What countries do you find intimidating to travel to, or you were intimidated to travel to until you got there?
What countries are you guys intimidated by? Or have you been to an intimidating country and felt foolish about being intimidated by it?
I was a little intimidated by China before I traveled to Beijing. Then I felt so foolish for feeling that way because it was really easy for me to get around there. The one place that I haven't been yet that intimidates me a lot is India.
I'm very curious to see some of the answers because I feel like I know some of them, but everybody is intimidated by something different.
Reply to this Very good question - for me the most intimidating countries seem to be those are the first within a region. Thus, I was a little anxious by my first country in the Middle East (Jordan) and my first one in Africa (Ethiopia).
The most nervous I've been was entering North Korea - mainly due to whether they would let my camera and netbook in (which they did).
However, with all of these countries, my anxiety was misplaced. Having said that, I still can imagine some trifle apprehension on arriving at my first Central American country (for example) but think that it would be far less than that which faced me on arriving in Jordan or Ethiopia.
Reply to this For reasons im not really sure of the thought of going to Sudan makes me nervous. Im ok with all other african nations, just something about sudan - both now and historically - that makes me apprehensive.
Reply to this Thus far I have avaoided the countries or parts of countries that have most intimidated me. I won't cross from the U.S. into Mexico because of the drug wars on the border. I don't want to go to Sudan, Somalia, or Congo. And I will avoid Serbia, although it is now safe, but because of all the grief they caused to the other countries around them.
I was very intimidated by stopping over in the Soviet Union in 1974 at the height of the Cold War. And I didn't visit China until it was modern, even though I could have gone much earlier.
Reply to this I see a lot of intimidation due to governments, but not really cultures. Do you guys think that's the most intimidating thing about a country?
Reply to this I think some cultures can be intimidating especially if they are very different - such as speak little of your language or have cultural norms that you need to be careful not to offend, but the more you travel the less intimidating they are as it becomes easier to adjust. Governments don't intimidate me, as their actions rarely impact on the traveller.
The major concern I have about a place is almost always personal safety, insofar as crime through robberies. I have no problem going into places that are considered "unsafe" due to government or terrorist concerns (North Korea, Yemen) but tend to hesitate when planning to a place with a known high crime rate.
Reply to this First time I was intimidated was before I crossed the border from Montenegro to Albania. It was my first longer travel on my own and Shköder frightened me. Today I can only laugh at my fear and yet be happy that I felt it, since I think a bit of intimidation is always healthy. Georgia also intimidated me before going, and Morocco. I think to me it has to do with how confusing it seems from afar. I am used to a western society and the idea of arriving at Fez Medina can be quite intimidating. I think it is connected a bit to what The Travel Camel wrote about the first time to arrive at a region.
Also though I dream of going to Belarus, the idea that someone might delete my pictures on the border intimidates me too. So yes to governments and restricted societies. But that wont stop me from going, it will only make me consider my actions at the place.
Reply to this Kathryn, I had a good think about your question...and came to the conclusion that it has never been the government or political situation in Sudan that has given me a probably totally unwarranted 'fear' of Sudan, rather person experience.
Around 8 years ago I lectured a group of young Sudanese men who had refuge status on a special program to introduce them to the concept of women lecturing and of course the intro to Australian education systems. The problem was before I even met the guys I was given files on them - all but one was a former child soldier.
I had just done a similar program with Omani guys who were handed to me after another female lecturer found them too intimidating and I eventually locked the door and sat down and gave a bit of a speil about not being intimidated and the door wasnt opening until we found a way to get past the female in position of authority thing. I expected to be able to break through with the Sudanese guys but the moment I entered the room I had a mental 'gulp' - not just because of their backgrounds as child soldiers - but at the appearance of the group. My partner now is 6'5 looking back I would say the sudanese guys ranged from just under to way over his height. They all had dead eyes. I got no emotion, good or bad, in the ten weeks I lectured them. It wasnt their height, they were all beanpoles, so the thing that made me nervous was.....dead eyes. They did their work, they were polite, they were not at all threatening..but something in their eyes said if it came down to having to resort to any lengths to survive, they would do whatever it took and had taken to get them there.
Im absolutely positive not all Sudanese people have dead eyes...but that memory sticks with me. Funny how things like that can give you a subliminal hesitation about an entire country.
Reply to this Cindy -> I find that so interesting! Do you think you will ever head out to Sudan, maybe even South Sudan now that it's a separate nation? What do you think it would take for you to head over there.
If the questions are getting a little too much, just let me know ^_^; I know that I can be a little too nosey.
Anna -> I can understand that fear. When I went to China I was glad that I hadn't gotten a LP on China. The Airport officials would take it and rip parts out and glue the maps together because it didn't like Taiwan and Tibet as part of the country. I was so nervous that they would take it a couple steps further and aim for my camera.
What do you think it would take for you to go to Belarus?
Shane -> Have you ever relied on somebody else's recommendation on a country to get you to go there? I lived in Japan for 3 years and it took me going there for any of my friends to even consider going there.
Reply to this Kathryn I do think I need to head to Sudan (I will be a chicken and admit to finding out where the safest part of Sudan is) when I get to 'do' Africa. While I think I will initially find it a bit intimidating going my curiosity wants to find the other people of Sudan, the ones with life in their eyes. LOL no, not nosy at all - Ive actually got a lot of time to ponder these things now due to my being housebound for the moment. I had planned to do Africa on my long service in 2014 hopefully I will be back travelling late mid 2012..omg that sounds so far away!.
I admit to having a bit of a fascination with how man can do the evil that man does. I went to the killing fields specifically to try and gain an understanding of what I remember seeing on TV when I was a kid and Pol Pot was slaughtering his people..I know a lot of african people because of the amount of international students I lecture and want to understand more about the tribal aspect of conflicts....if that makes any sense.
Reply to this My first feeling on seeing this question was that I'm not intimidated by anywhere. On reflection that's not true.
In truth, I avoid places that are war zones, although that might not be the whole country. I would recommend that you should visit Sudan, it was one of my favourite places and I've been to a part of Somalia - Somaliland which is perfectly safe. Somaliland is an independent state although no other country in the world has recognised its status.
The same thing is true of other countries that might be considered dangerous such as Iraq or Afganistan. If you do some research before you travel it can make places seem a lot less intimidating.
[Edited: 2011 Jul 15 02:06 - Stuart:1161 ]
Reply to this We've been to less than 40 countries so we have not yet been to any countries that intimidate us. If we were as well traveled as many travel bloggers we might have faced this issue. Ask us again when we are over 100 countries. If you look at our short list there don't seem to be any countries ending in "stan".
[Edited: 2011 Jul 15 04:25 - D MJ Binkley:42569 ]
Reply to this Kathryn - What would make me go to Belarus? Hmm, a ticket I suppose. I lived in Lithuania for a while and it was my plan to go to Belarus, but timing and the fact that no one else found it a particularly fascinating destination, had me not go. But should I ever find a cheap ticket, I will go. I think all I have to do is get some magician lessons on how to hide your memory-card when questioned by secret police.
Stuart - My dad is one of those golden oldies from back when the world was young. He too has travelled to Somalia quite often in his late years, and I have heard rumours that they call him a lion down there due to his looks, which I still laugh at. However, my point is that my dad travels there because he has the proper contacts and knows the situation intimately. He has friends and networks extending to most areas of Somalia, and I think ultimately that is what it boils down to when visiting a place so devastated with war, connections to locals be it security guards or NGO's or others whose presence somehow guarantee your safety. Personally I would feel extremely intimidated by going to Somalia and perhaps more so than any other place, but once there and if probably connected I think that intimidation wears off.
Reply to this Dave and Merry -> Any particular reason WHY you haven't gone to any of the "stan" countries? Even those that don't start with Paki or Afghan?
Reply to this Kathryn,
We'd love to see Uzbekistan or Kyrgzstan but there are other places we want to go first. There is a lot of Europe we have not seen and Iceland, the Faroe Islands are high on our list. We loved our trip to Peru and want to see the rest of South America, we have yet to go to India, China, or Mongolia....the list goes on. We will get there but it will take some time.
We are not one of those 18 countries in 21 days kind of people so it takes us a while to explore the world. Who can say why one country interest one person over another. I can tell you from my reading on Travel blog that my short list of countries keeps changing. An example of that is the Philippines. For whatever reason for years I've only had minimal interesting in visiting this country. Because of Liliram's writing I am really looking forward to going now. It has made it's way much closer to the top of my list.
Reply to this A nice discussion. I tend to feel more discombobulated going to countries or regions for the first time. I guess the element of the unknown tends to make travellers apprehensive at first, but a positive attitude and being aware of your surroundings can make a big difference.
Of course all travellers have the odd experience or two that is so far removed from our daily lives in our country of origin, but again that's all part of the travel experience. I will never forget arriving in Caracas for the first time, a city with a very bad reputation for crime. While walking to the hostel I was stunned to see the police disarming a guy of a hidden machete, and couldn't help but wonder if we were destined to have an unpleasant introduction without the intervention of the police. Needless to say I hightailed out of town to get my bearings in other parts of Venezuela till my confidence grew. However later on in Colombia the guys didn't even conceal their weapons, and it got to the stage where I may as well have been looking at a mobile phone! Big cities can be intimidating at first, but there's no avoiding them either.
Reply to this Have you ever relied on somebody else's recommendation on a country to get you to go there?
Oops, sorry it took me four months to reply, hadn't been on this thread for a long time. Yes, I do take recommendations from other people, but usually from reading their blogs rather than in person.
However, I am at times swayed by people I meet on the road. For example I was already thinking about Mali, and when I met some travellers in East Africa who described the highlight of their whole African visit to be hiking the Dogon country, I knew that it was one place that needed to be moved higher in my travel plans.
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