I used to love Vegas. It was a cheap place to have a lot of fun. It’s ruined now. |
Sure you have. Please, tell me more about your time in the DRC? How did you like Syria? Any rec's for Afghanistan? |
Well, I have been to the DRC - I loved Virunga and climbing and sleeping on top of Mount Nyiragongo. Virunga is apparently one of Ben Affleck's favorite places to visit. Syria used to be lovely but now, not so much. Don't recommend - although in Jordan, make sure to go camel riding in Wadi Rum and do Petra Kitchen in Petra (learn how to cook like a Bedouin!). Finally, Afghanistan. I loved Bamiyan and Mazar e Sharif. You can fly (used to be able to?) to Badakhshan - which is the craziest flight I have ever taken - zigzagging through mountains. But stay at the Bam e Dunya in the spring and watch the river raging ... it is truly magical. |
LOL. What government agency do you work for?? |
I absolutely hated Karachi, Pakistan.
Filthy, dangerous, full of corruption and violence, air so polluted it makes you feel sick, and if you go during their Eid you get to see blood, heads, hooves, and organs strewn in the streets to stink in the sun from the animals people knife to death in the street. Two thumbs down, do not recommend. |
Yes, Egypt was hideous. The disgusting sexual comments and harassment I received just walking in the street in Cairo, in a long-sleeved, long dress, were alarming. I never felt safe there. |
Op here. Regarding PR - San Juan for me atleast, I’m not sure which part of PR the previous posters visited but I noticed that it didn’t necessarily lack culture. It was moreso that it comes across as a budget choice for the people we saw at the hotel and the locals didn’t seem to want to be there either.
I will say that while I did not hate San Juan. I can’t say that I will ever go back. It’s just that there isn’t anything there to draw me back that I cannot see somewhere else. |
Jekyll Island. Overly planned and fake. |
I lived in Dubai for work for a long time. I also do not understand why people go there for a beach vacation: the beaches are...not nice. But I liked Dubai. I enjoyed being able to live a slower life, just visiting friends at their houses or mine, going out to dinner, staying at home and reading, and I even liked the big, silent malls, where I could go walk around by myself when I wanted some alone time. The beaches are terrible, yes, but the weather from about October to April is nice; it isn't hot all year. |
Orlando is the only place I've been on vacation that I would absolutely never want to go back to. We did go to Disney, and that was fine (it was close to 15 years ago now), but everything else about Orlando is just terrible.
And I've been to other places that people have mentioned - Phoenix/Scottsdale (only in winter though), Dubai, Pigeon Forge. None of them was as bad for me as Orlando, although I'm white, and I can see how a person of color would not want to ever go back to Pigeon Forge. |
It was a while ago but I really doubt much has changed although maybe they’ve built better hotels (ours was terrible). The government there is still not very great and they are just finally starting to move away from their cozy relationship with Russia. I don’t have the impression that they’ve really had a cultural transformation that way some of the former Soviet/eastern bloc states have. Anyway, the whole experience basically removed my “I’ll go anywhere! Everyplace has something interesting!” Attitude and now I want to know how women are treated generally and how corrupt the local governments are. But I will say again ghat the historic buildings are amazing and the plof is really good. It’s probably better if you’re a man or wifh a man. I was with a group that included men but most of my bad experiences where when I was just with another woman. I guess the other point id make is that I was in the touristy areas which are smaller towns and not as cosmopolitan as Tashkent — Tashkent might be better (although my memory of Tashkent is that itjeres not much to see there). |
Yeah I posted something similar earlier. A lot of dislike seems to be poor accommodations— not the country itself. That being said, I’ve had situations where I was deeply uncomfortable, or I feel like I’ve exhausted what I’m interested in, and do not want to return somewhere — but I’d never say I hated anywhere. |
I was actually going to post that while I did not dislike Amman, I don’t need to return. BUT Wadi Rum and Petra should be on every traveler’s list! (We did the Bedouin camping and cooking thing too.) Spectacular! |
Nashville |
I hate India. All of India. I spent 3 1/2 weeks many years ago touring through it with a friend. The dirt never washed out! It was life changing for sure but good god, I never have to go anywhere in that country again. Nepal was fine but yes, I definitely returned to the US grateful for my life. The poverty and filth there is on another level though I know this was so many years ago but I imagine it's still pretty bad there.
I also didn't care as much as I thought I would for Rome. Loved everywhere else we were in Italy and I didn't hate Rome but I do not find it that amazing city that you would think Rome would be. It's a city like all other cities - we enjoyed the food and the sights but just saying it's not the end all and be all. I much enjoyed more Paris, Tokyo, Vienna, etc. I feel the same about London - it's not a horrible place at all but if I was going to spend my $ - I would go to Geneva or Florence or Milos or a city that either took my breath away or was just truly unique v just another city cause I've been to a lot of cities in the world and some are definitely more fun/interesting/unique than others ![]() Another place I kinda don't get is San Diego. Yes La Jolla is beautiful but SD as a whole is just another town - I find going up Hwy 1 toward Carmel/Big Sur to be beautiful. There's parts in S CA where you are actually on the beach which is really beautiful too. Unless you are bound for Sea World, I just don't see SD offering that much more of a unique experience v other locations in S CA near there. Not suggesting SD sucks just that I would take my money and not consider just SD specifically. One place that really lived up to my expectations is Costa Rica however. I now realize why it's universally loved ![]() |