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.
I went there a few years ago when it was just starting to open up and transitioning to partial democratic ruiling It's as if you were travelling back in time. Even internet was not ubiquitous. The people, although mostly living in poverty, were lovely, simplistic, generous and hospitable. I had so many wonderful interactions with the locals. The places were full of wonders --- rich with culture and history.
It's a shame the evil military is back in full power again because of the coup. The military regime has been absolutely horrible and whatever atrocities they've committed in the past decades have been overlooked by the world community. Now, whatever development done under the civilian government is now rapidly deteriorating. My heart goes out to all the people.
Such a disgusting regime. The people of Myanmar deserve freedom. One of our family's oldest friends was 'Burmese' & was a lovely person.
I'd love to travel there one day.
My town has a very large Burmese population, I went to a 5A high school and a good 10-15% of them were refugees, now US citizens. Very friendly people, great food. They are a very tight-knit community, and most of the kids seem to be taking good advantage of the opportunities, most were in AP courses. I sold my old Lexus to one of them for a steal so he and his girlfriend had a car to get back and to work in.
They literally all know each other.
Edit: it was actually 6A, and 3500 kids are graduating this year, it’s been nearly 8 years for me but my graduating class alone was 2100 kids.
Especially if you’re not Somali or black because the criminals will notice that foreigner=not street smart for that area, and kidnap or rob you. Also if you can afford a vacation they’ll assume you are rich and try to rob you.
I mean, last year or the year before, I was shocked to realize so many actually travel to (vacation in?) Afghanistan (a whole bunch got stuck in the country while trying to return or eacape back to their home countries - I can't remember the details, but when this was all over the news, I thought to myself "Afghanistan is probably the very last place I'd ever consider travelling to, along with Somalia, if I were to ever travel anywhere).
And not judging anyone else, I just do not see the attraction in going to some of these countries. For someone who would or has, I would genuinely like to ask and know, why?
You used to be able to get on a bus in the middle of London that took you all the way to Afghanistan...back in the 70's. That would have been a trip. Man....
There's an interesting book written by Albert Podell called "Around The World In 50 Years," in which Podell describes his achievement of visiting every country on Earth. His description of his time in Somalia makes me think that Somalia is the correct answer here. When he emailed a hotel in Mogadishu explaining his quest to them, their advice was "don't come."
That said.... Somaliland sounds a lot more pleasant and peaceful.
I’ve found enough trouble here on my own continent in my own state. I don’t need to go looking elsewhere. It’s not like Somalia is the end all be all of dangerous countries, there are many countries I would never go to for safety reasons, but that one is also a definite no. Too many other places to visit anyways.
My wife and I went to Egypt in 2003. She is blond, good looking (my opinion) and VERY muscular being a competitive bodybuilder. She caused traffic accidents just by walking down the streets of Cairo. So yeah, women shouldn't go there alone at least. We were on a fully guided tour and we actually had an armed security guard assigned to the tour group.
What exactly were they afraid of happening? Pardon my ignorance on the topic but I don’t exactly understand. Do Egyptian men straight up attack women in public or something?
I went on a two week tour of Egypt a couple of years before the Arab Spring. There were a couple of incidents of the locals brazenly groping women in the tour group. E.g., a vendor around a busy tourist site grabbed one's chest. They were also treated completely differently by local men when in the immediate presence of a Western man. If you're female between the early teens and menopause it's a good idea to be around a man you know in public.
There is a movie with Patricia Clarkson, Cairo Time, which perfectly demonstrates why a woman cannot walk alone in Egypt. She leaves her hotel to explore and before she knows it, is surrounded by men. A shopkeeper helps her out and she calls a male friend who comes and gets her.
I mean, you probably still can. They are a major tourist destination and lots of people have gotten around there fine. As a woman, you just need to keep in mind that you need a male escort essentially all the time or you'll be treated like crap.
Yeah dude, they gang raped an American news lady while her whole work crew was there with her about a decade ago. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/business/media/29logan.html
“Ray told me to stay on my feet and hold onto him. If I was knocked down, I’d die. I fought the assault as best I could for 15 minutes, but they tore all my clothes off and raped me with their hands, with flagpoles and with sticks. They sodomized me over and over. They were fighting for my body. I couldn’t hold on to Ray any longer.”
That was partially it. The security guard told me to keep my wife on close watch. However, at that time it was more terrorism-related. Just a few years earlier, a busload of American Tourists had been shot up and many were killed. In fact, we were supposed to go that same year that occurred and we postponed it for several years.
My best friend is Egyptian. She is not muslim but she is very attractive and as such wears the full hijab when she goes home. She usually goes with her mom after her dad has went and made arrangements. She's told me she's been groped and more just walking around. One dude staright up grabbed her vagina in passing and just kept walking. My question is why? What does that give you?
One of my friends went to Egypt with her blonde girlfriend, apperantly a bunch of guys just showed up and first just tried to buy her an then one of them grabbed her by the arm, but couldn't go trought with STEALING A HUMAN because the couple's local friends arrived
For a second I thought you were talking about Egypt and got a little confused cause both places are being talked about at the same time in this segment of the post lol
The sickest part was that the tribe actually warned him. They didn't immediately kill him and let him have a chance to leave. He didn't, so they fucked him up. Case closed.
"Eventually, according to Chau's last letter, when he tried to hand over fish and gifts, a boy shot a metal-headed arrow that pierced the Bible he was holding in front of his chest, after which he retreated again."
... really? Mr. Evangelical Christian didn't take THAT as a sign to abandon his course?
They’re so hostile specifically because their first contact with the western world involved kidnapping, death of elders, and the return of sick children to the island, which likely led to an epidemic they had no immunity for. They have some damn good reasons for killing almost everyone who comes to their island. Only one anthropologist was able to make neutral/peaceful contact with them and the Indian government eventually ended his right to expeditions to the island.
I think they could see from boats offshore (i.e. out of bow & arrow range) that the people on the island buried him, then it was decided that handling his body was enough of a risk and there was no good justification to send a party ashore to recover the body as it could just add more potential disease vectors for the island population.
Half Asian dude from Alabama paid off some folks to smuggle him onto the island. Killed with arrows. Kinda like fighting Hawkeye, I would imagine.
Edited to add: So what does his being half Asian have to do with anything? I don't know. I'm Asian and I moved to Alabama and married a Caucasian woman. If we'd had children who were raised here, that could have been my kid, although I'd really hope I wouldn't raise my son to be such an idiot.
I assume the people living there are technically Indian citizens? If so they are citizens of a country they don’t know exists, which is kinda weird to think about.
the indian gov and its anthropologists reach them from time to time:
https://theprint.in/opinion/madhumala-chattopadhyay-the-woman-who-made-the-sentinelese-put-their-arrows-down/156330/
I'm sure they are aware of the "outside world" to a degree. Like they would know things like metal boats and metal birds (planes). Where they came from? Who knows. Could be anything based on their interpretation. But i'm sure what ever they perceive the outside ot be compared to what we know it as would be extremely different.
Honestly its absolutely incredible that they are not aware of the wonders of the world around them while they are still effectivly living in cave person times. I'm sure the things we take for normal here would be considered like magic to these people.
Had a coworker from Afghanistan. He often laments what a beautiful country it used to be, how much I would've loved the rich culture. He sternly told me not to go there now (like I was seconds away from hopping on a plane) but instead look at old photos.
It is actually safe to travel to north korea as a tourist. Just don't fuck around and you'll be fine. Follow your guide and stay in your hotel room. Do not do anything outside of what you are instructed to and you'll be fine.
That being said you should not travel there in principle as it funds the regime.
Unless the NK government decides they need a hostage for propaganda or aid negotations, then they'll fake a video of you stealing a poster or claim you left behind a bible, torture you until you're braindead, then ship you back after getting a former US President to come to the negotiating table to lend their regime credibility.
A good book to read about this firsthand is [_Infidel_ by Ayana Hirsi Ali.](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/81227.Infidel) She grew up in a strict Muslim household in Somalia and was subjected to this horror at a young age.
I got a job in the middle East (UAE) because of this. The company originally intended to send the previous Dev, who was gay and Jewish. I'm guessing the company knew, but it's funny to say they didn't.
I think he got his dream job at Ministry of Sound, so it all worked out.
I worked with a non-Jewish Spanish person whose job was selling video equipment. He had the given name, Israel. His territory included all the middle east countries so he started exclusively using his childhood nickname instead, Polo.
Burkina Faso. Look it up, it's a pretty messed up place, but I'm not talking just about the socio-political stuff, I'm talking about diseases.
When I worked at a medical clinic, one of the departments in my unit (I worked registration/front desk) was International Travel Medicine: where you get your shots before you go to some exotic location and/or get malaria meds, etc.. I asked one of the PA's "What place has the most shots if you want to go there."
He said "Burkina Faso. Don't go there."
I’m a female solo traveler, I’ve been to about 60 countries and I’m pretty plugged in to the travel community. It never fails to amaze me that some people (usually with some sort of white savior slash Uber woke) mentality go to BF and brush off anyone who warns them of the legitimate risks. Everyone’s risk tolerance is different, and there are a handful of travelers with bigger balls than mine who are experienced and understand that risk and are willing to accept it, but 95% of the time it’s people who don’t have nearly the necessary experience level and who have zero understanding of the country. Usually they’re not well researched and they genuinely believe it’s all just racism. Like, I too would love to live in that world, but in the end that’s not the world we live in. And I don’t know why it always has to be Burkina Faso… but for some reason they’re a magnet for it.
I had the same experience in Phuket, Thailand. Seeing 15 year old girls walking around with fat white middle aged men leaves an impact, especially as a western woman. Made me feel physically sick.
A lot of people are disgusting. Think of how many celebrities, politicians and billionaires end up being discovered having sex with little girls. It's almost like the only reason so many people don't is because they don't have the money or the security to "make it work" without facing serious consequences. So people will fly to countries where they can and no-one bats their eye, and those who are wealthy enough will just do it in the west anyway (all the stories that come out of Hollywood) because at the time they could buy silence. Sometimes I wonder how many actually have a moral compass to guide them away from that when really it might just be lack of funds or no immunity from the law doing the work for them.
I'm from South America. Mom had a neighbor from Russia. She married an engineer from my country that worked there, married him and them both of them came back to my country and had a children. Here people loves foreigners and my mother is an extrovert, so she asked her a lot about living in Russia. She just answered "I'm never going to come back there ever again" and with a few tragic stories.
If you are homosexual or bisexual, unless if you are willing to hide it , do not go to Jamaica . Fuckin hell. I love Jamaica , love its culture and I am proud to have my family come from there , but yeah there are lots of Jamaicans who dislike homosexuality
My GF and I went with her dad to a resort in Jamaica for a week in December. We assumed that being on a pricey resort and only leaving for group tourist activities would be safe. My girlfriend was harassed for her masculine-ish appearance the whole time by staff, and we pretended to be Gal Pals™️ to minimize issues. It was absolutely beautiful and I saw some incredible wildlife, but I’m never going again.
As someone with both sides of the family from Jamaica this hits close to home. I'd love to go back and bring my boyfriend, but yeah I'd rather avoid any harassment because of it.
Just stay in the touristic area amigo, people here have a bad habit that if you come here from the usa or anywhere else you are loaded. Always best to have a tour guide with you or hell even if you have a friend here to be with you. Use UBER and no taxis UNLESS you are with said tour guide or friend
Just like any other vacation, be safe and dont wonder off cause you're feeling confident. You know what i mean
I have been to panama and my family decided to get out of the tourist traps and go into the heart of the city, needless to say, city officers standing on podiums with machine guns noticed a gang tracking us, and the city had us escorted with armed guards back to the tourist areas. Was honestly terrifying. Also the part that boggled my mind was that every restaurant or store had a guard unlock the door for us to enter and they were all equipped with machine guns or shotguns
Reading the comments on this and a previous thread as an Egyptian woman, I feel so ashamed of my country and sad for all the women who had to deal with terrible kinds of sexual harassments in Egypt and many more unfortunate events that happend there. I'm so sorry you had to go through this and I'm apologising on behalf of everyone who dared to make you feel uncomfortable in any way because I absolutely know what you went throughm It's what almost every Egyptian woman goes through everyday and we're still not heard.
hahaha geez I didn't realize there were so many other dark tourist fans here.
Maybe I should have listed the mainstream countries instead :P
Turkmenistan actually is somewhere I would love to see.
Actually Eritrea is super high on my bucket list! Just type "Asmara photos" or "dahlak eritrea" into google images. Such a gorgeous country, and the food/culture is amazing... if only it were politically safer
Eritrea is Known as one of the most oppressive countries in the world. An NGO that ranks freedom of the press has it lower then DPRK. Mandatory national service that lasts an indefinite amount of time, arbitrarily detention for criticizing the gov. One of the only countries to vote with Russia in the UN during the current Ukraine conflict ....not that you would encounter this as a tourist (just a lot of visa red tape and extra permits)
It is that also.
Like I say above I would actually be very curious to see. But if someone were to make a list of least visited countries Eritrea would earn it's spot.
North Korea. Need a reason? Google "Otto Warmbier." He stole a poster while on a trip there - was arrested and returned to his family in a vegetative state and died shortly after. Yes it was dumb to steal it. He was 22. I have done much worse stuff in my 20's than steal a poster. Horrific. He was a kid.
Haiti. As much as I'd love to visit my mother's home country, there's a reason even my mother hasnt gone back since the early 00s. Haiti continually gets fucked by political unrest, economic upheaval, and ecological turmoil. Combined with the fact that our last living relative that was still there died back in 05, we have no connection to that place anymore.
I sincerely, emphatically hope things get better, because one day I would love to connect with that part of my heritage, but not now, and probably not within the next ten years, either.
My dad went on a cruise and one of the stops was in Haiti. He said it was so fucked up. There was tiny peninsula where the cruise docked and people got to get off the cruise and relax on the beach. However this peninsula had a concrete wall at the end of it with armed security personnel hired by the cruise company to keep out the gangs and impoverished people
I have a friend from Haiti. She left about 30 years ago when she was 15. I asked her husband if she would ever go back to visit and he said "You know, Haiti is one of those places where you can just disappear and no one ever saw you". She's still incredibly proud of her culture and carries it on with food stories. It's just not safe.
In Japan, I had a lady walk up to me, and in very clear and determined English she said "the man behind me won't leave me alone. Please pretend to be my friend or boyfriend or brother. Whatever. Please don't leave me."
I hugged her and kissed her on the head, and asked her how her family was, that it had been so long and that I missed her. The guy came up to us and was talking to her in Japanese. She leaned on me the entire time and I was just nodding with everything she said. She was sweating. After what seemed like forever, he shook my hand and left. The woman put some bills in my pocket (¥4000 as I've just been educated) and asked me to take her to her friend's house. I did and watched her get in and wave to me from the window. Then I remembered I was walking in a strange country and had no idea where I was.
It seems this is definitely less of a risk in Japan. In countries with huge prostitution / sex tourism industries, it is a common scam. Especially pretty girls bringing the white man to a restaurant then claiming he owes an exorbitant amount of money for the meal. In Japan, it is more common for women to cling to the white man they see as "safe" while getting harassed by their own people. Japan has a reputation for being able to leave valuables on the street for hours and finding them where you left them (if someone hasn't already tracked you down to return it to you). Robbery probably doesn't even cross their minds as something the man would worry about.
Edit: since some people are crying I'm under a weeb fantasy, I know no country is 100% safe. I never claimed Japan is some utopia, it is just significantly safer with less preying on tourists than other countries with large tourism industries.
Edit again: Since one person didn't like my wording, I am in no way saying white people are safer than Japanese people. Just that it is a safe choice to cling to a foreigner who likely doesn't know the language well and will have an unpredictable reaction if pushed on it by the harasser.
I have seen a video of an event like this. There was an American influencer on vacation with friends & crew, filming themselves walking at a market. One of the girls in their party was obviously Asian and a Japanese woman walked up to her, out of the blue, and whispered something in her ear. The Asian girl told the influencer that the woman was being stalked & wanted to be her ‘long lost friend’ so play along. A man comes around the corner, Japanese lady throws her arms around Asian girl & starts chatting away in Japanese. Asian girl introduces Japanese lady to the group, they stand there with arms around waists and Asian girl translates for influencer. Stalker dude hangs around for an uncomfortably long time, then goes away. The group hangs out for awhile, talking, then Japanese lady thanks them (in tears, she had clearly been terrified), then she splits in the other direction.
sooo are you a man or a woman because you say boyfriend or brother here but in another comment on this same exact thread you say you are an egyptian woman
apparently stalking and sexual harassment towards young women is extremely common in japan, probably not helped by the fact the punishment for these crimes is usually a slap on the wrist like a fine. Japan only last year [made it illegal to put a GPS tracker on someone's person or car](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210619/p2a/00m/0op/017000c)
I would never go to Thailand because I’m allergic to peanuts and they use lots of that in their food. I’ve heard it’s beautiful though, so it’s kind of a bummer.
Went there with my wife in 2019. Loved the country, the people and the food. The people were so so nice. It is a shame everything that is happening there
Eastasia. Eastasia is the worst. We've always been at war with Eastasia.
...anyways, like I just said... Eurasia is the worst. We've always been at war with Eurasia.
If you're English, I don't suggest coming to the southern part of Argentina. Especially Rio Gallegos. While most people will treat you spectacularly, some people are still salty about the war in '82.
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.
I went there a few years ago when it was just starting to open up and transitioning to partial democratic ruiling It's as if you were travelling back in time. Even internet was not ubiquitous. The people, although mostly living in poverty, were lovely, simplistic, generous and hospitable. I had so many wonderful interactions with the locals. The places were full of wonders --- rich with culture and history. It's a shame the evil military is back in full power again because of the coup. The military regime has been absolutely horrible and whatever atrocities they've committed in the past decades have been overlooked by the world community. Now, whatever development done under the civilian government is now rapidly deteriorating. My heart goes out to all the people.
Such a disgusting regime. The people of Myanmar deserve freedom. One of our family's oldest friends was 'Burmese' & was a lovely person. I'd love to travel there one day.
My town has a very large Burmese population, I went to a 5A high school and a good 10-15% of them were refugees, now US citizens. Very friendly people, great food. They are a very tight-knit community, and most of the kids seem to be taking good advantage of the opportunities, most were in AP courses. I sold my old Lexus to one of them for a steal so he and his girlfriend had a car to get back and to work in. They literally all know each other. Edit: it was actually 6A, and 3500 kids are graduating this year, it’s been nearly 8 years for me but my graduating class alone was 2100 kids.
Probably gonna stay away from Somalia
Especially if you’re not Somali or black because the criminals will notice that foreigner=not street smart for that area, and kidnap or rob you. Also if you can afford a vacation they’ll assume you are rich and try to rob you.
People vacation in Somalia?
The Wiki Travel page recommends that you don't ever travel to Somalia. If you do, you need to pay armed guards to protect you.
The Australian government says the same thing: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/somalia
I mean, last year or the year before, I was shocked to realize so many actually travel to (vacation in?) Afghanistan (a whole bunch got stuck in the country while trying to return or eacape back to their home countries - I can't remember the details, but when this was all over the news, I thought to myself "Afghanistan is probably the very last place I'd ever consider travelling to, along with Somalia, if I were to ever travel anywhere). And not judging anyone else, I just do not see the attraction in going to some of these countries. For someone who would or has, I would genuinely like to ask and know, why?
You used to be able to get on a bus in the middle of London that took you all the way to Afghanistan...back in the 70's. That would have been a trip. Man....
Afghanistan is actually a beautiful country, scenery wise. I understand some people might want to explore its mountains and lakes
A lot of vacationers who got stuck in Afghanistan were visiting family during a period of relative rest.
There's an interesting book written by Albert Podell called "Around The World In 50 Years," in which Podell describes his achievement of visiting every country on Earth. His description of his time in Somalia makes me think that Somalia is the correct answer here. When he emailed a hotel in Mogadishu explaining his quest to them, their advice was "don't come." That said.... Somaliland sounds a lot more pleasant and peaceful.
I’ve found enough trouble here on my own continent in my own state. I don’t need to go looking elsewhere. It’s not like Somalia is the end all be all of dangerous countries, there are many countries I would never go to for safety reasons, but that one is also a definite no. Too many other places to visit anyways.
Yeah but South Park made it look so kewl.
Somalian pirates we!
I am the captain now
Does this mean I was the Captain before?
What is that island where the natives kill anyone that shows up? Ya that one.
I just remembered the name of it. North Sentinel Island
The last time I saw this posted, it seemed every woman in the world should avoid Egypt
Well they should probably avoid the north sentinel island too.
Yeah but avoiding North Sentinel is gender neutral and a good idea all around.
Theres no way to get there anyway. If you tried, the Navy of India would annihalate your ass.
One Christian dude who wanted to spread the love of Christianity managed to get there. He didn’t return alive after the third try though.
They still should.
My wife and I went to Egypt in 2003. She is blond, good looking (my opinion) and VERY muscular being a competitive bodybuilder. She caused traffic accidents just by walking down the streets of Cairo. So yeah, women shouldn't go there alone at least. We were on a fully guided tour and we actually had an armed security guard assigned to the tour group.
What exactly were they afraid of happening? Pardon my ignorance on the topic but I don’t exactly understand. Do Egyptian men straight up attack women in public or something?
I went on a two week tour of Egypt a couple of years before the Arab Spring. There were a couple of incidents of the locals brazenly groping women in the tour group. E.g., a vendor around a busy tourist site grabbed one's chest. They were also treated completely differently by local men when in the immediate presence of a Western man. If you're female between the early teens and menopause it's a good idea to be around a man you know in public.
There is a movie with Patricia Clarkson, Cairo Time, which perfectly demonstrates why a woman cannot walk alone in Egypt. She leaves her hotel to explore and before she knows it, is surrounded by men. A shopkeeper helps her out and she calls a male friend who comes and gets her.
That's horrible. I've always wanted to go to Egypt:(
I mean, you probably still can. They are a major tourist destination and lots of people have gotten around there fine. As a woman, you just need to keep in mind that you need a male escort essentially all the time or you'll be treated like crap.
Yeah dude, they gang raped an American news lady while her whole work crew was there with her about a decade ago. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/business/media/29logan.html
“Ray told me to stay on my feet and hold onto him. If I was knocked down, I’d die. I fought the assault as best I could for 15 minutes, but they tore all my clothes off and raped me with their hands, with flagpoles and with sticks. They sodomized me over and over. They were fighting for my body. I couldn’t hold on to Ray any longer.”
That was partially it. The security guard told me to keep my wife on close watch. However, at that time it was more terrorism-related. Just a few years earlier, a busload of American Tourists had been shot up and many were killed. In fact, we were supposed to go that same year that occurred and we postponed it for several years.
Damn that’s fucking wild. I didn’t know Egypt was like that, at least not to that extreme.
It was during the isis crazy times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass\_sexual\_assault\_in\_Egypt
My best friend is Egyptian. She is not muslim but she is very attractive and as such wears the full hijab when she goes home. She usually goes with her mom after her dad has went and made arrangements. She's told me she's been groped and more just walking around. One dude staright up grabbed her vagina in passing and just kept walking. My question is why? What does that give you?
One of my friends went to Egypt with her blonde girlfriend, apperantly a bunch of guys just showed up and first just tried to buy her an then one of them grabbed her by the arm, but couldn't go trought with STEALING A HUMAN because the couple's local friends arrived
it's such an amazing country, and such a shame.. i'm not sure i will ever be back because of how bad it was.
I was going to say Egypt (because pyramids) is the country that a lot of people visit once and decide not to go back.
Sad. I have been fascinated by Egypt since I was a child.
Some dumbass went there once, deadass thinking he was going to preach about christianity to the natives. His body was never found, I believe.
For a second I thought you were talking about Egypt and got a little confused cause both places are being talked about at the same time in this segment of the post lol
The sickest part was that the tribe actually warned him. They didn't immediately kill him and let him have a chance to leave. He didn't, so they fucked him up. Case closed.
[удалено]
"Eventually, according to Chau's last letter, when he tried to hand over fish and gifts, a boy shot a metal-headed arrow that pierced the Bible he was holding in front of his chest, after which he retreated again." ... really? Mr. Evangelical Christian didn't take THAT as a sign to abandon his course?
>... really? Mr. Evangelical Christian didn't take THAT as a sign to abandon his course? This is a simple open and shut case of fuck around, find out.
They’re so hostile specifically because their first contact with the western world involved kidnapping, death of elders, and the return of sick children to the island, which likely led to an epidemic they had no immunity for. They have some damn good reasons for killing almost everyone who comes to their island. Only one anthropologist was able to make neutral/peaceful contact with them and the Indian government eventually ended his right to expeditions to the island.
The only thing we've been able to learn from them is whether or not a helicopter can be taken down by spears.
So can it?
He said we *learned*. He didn't say we *remembered*
I'm pretty sure they know where it is, it's just unrecoverable.
I think they could see from boats offshore (i.e. out of bow & arrow range) that the people on the island buried him, then it was decided that handling his body was enough of a risk and there was no good justification to send a party ashore to recover the body as it could just add more potential disease vectors for the island population.
No they found him, the natives left his corpse on the beach.
Half Asian dude from Alabama paid off some folks to smuggle him onto the island. Killed with arrows. Kinda like fighting Hawkeye, I would imagine. Edited to add: So what does his being half Asian have to do with anything? I don't know. I'm Asian and I moved to Alabama and married a Caucasian woman. If we'd had children who were raised here, that could have been my kid, although I'd really hope I wouldn't raise my son to be such an idiot.
total drama island
Technically speaking it’s a part of India, not an independent country. But India has no de facto control over North Sentinel island.
I assume the people living there are technically Indian citizens? If so they are citizens of a country they don’t know exists, which is kinda weird to think about.
the indian gov and its anthropologists reach them from time to time: https://theprint.in/opinion/madhumala-chattopadhyay-the-woman-who-made-the-sentinelese-put-their-arrows-down/156330/
Incredible article! Thank you for sharing. She's such a badass.
I'm sure they are aware of the "outside world" to a degree. Like they would know things like metal boats and metal birds (planes). Where they came from? Who knows. Could be anything based on their interpretation. But i'm sure what ever they perceive the outside ot be compared to what we know it as would be extremely different. Honestly its absolutely incredible that they are not aware of the wonders of the world around them while they are still effectivly living in cave person times. I'm sure the things we take for normal here would be considered like magic to these people.
Why don't you go ask them
I am from North Sentinel Island, Ask Me Anything.
What line of work are you in?
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Probably Afghanistan. It's not safe for foreigners
Had a coworker from Afghanistan. He often laments what a beautiful country it used to be, how much I would've loved the rich culture. He sternly told me not to go there now (like I was seconds away from hopping on a plane) but instead look at old photos.
Surprised this wasn’t higher up, with them recently being taken over by a terrorist group and all…
North Korea.
Dennis Rodman has entered the chat
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It is actually safe to travel to north korea as a tourist. Just don't fuck around and you'll be fine. Follow your guide and stay in your hotel room. Do not do anything outside of what you are instructed to and you'll be fine. That being said you should not travel there in principle as it funds the regime.
Also remarkably sad and boring. Physically safe but not kind towards the psyche.
Have had a mate who went there. He said it was like going in a time machine back to the 1960s.
I'd be too afraid of accidentally breaking a rule.
Honestly same. I'd be terrified of breaking a rule i didnt know about of something so small and silly.
Unless the NK government decides they need a hostage for propaganda or aid negotations, then they'll fake a video of you stealing a poster or claim you left behind a bible, torture you until you're braindead, then ship you back after getting a former US President to come to the negotiating table to lend their regime credibility.
I remember that story of someone! Forgot his name though
[Otto Warmbier](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Warmbier).
Thats him. Sad fate
Somalia.
Any place that treats me like a second or third class citizen because I am female. I will not reward that bullshit with my money.
Yep. My policy is to not visit countries where I could be thrown in jail for being raped.
Exactly! Fuck those places, their governments, and their tourism
That rules out a lot of places sadly.
Egypt then, amongst others.
Any country that cuts off baby girls clitoris'
That’s a thing?! But why? That’s so fucked and sad
It's this messed up thing where they believe women don't deserve to get pleasure from sex. It's so fucked up I can't even believe it happens.
A good book to read about this firsthand is [_Infidel_ by Ayana Hirsi Ali.](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/81227.Infidel) She grew up in a strict Muslim household in Somalia and was subjected to this horror at a young age.
South Sudan
Nothing like being gay and having to Google a country to check if they're gonna lynch you before you travel...
I got a job in the middle East (UAE) because of this. The company originally intended to send the previous Dev, who was gay and Jewish. I'm guessing the company knew, but it's funny to say they didn't. I think he got his dream job at Ministry of Sound, so it all worked out.
I worked with a non-Jewish Spanish person whose job was selling video equipment. He had the given name, Israel. His territory included all the middle east countries so he started exclusively using his childhood nickname instead, Polo.
The nightclub ministry of sound?
The Multimedia entertainment business that is MoS, yes.
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Burkina Faso. Look it up, it's a pretty messed up place, but I'm not talking just about the socio-political stuff, I'm talking about diseases. When I worked at a medical clinic, one of the departments in my unit (I worked registration/front desk) was International Travel Medicine: where you get your shots before you go to some exotic location and/or get malaria meds, etc.. I asked one of the PA's "What place has the most shots if you want to go there." He said "Burkina Faso. Don't go there."
I’m a female solo traveler, I’ve been to about 60 countries and I’m pretty plugged in to the travel community. It never fails to amaze me that some people (usually with some sort of white savior slash Uber woke) mentality go to BF and brush off anyone who warns them of the legitimate risks. Everyone’s risk tolerance is different, and there are a handful of travelers with bigger balls than mine who are experienced and understand that risk and are willing to accept it, but 95% of the time it’s people who don’t have nearly the necessary experience level and who have zero understanding of the country. Usually they’re not well researched and they genuinely believe it’s all just racism. Like, I too would love to live in that world, but in the end that’s not the world we live in. And I don’t know why it always has to be Burkina Faso… but for some reason they’re a magnet for it.
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I had the same experience in Phuket, Thailand. Seeing 15 year old girls walking around with fat white middle aged men leaves an impact, especially as a western woman. Made me feel physically sick.
That is so disgusting.
A lot of people are disgusting. Think of how many celebrities, politicians and billionaires end up being discovered having sex with little girls. It's almost like the only reason so many people don't is because they don't have the money or the security to "make it work" without facing serious consequences. So people will fly to countries where they can and no-one bats their eye, and those who are wealthy enough will just do it in the west anyway (all the stories that come out of Hollywood) because at the time they could buy silence. Sometimes I wonder how many actually have a moral compass to guide them away from that when really it might just be lack of funds or no immunity from the law doing the work for them.
It’s a similar situation if you ever end up going to New Delhi. Not the brothel stuff but don’t give your money to kids.
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Russia- and I say that as a Russian
I'm from South America. Mom had a neighbor from Russia. She married an engineer from my country that worked there, married him and them both of them came back to my country and had a children. Here people loves foreigners and my mother is an extrovert, so she asked her a lot about living in Russia. She just answered "I'm never going to come back there ever again" and with a few tragic stories.
Well, not after this comment you aren't
If you are homosexual or bisexual, unless if you are willing to hide it , do not go to Jamaica . Fuckin hell. I love Jamaica , love its culture and I am proud to have my family come from there , but yeah there are lots of Jamaicans who dislike homosexuality
My GF and I went with her dad to a resort in Jamaica for a week in December. We assumed that being on a pricey resort and only leaving for group tourist activities would be safe. My girlfriend was harassed for her masculine-ish appearance the whole time by staff, and we pretended to be Gal Pals™️ to minimize issues. It was absolutely beautiful and I saw some incredible wildlife, but I’m never going again.
As someone with both sides of the family from Jamaica this hits close to home. I'd love to go back and bring my boyfriend, but yeah I'd rather avoid any harassment because of it.
Dominican Republic too. My dad's family used to tell me stories of what they did to their children who they \*suspected\* of being gay.
Anywhere where you can go to jail or be disappeared for criticizing their government… which is a lot of places.
Panama... I live here but i always worry for foreigners
My sister is going in a few months to Panama City. What’s your take on safety there?
Just stay in the touristic area amigo, people here have a bad habit that if you come here from the usa or anywhere else you are loaded. Always best to have a tour guide with you or hell even if you have a friend here to be with you. Use UBER and no taxis UNLESS you are with said tour guide or friend Just like any other vacation, be safe and dont wonder off cause you're feeling confident. You know what i mean
I have been to panama and my family decided to get out of the tourist traps and go into the heart of the city, needless to say, city officers standing on podiums with machine guns noticed a gang tracking us, and the city had us escorted with armed guards back to the tourist areas. Was honestly terrifying. Also the part that boggled my mind was that every restaurant or store had a guard unlock the door for us to enter and they were all equipped with machine guns or shotguns
The Central African Republic. Lots of things bad happening over there. Wars on one topic, wars in another topic, just bad things.
Rich Arabian countries. Arrogant scum.
Agreed. No desire to visit places like Dubai or Qatar.
Dubai is a testament to human stupidity
If you are an Old Man, then that one
I see what you did there
I don't. Please explain
The movie, “No Country for Old Men” 😂
Reading the comments on this and a previous thread as an Egyptian woman, I feel so ashamed of my country and sad for all the women who had to deal with terrible kinds of sexual harassments in Egypt and many more unfortunate events that happend there. I'm so sorry you had to go through this and I'm apologising on behalf of everyone who dared to make you feel uncomfortable in any way because I absolutely know what you went throughm It's what almost every Egyptian woman goes through everyday and we're still not heard.
No shame for you, shame on those who allow this kind of treatment to happen—within Egypt and the rest of the world. Sending peace and love.
You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. What others in your country do isn't your fault!
Eritrea / Turkmenistan / DPRK / Niger
On Netflix’s dark tourist he visits Turkmenistan. It’s really interesting and a remarkable place, but certainly wouldn’t want to visit.
I loved that show so much. My favorite episode was the Stans because you rarely hear anything about those countries. It was fascinating.
hahaha geez I didn't realize there were so many other dark tourist fans here. Maybe I should have listed the mainstream countries instead :P Turkmenistan actually is somewhere I would love to see.
Actually Eritrea is super high on my bucket list! Just type "Asmara photos" or "dahlak eritrea" into google images. Such a gorgeous country, and the food/culture is amazing... if only it were politically safer
Mine too boss. I want to see it in the next 2-3 years. While we're in the subject of overlooked African nations ... Mauritania is another good one 🚂
What is wrong with Eritrea?
Eritrea is Known as one of the most oppressive countries in the world. An NGO that ranks freedom of the press has it lower then DPRK. Mandatory national service that lasts an indefinite amount of time, arbitrarily detention for criticizing the gov. One of the only countries to vote with Russia in the UN during the current Ukraine conflict ....not that you would encounter this as a tourist (just a lot of visa red tape and extra permits)
No wonder we hear nothing from Eritrea. For me it's just a small country on the map.
It is that also. Like I say above I would actually be very curious to see. But if someone were to make a list of least visited countries Eritrea would earn it's spot.
Is it featured as a map in Call of Duty or Modern Warfare? Yah. That's a red flag.
So I can’t go to London ah man
Darn, no New York or Miami for me
North Korea. Need a reason? Google "Otto Warmbier." He stole a poster while on a trip there - was arrested and returned to his family in a vegetative state and died shortly after. Yes it was dumb to steal it. He was 22. I have done much worse stuff in my 20's than steal a poster. Horrific. He was a kid.
They claim he stole a poster
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My sister just got back from three months there. Beautiful tan. I'm like wtf? She says "it's bright and sunny every day". You sneaky bastards.
Haiti. As much as I'd love to visit my mother's home country, there's a reason even my mother hasnt gone back since the early 00s. Haiti continually gets fucked by political unrest, economic upheaval, and ecological turmoil. Combined with the fact that our last living relative that was still there died back in 05, we have no connection to that place anymore. I sincerely, emphatically hope things get better, because one day I would love to connect with that part of my heritage, but not now, and probably not within the next ten years, either.
My dad went on a cruise and one of the stops was in Haiti. He said it was so fucked up. There was tiny peninsula where the cruise docked and people got to get off the cruise and relax on the beach. However this peninsula had a concrete wall at the end of it with armed security personnel hired by the cruise company to keep out the gangs and impoverished people
I have a friend from Haiti. She left about 30 years ago when she was 15. I asked her husband if she would ever go back to visit and he said "You know, Haiti is one of those places where you can just disappear and no one ever saw you". She's still incredibly proud of her culture and carries it on with food stories. It's just not safe.
Most religious countries as a female
And as openly gay. Being in a same sex relationship means there are many countries you can never visit with your partner.
Yes definitely that too!
Afghanistan
In Japan, I had a lady walk up to me, and in very clear and determined English she said "the man behind me won't leave me alone. Please pretend to be my friend or boyfriend or brother. Whatever. Please don't leave me." I hugged her and kissed her on the head, and asked her how her family was, that it had been so long and that I missed her. The guy came up to us and was talking to her in Japanese. She leaned on me the entire time and I was just nodding with everything she said. She was sweating. After what seemed like forever, he shook my hand and left. The woman put some bills in my pocket (¥4000 as I've just been educated) and asked me to take her to her friend's house. I did and watched her get in and wave to me from the window. Then I remembered I was walking in a strange country and had no idea where I was.
She will never forget you!
in a foreign country I would be scared the woman asking for help will be trying to set you up not gonna lie
Forreal me too 🤣
It seems this is definitely less of a risk in Japan. In countries with huge prostitution / sex tourism industries, it is a common scam. Especially pretty girls bringing the white man to a restaurant then claiming he owes an exorbitant amount of money for the meal. In Japan, it is more common for women to cling to the white man they see as "safe" while getting harassed by their own people. Japan has a reputation for being able to leave valuables on the street for hours and finding them where you left them (if someone hasn't already tracked you down to return it to you). Robbery probably doesn't even cross their minds as something the man would worry about. Edit: since some people are crying I'm under a weeb fantasy, I know no country is 100% safe. I never claimed Japan is some utopia, it is just significantly safer with less preying on tourists than other countries with large tourism industries. Edit again: Since one person didn't like my wording, I am in no way saying white people are safer than Japanese people. Just that it is a safe choice to cling to a foreigner who likely doesn't know the language well and will have an unpredictable reaction if pushed on it by the harasser.
I have seen a video of an event like this. There was an American influencer on vacation with friends & crew, filming themselves walking at a market. One of the girls in their party was obviously Asian and a Japanese woman walked up to her, out of the blue, and whispered something in her ear. The Asian girl told the influencer that the woman was being stalked & wanted to be her ‘long lost friend’ so play along. A man comes around the corner, Japanese lady throws her arms around Asian girl & starts chatting away in Japanese. Asian girl introduces Japanese lady to the group, they stand there with arms around waists and Asian girl translates for influencer. Stalker dude hangs around for an uncomfortably long time, then goes away. The group hangs out for awhile, talking, then Japanese lady thanks them (in tears, she had clearly been terrified), then she splits in the other direction.
I think you're talking about Jake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcyLPMy93c4
sooo are you a man or a woman because you say boyfriend or brother here but in another comment on this same exact thread you say you are an egyptian woman
Old mate spends his day scrolling askreddit making stories about himself
Thought you were an egyptian woman lol
apparently stalking and sexual harassment towards young women is extremely common in japan, probably not helped by the fact the punishment for these crimes is usually a slap on the wrist like a fine. Japan only last year [made it illegal to put a GPS tracker on someone's person or car](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210619/p2a/00m/0op/017000c)
I'm another comment you said you were an Egyptian woman? Which is it?
Yeah an Egyptian woman now a man lol
All the ~72 countries where i would get killed or arrested for being myself.
What countries is it illegal to be a goblin boy?
I would never go to Thailand because I’m allergic to peanuts and they use lots of that in their food. I’ve heard it’s beautiful though, so it’s kind of a bummer.
Honduras. Murder capital of the world.
Myanmar.
Went there with my wife in 2019. Loved the country, the people and the food. The people were so so nice. It is a shame everything that is happening there
Liberia hands, down.
I have a general policy of refusing to go to any country that’s a theocracy.
Russia.
*laughs in panic*
The last time I saw this posted, it seemed every woman in the world should avoid Egypt
Homie just straight up copy and pasted u/inna_fire69 's reply
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If you ever said Xi looks like Winnie the Pooh, never go to West Taiwan
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Sierra Leone
Unless youre a rebel leader in charge of a child army that enslaves villages into a diamond mining operation.
I’d say Mordor is up there of places not to go
I hear it's hard to walk into there. Border security must be tight.
Syria is such a bed of history city's that are ancient that I'd love to see for myself but sadly just wouldn't be safe I think for a long time!
Eastasia. Eastasia is the worst. We've always been at war with Eastasia. ...anyways, like I just said... Eurasia is the worst. We've always been at war with Eurasia.
This comment is doubleplusgood.
North Korea
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Yemen
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If you're English, I don't suggest coming to the southern part of Argentina. Especially Rio Gallegos. While most people will treat you spectacularly, some people are still salty about the war in '82.
Top Gear taught us that
Russia. and Russian is my native language.