so many levels. Elitist. While also having a huge underclass, who do little to support each other.

People go to Dubai to work without paying tax ...full stop. They stay a few years save live in crap places ..return home.

There is no property tax no inheritance tax and no income tax...they only recently brought in VAT because the govt went almost broke.

Its all oil money ..but even with that ..and free healthcare free education (only for UAR citizens though not foreigners) and no taxation ...they are ****ed.

Govt has had to be bailed out a number of times.

Funny though its actually a place i would like to visit though still.

But they have been bailed out like twice in the last ten years. A lot of govt companies have a lot erm secretive financial **** going on.

Still seems like an amazing place though. I would like to see it.

Hamsterchops

Mad_maxx wrote: »

I really disliked Hungary , found the people incredibly surly

But they're surly for a reason, perpetual famine is mostly to blame, and because they're landlocked with no hope of ever seeing the sea.

ILoveYourVibes

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Still seems like an amazing place though. I would like to see it.

It's worth seeing. I've friends there (locals and expats), and I've been hosted a few times. It's an interesting place which is very very different depending on who is with you. It's definitely better when you have a local to show you around, and help you network, even if you're only there for a short time.

However, I wouldn't want to live there for any kind of extended period. I'm used to the racism and ignorance that exists in Asia towards foreigners, but Dubai takes that to a whole new level..

Mister Vain

I'd like to see the Burj Khalifa and get some photos of myself standing next to exotic supercars. I'd say the dune buggies out in the desert would be good craic too.

Mantis Toboggan

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I know its not a country,but visiting dubai bears no appeal to me atal


Everything there from people i know worked there and pics seem just completly and utter consumption for sake of it,flashy and greed

Dubai is my favourite place in the world, its unbelievable

Tchaikovsky

20 years ago I would have said Georgia was a country I'd never go to as it seemed to be rife with kidnapping, crime and civil war.
The Rose Revolution brought in changes, some very bad, but it seemed to be effective at tackling crime. I worked there a few years ago and it's one of the most incredible countries on the planet, very safe too apart from the roads.

Homelander

Mister Vain wrote: »

I'd like to see the Burj Khalifa and get some photos of myself standing next to exotic supercars. I'd say the dune buggies out in the desert would be good craic too.

It's quite an experience. It's so tall it doesn't even seem real, the landscape feels like a playmat or something when you're looking down.

bradolf pittler

I visited Bangalore India a few years ago and though i had some idea of what to expect nothing prepared me for what it was like there.
The poverty,the crowds,noise,smells.....everything was an attack on the senses.
Horribly disabled and disfigured beggers outside high end shopping malls and Ferrari dealerships that were built beside shanty shacks.Truely a country of haves and have nots. I dont think i'd ever willingly go back even though the people were lovely and we were mostly shielded from the madness in the city.
We had a driver who looked after us for the 2 weeks,At the end of the trip we pooled whatever cash we had leftover for him(gonna guess around 100 euro in Rupees) and the poor guy broke down crying in the street.He still messages me on my birthday on Facebook

whisky_galore

Dubai, awful vulgar cultureless city built on the back of modern forced labour.
Be some craic when the oil runs out.

Mantis Toboggan

whisky_galore wrote: »

Dubai, awful vulgar cultureless city built on the back of modern forced labour.
Be some craic when the oil runs out.

Not much oil in Dubai, you're thinking of Abu Dhabi.

Hamachi

bradolf pittler wrote: »

I visited Bangalore India a few years ago and though i had some idea of what to expect nothing prepared me for what it was like there.
The poverty,the crowds,noise,smells.....everything was an attack on the senses.
Horribly disabled and disfigured beggers outside high end shopping malls and Ferrari dealerships that were built beside shanty shacks.Truely a country of haves and have nots. I dont think i'd ever willingly go back even though the people were lovely and we were mostly shielded from the madness in the city.
We had a driver who looked after us for the 2 weeks,At the end of the trip we pooled whatever cash we had leftover for him(gonna guess around 100 euro in Rupees) and the poor guy broke down crying in the street.He still messages me on my birthday on Facebook

Yep 100%. I had an almost identical experience in Bangalore, even down to our driver getting emotional when we left him a generous tip at the end of our stay. The poverty and levels of inequality are very distressing, to the extent that I have no desire to return to India if at all possible.

4Ad

Russia..

cdeb

4Ad wrote: »

Russia..

Obligi "Spent a couple of weeks travelling across the country a few years back and it was brilliant" post

Russia's a great country.

whisky_galore

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

Not much oil in Dubai, you're thinking of Abu Dhabi.

No matter. Zero interest in visiting such a fake place.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

4Ad wrote: »

Russia..

I wouldn't have much time for the current ruler, but I'd love to see Russia.

cdeb

cdeb wrote: »

Obligi "Spent a couple of weeks travelling across the country a few years back and it was brilliant" post

Russia's a great country.

Been there a few times. Not so much travelling across the country, more focused on Moscow, and St. Petersburg. Amazing cities. Very friendly people once you pass their natural reserve, and the Soviet era monuments/buildings are awe inspiring. Gorgeous/stylish women, and the night markets are a blast. Went to some of the WW2 memorial battlegrounds, and the statues/monuments were so cool. Thoroughly enjoyed the bar/nightclub scene in Moscow. Some nervous encounters with dodgy folk, but Irish people seem well regarded by most.

pawdee

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

Not much oil in Dubai, you're thinking of Abu Dhabi.

People in Dubai don't watch the Flintstones but the people in Abu Dhabidoooo!

Das Reich

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I think one of the problems with Dubai is that it attracts people who consider having money as being some kind of powerful status/class... and then, they encounter the locals who look down on them as being foreigners, so, all they have left is their money, as a status symbol within a culture that values money, but values the local ethnicity/culture more.

Lol a Latvian man on youtube moved to Dubai for exactly this reason, to show his cars and watches around, thing that he couldn't do in Latvia with his Bentley. Last thing I would do if I had money was spending on things just to show status, would prefer spend it on women.

https://youtu.be/1l4k2E9LV6Q

ILoveYourVibes wrote:

There is no property tax no inheritance tax and no income tax

Only few countries have this non sense inheritance tax, basically you die and part of your money goes to someone else instead of your children.

Mister Vain

Russia looks amazing. It's definitely on my list. My only concern is that all the signs and menus look like this: Улыбаться имитированы :pac:

Yurt2

Mister Vain wrote: »

Russia looks amazing. It's definitely on my list. My only concern is that all the signs and menus look like this: Улыбаться имитированы :pac:

With covid I downloaded an app to learn the Cyrillic alphabet for sh*ts and giggles. It's actually pretty easy.

I happened to be in one of those Eastern European supermarkets a few weeks back (a Latvian friend brought me) and was sounding out the words on the packaging out loud in one of the aisles slowly to practice.

One of the staff walked past me and I think she thought I was some sort of special needs case. She kind of gave me a "nice work little buddy" look.

Slightly embarrassing :D:D

cdeb

Reading Russian is great fun. It's like unravelling a secret code. Well, on the odd occasion that you can understand the word.

Try PECTOPAH for example.

Then go into the PECTOPAH and read the menu and read KARTOФEЛ. Turns out spuds in Russian are the same word as in German.

Yurt2

cdeb wrote: »

Reading Russian is great fun. It's like unravelling a secret code. Well, on the odd occasion that you can understand the word.

Try PECTOPAH for example.

Then go into the PECTOPAH and read the menu and read KARTOФEЛ. Turns out spuds in Russian are the same word as in German.

Yeah noticed a bit of that. библиотека and Bibliothek for instance. I'm guessing it's that Russian borrowed words from German rather than the other way round?

cdeb

Aптека for chemist as well.

Russia was a couple of hundred years later modernising (in terms of actually establishing things like chemists, restaurants, etc) than western Europe. So yeah, I'd say those words originated in Western Europe and moved to Russia rather than the other way around alright.

I think the Hanseatic traders would have brought the words in.

Yurt2

cdeb wrote: »

Aптека for chemist as well.

Russia was a couple of hundred years later modernising (in terms of actually establishing things like chemists, restaurants, etc) than western Europe. So yeah, I'd say those words originated in Western Europe and moved to Russia rather than the other way around alright.

I think the Hanseatic traders would have brought the words in.

Bloody Hanseatic Leaguers, always sticking their nose in where it's not wanted

cdeb

OK, that's not the Hanseatic League. But you have to say you weren't expecting it

jmreire

cdeb wrote: »

Reading Russian is great fun. It's like unravelling a secret code. Well, on the odd occasion that you can understand the word.

Try PECTOPAH for example.

Then go into the PECTOPAH and read the menu and read KARTOФEЛ. Turns out spuds in Russian are the same word as in German.

I lived there for awhile, and once you can substitute the english letter for the Cyrillic one, you will have a fair idea of what's on the menu...."Pectopah =Restoran" You will pick it up....but you will find that quite a lot of Russians speak english. Same goes for the Baltic states ( who also use the Cyrillic Alphabet ) and there are several Irish Pubs in Moscow, in case you get a bit homesick. They really like Irish Traditional Music. And as for sightseing...even the Metro is an experience... a lot of the art that Stalin removed from Germany finished up decorating the the metro because he believed that everyone had a right to see it,and not just the upper classes. The Kremlin, Novi and Stari Arbat, will take a lot of time to really experience them, but well worth the effort.

VG31

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

I wouldn't have much time for the current ruler, but I'd love to see Russia.

I visited Moscow and St Petersburg in 2019. I had a great time, I didn't feel unsafe once. I would feel much more uneasy in parts of Dublin. The only minor negative experience was taxi drivers trying to rip you off at Domodedovo Airport* but that's common in lots of countries.

I only had a few basic words of Russian but I learned the alphabet which helped. Although you can survive easily without Russian in Moscow/St Petersburg.

"Bald and Bankrupt" on YouTube is great for seeing obscure parts of Russia and the former Soviet Union.

*Even the rip-off fares without haggling would still be cheaper than what you'd pay for a journey of the same length here!


There would be very few countries I wouldn't be willing to visit. I wouldn't be too bothered about their governments or how democratic they are. Apart from countries with wars or severe unrest like Yemen, Myanmar, Libya etc.
I have zero interest in travelling to Saudi Arabia or the Gulf states. I'd also be relucant to travel to much of Central America due to the level of crime. And anywhere you need armed security to travel around.

I would love to visit Georgia, Japan and Iran in particular.

Esho

Mister Vain wrote: »

Russia looks amazing. It's definitely on my list. My only concern is that all the signs and menus look like this: Улыбаться имитированы :pac:

'restaurant' looks something like 'pectobar', there - sorted!

OMM 0000

cdeb wrote: »

Obligi "Spent a couple of weeks travelling across the country a few years back and it was brilliant" post

Russia's a great country.

I've spent months there. It's a great place.

Two things really stood out to me:

1. Wow, we've been fed a lot of anti-Russia propaganda. It's nothing like the movies.

2. The people there are SOFT. We are killers by comparison.

As you get older you realise the media is propaganda and we are being fed lies about everything. It's awful.

Esho

OMM 0000 wrote: »

I've spent months there. It's a great place.

Two things really stood out to me:

1. Wow, we've been fed a lot of anti-Russia propaganda. It's nothing like the movies.

2. The people there are SOFT. We are killers by comparison.

As you get older you realise the media is propaganda and we are being fed lies about everything. It's awful.

Couldn't hack the racism and sexism of the Russians I worked with here, likewise Serbs
Are these just the ones who travel,are they different at home?

OMM 0000

OMM 0000 wrote: »

2. The people there are SOFT. We are killers by comparison.
.

You've got to be joking. Russians are a hard outside shell, and a soft center. Pretty accurate portrayal in the movies. Dunno where or what Russians you've met, but the men tend to be very masculine, and the women very cynical/practical. These people are definitely not soft..

cdeb

OMM 0000 wrote: »

2. The people there are SOFT. We are killers by comparison.

Not sure I'd entirely agree with this; there is a very masculine streak in Russia afaik - look at the likes of the football hooligans, the army hazing, MMA aficionados and so on - but the extrovert part of it is probably a tiny portion of society. Most of them are just people at the end of the day; same as here. The only bad thing I'd say about Russians is that they're too friendly, and that usually means a lot of vodka!

OMM 0000 wrote: »

As you get older you realise the media is propaganda and we are being fed lies about everything. It's awful.

This is very true though, as some of the suggestions in this thread show. Turkey (because of a football incident 20 years ago). The Stans. Most of Africa. Iran. I'd be happy to go to any country where I won't have my head chopped off live on the internet tbh. The more off-the-beaten-track ones are often better. Off to North Macedonia in September and very much looking forward to it!

cdeb

cdeb wrote: »

Off to North Macedonia in September and very much looking forward to it!

Have you been before? I really enjoy it there

cdeb

Nope. Have been to Montenegro and Albania, but not North Macedonia. I imagine there's similarities, and Montenegro and particularly Albania was nice.

Barna77

jmreire wrote: »

Same goes for the Baltic states ( who also use the Cyrillic Alphabet )

They use Latin alphabet


I was in Ukraine a couple of years ago and yeah it was quite easy to pick up the letters

cdeb

Yep - maybe he meant the Balkan states? Some use Cyrillic letters there.

cdeb

cdeb wrote: »

Nope. Have been to Montenegro and Albania, but not North Macedonia. I imagine there's similarities, and Montenegro and particularly Albania was nice.

Yep, very similar. Skopje is some spot, lovely old town bazaar area, then the government went a bit mad putting statues all over the New town part, any 2 meter squared flat area got a statue thrown up on it, hilarious actually.
Can see a ballet or opera for a fiver.
Lake Ohrid is nice, like a cheaper Italian lake area.
Plenty of vineyards with nice cheap tours
There's a memorial to the Irish army in the Macedonia/Greece border.

cdeb

Heard that about Skopje alright. Ohrid is where I'm off to, but might get a day in Skopje at the end. Have heard Skopje's a nice city (from a Serb I know) apart from the mental statues.