Why? Nationality can be a source of pride even if your country isn't all you might want it to be.Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
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Why? Nationality can be a source of pride even if your country isn't all you might want it to be.Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
Yes, I think all that is very true.Quote:
Originally Posted by gadjo_dilo
See post # 6. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Knock-on
I must admit, sometimes I gloss over a bit ...... ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by gadjo_dilo
I've only been to a couple of South American Countries and not been to Peru yet. Mexico was OK but didn't really wow me although I met some great people. Brasil was fun but any country named after a Ladies 'Haircut' is gonna be a ball :D
What's so good about Peru that you like?
This is an interesting topic, isn't it?
I guess I have been a very lucky since everywhere I have travelled I found nice and friendly people, so my choice of favourite/least favourite country depends mainly on my circumstances at the time.
Favourite: -The USA, always friendly and welcoming at least on both coast I am not sure about the middle part I am not exactly a Spanish stereotype but I won't be mistaken as a local.
- The UK even if the weather is miserable I like it. I am not a big fan of London though.
- Portugal, lovely people, awesome food and beautiful language.
Least favourite: Australia, not based on Australians but the summer I spent there was very difficult for me. I only had 400 aussie $ for three months and I was in charge of a group of 30 students. It was not nice. I would love to go back again and prove myself wrong.
I think I was asleep on the first page :dork:Quote:
Originally Posted by Starter
Been there, done that. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Knock-on
Peru is a mysterious place. When I was very very very young I watched documentaries and read books abut Mac!hu Picchu, Cuzco, Nazca, lake Titicaka, that excited my imagination. Then I'm mad about Mario Vargas Llosa's novels that increased my interest in this country. When I think of a good place I can't be arsed with petty things like good food or friendly people.I' like things I can't find in my country and a bit of adventure to balance my prosaic existance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Knock-on
Unfortunately, for different reasons, I couldn't travel farther than Bulgaria and I feel ashamed when I see most of you traveled so much.
Thanks for that insight.
With me, a lot of my enjoyment is the people and culture. Everyone in Moscow has a face like a spanked bum which is why I don't like the place plus it costs a fortune!
I also want to visit Vietnam as it looks like a nice place with varied food and people. Might take a holiday for the first time in a decade :D
You're exaggerating. Russian girls are famous for their beauty. More than that it's the slavic soul that's fascinating- in case you bother to discover it. I mean that eternal heartbreaking conflict of the soul in search of a happy solution for life. A soul with a dilema: Do I love to suffer or do I suffer in order to love? Maybe you need to listern to some Vladimir Visotky songs....Quote:
Originally Posted by Knock-on
Too deep for an old grease monkey like me :D
Some places you like and some you don't but its all part of the great game. Funnily enough, I quite like Ukraine and they're not exactly a bundle of laughs. Just more approachable
Fav:
Italy is delightfully bonkers. People love to complain about everything, they love to discuss things loudly, they sing loudly and they don't muck about when it comes to restaurants, pubs or cafes. Italy is a nation without self-control - "La Dolce Vita" is a phrase which can exist only in Italy.
Special mention must be made of France. Not Paris which is IMWPO not "French" but rural France. Provided you make an effort to try to speak a little French, the locals will fall all over you trying to be hospitable. I pulled in at a petrol station asking for directions and one chap asked me to follow him, which led to coffee and cake at his shop before sending me on my way.
Unfavourite:
Paris. I'm willing to punch Paris out of France and call it it's own thing. The first time I went there, I orginally thought that Parisians were rude to outsiders but the second time I went there and went with a cousin, I found that Parisians are also rude to other Parisians.
Paris smells of wee, the people either don't know how to or don't care to drive properly and people will try to walk through you if you're standing on a Metro platform.
Couldn't agree more. The week I've just spent there reinforces exactly those feelings. Great fun.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollo
Ahaaaaaaa....... It explains why Bucharest is called Little Paris.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollo
: :laugh:
Never been there but it's one of my dreams.
I even dreamt one night that I was there with my boss -who acted like a jerk as usual. Now whenever I say I'd die he says I must live to see Paris with him. :devil:
Yeah...When you need a visa you'll see how friendly and welcoming they are. :devil:Quote:
Originally Posted by Donney
I've driven through the centre of Paris and it was one of the scariest situations I have ever found myself in. Its a beautiful city in parts but its like many other cities where the scum aren't too far away. Its not somewhere I've been and thought, wow I really want to return here soon. I'm not a huge fan of London, but then again only Londoners truly like London lol. Its one of those places where its enjoyable to go for a day, but on the packed train at the end, you just can't wait to get out of the place. I also don't like the mentality of 'England being a country surrounded by the M25'. Quite a few of my friends moved there after University and only a couple still remain. Every single one of them at some point got quite arrogant about London being the best place to live in the UK. One of them has bought a flat in the last month and it costs double what my 4 bed new build house is worth in Wales. If they want to pay through the nose and live in the rat race, that is fine by me.
The worst place I have ever been in the world by far is Egypt. What a filthy place that is. I've been to places where poverty is rife but in Egypt I got the impression it could have been better if the people had at least tried to look after their surroundings. I covered a lot of Egypt during my time there and it was very rare to see nice parts, apart from resorts. Driving into Cairo I saw a garbage truck tipping its contents into the river Nile which was weird for two reasons. One, I couldn't believe Cairo had a rubbish collection service considering how much rubbish was dumped in the streets or on the edge of the desert and two, the river Nile is an attraction I feel they should look after, not to mention a source of water for the city. Another shocker that stands out was when we tried to leave a coach at the pyramids. Stupidly I let my wife go in front of me and as soon as one of her feet touched the floor outside she was literally grabbed by several men either selling tacky souvenirs, or informing her she would be paying $40 to ride on a camel whether she wanted to or not. I thought at one point I was going to be arrested by the very lazy tourist police who stroll round smoking fags and pointing their AK-47 rifles. I had one guy by the throat as he gripped and stretched my wife's t shirt in the struggle. Our tour guide diffused the situation and the camel guider chanted 'donkey' at me as we walked away. Not sure if he was referring to our own resident 'Donkey' here or actually under the impression it would insult me?
The final delight of that trip was visiting a famous Mosque. we were told before we left that day that women had to cover their shoulders and legs to which my wife did out of respect. What my wife didn't realise was the white t shirt she was wearing was quite transparent and you could see her bra through it. When inside this Mosque we wondered around reading the tourist info boards when two men approached her and took a photo of her chest with their camera phones before walking away sniggering. What the actual hell??!!! To me that was not only disrespectful to us but also disrespectful to do it in a place or worship. As you can probably tell I hated Egypt lol. If earth had a backside, this was it. :)
Hmmm....I see all egyptian inconvenients were somehow related to your wife...
:devil:
Not all the annoyances though. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by gadjo_dilo
Hmmm - you may as well have been describing inner London there too!Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollo
I'll break both rules... it's not a country and it's a place part of my own country.... So the most dreadful place I've been to is Bucharest. Horrible place, nasty people (not all of them but so many) and perhaps the ugliest capital in UE. Don't get upset gadjo. I'm sure your are dragging up the average :p :
I really like Germany and Austria. It's a fondness that comes from the frustration of living in such a chaotic country as my own.
Yes, I didn't really engage my brain before I started typing. What I meant was that you would not be proud of what is happening in Zim etc. I am sure that the real, untaited Afghan's are very sincere and nice folk who are proud of their heritage.Quote:
Originally Posted by BDunnell
I don't because I agree with you. However I'm a perfect "Mitică". Or how our co-forumers would say, you can take me out of Bucharest but you can't take Bucharest out of me. :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Ben
On a serious note how can you explain that being despised by the rest of the country ( esp by the arrogant transylvanians ) this horrible city attracts the provincials like a sh*t attracts the flies?
I just want to go to all those places you guys don't like :D
I actually can't figure out which country is my favourite or which I dislike. I've got no problems with Russia or any other country. But the mentioned crazy traffic, I want to try it out. Inner London traffic was pretty good.
You try doing it on a Motorbike then. :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88
The worst traffic I have encountered is in...... wait for it........ MOSCOW!! When your being driven on a Motorway at 30 mph in reverse in a 40 year old Lada, the wrong way up the Hard sholder, forcing other cars who are innocently using the Hard sholder as a means to overtake to scatter, in a car spewing Carbon Monoxide into the cockpit, then you're in Moscow.
Or when your on a two lane road with a car undertaking you on a gravel verge, another overtaking on the opposite lane with a third using the gravel verge on the other side of the road to overtake the car overtaking me, while a car travelling towards me is detirmined to overtake on your side of the road, all at 70mph on potholed roads it's no safe to do 20mph on. Or you try to cross a quiet street at night when a Ferrari passes at about 150mph with no lights on then you know you're in Moscow.
These aren't one off events but every day driving experiences in Moscow and Russia. I don't know how many death crashes I have seen but if you take the 'Motorway' from Belarus to Moscow, (M9 or M20 I think) then you are guarenteed to see one and in excess of 100 recent shrines to people who have died.
My worst driving experience ever was in Athens in 2003 and a couple of members of this forums can confirm that, Calcutta, Naples, Paris, Agadir, Colombo and Bangkok cannot compare to it... :eek: :crazy:
Tripoli was the most frightening place I've ever been roads-wise. Every taxi journey seemed like an appalling gamble, especially as the driver appeared to take it as a personal affront if one tried to put on one's seatbelt. The standard of driving was appalling, but luckily we (meaning the taxi driver and I) were only involved in two minor bumps.
Is it much? Lascar Catargiu Boulevard in the heart of Bucharest is only 926 metres long and I can count 3 such things.Quote:
Originally Posted by Knock-on
you really don't know?Quote:
Originally Posted by gadjo_dilo
You tell me...
ok. you know :laugh:
Okay, beat this. Once I took a cab in Budapest from the airport to downtown. I shared it with a guy from Azerbaijan. The driver asked us where we were from and then unfolded a newspaper and started reading out the results of the Euro qualifying soccer games for us while doing 40 mph. I'm not sure he really watched the road.
My father had a cousin in Greece who was a taxi driver. Once when he came here with some clients he took me and my brother for a ride with his brand new Mercedes. He played the music loud, accelerated and then took off his hands from the wheel and for minutes started a sort of dance. I was terrified and even after so many years I'm still haunted by that song.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rudy Tamasz
watch this and then complain for taxi drivers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDp2eAmMlvg
I'm going against the trend here - my favourite country is Russia. Most people judge Russia by its European part, which is where all the newly-rich gits live - especially Moscow, St- Petersburg and Samara. I, however, spent a lot of time in Omsk in Siberia and you wouldn't believe the friendliness and open-mindedness of the people there. Of course you cannot really experience that if you don't speak Russian, since most Russians are not very good at foreign languages.
My least favourite country is Israel, which is a tricky thing to say as a German, because of our history. But that's exactly why I have trouble liking Israel, especially its political caste. They use German history as a blackmailing tool. Criticize Israel for something like Mossad assasination commandos or their settlements in the palestinian areas and you won't get half the sentence out before they shout 'Holocaust' to silence you. I know a few Israelis and they are very friendly people and have no problem interacting with Germans, but their political elites are hard to live with.
I had a very similar experience in Budapest myself. A guy picked us up in a VW Phaeton and drove us downtown during busy hour. He spent the entire journey with his mobile to his ear talking to what must have been his girlfriend while he had several near misses and scared the living daylights out of us in the back. They all seem to be mental where driving is concerned though. Italy was pretty bad for that too, with scooters using pavements.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rudy Tamasz
In Kyiv, Ukraine drivers chase pedestrians off pavements trying to bypass traffic jams. That's a pretty frequent practice.Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rudy Tamasz
LOL. Yeah. You will be quite happily walking down a pavement and find a car driving down with a scooter trying to overtake it and both looking at you like 'WTF are you doing on the pavement'. Dive or die situation :laugh:
That's a tough thing to get used to, especially being from Minsk, where pedestrian is king. A classic Minsk pedestrian is a hooded person with loud music in earphones and complete disregard of cars around him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Knock-on
I'm proud of my Turkish, English, Irish, Spanish and German heritage :andrea:Quote:
Originally Posted by BDunnell
Maybe he recognised your missus and thought you were me :s ailor: :andrea:Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88