"You want banana?" "30 minutes I give you banana!" And to my husband, "you want new wife?" I would never go to a middle eastern country again without being on a tour. And I am a confirmed independent traveller!
here's what happened to a friend of mine (lady) in Egypt. Her husband was offered money for her! and yes, they were part of a tour group and that happened right near the pyramids..
I would love to visit Egypt but honestly, after what she told me, i didn't consider it [even with a guide]
You are right. I could have found a more diplomatic way to express my feeling but it boiled down to that one word. And I said "many" not "most." The problem was that I read all 7 pages of the thread in one sitting and just got tired of the snide bashing in "many" of the posts. Guess I began to feel defensive of many places I have had incredible experiences. Sorry if anyone felt disrespected. It was not my intention for the comment to be taken personally.
Posts: 38 | Location: Salem Oregon U.S. | Registered: 03 January 2004
here's what happened to a friend of mine (lady) in Egypt. Her husband was offered money for her! and yes, they were part of a tour group and that happened right near the pyramids..
That happened to me and my boyfriend a few times in Egypt (and to most other couples) and the men saying it always had kind of a smirk on their face. I took it as a joke - they know it entertains/scares/makes tourists laugh. I don't think it is a real request. I don't think if my bf said "yes, 2 camels" that the transaction would have taken place. But of course I could be wrong and maybe they ARE serious...
Posts: 840 | Location: Vancouver, BC, for now... | Registered: 06 January 2004
Originally posted by Tickles: I don't think if my bf said "yes, 2 camels" that the transaction would have taken place. But of course I could be wrong and maybe they ARE serious...
LOL ok, that was FUNNY!
You know, cpl of ppl actually told me abt the same thing. Maybe it is just a tourist thing they like to do.
i think it's a matter of personal taste. although, for example, a lot of my American friends say they loved Bucharest, I still kind of despise it b/c i know it "differently". That's why for me, it is "overrated".
So I'm very sure that's how all the other posters thought of the places they commented abt
Pisa--crowded with 2types of people: tourists holding one hand up in the air, and people hawking junk for the tourists. All to celebrate a tower that leans. Let's analyze this for a second. If there was a such thing as a "class action suit" when that tower was built... and we celebrate it like it's a marvel of engineering. Las Vegas seems to be a popular place on this thread too, and I couldn't agree more. How sad is it to be known as the town that replicates all the cool places in the world. What's it called when you don't have your own identity so you mimic everyone you know?
Yes, it was the smirk and the body language that was so insulting to me...I felt disrespected as a woman and that I was being laughed at as a Westerner. The Lonely Planet Egypt at the time even spoke to this...the problem, they said, was that many western women do respond and accept the offers. I had a similar problem in Spain and Italy in 1965...a time when local women were not available to the men. In Spain, young women travellers wearing pants were hit on as it was usually only the prostitutes that wore pants then. And young women from the US used to have stories about being pinched in Italy. Of course we laughed about that afterwards but in the case of the Europeans we did not feel the utter disrespect that I felt recently in Egypt.
Posts: 38 | Location: Salem Oregon U.S. | Registered: 03 January 2004
It's just the whole mystic thing about it being such a great vacation/honeymoon destination that I personally find overated.
Yes, I agree. Darn travel writers trying to sell articles raise expectations and then we wonder why we are disappointed. We are better off reading travel blogs and articles written by real travelers!
Posts: 38 | Location: Salem Oregon U.S. | Registered: 03 January 2004
Museums? Yeah, they´re good. Gotta give it something there.
Nightlife? Most of what I saw was people going out with their (often) large group of friends (hence not needing to talk to you) and getting drunk. Why would I want to enter a smoky crowded bar all alone?
HQ Coordinates: 46.76n, 92.32w
Posts: 299 | Location: Hermantown, MN, USA | Registered: 26 May 2005
"The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become until he goes abroad. I speak now, of course, in the supposition that the gentle reader has not been abroad, and therefore is not already a consummate ass. If the case be otherwise, I beg his pardon and extend to him the cordial hand of fellowship and call him brother." - Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad
Posts: 517 | Location: Laying waste to Mesopotamia. | Registered: 16 May 2008
Why would I want to enter a smoky crowded bar all alone?
So you could meet people?
That´s a good one. The problem was it seemed like everybody went out together with their amigos or pandilla, and there´d be no reason to talk to me. I´d feel like I´d just be using up the little room they had there.
Later, though, while I was out looking for a bocadillo before I left Madrid, I found one that was less crowded and with somebody who actually said ¨hola¨ to me. Though I kept on walking when they told me that kitchen wasn´t running or something.
HQ Coordinates: 46.76n, 92.32w
Posts: 299 | Location: Hermantown, MN, USA | Registered: 26 May 2005
As to the comments about selling wives in Egypt, did anyone ever get an actual dollar price? Most importantly, does the offer apply to ex-wives? Might as well, she is so far behind on her alimony payments.
My vote for the worst US city: Portland, Oregon. Weather sucks. Getting a good meal almost requires looking for some arches. The population is one of the most narrow minded bunch of jerks. They are so deluded by their dazed world view they are clueless. Only city worse to live in is Detroit but in their defense most of their problems are the result of being screwed by the feds. Divine justice would be Detroit's murder and robbery rate being dumped on Portland.
Of foreign cities I've visited the worst are Kabul and San Pedro Sula.
Posts: 11 | Location: Sitting on the bench in the park. | Registered: 21 May 2008
"The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become until he goes abroad. I speak now, of course, in the supposition that the gentle reader has not been abroad, and therefore is not already a consummate ass. If the case be otherwise, I beg his pardon and extend to him the cordial hand of fellowship and call him brother." - Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad
Posts: 517 | Location: Laying waste to Mesopotamia. | Registered: 16 May 2008
You can sell ex-wives in Egypt? Is the price set by the pound, I'll be able to retire early. She's got the personality of a camel so I'm sure someone there could tolerate her.
A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. To live is to be slowly born. Antoine de Saint-Exupery
That´s a good one. The problem was it seemed like everybody went out together with their amigos or pandilla, and there´d be no reason to talk to me. I´d feel like I´d just be using up the little room they had there.
I haven't been to Spain, so I don't know the bar/nightlife culture there. In almost every country I have been to, a person won't remain alone for long in a bar unless they hide in the corner. That is even if it appears like everyone is couples or groups. Don't be shy.
Posts: 1485 | Location: Finally breathing some clean air in No. CA Mountains | Registered: 01 February 2001
She's got the personality of a camel so I'm sure someone there could tolerate her.
