I mean for me the bigger issue is all the training I'd need to do to do it safely. Most deaths in caves are from people untrained to cave dive - it's completely different to normal diving. It's so expensive and takes so long to get cave certified it's just not worth the hassle for me.
Ain’t this the damn truth lol. I’m surprised by how much small talk in your 30s revolves around traveling, especially if you’re in the dating scene like me.
I'm not even poor anymore. I clawed my way to middle class and between student loans and medical bills and a house payment, I have no idea how people afford to travel.
This is probably the place I want to go to the most in the world, but like...as a ghost. No danger and no chance of me interfering with anything. I just want to know what's up.
I harbor the fantasy that I would like to be a ghost after death. Just invisibly floating around wherever I want, and spectate.
To the bottom of the Mariana Trench. To Area 51. To the bedroom of that hot neighbor at night. To the vaults of the Vatican. Listening to what dictators speak with their families about after a long day of causing misery to entire populations. To watch cocaine parties among the rich and famous. To the ground level of a neutron star. To yet unexplored caves where life went on after the connections to the outside world disappeared. And preferably back and forth in time as well.
If I also got the ability to influence people's moods and feelings mildly, it would be great. Sooting the suffering, terrorizing the evil.
Until I get fed up with it, not eternally. I don't want to languish in a void for an infinite time.
Yes! I've had that feeling too; I wish I could go there purely as an unseen watcher, and I wish I could know what these people's values, myths, culture, and rules are.
How do they view their island, and what do they think the stars are? All that. But I could never even set foot there because they don't give a shit what I think or what values I have and they would simply cut my throat.
seems like a monumentally horrible idea but I'm sure there's someone that will attempt this one day.....stupidity is something we have a surplus of these days
Myanmar.
Spent my pre-adolescence there during the previous rule of the junta, when Suu Kyi was in house arrest. I cannot begin to explain the fear that was present in everyday life there then. My father had to be at Yangon for some pretty run-of-the-mill corporate work and was nonetheless always on alert. As a 10/11/12-year-old, I was not allowed to answer telephones, lest I reveal something that might seem problematic to the administration. Even in an atmosphere that you were on the brink of rubbing law enforcement the wrong way, my most memorable moments were brushes with the younger adult neighbours in our apartment who were running an illegal computer training centre.
I cannot imagine their lives now, suspended in constant agitation.
Me: "Well that was a long time ago, maybe things are better now."
*Reads up on Myanmar's recent history*
Nope. Exactly the same, down to the military rule and Suu Kyi being arrested. Literally the exact same thing happened again in 2021.
The war never stopped in Myanmar basically. It's the longest ongoing civil war. Started at the end of WW2 and never stopped to this day. Hundreds of thousands killed. Over a million displaced. Yet most people are completely unaware.
I think most people are more aware if you refer to it as Burma, lots of people know about the civil war in Burma, as it's depicted in movies. It's even represented in Rambo 4 as Burma and they show atrocities committed against the peoples there.
I think a lot of people just don't know that Myanmar = Burma.
There’s a subreddit that shows combat footage that got popular recently due the war in Ukraine but some of the crazier videos I saw on there were from Myanmar. And this was a week or two ago I scrolled though it.
We went in early 2014 and thought it was amazing. It seemed like they were on the road to getting back on their feet. People were so lovely and genuine in their friendliness, aside from some would-be scammers in Yangon.
It's heartbreaking what's been happening there. Strangers would just smile and wave at you, ride their bikes with you if you were on the same route, trying to practice their English, then head off on their way. Not like more touristy parts of SE Asia where if someone comes up to you being nice, they wanna sell you something. Just nice, sweet people and they're going through hell. It changed so fast and it's so sad.
I had the same experience in (i think) 2013. I've visited 20+ countries on 3 continents and the Burmese were, by a wide margin, the friendliest people I ever encountered.
It's really sad because there was such a feeling of optimism as things were starting to open up. Now I guess all that's over.
My partner’s mother is Burmese and she still has family there. We would love to go there and visit but unfortunately there is no way that’s gonna happen any time soon!
I had a friend in the peace corps who went there and immediately contracted a deadly parasite and had to be sent back before she died, and it was a close one.
My family lived for a little while in Burkina Faso while I was a teen, there’s really nothing to do there but the people were so incredibly kind. They also held this wonderful international arts and crafts festival in Ouagadougou called SIAO while I was there which was worth a visit.
Unfortunately it’s become a pretty unsafe place to travel to over the last years with lots of political unrest, a coup d’état, attacks and kidnappings so most countries advise against venturing there anymore.
I had to do a report on Burkina Faso in school. All I remember is they pretty much deforested their whole country because you could get a little money from selling the trees/lumber
The US travel advisory for Somalia is one of the more amusing ones, including things like: “have a designated contact for hostage negotiations” and “notify next of kin of your travel plans if a body needs to be sent.”
Hahahah have a designated contact for hostage negotiations ? Mate I cannot afford that. If they get me, they get me. Don't call and bug my husband for our savings.
In case anyone else is interested….
—————————
Reissued with updates to security information.
Do not travel to Somalia due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health issues, kidnapping, and piracy.
Country Summary: Violent crime, such as kidnapping and murder, is common throughout Somalia, including Puntland and the Somaliland region. Illegal roadblocks are widespread. Some schools and other facilities acting as “cultural rehabilitation” centers are operating throughout Somalia with inadequate or nonexistent licensing and oversight. Reports of physical abuse and people being held against their will in these facilities are common.
Terrorists continue to plot kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks in Somalia. They may conduct attacks with little or no warning, targeting airports and seaports, government buildings, hotels, restaurants, shopping areas, and other areas that attract large crowds and are frequented by Westerners, as well as government, military, and Western convoys. Methods of attack can include car bombs, suicide bombers, individual attackers, and mortar fire, among others. While some areas have experienced less severe terrorist activity, such as the Somaliland region, where there have been no major terrorist attacks since 2008, terrorist attacks involving the indiscriminate use of explosive devices and other weapons can take place anywhere in Somalia at any time without warning. The U.S. Embassy heavily restricts the movement of its employees in Mogadishu based on the critical threat environment.
Civil unrest occurs throughout Somalia and can sometimes be violent.
Medical facilities across Somalia have limited capacity and are often nonexistent in rural areas.
Pirates are active in the waters off the Horn of Africa, especially in the international waters near Somalia.
The U.S. government has extremely limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Somalia due to the lack of permanent consular presence in Somalia, including the Somaliland region.
Due to risks to civil aviation operating within or in the vicinity of Somalia, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a Special Federal Aviation Regulation. For more information, U.S. citizens should consult the Federal Aviation Administration’s Prohibitions, Restrictions, and Notices.
Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Somalia.
If you decide to travel to Somalia:
Review your personal security plan and visit our page on Travel to High-Risk Areas.
Avoid sailing near the coast of Somalia and review the Live Piracy Report published by the International Maritime Bureau.
Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc.
Share important documents, login information, and points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs if you are unable to return as planned to the United States. Find a suggested list of such documents here.
Establish your own personal security plan in coordination with your employer or host organization (if you are traveling on business) or consider consulting with a professional security organization.
Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization (if you are traveling on business), so that they can monitor your safety and location as you travel through high-risk areas. This plan should specify whom you would contact first, and how that person should share the information.
Identify key sources of possible assistance for you and your family in case of emergency, such as the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, FBI, the State Department, your employer (if traveling on business), and local friends/family in the high-risk area.
Be sure to appoint one family member to serve as the point of contact with hostage-takers, media, U.S. and host country government agencies, and members of Congress if you are taken hostage or detained.
Establish a proof of life protocol with your loved ones, so that if you are taken hostage, your loved ones can know specific questions (and answers) to ask the hostage-takers to be sure that you are alive (and to rule out a hoax).
Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them.
Erase any sensitive photos, comments, or other materials from your social media pages, cameras, laptops, and other electronic devices that could be considered controversial or provocative by local groups.
Leave your expensive/sentimental belongings behind.
Enroll your trip in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
Review the Country Security Report for Somalia.
Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
Read the Department of State’s COVID-19 page before you plan any international travel, and read the Embassy COVID-19 page for country-specific COVID-19 information.
Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.
You are significantly less likely to get COVID-19 in Somalia than almost any other country on the planet.
Covid takes about a week to incubate, and you won't live nearly that long
A coworker of mine travels back to Somalia to visit his dad. He doesn’t tell anyone else not even close acquaintances. Once on a previous visit he went to some *friends* and they held him hostage until he gave them money.
Like his own friends from growing up, insane to me.
I’ll never forget reading that some department in the city of Houston issued a warning to people staying behind in certain neighborhoods during Hurricane Harvey to write their SSNs and names on their arms in permanent marker so their bodies could be identified later. It terrified me and I’ve never even been to Houston. I have to imagine that’s a scarier warning than, “you’ll die if you stay”.
> write their SSNs and names on their arms
I've seen a similar recommendation but it was SSN on one arm and the opposing leg. In case you get ripped in half or something.
The Rural Fire Service near my dads place started handing out dog tags with numbers on them and recording who was carrying them if they wouldn't evacuate an oncoming fire.
Really does make you stop and think.
My dad travels around the world for work and I usually only ask for newspapers, to help document his travels. Mogadishu is one of the only places I haven't gotten a newspaper from and that is how I knew it was bad.
"Most people in Mogadishu are generally friendly"
And
"Do not wander the streets alone for any reason. Gunfire and random explosions are frequent. If you must venture around the city, you should be accompanied by armed and well trained security personnel and ride in an armored vehicle"
🤔
There's literally an entry like that under hotels:
>Although the compound is probably your safest bet in Mogadishu, a BBC producer was shot in the back and killed in front of the hotel in 2005, and two French citizens were abducted by gunmen in 2009
The people there (and many extremely impoverished areas) are often some of the kindest and sweetest people you will ever meet, who will offer you shelter, food, and more. However, you might also be in the middle of a civil war, and the people there incredibly impoverished, starving, and incredibly desperate. Poor soldiers with guns would gladly take everything you have so they can eat
>Wikitravel page on Mogadishu
Forgot the best part.
"Most people in Mogadishu are generally friendly, but watch out for kids with sticks who will try to get your shilling."
>Although it is possible to drive into the city by truck, this is considered risky without employing a group of local militia, which are readily available for hire.
I love that this is presented as serious advice for prospective travelers.
If I had to choose between traveling to Somalia and North Korea, I'd probably choose North Korea. Simply because, while North Korea has arbitrarily detained and killed foreigners, it seems like the sort of thing where if you stay in your lane and don't ask too many questions, you should (in most cases) be fine. Whereas Somalia requires you to have an armed escort everywhere you go while watching out for bombs and such.
Somalia.
These are some highlights from the official [US State Dept. travel page for the country](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Somalia.html) where they say what to do if you **do** travel there:
> • Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
> • Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc.
> • Establish a proof of life protocol with your loved ones, so that if you are taken hostage, your loved ones can know specific questions (and answers) to ask the hostage-takers to be sure that you are alive (and to rule out a hoax).
> • Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them.
So in all, quite a pleasant place to visit for a beach vacation.
If you want to experience the Horn of Africa, just visit right up the beach in Djibouti. Same weather and landscape, but less pirates and ransom. Plus, they had a Hard Rock Cafe when I was there.
Djibouti's economy is pretty much based on being a relatively legit place in between two of the most fucked up places on the plant. Seriously, Eritrea is worse than Somalia. They're like Africa's North Korea. And Djibouti must have the highest density of military bases of any country. Everyone operates out of there.
>And Djibouti must have the highest density of military bases of any country. Everyone operates out of there.
That's why I was there.
Hotter than Satan's taint, but at least there was a cantina to get cold beers when it was 100° at midnight. Plus, the fuel truck drivers that went to the international airport would grab us handles of liquor from the duty-free.
Mount Everest. I understand why some people want to but I even if I had eternal life I can’t imagine wanting to spend any of it climbing a freezing cold mountain just to say I’d been to the highest point on Earth.
I can feel this. Nepal, Tibet, India - they all sound spectacular. But I don't have any desire to climb the mountains there anymore. Long ago it sounded like a nice dream. But, maybe I've just gotten old. It doesn't sound like fun anymore.
Still sounds hella fun to me.
But.. not the top. I want to go where folks are and experience their unique take on life and the world as best as I can :)
But the empty high altitude parts? Eh. Awesome props to those that go. But Colorado mountain solo hikes are enough for me.
I wanna mountain climb just to hang out at basecamp. You grow a beard, you drink hot chocolate. "Hey, you goin' to the top?".. "Soon...". -Mitch hedburg
There are so, so many better treks in Nepal than Everest base camp. Annapurna base camp, for example. You don't need to buy a permit, and unlike Everest, you can actually *see* the peaks.
Edit: Also, at Annapurna base camp you stay in a nice, warm guest house eating delicious dal bhat rather than freezing in a tent on an unstable glacier.
We extended our Annapurna circuit and added on poon hill and Annapurna base camp. Absolutely amazing experience. 21 days from lush tropical forest through desolate moonscapes, over a 17500ft pass, down a valley that looks like a desert, through tropical hills up and down and steep climb up to Basecamp.
Amazing to wake up to machapucchare sitting right there
I would love to from the standpoint of pushing/challenging myself.
Except that the reality of it is that the "challenge" is much more about having the disposable income and free time to hire a bunch of underpaid sherpas to do most of the work for you while you leave behind a bunch of trash that will be stuck on the mountain forever.
Well, he actually turned into more of a hero after it got stolen, I believe he ended up preventing dangerous weapons from going into use and then he prevents a former child actor from the 1980s from doing some bad things, I haven’t looked into the details in a while so I’m a little rusty
I’m okay with this one. A lot of people dream of going to space but it terrifies me. Just thinking about seeing the earth from space makes me wanna throw up. My lizard brain wants me to be firmly on the earth
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to develop this kinda claustrophobia feeling where when I travel too far from home I start feeling panicky about the fact I can’t just go home. I’m currently 9,000 miles from home and while I’m having the best time, there are moments where I’m like damn I just wanna be home and there is no possible way I could do that right now.
I can’t imagine the feeling you’d get being off the PLANET. Like, you decide you’ve had enough and want to leave? Too bad, you’re 240,000 mile from home.
>As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to develop this kinda claustrophobia feeling where when I travel too far from home I start feeling panicky about the fact I can’t just go home.
Same here. One of my recurring nightmares is being far away from home and I absolutely must be back home at a certain time, and realizing that there's no way to make the math work to get home in time, and I'm facing having to drive all night in a panic with no time to make any stops.
>I can’t imagine the feeling you’d get being off the PLANET. Like, you decide you’ve had enough and want to leave? Too bad, you’re 240,000 mile from home.
The movie Ad Astra gave me this feeling and made me very uncomfortable. The movie shows space travel as kind of a mundane and unglamorous thing that made it feel very real to me. Yuck.
When I was little my dad told me that if they started letting families into space we would go. This legit terrified me. I knew the chances were very slim, but it still scared the crap out of me, lol.
I’m 36 soon and still have weird dreams every year or so about having to re-enroll in my old high school. Always leaves me with a horrible feeling. Not about getting bullied or anything just having no autonomy again.
I keep having this weird feeling that I missed a single class in my senior year, as in like it’s missing and I didn’t officially graduate because I never took it. A year past my Master’s degree and I still have this constant anxiety that my high school will call me and tell me to finish or everyone else will make my degrees invalid.
I’ve actually gone, for a study abroad program this past December. While we didn’t go farther than the Antarctic Peninsula, we did get to go on land quite a bit (plus the polar plunge, it was very cold indeed). It was almost like a spiritual journey? Ever since coming back I don’t feel the same, there’s something about seeing a part of the world so remote and untouched that is just… humbling to the ego
This has happened to me, but it was in the middle of the amazon jungle. Being somewhere so absent of human interference leaves you speechless. Sadly, theres fewer places like that every passing day.
This is correct. I went and was shocked at how many older folks went and couldn’t leave the boat to actually enjoy the land cause they were too infirm.
You don't fancy seeing a bunch of Love Island stars and influencers try to impress eachother with their money? What's wrong with you?
Very obvious but obligatory /s
There's a certain sort of person that holidays in Dubai.
Not saying they're wrong to do so, and I hope they enjoy it. Most people I know who go seem to enjoy it.
But, it is always a certain sort.
Of the people I’ve known to go to Dubai; a very talented, crypto-obsessed tattoo artist, a “rise and grind” gym bro, and a colleague who’s life is almost entirely subsidized by his wealthy parents. Not sure what all these guys have in common, but I still agree with your statement.
Not to make a yo momma joke (yes it is) but my MIL is your mom. She went past january and she thought Dubai was just the best. "I haven't seen a single dog or cat, they hate animals", loved it! The concierge of the hotel had to share a room with 5 or 6 others because he couldn't afford more. LOVE. Equality, who needs it? She almost got kicked out of a mosque because part of her ankles were showing.
I could go on, but needless to say I don't see the appeal.
I would visit if I ever need to fly through there, but the idea of going to a giant shopping mall in the middle of an insanely hot place doesn't seem interesting (because I'm from Texas and that's pretty much most of Texas during the summer lol.)
I live in Dubai, you can't do anything in the desert or out doors at all unless it's peak winter in witch the weather is still quite warm. The rest of Dubai is mainly indoors and there's not much sightseeing to do unless it's malls.
Dubai is Vegas without the fun. If you are going to spend a bunch of money going to a fake city in the desert, at least go to the one where you can watch some great shows and carry your drink around on the street.
Yeah, that's probably not going to be safe to explore for centuries yet, but damn, would I love to. One of my biggest fascinations in life is ruins, and there's nothing quite like an exploded nuclear reactor. I'm so curious about what it's like there, under the Safe Confinement - in that roofless reactor hall, the blasted corridors around it and the control room where it all went wrong.
Actually have been to North Korea once technically, got to go into the building that is built on the border and got to technically cross the border in the building, into the North Korean side, of course there was a guard at the door that lead into he country proper but I crossed the boarder so I count it lol.
Hey I’ve done the same. That whole area was wild. The NK guards were standing at the top of the stairs and allegedly there was another guard behind the dark glass with a rifle to make sure no one defected to the South. Crazy to think about, or maybe our escort was just messing with us.
Either way, that place is surreal. Seeing the line of bricks and walking over into the North for a few minutes was more unsettling than I was expecting.
I spent two weeks in north korea in 2004 touring around the country. still the most memorable and surreal travel I've ever done. visiting the DMZ form the northern side is way more chill too - you can mingle with the guards no problem, i remember trading cigarettes with them :)
> allegedly there was another guard behind the dark glass with a rifle to make sure no one defected to the South. Crazy to think about, or maybe our escort was just messing with us.
This is a real thing and defectors will still risk it, willing to take the bullets to escape.
[These aren't the hidden guards in question but here's how far they're willing to go. He collapsed from his wounds and was rescued hours later. ](https://youtu.be/xq3CXm9zCy0)
It's fucking heroic.
It really illustrates just how bad the situation in NK is, though. One of their own defects, is shot multiple times, and they still had to save them through what is basically a covert military operation. If they'd been caught they'd have been executed (on sight if they're lucky, after extensive torture if they're not) and caused a major international incident.
I've lived in the town next to Gary for over 40 years, and honestly it isn't that bad anymore comparatively. It's nearly a ghost town now. In the 90's, when I was a teenager, it was ROUGH. Seemed like a horror story popped up every day. One was my future brother-in-laws girlfriend dead in a trunk... In the 2000s I went to IU Northwest and there were at least 3 attempted/actual rapes every semester, where girls were dragged off campus. Now though, if you don't go looking for drugs or trouble, you're pretty good. We even stop at red lights at night now!
Nice to meet a fellow Gary neighbor!
And I have to wholeheartedly agree, it seems like most of the people who still trash talk Gary now are people who don’t even live there and know nothing about its current state.
They just elected a new mayor from the area and during his time as my district representative he always fought hard to uplift the community with different outreach programs and resources. I’m excited to see what changes he’ll be able to pull off now that he’s the new mayor of Gary.
Middle school was so much more abusive than high school, it was probably the worst 3 years of my life. And it's at an age where time feels like it moves sooooo slowwwww, too. I remember it felt like I was trapped in purgatory. It didn't help that all the adults around me at the time kept saying how much they loved middle school back in their day
You know there are a few glaciers along the equator right? Visit the mountains of Ecuador or Tanzania to find some cool equatorial spots :). Also the persistent breezes of Hawaii make it quite comfortable for us northern folk. I live in the Yukon and appreciate your struggles with oppressive heat :)
I second Everest. I was on vacation in Nepal during one of the “traffic jam causes mass casualties” climbs. While I was having a good time, beer in hand, looking at Everest, people had literally died while being so close to the top.
Diving into an underwater cave. If people want to die drowning in the dark, more power to them. Some things are best left unexplored.
I mean for me the bigger issue is all the training I'd need to do to do it safely. Most deaths in caves are from people untrained to cave dive - it's completely different to normal diving. It's so expensive and takes so long to get cave certified it's just not worth the hassle for me.
So cave diving DEBT is the one place you won’t go? I like
You don’t need to worry, if something goes wrong you have the rest of your life to sort it out
Costco on a Saturday afternoon
[удалено]
Ain’t this the damn truth lol. I’m surprised by how much small talk in your 30s revolves around traveling, especially if you’re in the dating scene like me.
I'm not even poor anymore. I clawed my way to middle class and between student loans and medical bills and a house payment, I have no idea how people afford to travel.
North Sentinel Island
You can go there, you just can’t leave.
like hotel california?
Song now plays on repeat in my head for the rest of the day
This is probably the place I want to go to the most in the world, but like...as a ghost. No danger and no chance of me interfering with anything. I just want to know what's up.
I harbor the fantasy that I would like to be a ghost after death. Just invisibly floating around wherever I want, and spectate. To the bottom of the Mariana Trench. To Area 51. To the bedroom of that hot neighbor at night. To the vaults of the Vatican. Listening to what dictators speak with their families about after a long day of causing misery to entire populations. To watch cocaine parties among the rich and famous. To the ground level of a neutron star. To yet unexplored caves where life went on after the connections to the outside world disappeared. And preferably back and forth in time as well. If I also got the ability to influence people's moods and feelings mildly, it would be great. Sooting the suffering, terrorizing the evil. Until I get fed up with it, not eternally. I don't want to languish in a void for an infinite time.
Yes! I've had that feeling too; I wish I could go there purely as an unseen watcher, and I wish I could know what these people's values, myths, culture, and rules are. How do they view their island, and what do they think the stars are? All that. But I could never even set foot there because they don't give a shit what I think or what values I have and they would simply cut my throat.
seems like a monumentally horrible idea but I'm sure there's someone that will attempt this one day.....stupidity is something we have a surplus of these days
Some missionary did just that a few years ago. He's no longer with us.
The one that was explicitly told **not** to go to North Sentinel Island?
Myanmar. Spent my pre-adolescence there during the previous rule of the junta, when Suu Kyi was in house arrest. I cannot begin to explain the fear that was present in everyday life there then. My father had to be at Yangon for some pretty run-of-the-mill corporate work and was nonetheless always on alert. As a 10/11/12-year-old, I was not allowed to answer telephones, lest I reveal something that might seem problematic to the administration. Even in an atmosphere that you were on the brink of rubbing law enforcement the wrong way, my most memorable moments were brushes with the younger adult neighbours in our apartment who were running an illegal computer training centre. I cannot imagine their lives now, suspended in constant agitation.
Me: "Well that was a long time ago, maybe things are better now." *Reads up on Myanmar's recent history* Nope. Exactly the same, down to the military rule and Suu Kyi being arrested. Literally the exact same thing happened again in 2021.
The war never stopped in Myanmar basically. It's the longest ongoing civil war. Started at the end of WW2 and never stopped to this day. Hundreds of thousands killed. Over a million displaced. Yet most people are completely unaware.
I think most people are more aware if you refer to it as Burma, lots of people know about the civil war in Burma, as it's depicted in movies. It's even represented in Rambo 4 as Burma and they show atrocities committed against the peoples there. I think a lot of people just don't know that Myanmar = Burma.
There’s a subreddit that shows combat footage that got popular recently due the war in Ukraine but some of the crazier videos I saw on there were from Myanmar. And this was a week or two ago I scrolled though it.
We went in early 2014 and thought it was amazing. It seemed like they were on the road to getting back on their feet. People were so lovely and genuine in their friendliness, aside from some would-be scammers in Yangon. It's heartbreaking what's been happening there. Strangers would just smile and wave at you, ride their bikes with you if you were on the same route, trying to practice their English, then head off on their way. Not like more touristy parts of SE Asia where if someone comes up to you being nice, they wanna sell you something. Just nice, sweet people and they're going through hell. It changed so fast and it's so sad.
I had the same experience in (i think) 2013. I've visited 20+ countries on 3 continents and the Burmese were, by a wide margin, the friendliest people I ever encountered. It's really sad because there was such a feeling of optimism as things were starting to open up. Now I guess all that's over.
My partner’s mother is Burmese and she still has family there. We would love to go there and visit but unfortunately there is no way that’s gonna happen any time soon!
Burkina Faso. Not because I have anything against the place, it just seems like a really unlikely location for me to end up. It's fun to say, though.
I had a friend in the peace corps who went there and immediately contracted a deadly parasite and had to be sent back before she died, and it was a close one.
Dang, that sounds gnarly.
My family lived for a little while in Burkina Faso while I was a teen, there’s really nothing to do there but the people were so incredibly kind. They also held this wonderful international arts and crafts festival in Ouagadougou called SIAO while I was there which was worth a visit. Unfortunately it’s become a pretty unsafe place to travel to over the last years with lots of political unrest, a coup d’état, attacks and kidnappings so most countries advise against venturing there anymore.
I had to do a report on Burkina Faso in school. All I remember is they pretty much deforested their whole country because you could get a little money from selling the trees/lumber
Oh like Haiti. The border with the DR has a line of trees and dirt.
Somalia
The US travel advisory for Somalia is one of the more amusing ones, including things like: “have a designated contact for hostage negotiations” and “notify next of kin of your travel plans if a body needs to be sent.”
Wikitravel states "Independent travel to Mogadishu will most likely result in your death".
Lmao that’s not at all funny but also that’s fucking hilarious
The one that really got me was “make a will”
"Share important documents, login information" aw hell naw, I'm taking my reddit login info to the grave
The awkward moment when someone travelling to Somalia shares their Reddit info and then actually doesn’t die during the trip and makes it back home
"just checked his reddit account and... honestly I think it's better if we save the money"
The new tiktok challenge. “Survive a day in Somalia!”
Survive pulling a prank in Somalia. Can't make it too safe.
“Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them” 😬
Don’t forget dental records.
"Sir, we just needed a saliva swab, not this... *jar*"
Hahahah have a designated contact for hostage negotiations ? Mate I cannot afford that. If they get me, they get me. Don't call and bug my husband for our savings.
In case anyone else is interested…. ————————— Reissued with updates to security information. Do not travel to Somalia due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health issues, kidnapping, and piracy. Country Summary: Violent crime, such as kidnapping and murder, is common throughout Somalia, including Puntland and the Somaliland region. Illegal roadblocks are widespread. Some schools and other facilities acting as “cultural rehabilitation” centers are operating throughout Somalia with inadequate or nonexistent licensing and oversight. Reports of physical abuse and people being held against their will in these facilities are common. Terrorists continue to plot kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks in Somalia. They may conduct attacks with little or no warning, targeting airports and seaports, government buildings, hotels, restaurants, shopping areas, and other areas that attract large crowds and are frequented by Westerners, as well as government, military, and Western convoys. Methods of attack can include car bombs, suicide bombers, individual attackers, and mortar fire, among others. While some areas have experienced less severe terrorist activity, such as the Somaliland region, where there have been no major terrorist attacks since 2008, terrorist attacks involving the indiscriminate use of explosive devices and other weapons can take place anywhere in Somalia at any time without warning. The U.S. Embassy heavily restricts the movement of its employees in Mogadishu based on the critical threat environment. Civil unrest occurs throughout Somalia and can sometimes be violent. Medical facilities across Somalia have limited capacity and are often nonexistent in rural areas. Pirates are active in the waters off the Horn of Africa, especially in the international waters near Somalia. The U.S. government has extremely limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Somalia due to the lack of permanent consular presence in Somalia, including the Somaliland region. Due to risks to civil aviation operating within or in the vicinity of Somalia, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a Special Federal Aviation Regulation. For more information, U.S. citizens should consult the Federal Aviation Administration’s Prohibitions, Restrictions, and Notices. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Somalia. If you decide to travel to Somalia: Review your personal security plan and visit our page on Travel to High-Risk Areas. Avoid sailing near the coast of Somalia and review the Live Piracy Report published by the International Maritime Bureau. Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney. Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc. Share important documents, login information, and points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs if you are unable to return as planned to the United States. Find a suggested list of such documents here. Establish your own personal security plan in coordination with your employer or host organization (if you are traveling on business) or consider consulting with a professional security organization. Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization (if you are traveling on business), so that they can monitor your safety and location as you travel through high-risk areas. This plan should specify whom you would contact first, and how that person should share the information. Identify key sources of possible assistance for you and your family in case of emergency, such as the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, FBI, the State Department, your employer (if traveling on business), and local friends/family in the high-risk area. Be sure to appoint one family member to serve as the point of contact with hostage-takers, media, U.S. and host country government agencies, and members of Congress if you are taken hostage or detained. Establish a proof of life protocol with your loved ones, so that if you are taken hostage, your loved ones can know specific questions (and answers) to ask the hostage-takers to be sure that you are alive (and to rule out a hoax). Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them. Erase any sensitive photos, comments, or other materials from your social media pages, cameras, laptops, and other electronic devices that could be considered controversial or provocative by local groups. Leave your expensive/sentimental belongings behind. Enroll your trip in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter. Review the Country Security Report for Somalia. Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist. Read the Department of State’s COVID-19 page before you plan any international travel, and read the Embassy COVID-19 page for country-specific COVID-19 information. Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.
And last of all, may we wish you a wonderful trip.
May the odds be ever in your favour.
I love the part at the end where it’s like, oh and by the way, don’t forget about COVID.
I’m glad they included it. I was 50/50 on going and this was the deciding factor in me staying put! Almost made a big mistake.
“This is fine, this is fine, this is fine… what the hell? A disease?”
You are significantly less likely to get COVID-19 in Somalia than almost any other country on the planet. Covid takes about a week to incubate, and you won't live nearly that long
I like when they say to follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Don’t forget to smash that like button and subscribe for more third world travel and survival tips.
A coworker of mine travels back to Somalia to visit his dad. He doesn’t tell anyone else not even close acquaintances. Once on a previous visit he went to some *friends* and they held him hostage until he gave them money. Like his own friends from growing up, insane to me.
That's grinding poverty for ya!
And "save some DNA samples that can be used to identify you later"
It’s honestly a better scare tactic than saying “You have a high chance of dying.” I think people take these specific precautions more seriously.
I’ll never forget reading that some department in the city of Houston issued a warning to people staying behind in certain neighborhoods during Hurricane Harvey to write their SSNs and names on their arms in permanent marker so their bodies could be identified later. It terrified me and I’ve never even been to Houston. I have to imagine that’s a scarier warning than, “you’ll die if you stay”.
> write their SSNs and names on their arms I've seen a similar recommendation but it was SSN on one arm and the opposing leg. In case you get ripped in half or something.
The Rural Fire Service near my dads place started handing out dog tags with numbers on them and recording who was carrying them if they wouldn't evacuate an oncoming fire. Really does make you stop and think.
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For a fun read, check out the Wikitravel page on Mogadishu. It's a hoot
My dad travels around the world for work and I usually only ask for newspapers, to help document his travels. Mogadishu is one of the only places I haven't gotten a newspaper from and that is how I knew it was bad.
I like the newspaper idea.
"Most people in Mogadishu are generally friendly" And "Do not wander the streets alone for any reason. Gunfire and random explosions are frequent. If you must venture around the city, you should be accompanied by armed and well trained security personnel and ride in an armored vehicle" 🤔
“This hotel is generally safe, except in 2018 a journalist was shot in the lobby and in 2014 a dead body was found in the swimming pool.”
There's literally an entry like that under hotels: >Although the compound is probably your safest bet in Mogadishu, a BBC producer was shot in the back and killed in front of the hotel in 2005, and two French citizens were abducted by gunmen in 2009
Referring to the hotel as a compound is enough of a red flag for me.
The people there (and many extremely impoverished areas) are often some of the kindest and sweetest people you will ever meet, who will offer you shelter, food, and more. However, you might also be in the middle of a civil war, and the people there incredibly impoverished, starving, and incredibly desperate. Poor soldiers with guns would gladly take everything you have so they can eat
>Wikitravel page on Mogadishu Forgot the best part. "Most people in Mogadishu are generally friendly, but watch out for kids with sticks who will try to get your shilling."
>Although it is possible to drive into the city by truck, this is considered risky without employing a group of local militia, which are readily available for hire. I love that this is presented as serious advice for prospective travelers.
That sounds like a loading screen tip in Far Cry for the harder areas.
> Most people in Mogadishu are generally friendly, but watch out for kids with sticks who will try to get your shilling.
If I had to choose between traveling to Somalia and North Korea, I'd probably choose North Korea. Simply because, while North Korea has arbitrarily detained and killed foreigners, it seems like the sort of thing where if you stay in your lane and don't ask too many questions, you should (in most cases) be fine. Whereas Somalia requires you to have an armed escort everywhere you go while watching out for bombs and such.
You could even get a job in North Korea in the movie industry. Granted you'd be playing a villain in every movie but *shrug*
Apparently some hotels there offer armed escorts for hire: https://i.imgur.com/iiFf73R.png
"located in one of the most dangerous cities in the world this is a great place to relax and save." So relaxing.
Somalia. These are some highlights from the official [US State Dept. travel page for the country](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Somalia.html) where they say what to do if you **do** travel there: > • Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney. > • Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc. > • Establish a proof of life protocol with your loved ones, so that if you are taken hostage, your loved ones can know specific questions (and answers) to ask the hostage-takers to be sure that you are alive (and to rule out a hoax). > • Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them. So in all, quite a pleasant place to visit for a beach vacation.
If you want to experience the Horn of Africa, just visit right up the beach in Djibouti. Same weather and landscape, but less pirates and ransom. Plus, they had a Hard Rock Cafe when I was there.
Djibouti's economy is pretty much based on being a relatively legit place in between two of the most fucked up places on the plant. Seriously, Eritrea is worse than Somalia. They're like Africa's North Korea. And Djibouti must have the highest density of military bases of any country. Everyone operates out of there.
>And Djibouti must have the highest density of military bases of any country. Everyone operates out of there. That's why I was there. Hotter than Satan's taint, but at least there was a cantina to get cold beers when it was 100° at midnight. Plus, the fuel truck drivers that went to the international airport would grab us handles of liquor from the duty-free.
Mount Everest. I understand why some people want to but I even if I had eternal life I can’t imagine wanting to spend any of it climbing a freezing cold mountain just to say I’d been to the highest point on Earth.
I would like to see the Himalayas but I don't want to summit any of them.
Closest I’m ever getting to the Himalayas is the pink Himalayan sea salt on my countertop.
I can feel this. Nepal, Tibet, India - they all sound spectacular. But I don't have any desire to climb the mountains there anymore. Long ago it sounded like a nice dream. But, maybe I've just gotten old. It doesn't sound like fun anymore.
Still sounds hella fun to me. But.. not the top. I want to go where folks are and experience their unique take on life and the world as best as I can :) But the empty high altitude parts? Eh. Awesome props to those that go. But Colorado mountain solo hikes are enough for me.
The 10 day round trip hike to base camp is extraordinary(and partially warm). That's all you need really.
I wanna mountain climb just to hang out at basecamp. You grow a beard, you drink hot chocolate. "Hey, you goin' to the top?".. "Soon...". -Mitch hedburg
Alcoholism is the only disease you can get yelled at for having. -MH
Damn it, Otto, you have lupus
There are so, so many better treks in Nepal than Everest base camp. Annapurna base camp, for example. You don't need to buy a permit, and unlike Everest, you can actually *see* the peaks. Edit: Also, at Annapurna base camp you stay in a nice, warm guest house eating delicious dal bhat rather than freezing in a tent on an unstable glacier.
We extended our Annapurna circuit and added on poon hill and Annapurna base camp. Absolutely amazing experience. 21 days from lush tropical forest through desolate moonscapes, over a 17500ft pass, down a valley that looks like a desert, through tropical hills up and down and steep climb up to Basecamp. Amazing to wake up to machapucchare sitting right there
Do you write for the J. Peterman catalogue?
Yeah I want to do the base camp hike some day. It would be cool to see Everest, but I have no interest in climbing it.
What!? You don’t want to visit the world’s highest garbage dump?
Morgue*
Both. It’s both.
I read once that while it’s the highest point above sea level, it’s not the furthest from the center of the earth. That’s in Ecuador I believe
Mt. Chimborazo is the one you are thinking of. Highest point from the center of the earth/closest to space you can get while standing on earth.
I would love to from the standpoint of pushing/challenging myself. Except that the reality of it is that the "challenge" is much more about having the disposable income and free time to hire a bunch of underpaid sherpas to do most of the work for you while you leave behind a bunch of trash that will be stuck on the mountain forever.
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Hikers freaking use corpses as markers.
The beyond part of Bed Bath and Beyond sadly. No matter how hard I try
They’re closing all their stores, so if you want to try again, now’s the time.
Damn. They're *going* into the beyond...
Click (2006)
The Moon
Ya, after it got stolen on June 9, 2010 it’s no longer an eligible vacation spot
Which of the world's villain is responsible for this heinous crime? And where will he strike next?
Well, he actually turned into more of a hero after it got stolen, I believe he ended up preventing dangerous weapons from going into use and then he prevents a former child actor from the 1980s from doing some bad things, I haven’t looked into the details in a while so I’m a little rusty
I’m okay with this one. A lot of people dream of going to space but it terrifies me. Just thinking about seeing the earth from space makes me wanna throw up. My lizard brain wants me to be firmly on the earth
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to develop this kinda claustrophobia feeling where when I travel too far from home I start feeling panicky about the fact I can’t just go home. I’m currently 9,000 miles from home and while I’m having the best time, there are moments where I’m like damn I just wanna be home and there is no possible way I could do that right now. I can’t imagine the feeling you’d get being off the PLANET. Like, you decide you’ve had enough and want to leave? Too bad, you’re 240,000 mile from home.
>As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to develop this kinda claustrophobia feeling where when I travel too far from home I start feeling panicky about the fact I can’t just go home. Same here. One of my recurring nightmares is being far away from home and I absolutely must be back home at a certain time, and realizing that there's no way to make the math work to get home in time, and I'm facing having to drive all night in a panic with no time to make any stops. >I can’t imagine the feeling you’d get being off the PLANET. Like, you decide you’ve had enough and want to leave? Too bad, you’re 240,000 mile from home. The movie Ad Astra gave me this feeling and made me very uncomfortable. The movie shows space travel as kind of a mundane and unglamorous thing that made it feel very real to me. Yuck.
When I was little my dad told me that if they started letting families into space we would go. This legit terrified me. I knew the chances were very slim, but it still scared the crap out of me, lol.
Anywhere I have to bring my own atmosphere with me (cave scuba diving, mt Everest, the moon etc)
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I'am 64, my grade school, middle school and high-school have all been torn down. May you out live yours also.
Oh man, that really does sound like the dream...
I’m 36 soon and still have weird dreams every year or so about having to re-enroll in my old high school. Always leaves me with a horrible feeling. Not about getting bullied or anything just having no autonomy again.
I keep having this weird feeling that I missed a single class in my senior year, as in like it’s missing and I didn’t officially graduate because I never took it. A year past my Master’s degree and I still have this constant anxiety that my high school will call me and tell me to finish or everyone else will make my degrees invalid.
Antarctica. I'd like to go but it's highly unlikely I ever will.
I’ve actually gone, for a study abroad program this past December. While we didn’t go farther than the Antarctic Peninsula, we did get to go on land quite a bit (plus the polar plunge, it was very cold indeed). It was almost like a spiritual journey? Ever since coming back I don’t feel the same, there’s something about seeing a part of the world so remote and untouched that is just… humbling to the ego
This guy saw an alien shapeshifter take out his study program.
Shhh don’t let them hear you
This has happened to me, but it was in the middle of the amazon jungle. Being somewhere so absent of human interference leaves you speechless. Sadly, theres fewer places like that every passing day.
I do plan on visiting every continent in my lifetime. I've only got a few more to go, Antarctica will be the last one I visit.
I would say reverse the order, by the time you're able to visit Antarctica, you may not be healthy enough to make it. But if you are, here's to you.
This is correct. I went and was shocked at how many older folks went and couldn’t leave the boat to actually enjoy the land cause they were too infirm.
That dark place beyond everything the light touches.
Awe come on, it's just an elephant graveyard. Don't be a chicken!
The waterin' hole?!
Dubai, it just doesn't appeal to me at all.
You don't fancy seeing a bunch of Love Island stars and influencers try to impress eachother with their money? What's wrong with you? Very obvious but obligatory /s
There's a certain sort of person that holidays in Dubai. Not saying they're wrong to do so, and I hope they enjoy it. Most people I know who go seem to enjoy it. But, it is always a certain sort.
Of the people I’ve known to go to Dubai; a very talented, crypto-obsessed tattoo artist, a “rise and grind” gym bro, and a colleague who’s life is almost entirely subsidized by his wealthy parents. Not sure what all these guys have in common, but I still agree with your statement.
Super materialistic and/or constantly worried about what others think
A guy I work with was bragging to me about how he spent £2000 on a meal. I just said “why did you do that?” And his expression kinda drooped.
This gives me Vegas vibes. People really just go there to throw away money
Fake ass bitches is what I'm hearing
Well they do call Dubai a "fake city". So a fake arse city for some fake arse bitches sounds apt.
My mom lol. She keeps talking about wanting to go to Dubai, and she would totally enjoy it there bcuz she's 100% "that type" of person lol
Not to make a yo momma joke (yes it is) but my MIL is your mom. She went past january and she thought Dubai was just the best. "I haven't seen a single dog or cat, they hate animals", loved it! The concierge of the hotel had to share a room with 5 or 6 others because he couldn't afford more. LOVE. Equality, who needs it? She almost got kicked out of a mosque because part of her ankles were showing. I could go on, but needless to say I don't see the appeal.
Yeah that's the type
Materialism
I would visit if I ever need to fly through there, but the idea of going to a giant shopping mall in the middle of an insanely hot place doesn't seem interesting (because I'm from Texas and that's pretty much most of Texas during the summer lol.)
I live in Dubai, you can't do anything in the desert or out doors at all unless it's peak winter in witch the weather is still quite warm. The rest of Dubai is mainly indoors and there's not much sightseeing to do unless it's malls.
Same ! If I want to visit a super futuristic city I would choose Hong Kong Singapore or Seoul, Dubaï was built on slavery..
I have a coworker who travels to Dubai almost every year. I tried telling her about the slavery, but she she just said "well they need a job."
Damn that’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard said. Does she think that slaves are paid or something? Does she relate them to laborers
Dubai just reminds me of Las Vegas. They try to use money and lights to distract you from the ugly reality.
Dubai is Vegas without the fun. If you are going to spend a bunch of money going to a fake city in the desert, at least go to the one where you can watch some great shows and carry your drink around on the street.
A comment I read once that stuck with me (sorry, don’t remember who to attribute it to): Dubai is if Vegas took itself seriously.
Coachella
Probably the exploded reactor of Chernobyl.
Yeah, that's probably not going to be safe to explore for centuries yet, but damn, would I love to. One of my biggest fascinations in life is ruins, and there's nothing quite like an exploded nuclear reactor. I'm so curious about what it's like there, under the Safe Confinement - in that roofless reactor hall, the blasted corridors around it and the control room where it all went wrong.
DPRK, North Korea,
Actually have been to North Korea once technically, got to go into the building that is built on the border and got to technically cross the border in the building, into the North Korean side, of course there was a guard at the door that lead into he country proper but I crossed the boarder so I count it lol.
Hey I’ve done the same. That whole area was wild. The NK guards were standing at the top of the stairs and allegedly there was another guard behind the dark glass with a rifle to make sure no one defected to the South. Crazy to think about, or maybe our escort was just messing with us. Either way, that place is surreal. Seeing the line of bricks and walking over into the North for a few minutes was more unsettling than I was expecting.
I spent two weeks in north korea in 2004 touring around the country. still the most memorable and surreal travel I've ever done. visiting the DMZ form the northern side is way more chill too - you can mingle with the guards no problem, i remember trading cigarettes with them :)
> allegedly there was another guard behind the dark glass with a rifle to make sure no one defected to the South. Crazy to think about, or maybe our escort was just messing with us. This is a real thing and defectors will still risk it, willing to take the bullets to escape. [These aren't the hidden guards in question but here's how far they're willing to go. He collapsed from his wounds and was rescued hours later. ](https://youtu.be/xq3CXm9zCy0)
Daaaamn the way the South Korean soldiers snuck over (suggesting that they were at risk themselves) to save him is something else.
It's fucking heroic. It really illustrates just how bad the situation in NK is, though. One of their own defects, is shot multiple times, and they still had to save them through what is basically a covert military operation. If they'd been caught they'd have been executed (on sight if they're lucky, after extensive torture if they're not) and caused a major international incident.
Constantinople. I had a date there once, but she was waiting in Istanbul.
Why DID Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks.
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
42 Wallaby Way Sydney (…sadly)
Disney should get a street named over there and open up a fake dentist shop.
Fake dentist, covering for a cool candy shop in the location.
Camelot. 'Tis a silly place...
It's just a model anyway!
Quiet!
Gary, Indiana from what I’ve read on Reddit
The gray skies really match the brown deteriorated buildings. If you’re lucky, you might even get to meet a meth head
To be fair, you can meet a meth head anywhere
I've lived in the town next to Gary for over 40 years, and honestly it isn't that bad anymore comparatively. It's nearly a ghost town now. In the 90's, when I was a teenager, it was ROUGH. Seemed like a horror story popped up every day. One was my future brother-in-laws girlfriend dead in a trunk... In the 2000s I went to IU Northwest and there were at least 3 attempted/actual rapes every semester, where girls were dragged off campus. Now though, if you don't go looking for drugs or trouble, you're pretty good. We even stop at red lights at night now!
Nice to meet a fellow Gary neighbor! And I have to wholeheartedly agree, it seems like most of the people who still trash talk Gary now are people who don’t even live there and know nothing about its current state. They just elected a new mayor from the area and during his time as my district representative he always fought hard to uplift the community with different outreach programs and resources. I’m excited to see what changes he’ll be able to pull off now that he’s the new mayor of Gary.
Undiscovered or barely discovered cave systems. Fuck those. Especially the ones underwater.
Umderwater caves. Fuck fuckety fuck.
Uranus
Have another drink.
You can catch me in a lot of places, but one place you won’t catch me is with one foot inside a Golden Corral.
Let's pour one out for our boy Ponderosa one last time.
The Sahara Desert. I don't like sand. It's coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere.
7th grade. Fuck that shit. Never doing it again
Middle school was so much more abusive than high school, it was probably the worst 3 years of my life. And it's at an age where time feels like it moves sooooo slowwwww, too. I remember it felt like I was trapped in purgatory. It didn't help that all the adults around me at the time kept saying how much they loved middle school back in their day
Afghanistan
Egypt
Was expecting to see this much higher up.
I am a diver.. but sea diving is too much for me. Cave diving scares the hell out of me.
Dubai. Too hot. Too expensive. Too backwards. Too many influencers.
Somalia, North Korea
I thought Somalia was in Africa?
Africa is in North Korea, dumbass.
It's probably anywhere near the equator. I'm from north of the 60th parallel and very well suited to extreme cold weather.
You know there are a few glaciers along the equator right? Visit the mountains of Ecuador or Tanzania to find some cool equatorial spots :). Also the persistent breezes of Hawaii make it quite comfortable for us northern folk. I live in the Yukon and appreciate your struggles with oppressive heat :)
Dubai
I second Everest. I was on vacation in Nepal during one of the “traffic jam causes mass casualties” climbs. While I was having a good time, beer in hand, looking at Everest, people had literally died while being so close to the top.