What is the most dangerous country you've been to?

scrumhalf

Several places on my travels in central America were dodgy. Guatemala City was somewhere we passed through pretty bloody quickly, the bus driver took a route that meant we stopped at as few traffic lights as possible. Almost every shop we saw had armed guards outside, the local equivalent of Shoes Express having blokes with a machine guns outside is something to see.

EricTheWeary

The only place I ever had a gun in my face was Shropshire. I've not only been to Shropshire but I used to live there. Hard, me.

Bellycaster

It appears mine is Egypt too. I went in 2005 about 2 months after the bombing.

Sibelius

Scotland.

Wazmeister

Gassage said:

Slightly off topic but re Iran-

To parapharse the Turkish guy in From Russia With Love

"I have led an interesting life..."

Anyway, when I was 14 my Mum and her then partner, Graham, decided on a whim, to sell everything and become upper class hippies.

So, in sept 78 we boarded something called the Magic Bus- which used to go overland between Shaftsbury avenue to New Dehli.

On that road trip we visited all the countries into Greece (incl Yugo) and then, Turkey, Iran, Afhganistan, Pakistan, India.

It was amazing.
One of my formative memories was waking up in the bus at the Turk/Iranian boarder, and there was ice on the window.

I rubbed the ice off and looked- and there, in huge splendor, was Mount Arrarat, huge, snow capped, outside my window. Amazing.

2 days later and I was in the Ambassador Hotel Tehran when they announced a 7pm curfew. At 7.01, I watched like Dilbert from my hotel window as people who'd not taken the curfew seriously were mown down by the militia. It was fucking scary for a 14 year old.

We left the following day, under armed guard back to the bus. We were told if we produced a camera we'd be shot on the spot.

Anyway, we ended up in Sri Lanka and my mum set up an import/export biz for fine lace and Batik cloth.

The trip was amazing. My folks were so laid back that when they discovered I'd started smoking (14!) they gve me a bollocking but then I was allowed a pack every 2 days! Hahahah!!!

On the return we got a cabin on a Greek freighter out of colombo and we set sail to Greece via the very recently opened Suez. We went past Socotra, where cannibalism is legal!

Now, one day (now 16) Yannie, the Skipper let me steer the ship.

Then he asked me again. And again.

My mum queried my fitness to do this- Yannie replied "My crew get bored and the ship is always all over the place as they don't concentrate. James is a kid. He takes this seriously and his accuracy is miles better than the crew as he doesn't get bored!"

All you have is a compass and a line which shows your heading and the key is to keep the heading on the line. I was DEADLY accurate.

I steered the ship thru suez up the the big overnight mooring bit where you wait for the pilot into port said.

One feature was, on every bank of suez there was old military stoick- F4 Phantoms, tanks, any old plane...these had been used to blockade Suez and they'd had to remove them to open it.

When we got to Port Said, two very funny things happened (eygyptian notably corrupt)

1. When customs came on board we had 5 crates of Israeli Oranges. They were brought onto the deck. 5 Eygyptian troops stiood to attention, and when their boss blew a whistle, they got in the boxes and stamped the oranges to a pulp!!!!
2. We had a ship's mooring rope stolen. The Police came. Much argument ensued, and the end result was the Ship (Yannie( had to pay import duty on the rope that had been stolen!!

Great days and great fun.

A brilliant read, but all lies...

I remember young James selling broken eggs in Bearwood market... And he had a runny nose...

Wazmeister

Oh and my scariest ? Sarande in Albania...

Proper, proper hard the Albanians...

Handsome_Chris

Well according to the big list my leading danger zone has been Iraq, although I would say that I had a great time.  I got to take showers with blokes and crawl about in the dirt every time the local rocket display was put on.

Thank you Tony Blair xxx

57Deluxe

Scotland

Sambostar

In almost got killed at a wedding in Scotland.  Luckily I managed to out sing and dance everyone to 500 miles in a better accent and dialect than they had and I had ginger hair so people just stared at me oddly and truly, the groom's sister was looking out for me.  I would have been well up for it to be honest.  I love drinking and fighting for no reason at all.  I would have lost badly though even if they were Glaswegians, who are like Essex boys and more worried about their makeup and appearance.

I think sometimes you have to just go undercover in order to survive though, it confuses the hell outta them.

chillidoggy

Gassage said:

Slightly off topic but re Iran-

To parapharse the Turkish guy in From Russia With Love

"I have led an interesting life..."

Anyway, when I was 14 my Mum and her then partner, Graham, decided on a whim, to sell everything and become upper class hippies.

So, in sept 78 we boarded something called the Magic Bus- which used to go overland between Shaftsbury avenue to New Dehli.

On that road trip we visited all the countries into Greece (incl Yugo) and then, Turkey, Iran, Afhganistan, Pakistan, India.

It was amazing.
One of my formative memories was waking up in the bus at the Turk/Iranian boarder, and there was ice on the window.

I rubbed the ice off and looked- and there, in huge splendor, was Mount Arrarat, huge, snow capped, outside my window. Amazing.

2 days later and I was in the Ambassador Hotel Tehran when they announced a 7pm curfew. At 7.01, I watched like Dilbert from my hotel window as people who'd not taken the curfew seriously were mown down by the militia. It was fucking scary for a 14 year old.

We left the following day, under armed guard back to the bus. We were told if we produced a camera we'd be shot on the spot.

Anyway, we ended up in Sri Lanka and my mum set up an import/export biz for fine lace and Batik cloth.

The trip was amazing. My folks were so laid back that when they discovered I'd started smoking (14!) they gve me a bollocking but then I was allowed a pack every 2 days! Hahahah!!!

On the return we got a cabin on a Greek freighter out of colombo and we set sail to Greece via the very recently opened Suez. We went past Socotra, where cannibalism is legal!

Now, one day (now 16) Yannie, the Skipper let me steer the ship.

Then he asked me again. And again.

My mum queried my fitness to do this- Yannie replied "My crew get bored and the ship is always all over the place as they don't concentrate. James is a kid. He takes this seriously and his accuracy is miles better than the crew as he doesn't get bored!"

All you have is a compass and a line which shows your heading and the key is to keep the heading on the line. I was DEADLY accurate.

I steered the ship thru suez up the the big overnight mooring bit where you wait for the pilot into port said.

One feature was, on every bank of suez there was old military stoick- F4 Phantoms, tanks, any old plane...these had been used to blockade Suez and they'd had to remove them to open it.

When we got to Port Said, two very funny things happened (eygyptian notably corrupt)

1. When customs came on board we had 5 crates of Israeli Oranges. They were brought onto the deck. 5 Eygyptian troops stiood to attention, and when their boss blew a whistle, they got in the boxes and stamped the oranges to a pulp!!!!
2. We had a ship's mooring rope stolen. The Police came. Much argument ensued, and the end result was the Ship (Yannie( had to pay import duty on the rope that had been stolen!!

Great days and great fun.

Thanks for posting that fascinating story of Dalefty when he was a kid, Gassage.

LoFi

stimpsonslostson said:

I've been to Jamaica (number 6), it was hairy at times & we had to have armed guards with us a LOT of the time. 

I've also been to Kenya(96), Tanzania(40) , Rwanda(19) and S.Africa (11). 

You want danger? go for a pint in the Celtic pub near The Barrowlands with an English mate (he insisted * said it'd be fine- it WASN'T).

Done South Africa, and had an armed minder every time I stepped out of the hotel complex.

And yes, the most threatened I've felt was as an Englishman in a pub in Kirkintilloch - was working up there, left work early to watch an England game (vs Russia, IIRC). Walked through the door of the pub, and the first thing I heard was "Kill that f***ing English c***!" shouted at the TV. Ordered my drink by pointing to it, made sure I paid with a Scottish note..

Sambostar

I would just pretend to be Australian if it came to that.

DiscoStu

Philippines, at #70.

There were definitely no-go parts of the country but as it is a collection of islands, and following the advice on gov.co.uk, you just avoid those islands. North and South really, so just stay in the central islands and you'll be safe.

Except if you get caught in the world's biggest ever supertyphoon like I did when I was there.

ICBM

LoFi said:

And yes, the most threatened I've felt was as an Englishman in a pub in Kirkintilloch - was working up there, left work early to watch an England game (vs Russia, IIRC). Walked through the door of the pub, and the first thing I heard was "Kill that f***ing English c***!" shouted at the TV. Ordered my drink by pointing to it, made sure I paid with a Scottish note..

lol

I've been an Englishman in Scotland for thirty years and I've never experienced stuff like that - although I admit I don't generally go into pubs when there are football matches on TV, or nearby… and there are definitely parts of Scotland I wouldn't lightly go regardless of where you come from. Same with anywhere no doubt.

ThorpyFX

South Africa at 11- surprising. Afghanistan at 95 and kenya at 96. that being said, we did have an armed escort in South Africa and i was armed in both afghan and kenya.

LoFi

ICBM said:

I've been an Englishman in Scotland for thirty years and I've never experienced stuff like that - although I admit I don't generally go into pubs when there are football matches on TV, or nearby… and there are definitely parts of Scotland I wouldn't lightly go regardless of where you come from. Same with anywhere no doubt.

It was really just this one bar - I left at half-time, found another place, got chatting to a couple of the locals, wound up having a fun night out with them.

Strangely, I had a similar experience recently in Dublin, despite having been there probably 20 times in the last 5 years without a problem - surly looking bloke in an alright pub muttered an obscenity at me as I paid my tab and left. I'd literally done nothing but sit in the corner, had a burger and a couple of pints and read a book.

(In the interest of balance, I should say that the next time I was back there, there was an international polo tournament and all the teams were staying in my hotel. I have never seen so much high quality totty in my life...)

Axe_meister

Columbia in the 70s.

After my Mum got divorced she ended going out with a columbian she'd met working at a UK uni.

We decided to go and visit him (I was about 5).

We travelled by Jeep from Bogotá to Cartagena which is a bloody long way through bandit country.

We did not get stopped.

She later found out (which is why we left very quickly) is that he was a plantation owner (you can guess what),

hence why he was let through at every bandit check point.

57Deluxe

ICBM said:

LoFi said:

And yes, the most threatened I've felt was as an Englishman in a pub in Kirkintilloch - was working up there, left work early to watch an England game (vs Russia, IIRC). Walked through the door of the pub, and the first thing I heard was "Kill that f***ing English c***!" shouted at the TV. Ordered my drink by pointing to it, made sure I paid with a Scottish note..

lol

I've been an Englishman in Scotland for thirty years and I've never experienced stuff like that - although I admit I don't generally go into pubs when there are football matches on TV, or nearby… and there are definitely parts of Scotland I wouldn't lightly go regardless of where you come from. Same with anywhere no doubt.

so you obviously never visited Dunfermline on a summer's early evening... more terrifying than Glasgee!