BootsnAll's Travel Community

The headlines here in NJ today are about a mysterious smell that shut down schools and businesses in NYC and parts of NJ and sent people to the hospital. It brought back some pungent memories of my RTW trip.

Where is the stinkiest place you've been?

The open sewer in Sukhumvit (Bangkok) gets my vote.

For my husband (and travel partner) it was the guy he sat next to for 10 hours on a Turkish bus.

I second your Bangkok vote. I was there right after the big floods this fall. Pee-yew!!!!

Rotorua, NZ - regardless of the smell, I still loved the place!

The ferry over to Penang had/has? an open upper deck where at night you got a great view of the island lights and by about halfway across also caught the island/sea odour which was pretty ripe even after having acclimatised elsewhere in Malaysia.

But that's the tropics for you, just about anywhere.

Hehe.

Mangalore, Karnataka, India (and that Mangalore, not Bangalore).

quote:

Originally posted by Marisa:
Rotorua, NZ - regardless of the smell, I still loved the place!

I completely agree

Alexandria, Egypt during the summer. Made everyplace I've been smell sweet.

As much as I loved it, it would have to be Kolkata/Calcutta, India. When I first got there I absolutely couldn't stick it.

Cal gets the city vote, but as for a place; the train I got from Delhi to Agra. Well te toilet of the train. I was feeling fine, walked into the toilet and threw up. Never has a smell made me throw up before!

Kandahar Afghanistan has the cloying latrine smell. As a matter of fact ALL of Afghanistan smells like excrement...

My FIL was in the Air Force, and claims you can smell Calcutta while still well above it.

quote:

Originally posted by Marisa:
Rotorua, NZ - regardless of the smell, I still loved the place!

I have to wholeheartedly agree with both Rotorua and still loving it regardless of the smell. I noticed the pungent odor of the city when I arrived (it's hard not to) but acclimatized to it during my stay--and then, when I went to Taupo, realized that everything I owned reeked of sulfur! The smelliest part of Rotorua had to be on the walk around the lake--some of the bubbling pools and the steam coming out of the ground nearby were gag-inducing.

- Kristin

Near massive cattle stockyards in the USA while trying to help save the union for the workers of a Tyson-owned beef-packing plant (aka: slaughterhouse.)

Way smellier than a Vietnamese outhouse at midday.


PS: If anyone is really into smells, read the book "Perfume" before they ruin it with the movie.

quote:

Originally posted by gymboy689:

quote:

Originally posted by Marisa:
Rotorua, NZ - regardless of the smell, I still loved the place!

I completely agree

One more vote for Rotorua!

A room shared by three (really, really, amazingly chronic) chronic alcoholics. It wasn't so much the unwashed dishes and clothes, or the rotting food. I think the straw that broke the camels back was one of the matresses. Specifically from the one man that drank so much that he ended up incontinent every night... so we worked on a cleaning schedule for them... guess I have to say that it's a long process.

The Tanneries along the main souk of Marrakech sticks out.I didn't find it as much as "stinky" but moreover of one overpowering emotion.

You can not mistake that unremarkable scent of plain Death. And I've been to India.

Its a Vegetarians/ PETA members worst nightmare!