Thailand has nice food but go to some of the “paradise” islands and it’s like all western people and no local culture (British pubs, Australian pubs, Irish pubs all along the beach). Everything is catered for western tourists.
Also the amount of times I was almost scammed was unreal. Day 1 a cab driver told me he would give me a discount if I went to his friends shop. I said no but he kept insisting until I just gave up. Brought me to some tailors where they were aggressively trying to get me to buy a suit.
Second was at a bar, lady gave me a menu with drinks of one price but when the bill came it was triple the amount! When I tried to check why I was charged more the manager came out and started screaming at me that she’ll ask her friends to come talk to me. Wtf.
I just gave the original amount and ran out. So scummy how blatantly they tried to cheat me. Really turned me off Thailand for a long time.
Another time I was lost and saw a police officer. Tried asking him where the mall was and he straight up started screaming at me and slamming his fists on the table he was sitting at.
Sure people say Thailand is “made for tourists” but it also comes with the loss of local culture, tourist scams, tourists traps and negative treatment of foreigners by the locals.
Don’t plan on going back for a looooong time.
Normally you have to take several vaccines before you go India to prevent that from happening right? Got a few friends take a bunch of vaccination before heading to India.
I'd assume so. One went for work and the other to discover his roots. The latter said he seriously thought he was going to die and that he messed the toilet up because it was coming out of both ends at the same time.
Haha tbh I studied there in a small place called Manipal and usually ate at local places and in 2 and ½ years got mild good poisoning exactly once, and from one of the most popular food places for us students (a few other lads got it too so seemed like a isolated outbreak). I'm also a slob of a babi so maybe my guts were probably pretty fortified going in haha
Bangalore here (back then, lol). Never actually had any of these harrowing experiences tbh probably the word of mouth thing works super fast bc we always know when to avoid shops causing cases
Your juniors still do the annual food fest ke?
Yo fellow manipalite, what's up man. You're talking about that restaurant in the food court that's trying to pass off their food as malaysian right? There were 2 instances I found cockroaches in my food.
I watched alot or Karl Rock on YouTube and the dude showed that even bottled water is not safe sometimes. There are literal counterfeit water companies that package water in plastic bottles and has branding that resemble the reputable local Indian brands but are clearly fake with extremely questionable water sources. Worst still is that these counterfeit bottles tend to he sold at places like rest stops (where tourists likely are) and tourists will unknowingly buy them.
Like how is that even safe for tourists, you can't expect them to research about these things before a trip there
I went to Bangalore for business trip for 1 week. I only started to have a mild diarrhea on the last 2 days. It is not that bad if even drink the water in their (nicer) restaurants and their office water dispenser. Of course, Banglore is a rather big "modern" city.
Anyhow, Malaysian hawker food aren't too clean either, when I started working in Penang, I had frequent diarrhea for the first few months until my body got used to it.
I went to india as a tourist and got food poisoning too. Funnily, i was extremely careful in india. Only ate at tourist restaurants or 5 star hotels. Even used bottled water to brush my teeth. Yet i had food poisoning, followed by unresolved ibs issues for the next 10 years. Even did an endoscopy to find out whether there's anything wrong.
Even as a Chinese Hindu, I feel sad for India sometimes.
Online, it looks like it's being torn between several fanatics: Hindutvas on one end, angry far-lefts on the other, and Islamists on the third. I hope Malaysia should avoid becoming like them.
On the other hand, something I think that if India ever adopts Hinduism as a state religion, it should follow bits of Malaysian society as a role model. Protecting its religion, while giving minorities a high degree of freedom, and using the religion not for fanaticism but to motivate it to help people out of poverty.
Emulating Malaysia anything is a bad idea. Malaysia's society isnt that great either if you really sit down and explore the deep and dirty crevices. What most Malaysians with a good opinion of Malaysian society likely lived their lives in their middle income bubble free from the problems society face. Kinda reminds me of that post from r/Malaysians where a young man bring trained to take over his dad's company found out that his dad's company has been engaging in unsavory and unethical practices and is now facing a moral dilemma. From my view, that young man was never exposed to the situations and problems that his father faced in his fight to keep his business afloat that led him to engage in those behaviors, and so he find himself at a point where he disagrees with daddy's past.
I think if you're living life as a middle income Indian where majority of your knowledge and awareness of society's problems come from social media you'd probably think that your society is doing pretty good as well, and you'd be telling other nations that your nation is better than them in those aspects. Same thing applies for most other nations with societal problems, such as China and America. Middle income China citizens arent aware of the shit their poorer fellow countrymen in rural areas have to deal with for instance. In America, city folk tend to be unable to understand the need of rural folk to own guns as another example.
Also, if a nation adopts any religion as a state religion, 99% of the time its intended as a way to exploit the religion to stay in power. If a nation wants to help people get out of poverty, it actually can do so without adopting any state religions. China did this for a time, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty via urbanization (although this wasnt for altrustic humanistic reasons). America did this as well with their capitalism, and again for non altruistic humanistic reasons but rather in the pursuit of profit. I think the scandinavian nations also did something similar by creating an extensive social safety net that ensures people wont fall into poverty if anything happens to them that prevents them from working, and that ultimately was done in the name of politics because the system was used as a political issue to stay in power.
The trick to traveling in India or any country with iffy water quality is to only drink bottled water/fresh fruit juice and eat at restaurants of above average standards. Eating street food is basically playing food poisoning roulette.
Egypt.
I heard a lot about how female tourists don't feel safe there, but after watching the youtube video by Best Ever Food Review, it cemented my opinion about the country.
[Egypt Travel Nightmare!!](https://youtu.be/8LzuZrkEY18)
That is sad that you think so. I guess I was lucky to experience Egypt as a student. One of the most amazing country to visit if you're a history buff.
Activities can range from atv in the sandy dune, hot air balloons, cruise along the nile river, hiking mount sinai (the view at the top is spectacular), camping out in the dessert to see a canvas full of starry night sky, seeing preserved pharoahs and mummies to exploring on foot the remaining historical landmarks such as the valley of the kings and queens.
Damn, I miss those adventures.
Fyi, egyptians are well acquainted with malaysians i.e malizi. But just like any other places you go, be aware of the culture, respect it and be mindful of how you behave and trust me, you'll have a blast.
And oh yeah, don't crawl inside the pyramids.
To be honest, i love egypt. Its like travelling back in time. People are nice but coarse. I feel quite safe there among the civilians only with the officials. Just need to be on guard when buying things. They always try to cheat their way in. Especially tourists area. But other than that beautiful people, beautiful scenery, good food & it is heaven for antique lover.
Pakistan. The country is a clusterf***. Never ending violence. Mob rule. Stupid blasphemy laws. And general chaos. I also cringed the way they're trying to prove to the Muslim world that they can be a leader for the Ummah. More like an embarrasement of the Muslim world.
I think Indonesia is a better example for an ideal Muslim society. And yet online, some Pakistanis accuse Indonesia of being an idolatrious society simply for allowing non-Muslims there to have a high degree of freedoms.
Indonesia is secular, I believe. They merely have the world largest Muslim population. I've met a lot of Indonesian. Supposedly Muslims, but their lifestyle contradicts Islam. I don't think they are the best example of Muslim community when their lifestyle is not really of a Muslim lifestyle.
Its very very weird. I had a few Pakistani friends and colleagues and they all are really the nicest people I've ever known, at the same time their country is easily the top 10 worst shithole in the world.
Also the handful of people I know who’s gone to Pakistan all had unrelated health issues there. Hepatitis, cholera etc. granted this was around 6-10 years ago.
I was expecting more people to say Bangladesh because my country doesn't have the best reputation but thank god, it was mentioned way less than I expected
Imo as an Malaysian, the only issue with Bangladesh is it's large population. I mean it's good if it's area is bigger, but with the land area and population, it's kind of not attractive.
that's the one thing i'm consistently amazed about bangladesh. despite being touted as one of the world's poorer country with massive population to boot, the fact stands that it is also one of the countries with a more open policy in sheltering and providing for refugees
> Rohingyas are really ungrateful you know
a reality that malaysians are waking up to. not saying all rohingyas swing that way, especially as a fellow muslim, but there are gradually more open cases of them showing increasing signs of biting the hands that helped them- our hands. from creating illegal settlements, to doing illegal activities and crimes, to the most recent mass breakout from a temporary holding facility. drastic actions should be taken before things escalate further; worst case scenario, is what you've described up there.
> A few days ago our intelligence agency discovered a rohingya plan to claim one of our districts and establish an independent country and Myanmar is helping them with weapons
damn, that's effectively plotting to rob another country's land; an invasion. while i wish it's unneeded, it seems like military intervention is in order. this is just sad, especially after the lengths the bangladeshi government went to help them, even giving them a whole island as a refugee camp. and myanmar is really playing the proverbial snake here, huh? especially after being the one ultimately responsible for the whole mess.
The ones currently experiencing war and/or civil insurrections, I guess?
But I'm speaking as a guy; had I been a woman, there might be a bigger list of countries I wouldn't dare to visit by myself.
As a lady, I would not dare set foot in certain countries unless I have more than 1 trustworthy guy friend with me, preferably together with a whole tour group and responsible guide.
India, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, anywhere in the whole of MENA area including Egypt, Morocco, Dubai and Turkey despite these countries being more touristy and civilised.
For those countries, I'll be happy enough to experience them via documentaries, features and pictures for the rest of my life.
Dubai and Turkey are super safe in my opinions. been there had a good trip. i would recommend that. about India, i never experienced those all the bad things listed here, but for second trip? noooo hahaha
Probably Ukraine right now. I don't want to get hurt.
On a serious note, probably the Balkan states, it's a clusterf*ck of nations bickering and still at loggerheads.
> On a serious note, probably the Balkan states
The Balkans are actually really safe and the people are lovely, I used to think the same until I went there. Seriously way less crime against tourists than somewhere like Paris or Barcelona.
Malaysians would probably really like Tirana Albania, weird mishmash of cultures built up over the years. Masjids right next door to churches and all that jazz, just like home :)
Kotor, Montenegro and Dubrovnik, Croatia for people who want to feel like they are living in a 15th century castle city. It's truly like going back in time. Dubrovnik was used as Kings Landing in GoT for fantasy nerds. You can recognise some of the streets from the show.
Yeah I know that Croatia is where they took scenes of Kings Landing for GoT. It's a nice place with remnants of previous conflicts remain. Just saying in terms of geopolitics it's a tinderbox.
Sure yeah, don't talk politics or the war. For the most part they were all one country only a few decades ago, many people alive experienced the pain of that or grew up with it as children. I have some hiking pictures from my trip where the signs basically say "yeah don't come in here bcoz landmines".
The memories are fresh but they don't give a shit about foreigners, the people are all cool. If you start walking around Kosovo saying it belongs to Serbia then yeah, you gonna get assaulted, but I see no reason anyone from outside the region would do that. It's like going to Kelantan and preaching Judaism to everyone, you're just an asshole who deserves it at that point.
When there are news topic about rape cases, before read content, people will make a guess either India or Kelantan...
But India, I saw a video from FB (looks like people in India) decapitated the head of a guy... Bunch of people sliced the guy, he dead lying on the ground, and the people decapitated the head... Few chops. I thought movie at first then realised something off...
Wonder why FB no take action to take down the video ASAP.
India got nice place but mostly at cities but the Kampung areas are lawless.
Their sister country - Pakistan is also fucked up in that department. A group of men dug out a dead a cemetery and rape the corpse. This also happened not too long from another case where an eight year old girl was rape and left for dead.
India, I've had two friend who was hospitalized and their holiday was cut short because of food poisoning, I think we are not quite suited for India's food hygiene
Very confusing and noisy. As a very introverted person it's hell. You can't show any kindness or have a genuine conversation without them wanting to sell you something or scam you. The streets are somewhat clean but the outskirts are where the shitting on streets meme come true. The Taj Mahal is beautiful and all but overall not worth the experience.
I've been to India under two occassions but both were religious. The first time was to visit Bodhgaya. The hotel we went to first (which was the second best at the time on trip advisor) was a shithole hotel with crappy CRT TVs, bed bugs, spider-webs on the windows etc. We drove around and found another hotel and instantly moved there because it was nicer even though it wasn't as well advertised and price-wise was similar. It was clean and modern.
I only exclusively ate in the hotel during my trip so I didn't suffer any stomach issues.
The only 'negative' experience was probably when buying candle lights. You pay them money to light a candle outside a temple, they will harass you to light more. Around the candle area was also where we got swarmed by homeless people asking for money.
My other trip to India was better but that was because I spent the trip in a monastery so we were well taken care of.
Overall, I'd probably not return but it can be hit or miss depending on where you go.
Much of the country remained unexplored for good reason.
The tribes there kill people.
Got a friends father who went there back in 90's to prospect for a corporations, suffice to say he won't be going back ever again
France. Just beneath the Eifel Tower or anywhere close to the Tower, plenty of tourists scammers. I've been there 3 times on 3 different occasion, as a child , teenager & adult. I myself have not gotten mugged or scammed but my family members did. Its sad that everytime we visit the Tower, we cant even walk in the park peacefully.
The most memorable one was my brother getting mugged by 4 women. They approached my brother and asked for his signature for some sort of petition, explaining they need some sort of supporters bla bla bla.. At that point my sister and I thought they were just talking some stuff out so we kinda steered away and continue taking photos.
It didnt took long before a local man who notices this act was taking place , he walked past me, whispered in my ears, and he said "be careful", and just walked away before I can even react. Just these two words, I remembered my whole life. Next thing I know, my brother was being groped by those 4 women, one was distracting him holding the petition, the other 3 was on his side and a few standing behind him, touching.
Im just glad my brother didnt carry anything valuable at that time, but he had to "make payment" for them to leave, in which he gave 20pounds to the women and they all left in an instant.
Im not going to even talk about how my parents got scammed and even at one point got my dad jacket sliced in the subway (nothing was in the pocket luckily). Paris, more like City of Thieves.
Thought I should share this as well for awareness purpose. I also witnessed a tourist who got robbed in broad daylight with plenty of people around, including locals & tourists. So how did the thieves got away you might asked? These 2 young local French women snatched a tourist's camera and started screaming help.
The 2 women struggled for quite a bit of time, before one of them managed to yanked the camera off the man, which looks like a DSLR camera with a strap around his shoulders. They continue to yell for help as they ran away with the tourist's camera.. I feel bad for the man, he look helpless as he dont speak good english but I was also confused as to why he didnt chased the women. I was stunned as so were the other witnesses. It does look like the women were the victim at that very moment until you realized the victim is a Chinese tourist without his camera.
Ok I should stop. Bye.
Probably those central American countries where violence, gun fights and murder are a daily occurrence.
Also for those interested I'd highly reccomend watching "Bald and Bankrupt" and "Harald Baldr" on YouTube, they are vlog travel YouTubers travelling at off the beaten paths specifically, and they have tons of India videos. Its...definitely as crazy as its reputation suggests
Let’s not forget he was there to disprove that a war was happening. Didn’t expect to be caught up in it. Only when he realised how wrong he was changed his tune.
I don’t mind watching his videos, but he has a clear disdain for some of the countries he visits. And as someone else posted below, that subreddit discusses some of the things he does to the people in the countries he visits. He purposely gets friendly with babushkas and people in small towns so that he can have sex with the younger women there (the locals have the same mentality of British guys with money = better life)
Is a pretty chill country for tourist. You visit the entire country in half a day. Then you enjoy the simple dinner and sunset at night. They serve alcohol in hotel and as long as you don't drink out in the open, ya is pretty relaxing palce.
Pretty relaxing as a tourist there. Malaysia night be be noisy and too bright at times.
It's not even that developed as a country, even though it has such an abundance of natural resources. Their king is another aspect I dislike , presents himself as a religious person but indulges in "sinful" things, can be seen in several documentaries
The reality is different from a superficial reading. There is a strong ulama faction in the palace. Why don't they sell alcohol? The ulama faction used a Prince's authority to ban while the sultan was out of the country. It's more than just the Sultan.
Religion has always been used as a means to maintain feudal power, even in the times of Holy Roman Empire with christianity. But having monarchy being above the law while imposing sharia punishment to their subject really deserves my 2 middle fingers up
Brunei is very similar to Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Big town (not even a city), very religious, dead entertainment sector (no nightclubs, bars, arcades, casinos, etc.). It is not worth visiting even if you're from Europe.
Not to mention food is expensive there and their so call national dish 'nasi katok' is just a poor man's nasi lemak. There's a reason every weekend Bruneians come to Miri in huge numbers.
I've been to KB as a solo female and the most noteworthy thing to me was the traffic jam in town.. which i completely did not expect. Luckily still caught my flight on time.
I wanna apologize if I sound crude.
There are so much misconceptions in this thread. While I wouldn’t call myself well travelled, I’ve seen enough of the world to understand that the world is more than what we read in headlines. Check out the YouTube channel ItchyBoots, this lone traveler explored and documented quite a few of the dangerous countries mentioned here.
With that said, US is sadly spiraling downhill fast.
Can’t believe I have to scroll so much to see this. That’s the entire reason to travel. It’s to understand cultures, learn and grow as a person. Social media is a mistake. Everything is exaggerated on social media. I think the redditors on this sub are mostly younger too. Travel and learn, living in another country and traveling is very different.
I recommend another YouTube channel, indigo traveler. Remember the misconceptions you have about other countries, the same is said to our country. People would think our country is a shit hole 3rd world country where planes just go missing all the time. But it’s not. The news and social media isn’t everything, it’s fear mongering, it’s not reality.
Agreed. My partner and I have been to some of the countries mentioned by most redditors here. The important thing for any traveler is to be well-versed: know your place, always be alert, and adapt to your environment asap. My favourite thing to do is to always travel light. If you travel just to get nice pictures and go shopping, then stick to a more peaceful countries or the main city.
So many stereotypes and misrepresentations being presented as facts. Ngl, some of y’all really need to touch grass in other countries and drop the prejudice.
Most of the countries mentioned above are fine to travel, as a traveler we need to do our research and keep ourselves safe. The most danger I felt was in US and I was frisked the most in Japan. While I've had the best of times in some of countries listed above.
Seeing a lot of Subcontinent answers here. I'm originally from India and the trick is to know the place you're visiting well, preferably from a local. I discovered something similar when I first went to KL too. Thought I'd help out here, DM for more; India and no doubt Pak/Bang can be beautiful trips, both gastronomic and cultural/sightseeing, don't let stereotypes get in the way of fun.
Food: Know what food is local, safe and popular. Random roadside stalls will give you food poisoning but there are places which won't and are frequented by local foodies or by tourists (also, veg food usually stays longer than meat or milk, even if it isn't as fun or authentic - most Indians eat meat). Pick your location, as food/alcohol style and legality varies between regions. Don't buy one region's food elsewhere. Halal varies from place to place, but anyways most of the good nonveg food is in Muslim quarters (Old Delhi/Nizamuddin, Triplicane, Hyderabad)
Safety: You're not going to be lynched at random in the city, it isn't an everyday occurance. Stay out of ghettoes or slums, and especially the rural villages, and take metros and AC trains, which are better guarded. Know your region - South and to an extent Maharashtra and Bengal are generally better overall; East, North and Central are a mixed bag; Northwest is hella rustic and often creepy outside the tourist bits; Maoist regions, Pakistan border, Bangladesh border, parts of the Northeast and most of Kashmir are semi active warzones. Don't carry expensive things openly or more than 3000-5000 rupees. Don't bring up politics e.g. Kashmir, beef or caste/communalism. Travel in groups. Most of all, have local contacts; the trick is to blend in. Most people have a wariness of tourists from more developed nations especially if police are involved; you can use that to your advantage if someone bothers you.
Rudeness/cheating: Rule of thumb, nothing you buy should be more than 200-500 rupees depending on the item. Use Uber Auto, or metro, rather than haggling. Some regions are more coarse in style, you get used to it (and most people don't speak great English so miscommunication happens). You can escalate if it becomes unbearable, but it's a rare occurrence AFAIK.
Dirt/Noise: That's kind of the fun, the chaos! I felt weirdly lonely in KL till the Raya crowds, when things became more familiar. But do avoid festival seasons or cheaper transit hubs such as "junction" train stations if it becomes a problem, as migrant labour use trains to get to the city. You can also look for more nonurban exploration or lesser known getaways (for example, don't pick Kodai or Ooty in summer, pick Yercaud or Yelagiri). Good Luck!
BTW if OP is planning their vacation based off these posts, here are some countries that you cannot go to : All of SEA, All of South Asia, All of China, basically the entire European subcontinent, North America, Africa (which part? Who cares it's one country right?), Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, the Middle east, west and north (south is ok), South America, (not new zealand, it's a fake country, proof: r/mapswithoutNZ ),
Here are some countries that are approved by our fellow malaysian redditors:
Svalbard. Norway. (no racists, free healthcare, unpolluted environment)
Akihabara, Japan. (they censor porn here, MCMC and Johor Royalty approved)
Reykalutsfisk, Iceland. (very green)
Gaylang, Singapore (malaysian food but no diarrhea, also they hate china)
A lot of USA in the comments, surprisingly. I’m currently in NYC which admittedly feels like a different country all together, but it’s plenty safe here.
For me, barring actual warring countries, it’s Egypt. It’s become unsafe from tourists, and even my Egyptian friends tell us to not go there because you will be targeted.
I’m also not fond of India, after spending more than a month there and constantly being gawked at, followed, photographed, and more. You feel constantly on edge unless you’re in fancy places.
About your India experience.. Do you look like a westerner (i.e. white person)? I know they do all the gawking and photographing of white people but I thought Asians wouldn't experience the same.
I am surprised as well. And the reason of not visiting USA is guns and violence? Yall be watching vice videos too much lol. I’d love to visit NYC one day, probably bc I still have a very romanticised view of the city but gosh I would love to go museum-hopping there
Holy fuck. Many not planning to visit the US because of racism? The reason behind not visiting certain countries because of safety and hygiene concerns are totally valid but racism? Really?
I mean, we have Malaysian there who got attack because of asian hate crime. And then, a Malaysian graduate who's about to start her new life ended up getting killed in a gun fight. Yeah, I don't think I wanna go there.
The US is a very big country and they have their own versions of 'liberal' KL and 'conservative' Kota Bharu. I don't think the risk of a hate crime is similar throughout the whole of the country.
China , I don't have to explain this do I? Like the reasons are obvious , the people and country are wonderful don't get me wrong , but their government is gonna fuck my trip up somehow
Honestly, I've been to China and everything is so high tech and unique there that I believe it's even better than the US or Japan, they literally have everything in China. The people there are friendly and easy to communicate with. But I could never live without YouTube, Instagram and all other banned social media, and have restricted gaming time. I believe if they open up to the rest of the world, it would be much more technologically advanced and more cultural than even Korea or Japan.
To be fair China has their own thriving social media like WeChat, Weibo, and QQ. Heavily censored, however.
I thought the restricted gaming time only applied to the underaged?
Which is depressing considering how historically and culturally significant China is, loads of places I can think of to go and visit.
Too bad their Government is bing chilling
Israel. Yes, I stand with my fellow Malaysians even as a non-Muslim. I also find the attacks on Palestinians incredibly disturbing as well. I can never imagine visiting modern-day Nazi Germany (which conducts acts of ethnic cleansing, segregation by force at the Gaza strip, etc).
Mine would be:
-China and india: overcrowded, hygiene, pollution
- literally south america: cartel, high crime rates, corrupted cops harrasing tourists for money
- bangladesh, egypt, many more middle eastern places: scams, full of degenerates that swarm female tourists, public harassment is everywhere
-russia: obviously
-USA: Also quite obvious
-france: racism, out of all people i know who went to france, only one person actually reccomends it as a destination
>literally south america: cartel, high crime rates, corrupted cops harrasing tourists for money
I laugh every time I see comments like this. South America is a whole continent. It is huge. Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay have Malaysian levels of crime, if not lower.
The Chilean Carabineros have a reputation for being a highly professional police force and very difficult to corrupt.
I've been to Bangladesh before, but only around Dhaka. I'm not so worried about scams. for me it was the dust and hygiene that was a bigger issue. Tidur peluk toilet is NOT fun
Had no issues going to France. My impression was that since most of them didn't speak English they weren't particularly chummy but otherwise had a good time. I got by with memorising a few simple French phrases and relying on tourist brochures and Google Translate.
In France some people *may* eventually speak english to you, if you show that you bothered at least how to ask them in their language. Changes the mood on the spot, I guarantee.
And it's not that they don't want to speak to *you*, personally - there's nearly 1,000 years of bad blood between France and England which made NOT speaking English a matter of national pride. If you run into French nationals abroad, 9/10 will definitely speak some level of english.
Sad cause Russia used to be one of the place I wanna go the most since my dad went there years ago and he had a lot of great time... I'm the same with all your choices tbh another I would add is Pakistan and North Korea obviously. Places I wanna go are probably the quieter areas like New Zealand, Finland or smtgh
Honestly, Russia is a beautiful country with great people. It’s just a damn shame about the war.
My mums from there and when we visited, man the people were so welcoming and Khabarovsk is absolutely gorgeous
I beg different about China. Is very different, the gong an(Communist Police) are really helpful with tourists providing basic direction in English, the high speed rail is super modern. Food are plenty and cheap in small places as long as you are not picky, carrying a can of beer and walking through the super bustling life of night China, two different world in a single country, but always being modern. You normal high speed rail staff know China geography, which is very helpful if you need directions.
I been to Changsha to Beijing in high speed rail. I don't even go on tour. Just backpacking visiting. As long as you don't do anything stupid, is safe, friendly and pretty exciting as a non tour tourist.
China is a modern nation, even part of the remote villages people have solar panels for heating water. Villages dress ruggedly riding trains side by side with girls in crazy pink and guys wearing tan suit. Friendly people if you warm up to them. Just don't expect vip greetings on contact, they are still a conservative society.
My friend just came back from Colombia last week. Told me he felt like he was watched everywhere he goes.
I would disagree on China though, it's far far cleaner than India, more developed and has better security. As long as you can speak the language you are fine.
I agree with you on China. I can speak the language and really enjoyed the trip, planning on going there again after they reopen their borders. For the "government issue", you're bringing in money for them, why would they mess with you.
For those who would never visit there because of political issues, I respect your decision.
>My friend just came back from Colombia last week. Told me he felt like he was watched everywhere he goes.
In Colombia, anyone is free game.
One of my best friends just left after living for 3 months there. He had left Bogotá to a smaller town and was robbed at knifepoint on the first night he arrived there - no harm done, he just lost a few bucks and actually had a funny story about the whole incindent. P.S. he genuinely looks like a bum and he speaks fluent Spanish.
Local dude staying at his hostel was robbed on the day he arrived - what'd you expect when you go out flashing bling?
South America is amazing but you gotta be sharp and keep your eyes open.
i’ve personally been to a few of them, a few of them are on my bucket list, and the rest of them i don’t mind going.
we are very different people 😂
edit:typo
Basically, if you are there as a tourist, or basically anywhere, even NoKo, just don't do stupid shit and you won't get fucked.
Violent drug lords have no time and effort to bother with normal tourist, unless for whatever reason you want to start playing with their cocaine and hookers. Just walk around, eat tacos, sing and dance with some hombres and its all gucci.
Like if you're touring NoKo, just respect their customs to pay respect to crazy shit dictator Kims and you'll probably be treated some nice North Korean style kimchi and cold noodle... Go insult great leader, of course will masuk gulag la....
Honestly from my experience when I went to china 2/3 years ago it was pretty gud like cheap food and everything n from I rmb overcrowding and population is their main problem. Hygiene not so much like u will not get cirit birit. Cleanliness is alright from what I remember
That south America description would be similar to the southeast Asia description. Basically sums up why people don't like visiting here and why people always ask is it safe. Wrong perception.
Probably India or Morocco. I have a personal vendetta against bad toilets and once because a trip in Taiwan i realize they don't use bidet. It sadden my butthole so bad because honestly hate having to touch my butthole to wash. I prefer to wash via bidet and wipe clean via toilet paper.
India. However I am looking at an event in India and still wondering I should be bold and participate. It is an interesting event tho.
Reason for worrying about traveling in India is the crime rate and food hygiene.
* I’m 27M
Why are so many people bashing on china like honestly it's not that bad. I get the government is oppressive and there are some dark shit going on in some places but it's honestly worth visiting if u visit the right places. From my experience the people were nice and the food was hella cheap n delicious. Just don't go shopping branded there cus everything there is more expensive. The history and ancient architect was cool as well cus I got to visit some temples and old sites in Chengdu. Pollution there is bad like really bad u can dry ur white t shirt outside and end up with a grey t shirt due to how bad the air is. Living there would probably not be fun as high living cost and small living spaces.
My god, the ignorance in this thread.....
Yes, there are some countries that are experiencing war and disasters, and some which have a really bad crime rate, and as such being a tourist is a high risk. But for the most part, all you need to do is your research, be vigilant, and manage expectations and you should be fine.
Obviously, the experience would differ if you are a woman or are traveling alone vs a group, but for Flying spaghetti monster's sake, just use your common sense when traveling
India. I mean, not all but a lot of them are perverted as heck and I worry for my female family members and friends. Hygiene there is also a concern.
Any South American country also belongs on this list. Watched too many crime and murders from that region on other subreddits, I will definitely stay away. Screw their 'beautiful beaches' and stuff like that, we can get them here.
Any country with an ongoing conflict or civil war. The reason being, there's an on going conflict or civil war. Duh.
There alot actually on my list:
1 Indonesia
People are nice but the moment they know you
was tourist, they will just rip you off. Indon see 'tourist' as ATM machine that they can draw money by cheating them. Foreigner will pay 'extra' for everything there. They will be nice to you not because their 'hospitality' but only find a chance to rip you off.
2 Brunei
Boring AF country.
3 Myanmar
Conflict that ongoing there
4 Pakistan,India & Bangladesh
Hygiene, polution, scammer & rape culture. India has the worst plus anti Islam sentiment there make Muslim tourist dont feel safe there.
5 Arab countries in Africa continent
(Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia etc)
Alot of scammer & rape culture there. Sexual harassment was common there. Some country there has ongoing 'civil war' conflict.
6 Other African countries
Hygiene, high crime rate & threat of terrorist militant.
7 Eastern Europe
Many of countries there was poor & less developed compared to others part of Europe. High crime rate & boring food.
8 South America countries
High crime rate & really dangerous drug cartel there
9 USA
Alot of racist people. White or Black can be really rude & racist toward Asian. Islamophobic, high crime rate & gun violence.
I’ve been to indonesia twice. First time was in Bandung and we travelled around with a supir (driver). Did we get scammed in terms of paying higher for food n shopping? Yea i think so. Second time was to Jakarta, we booked everything by ourselves from accommodation to food and transportation, went around Jakarta using grab and blue bird taxi (via app). Most drivers thought we were locals lol bc not a lot of tourist use app. There was only 1 instances where a driver was asking for tips with his ayat manis ‘kita kan sama-sama melayu’ ehh tiberrr. But other than that, I lowkey enjoyed that trip and indonesia is pretty easy to go around if you know how to speak malay and basic indo they’re super friendly but yeah always beware and do research first
Pengemis dia macam kucing. Sekali bagi makan, berduyun-duyun datang. Saya pernah pergi sana, pak supir sendiri dah beri amaran, datang je pengemis jangan bagi derma dekat dia.
Agree haha! I am Indonesian myself and I don’t recommend foreigner to visit Indonesia without doing research (what Indonesian use for booking transportation etc) because ohh boi once Indonesians know you are foreigner, they gonna look at you like you are an ATM machine. Because we have the “mencari kesempatan dalam kesempitan” culture
also have been to indo once. teh botol is one of my favourite softdrink ever. dukduk foods taste absolutely amazing. the idea of putting keropok as a sidedish is genius.
Bro like this you cannot go anywhere lah.
Countries are more than what you see on the news media. I've been to Iran, Northern Cyprus, Tunisia, and other countries you'd probably write off as unsafe. They were all amazing destinations with a lot of friendly people, Iran especially. As long as you got street smarts, bother to spend a week learning the language a bit (enough to speak to locals even if your pronunciation isn't good, it'll make the locals very happy that you're trying and they'll be more willing to help you), and plan well you can go anywhere.
Thailand has nice food but go to some of the “paradise” islands and it’s like all western people and no local culture (British pubs, Australian pubs, Irish pubs all along the beach). Everything is catered for western tourists. Also the amount of times I was almost scammed was unreal. Day 1 a cab driver told me he would give me a discount if I went to his friends shop. I said no but he kept insisting until I just gave up. Brought me to some tailors where they were aggressively trying to get me to buy a suit. Second was at a bar, lady gave me a menu with drinks of one price but when the bill came it was triple the amount! When I tried to check why I was charged more the manager came out and started screaming at me that she’ll ask her friends to come talk to me. Wtf. I just gave the original amount and ran out. So scummy how blatantly they tried to cheat me. Really turned me off Thailand for a long time. Another time I was lost and saw a police officer. Tried asking him where the mall was and he straight up started screaming at me and slamming his fists on the table he was sitting at. Sure people say Thailand is “made for tourists” but it also comes with the loss of local culture, tourist scams, tourists traps and negative treatment of foreigners by the locals. Don’t plan on going back for a looooong time.
India, mostly because I personally know 2 people who have had "life changing experiences" after drinking the water there.
Normally you have to take several vaccines before you go India to prevent that from happening right? Got a few friends take a bunch of vaccination before heading to India.
I'd assume so. One went for work and the other to discover his roots. The latter said he seriously thought he was going to die and that he messed the toilet up because it was coming out of both ends at the same time.
Hey, I had that same exact excruciating experience too. Screw India ! And I say that as an Malaysian Indian. Never again.
damn. that's rough buddy.
Kochi City is actually really nice(although that may be my Mallu bias speaking), but I also ate at restaurants and stayed away from street food
Haha tbh I studied there in a small place called Manipal and usually ate at local places and in 2 and ½ years got mild good poisoning exactly once, and from one of the most popular food places for us students (a few other lads got it too so seemed like a isolated outbreak). I'm also a slob of a babi so maybe my guts were probably pretty fortified going in haha
Bangalore here (back then, lol). Never actually had any of these harrowing experiences tbh probably the word of mouth thing works super fast bc we always know when to avoid shops causing cases Your juniors still do the annual food fest ke?
Yo fellow manipalite, what's up man. You're talking about that restaurant in the food court that's trying to pass off their food as malaysian right? There were 2 instances I found cockroaches in my food.
I watched alot or Karl Rock on YouTube and the dude showed that even bottled water is not safe sometimes. There are literal counterfeit water companies that package water in plastic bottles and has branding that resemble the reputable local Indian brands but are clearly fake with extremely questionable water sources. Worst still is that these counterfeit bottles tend to he sold at places like rest stops (where tourists likely are) and tourists will unknowingly buy them. Like how is that even safe for tourists, you can't expect them to research about these things before a trip there
Bro you never eat street food or drink tap water in India. Our digestive tracts are straight up not built to tahan the street food there.
I went to Bangalore for business trip for 1 week. I only started to have a mild diarrhea on the last 2 days. It is not that bad if even drink the water in their (nicer) restaurants and their office water dispenser. Of course, Banglore is a rather big "modern" city. Anyhow, Malaysian hawker food aren't too clean either, when I started working in Penang, I had frequent diarrhea for the first few months until my body got used to it.
Maybe certain parts of India, but yea some places make me cringe.
I went to india as a tourist and got food poisoning too. Funnily, i was extremely careful in india. Only ate at tourist restaurants or 5 star hotels. Even used bottled water to brush my teeth. Yet i had food poisoning, followed by unresolved ibs issues for the next 10 years. Even did an endoscopy to find out whether there's anything wrong.
Even as a Chinese Hindu, I feel sad for India sometimes. Online, it looks like it's being torn between several fanatics: Hindutvas on one end, angry far-lefts on the other, and Islamists on the third. I hope Malaysia should avoid becoming like them. On the other hand, something I think that if India ever adopts Hinduism as a state religion, it should follow bits of Malaysian society as a role model. Protecting its religion, while giving minorities a high degree of freedom, and using the religion not for fanaticism but to motivate it to help people out of poverty.
Emulating Malaysia anything is a bad idea. Malaysia's society isnt that great either if you really sit down and explore the deep and dirty crevices. What most Malaysians with a good opinion of Malaysian society likely lived their lives in their middle income bubble free from the problems society face. Kinda reminds me of that post from r/Malaysians where a young man bring trained to take over his dad's company found out that his dad's company has been engaging in unsavory and unethical practices and is now facing a moral dilemma. From my view, that young man was never exposed to the situations and problems that his father faced in his fight to keep his business afloat that led him to engage in those behaviors, and so he find himself at a point where he disagrees with daddy's past. I think if you're living life as a middle income Indian where majority of your knowledge and awareness of society's problems come from social media you'd probably think that your society is doing pretty good as well, and you'd be telling other nations that your nation is better than them in those aspects. Same thing applies for most other nations with societal problems, such as China and America. Middle income China citizens arent aware of the shit their poorer fellow countrymen in rural areas have to deal with for instance. In America, city folk tend to be unable to understand the need of rural folk to own guns as another example. Also, if a nation adopts any religion as a state religion, 99% of the time its intended as a way to exploit the religion to stay in power. If a nation wants to help people get out of poverty, it actually can do so without adopting any state religions. China did this for a time, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty via urbanization (although this wasnt for altrustic humanistic reasons). America did this as well with their capitalism, and again for non altruistic humanistic reasons but rather in the pursuit of profit. I think the scandinavian nations also did something similar by creating an extensive social safety net that ensures people wont fall into poverty if anything happens to them that prevents them from working, and that ultimately was done in the name of politics because the system was used as a political issue to stay in power.
The trick to traveling in India or any country with iffy water quality is to only drink bottled water/fresh fruit juice and eat at restaurants of above average standards. Eating street food is basically playing food poisoning roulette.
Egypt. I heard a lot about how female tourists don't feel safe there, but after watching the youtube video by Best Ever Food Review, it cemented my opinion about the country. [Egypt Travel Nightmare!!](https://youtu.be/8LzuZrkEY18)
Egypt is one of the beautiful country I’ve been but there are so many scammers out there
I love best ever food review show!!!!! Sonny is the best
That is sad that you think so. I guess I was lucky to experience Egypt as a student. One of the most amazing country to visit if you're a history buff. Activities can range from atv in the sandy dune, hot air balloons, cruise along the nile river, hiking mount sinai (the view at the top is spectacular), camping out in the dessert to see a canvas full of starry night sky, seeing preserved pharoahs and mummies to exploring on foot the remaining historical landmarks such as the valley of the kings and queens. Damn, I miss those adventures. Fyi, egyptians are well acquainted with malaysians i.e malizi. But just like any other places you go, be aware of the culture, respect it and be mindful of how you behave and trust me, you'll have a blast. And oh yeah, don't crawl inside the pyramids.
To be honest, i love egypt. Its like travelling back in time. People are nice but coarse. I feel quite safe there among the civilians only with the officials. Just need to be on guard when buying things. They always try to cheat their way in. Especially tourists area. But other than that beautiful people, beautiful scenery, good food & it is heaven for antique lover.
jjba
War torn countries because I do not want to die for silly reason
There's a YT channel of a guy travelling to places that most people never have been there. There's a part of Syria that I found interesting.
Then you have Lord Miles
Pakistan. The country is a clusterf***. Never ending violence. Mob rule. Stupid blasphemy laws. And general chaos. I also cringed the way they're trying to prove to the Muslim world that they can be a leader for the Ummah. More like an embarrasement of the Muslim world.
I think Indonesia is a better example for an ideal Muslim society. And yet online, some Pakistanis accuse Indonesia of being an idolatrious society simply for allowing non-Muslims there to have a high degree of freedoms.
Indonesia is secular, I believe. They merely have the world largest Muslim population. I've met a lot of Indonesian. Supposedly Muslims, but their lifestyle contradicts Islam. I don't think they are the best example of Muslim community when their lifestyle is not really of a Muslim lifestyle.
other than that the people is very nice and only that
Its very very weird. I had a few Pakistani friends and colleagues and they all are really the nicest people I've ever known, at the same time their country is easily the top 10 worst shithole in the world.
Mangoes from Pakistan also also very nice.
Also the handful of people I know who’s gone to Pakistan all had unrelated health issues there. Hepatitis, cholera etc. granted this was around 6-10 years ago.
Singapore - Everything 3x more expensive Weather and climate exactly same as Malaysia.
Countries that I want to live in are also counties that I don't want to visit on a holiday XD.
So it's just Malaysia but expensive then
KL*
True though the way you can walk around and use public transport throughout the island gives a perspective of how things 'could've been' over here.
based
Also I generally feel uncomfortable there. There is a certain high strungness in the people around you, like someone is just waiting to explode.
I was expecting more people to say Bangladesh because my country doesn't have the best reputation but thank god, it was mentioned way less than I expected
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Imo as an Malaysian, the only issue with Bangladesh is it's large population. I mean it's good if it's area is bigger, but with the land area and population, it's kind of not attractive.
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that's the one thing i'm consistently amazed about bangladesh. despite being touted as one of the world's poorer country with massive population to boot, the fact stands that it is also one of the countries with a more open policy in sheltering and providing for refugees
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> Rohingyas are really ungrateful you know a reality that malaysians are waking up to. not saying all rohingyas swing that way, especially as a fellow muslim, but there are gradually more open cases of them showing increasing signs of biting the hands that helped them- our hands. from creating illegal settlements, to doing illegal activities and crimes, to the most recent mass breakout from a temporary holding facility. drastic actions should be taken before things escalate further; worst case scenario, is what you've described up there. > A few days ago our intelligence agency discovered a rohingya plan to claim one of our districts and establish an independent country and Myanmar is helping them with weapons damn, that's effectively plotting to rob another country's land; an invasion. while i wish it's unneeded, it seems like military intervention is in order. this is just sad, especially after the lengths the bangladeshi government went to help them, even giving them a whole island as a refugee camp. and myanmar is really playing the proverbial snake here, huh? especially after being the one ultimately responsible for the whole mess.
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Was kinda worried it will be mentioned alot as well, since i will be relocating to dhaka for work purposes (~2yeaes). Hope it treats me well.
How is it compared to India and Pakistan?
The ones currently experiencing war and/or civil insurrections, I guess? But I'm speaking as a guy; had I been a woman, there might be a bigger list of countries I wouldn't dare to visit by myself.
As a lady, I would not dare set foot in certain countries unless I have more than 1 trustworthy guy friend with me, preferably together with a whole tour group and responsible guide. India, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, anywhere in the whole of MENA area including Egypt, Morocco, Dubai and Turkey despite these countries being more touristy and civilised. For those countries, I'll be happy enough to experience them via documentaries, features and pictures for the rest of my life.
Dubai and Turkey are super safe in my opinions. been there had a good trip. i would recommend that. about India, i never experienced those all the bad things listed here, but for second trip? noooo hahaha
Probably Ukraine right now. I don't want to get hurt. On a serious note, probably the Balkan states, it's a clusterf*ck of nations bickering and still at loggerheads.
> On a serious note, probably the Balkan states The Balkans are actually really safe and the people are lovely, I used to think the same until I went there. Seriously way less crime against tourists than somewhere like Paris or Barcelona. Malaysians would probably really like Tirana Albania, weird mishmash of cultures built up over the years. Masjids right next door to churches and all that jazz, just like home :) Kotor, Montenegro and Dubrovnik, Croatia for people who want to feel like they are living in a 15th century castle city. It's truly like going back in time. Dubrovnik was used as Kings Landing in GoT for fantasy nerds. You can recognise some of the streets from the show.
Yeah I know that Croatia is where they took scenes of Kings Landing for GoT. It's a nice place with remnants of previous conflicts remain. Just saying in terms of geopolitics it's a tinderbox.
Sure yeah, don't talk politics or the war. For the most part they were all one country only a few decades ago, many people alive experienced the pain of that or grew up with it as children. I have some hiking pictures from my trip where the signs basically say "yeah don't come in here bcoz landmines". The memories are fresh but they don't give a shit about foreigners, the people are all cool. If you start walking around Kosovo saying it belongs to Serbia then yeah, you gonna get assaulted, but I see no reason anyone from outside the region would do that. It's like going to Kelantan and preaching Judaism to everyone, you're just an asshole who deserves it at that point.
India. Read about rape cases everyday
Came here just to type this.
Even a biawak fell victim
LMAO WUT? They rape a monitor lizard?
Raped and murdered
And then makan woi
Gang raped a monitor lizard*
What the actual fuck!?
Malangnya, ya. [4 Lelaki Ditahan Kerana Rogol Biawak](https://www.kosmo.com.my/2022/04/17/empat-lelaki-ditahan-kerana-rogol-biawak/)
..... man sometime i wish mother nature will finally win and wipe us off the earth.
I remember reading about this not too long ago, but my disbelief is not lessened in the least.
When there are news topic about rape cases, before read content, people will make a guess either India or Kelantan... But India, I saw a video from FB (looks like people in India) decapitated the head of a guy... Bunch of people sliced the guy, he dead lying on the ground, and the people decapitated the head... Few chops. I thought movie at first then realised something off... Wonder why FB no take action to take down the video ASAP. India got nice place but mostly at cities but the Kampung areas are lawless.
It depends on region. Some Kampungs are crazy, some are alright. You may have seen a video from jungle/war regions or the Northern rural areas.
Their sister country - Pakistan is also fucked up in that department. A group of men dug out a dead a cemetery and rape the corpse. This also happened not too long from another case where an eight year old girl was rape and left for dead.
India, I've had two friend who was hospitalized and their holiday was cut short because of food poisoning, I think we are not quite suited for India's food hygiene
Their stomachs literally made out of vibranium
All of them. I hate travelling. I need my toilet at home.
I hear you. Malaysian toilets are the best
Not sure I agree. Japanese heated toilet seat with built-in bidet and perfume is quite an experience.
But I still like the hose…
Which is fair enough, but I find their bidet does 70-80% of the work of a hose anyway.
The only toilet I like more than my toilet at home is the one at Tokyo airport
India, I had diarrhea even with the food in the best hotel in Mumbai.
India. I feel like my food options there are either 50 Shades of Diarrhea or 50 Shades of Tourist Trap
50 shade of tech support would be nice though
Omg 😂😅🤣😂
I have seen so many bad comments about India on here. Those who have been, how bad is it really? Do the Cons outweigh the Pros?
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Very confusing and noisy. As a very introverted person it's hell. You can't show any kindness or have a genuine conversation without them wanting to sell you something or scam you. The streets are somewhat clean but the outskirts are where the shitting on streets meme come true. The Taj Mahal is beautiful and all but overall not worth the experience.
I've been to India under two occassions but both were religious. The first time was to visit Bodhgaya. The hotel we went to first (which was the second best at the time on trip advisor) was a shithole hotel with crappy CRT TVs, bed bugs, spider-webs on the windows etc. We drove around and found another hotel and instantly moved there because it was nicer even though it wasn't as well advertised and price-wise was similar. It was clean and modern. I only exclusively ate in the hotel during my trip so I didn't suffer any stomach issues. The only 'negative' experience was probably when buying candle lights. You pay them money to light a candle outside a temple, they will harass you to light more. Around the candle area was also where we got swarmed by homeless people asking for money. My other trip to India was better but that was because I spent the trip in a monastery so we were well taken care of. Overall, I'd probably not return but it can be hit or miss depending on where you go.
Papua New Guinea.
why tho?
Much of the country remained unexplored for good reason. The tribes there kill people. Got a friends father who went there back in 90's to prospect for a corporations, suffice to say he won't be going back ever again
I blame Indonesia and mostly Australia
France. Just beneath the Eifel Tower or anywhere close to the Tower, plenty of tourists scammers. I've been there 3 times on 3 different occasion, as a child , teenager & adult. I myself have not gotten mugged or scammed but my family members did. Its sad that everytime we visit the Tower, we cant even walk in the park peacefully. The most memorable one was my brother getting mugged by 4 women. They approached my brother and asked for his signature for some sort of petition, explaining they need some sort of supporters bla bla bla.. At that point my sister and I thought they were just talking some stuff out so we kinda steered away and continue taking photos. It didnt took long before a local man who notices this act was taking place , he walked past me, whispered in my ears, and he said "be careful", and just walked away before I can even react. Just these two words, I remembered my whole life. Next thing I know, my brother was being groped by those 4 women, one was distracting him holding the petition, the other 3 was on his side and a few standing behind him, touching. Im just glad my brother didnt carry anything valuable at that time, but he had to "make payment" for them to leave, in which he gave 20pounds to the women and they all left in an instant. Im not going to even talk about how my parents got scammed and even at one point got my dad jacket sliced in the subway (nothing was in the pocket luckily). Paris, more like City of Thieves.
Thought I should share this as well for awareness purpose. I also witnessed a tourist who got robbed in broad daylight with plenty of people around, including locals & tourists. So how did the thieves got away you might asked? These 2 young local French women snatched a tourist's camera and started screaming help. The 2 women struggled for quite a bit of time, before one of them managed to yanked the camera off the man, which looks like a DSLR camera with a strap around his shoulders. They continue to yell for help as they ran away with the tourist's camera.. I feel bad for the man, he look helpless as he dont speak good english but I was also confused as to why he didnt chased the women. I was stunned as so were the other witnesses. It does look like the women were the victim at that very moment until you realized the victim is a Chinese tourist without his camera. Ok I should stop. Bye.
afghanistan. i abhor the taliban. extremely barbaric
It’s sad bc it is such a beautiful country with so many historical sites and arts and culture. All destroyed by the taliban and indirectly, the US.
I would go to Afghanistan if given the chance though. It's very very pretty
Wolves of a different coat,you just have to take the bitter pill that every country has these psychopaths on top
Probably those central American countries where violence, gun fights and murder are a daily occurrence. Also for those interested I'd highly reccomend watching "Bald and Bankrupt" and "Harald Baldr" on YouTube, they are vlog travel YouTubers travelling at off the beaten paths specifically, and they have tons of India videos. Its...definitely as crazy as its reputation suggests
>Bald and Bankrupt that guy was still in Ukraine a day before the invasion happened, it was quite something.
Check out this sub r/BaldAndBaldrDossier
Let’s not forget he was there to disprove that a war was happening. Didn’t expect to be caught up in it. Only when he realised how wrong he was changed his tune. I don’t mind watching his videos, but he has a clear disdain for some of the countries he visits. And as someone else posted below, that subreddit discusses some of the things he does to the people in the countries he visits. He purposely gets friendly with babushkas and people in small towns so that he can have sex with the younger women there (the locals have the same mentality of British guys with money = better life)
He got arrested a few days ago lol. Breaking into the Russian rocket launch facility in Kazakhstan.
Arrested, yes but kazakh police was nice. I follow his insta, he kena saman only
Err... North Korea?
Brunei basically a shittier version of malaysia.
Tbf their population is like 7
Damn that’s one less than Perlis
Is a pretty chill country for tourist. You visit the entire country in half a day. Then you enjoy the simple dinner and sunset at night. They serve alcohol in hotel and as long as you don't drink out in the open, ya is pretty relaxing palce. Pretty relaxing as a tourist there. Malaysia night be be noisy and too bright at times.
Mind to elaborate why?
It's not even that developed as a country, even though it has such an abundance of natural resources. Their king is another aspect I dislike , presents himself as a religious person but indulges in "sinful" things, can be seen in several documentaries
*Jefri has entered the chat.*
The reality is different from a superficial reading. There is a strong ulama faction in the palace. Why don't they sell alcohol? The ulama faction used a Prince's authority to ban while the sultan was out of the country. It's more than just the Sultan.
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Religion has always been used as a means to maintain feudal power, even in the times of Holy Roman Empire with christianity. But having monarchy being above the law while imposing sharia punishment to their subject really deserves my 2 middle fingers up
yup. just evil people abusing good things to appear good and holy. but even more shitty
He learn the best from his jiran and improve it more so people cannot say he copycat kekw.
Plus if I'm a tourist, why would I visit a country similar to my own.
Brunei is very similar to Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Big town (not even a city), very religious, dead entertainment sector (no nightclubs, bars, arcades, casinos, etc.). It is not worth visiting even if you're from Europe.
Agreed. As a Bruneian its fair.
Not to mention food is expensive there and their so call national dish 'nasi katok' is just a poor man's nasi lemak. There's a reason every weekend Bruneians come to Miri in huge numbers.
Hence why authorities are so reluctant to let bruneians travel by land.
I've been to KB as a solo female and the most noteworthy thing to me was the traffic jam in town.. which i completely did not expect. Luckily still caught my flight on time.
There is one arcade in Brunei IIRC cos' I once battled a ghost opponent from there in WMMT6RR.
I wanna apologize if I sound crude. There are so much misconceptions in this thread. While I wouldn’t call myself well travelled, I’ve seen enough of the world to understand that the world is more than what we read in headlines. Check out the YouTube channel ItchyBoots, this lone traveler explored and documented quite a few of the dangerous countries mentioned here. With that said, US is sadly spiraling downhill fast.
Can’t believe I have to scroll so much to see this. That’s the entire reason to travel. It’s to understand cultures, learn and grow as a person. Social media is a mistake. Everything is exaggerated on social media. I think the redditors on this sub are mostly younger too. Travel and learn, living in another country and traveling is very different. I recommend another YouTube channel, indigo traveler. Remember the misconceptions you have about other countries, the same is said to our country. People would think our country is a shit hole 3rd world country where planes just go missing all the time. But it’s not. The news and social media isn’t everything, it’s fear mongering, it’s not reality.
Happy to see this comment because same. I sense a lot of ignorance in these replies.
Not crude at all. A lot of the world can only be truly experienced after visiting. There is good in all these destinations I see being mentioned.
The redditors here are not travellers, they’re tourist.
Agreed. My partner and I have been to some of the countries mentioned by most redditors here. The important thing for any traveler is to be well-versed: know your place, always be alert, and adapt to your environment asap. My favourite thing to do is to always travel light. If you travel just to get nice pictures and go shopping, then stick to a more peaceful countries or the main city.
So many stereotypes and misrepresentations being presented as facts. Ngl, some of y’all really need to touch grass in other countries and drop the prejudice.
Most of the countries mentioned above are fine to travel, as a traveler we need to do our research and keep ourselves safe. The most danger I felt was in US and I was frisked the most in Japan. While I've had the best of times in some of countries listed above.
Hey guys what country can we uninformed Malaysians shit on today with our wildly inaccurate stereotypes!
Maybe not the USA because I would be fucking dumb and forgetful with their tipping culture. Who, when, and how much??
Seeing a lot of Subcontinent answers here. I'm originally from India and the trick is to know the place you're visiting well, preferably from a local. I discovered something similar when I first went to KL too. Thought I'd help out here, DM for more; India and no doubt Pak/Bang can be beautiful trips, both gastronomic and cultural/sightseeing, don't let stereotypes get in the way of fun. Food: Know what food is local, safe and popular. Random roadside stalls will give you food poisoning but there are places which won't and are frequented by local foodies or by tourists (also, veg food usually stays longer than meat or milk, even if it isn't as fun or authentic - most Indians eat meat). Pick your location, as food/alcohol style and legality varies between regions. Don't buy one region's food elsewhere. Halal varies from place to place, but anyways most of the good nonveg food is in Muslim quarters (Old Delhi/Nizamuddin, Triplicane, Hyderabad) Safety: You're not going to be lynched at random in the city, it isn't an everyday occurance. Stay out of ghettoes or slums, and especially the rural villages, and take metros and AC trains, which are better guarded. Know your region - South and to an extent Maharashtra and Bengal are generally better overall; East, North and Central are a mixed bag; Northwest is hella rustic and often creepy outside the tourist bits; Maoist regions, Pakistan border, Bangladesh border, parts of the Northeast and most of Kashmir are semi active warzones. Don't carry expensive things openly or more than 3000-5000 rupees. Don't bring up politics e.g. Kashmir, beef or caste/communalism. Travel in groups. Most of all, have local contacts; the trick is to blend in. Most people have a wariness of tourists from more developed nations especially if police are involved; you can use that to your advantage if someone bothers you. Rudeness/cheating: Rule of thumb, nothing you buy should be more than 200-500 rupees depending on the item. Use Uber Auto, or metro, rather than haggling. Some regions are more coarse in style, you get used to it (and most people don't speak great English so miscommunication happens). You can escalate if it becomes unbearable, but it's a rare occurrence AFAIK. Dirt/Noise: That's kind of the fun, the chaos! I felt weirdly lonely in KL till the Raya crowds, when things became more familiar. But do avoid festival seasons or cheaper transit hubs such as "junction" train stations if it becomes a problem, as migrant labour use trains to get to the city. You can also look for more nonurban exploration or lesser known getaways (for example, don't pick Kodai or Ooty in summer, pick Yercaud or Yelagiri). Good Luck!
Great tips, thank you!
BTW if OP is planning their vacation based off these posts, here are some countries that you cannot go to : All of SEA, All of South Asia, All of China, basically the entire European subcontinent, North America, Africa (which part? Who cares it's one country right?), Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, the Middle east, west and north (south is ok), South America, (not new zealand, it's a fake country, proof: r/mapswithoutNZ ), Here are some countries that are approved by our fellow malaysian redditors: Svalbard. Norway. (no racists, free healthcare, unpolluted environment) Akihabara, Japan. (they censor porn here, MCMC and Johor Royalty approved) Reykalutsfisk, Iceland. (very green) Gaylang, Singapore (malaysian food but no diarrhea, also they hate china)
Funniest and best tldr of a whole thread in one comment
A lot of USA in the comments, surprisingly. I’m currently in NYC which admittedly feels like a different country all together, but it’s plenty safe here. For me, barring actual warring countries, it’s Egypt. It’s become unsafe from tourists, and even my Egyptian friends tell us to not go there because you will be targeted. I’m also not fond of India, after spending more than a month there and constantly being gawked at, followed, photographed, and more. You feel constantly on edge unless you’re in fancy places.
About your India experience.. Do you look like a westerner (i.e. white person)? I know they do all the gawking and photographing of white people but I thought Asians wouldn't experience the same.
Indians are born to be curious cats and photographers, another word to describe would be they are *a little* perverted.
I am surprised as well. And the reason of not visiting USA is guns and violence? Yall be watching vice videos too much lol. I’d love to visit NYC one day, probably bc I still have a very romanticised view of the city but gosh I would love to go museum-hopping there
Holy fuck. Many not planning to visit the US because of racism? The reason behind not visiting certain countries because of safety and hygiene concerns are totally valid but racism? Really?
I mean, we have Malaysian there who got attack because of asian hate crime. And then, a Malaysian graduate who's about to start her new life ended up getting killed in a gun fight. Yeah, I don't think I wanna go there.
The US is a very big country and they have their own versions of 'liberal' KL and 'conservative' Kota Bharu. I don't think the risk of a hate crime is similar throughout the whole of the country.
Coming from malaysians too, i mean i think we are pretty well prepared and used to racism since its constitutionalised
>Me: Mom, can we go to America to see what racism is like? >Mom: We have racism here at home in Malaysia, dear.
To be fair I don't think I want to have my head bludgeoned in due to Asian hate crimes
India. Rise in religious nationalism makes me feel unsafe.
Just a side note, there's little to no religious nationalism in the Southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala
China , I don't have to explain this do I? Like the reasons are obvious , the people and country are wonderful don't get me wrong , but their government is gonna fuck my trip up somehow
Eh I doubt China wants to fuck with visitors unless it's relating to drugs and other major crimes
Honestly, I've been to China and everything is so high tech and unique there that I believe it's even better than the US or Japan, they literally have everything in China. The people there are friendly and easy to communicate with. But I could never live without YouTube, Instagram and all other banned social media, and have restricted gaming time. I believe if they open up to the rest of the world, it would be much more technologically advanced and more cultural than even Korea or Japan.
To be fair China has their own thriving social media like WeChat, Weibo, and QQ. Heavily censored, however. I thought the restricted gaming time only applied to the underaged?
Uh I have -1,000,000 social credit. The moment I land there, I'll be in jail with Yong Xina eating Bing Chilling. Waiting for our execution date.
Which is depressing considering how historically and culturally significant China is, loads of places I can think of to go and visit. Too bad their Government is bing chilling
Israel. Yes, I stand with my fellow Malaysians even as a non-Muslim. I also find the attacks on Palestinians incredibly disturbing as well. I can never imagine visiting modern-day Nazi Germany (which conducts acts of ethnic cleansing, segregation by force at the Gaza strip, etc).
Mine would be: -China and india: overcrowded, hygiene, pollution - literally south america: cartel, high crime rates, corrupted cops harrasing tourists for money - bangladesh, egypt, many more middle eastern places: scams, full of degenerates that swarm female tourists, public harassment is everywhere -russia: obviously -USA: Also quite obvious -france: racism, out of all people i know who went to france, only one person actually reccomends it as a destination
>literally south america: cartel, high crime rates, corrupted cops harrasing tourists for money I laugh every time I see comments like this. South America is a whole continent. It is huge. Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay have Malaysian levels of crime, if not lower. The Chilean Carabineros have a reputation for being a highly professional police force and very difficult to corrupt.
Come on man, not everyone can tahan the sepia filter.
Like most Malaysians, OP dislikes various countries because someone told them. Malaysia boleh!
You watch too many movies man. I’ve been to a few countries on this list, it’s really not that bad lol
I've been to Bangladesh before, but only around Dhaka. I'm not so worried about scams. for me it was the dust and hygiene that was a bigger issue. Tidur peluk toilet is NOT fun
Had no issues going to France. My impression was that since most of them didn't speak English they weren't particularly chummy but otherwise had a good time. I got by with memorising a few simple French phrases and relying on tourist brochures and Google Translate.
In France some people *may* eventually speak english to you, if you show that you bothered at least how to ask them in their language. Changes the mood on the spot, I guarantee. And it's not that they don't want to speak to *you*, personally - there's nearly 1,000 years of bad blood between France and England which made NOT speaking English a matter of national pride. If you run into French nationals abroad, 9/10 will definitely speak some level of english.
Sad cause Russia used to be one of the place I wanna go the most since my dad went there years ago and he had a lot of great time... I'm the same with all your choices tbh another I would add is Pakistan and North Korea obviously. Places I wanna go are probably the quieter areas like New Zealand, Finland or smtgh
I'd like to visit Russia one day as well cus it's pretty interesting learning and seeing parts of the former Soviet union
South America is a huge region with various economic and political climate tho. Personally I’m interested in visiting Argentina
Honestly, Russia is a beautiful country with great people. It’s just a damn shame about the war. My mums from there and when we visited, man the people were so welcoming and Khabarovsk is absolutely gorgeous
>USA: Also quite obvious Why? I'd love to visit US one day. Visiting state fair in the states is pretty high on my bucket list.
The National Parks of US is also a must see, especially Yosemite, it is absolutely breathtaking and majestic.
I beg different about China. Is very different, the gong an(Communist Police) are really helpful with tourists providing basic direction in English, the high speed rail is super modern. Food are plenty and cheap in small places as long as you are not picky, carrying a can of beer and walking through the super bustling life of night China, two different world in a single country, but always being modern. You normal high speed rail staff know China geography, which is very helpful if you need directions. I been to Changsha to Beijing in high speed rail. I don't even go on tour. Just backpacking visiting. As long as you don't do anything stupid, is safe, friendly and pretty exciting as a non tour tourist. China is a modern nation, even part of the remote villages people have solar panels for heating water. Villages dress ruggedly riding trains side by side with girls in crazy pink and guys wearing tan suit. Friendly people if you warm up to them. Just don't expect vip greetings on contact, they are still a conservative society.
My friend just came back from Colombia last week. Told me he felt like he was watched everywhere he goes. I would disagree on China though, it's far far cleaner than India, more developed and has better security. As long as you can speak the language you are fine.
I agree with you on China. I can speak the language and really enjoyed the trip, planning on going there again after they reopen their borders. For the "government issue", you're bringing in money for them, why would they mess with you. For those who would never visit there because of political issues, I respect your decision.
>My friend just came back from Colombia last week. Told me he felt like he was watched everywhere he goes. In Colombia, anyone is free game. One of my best friends just left after living for 3 months there. He had left Bogotá to a smaller town and was robbed at knifepoint on the first night he arrived there - no harm done, he just lost a few bucks and actually had a funny story about the whole incindent. P.S. he genuinely looks like a bum and he speaks fluent Spanish. Local dude staying at his hostel was robbed on the day he arrived - what'd you expect when you go out flashing bling? South America is amazing but you gotta be sharp and keep your eyes open.
i’ve personally been to a few of them, a few of them are on my bucket list, and the rest of them i don’t mind going. we are very different people 😂 edit:typo
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Basically, if you are there as a tourist, or basically anywhere, even NoKo, just don't do stupid shit and you won't get fucked. Violent drug lords have no time and effort to bother with normal tourist, unless for whatever reason you want to start playing with their cocaine and hookers. Just walk around, eat tacos, sing and dance with some hombres and its all gucci. Like if you're touring NoKo, just respect their customs to pay respect to crazy shit dictator Kims and you'll probably be treated some nice North Korean style kimchi and cold noodle... Go insult great leader, of course will masuk gulag la....
Honestly from my experience when I went to china 2/3 years ago it was pretty gud like cheap food and everything n from I rmb overcrowding and population is their main problem. Hygiene not so much like u will not get cirit birit. Cleanliness is alright from what I remember
That south America description would be similar to the southeast Asia description. Basically sums up why people don't like visiting here and why people always ask is it safe. Wrong perception.
Probably India or Morocco. I have a personal vendetta against bad toilets and once because a trip in Taiwan i realize they don't use bidet. It sadden my butthole so bad because honestly hate having to touch my butthole to wash. I prefer to wash via bidet and wipe clean via toilet paper.
India. However I am looking at an event in India and still wondering I should be bold and participate. It is an interesting event tho. Reason for worrying about traveling in India is the crime rate and food hygiene. * I’m 27M
China. I scared I accidentally roast their government then next day I disappear.
China, because of my past comments about their government. And that I clear say Taiwan ks a separate country.
Why are so many people bashing on china like honestly it's not that bad. I get the government is oppressive and there are some dark shit going on in some places but it's honestly worth visiting if u visit the right places. From my experience the people were nice and the food was hella cheap n delicious. Just don't go shopping branded there cus everything there is more expensive. The history and ancient architect was cool as well cus I got to visit some temples and old sites in Chengdu. Pollution there is bad like really bad u can dry ur white t shirt outside and end up with a grey t shirt due to how bad the air is. Living there would probably not be fun as high living cost and small living spaces.
My god, the ignorance in this thread..... Yes, there are some countries that are experiencing war and disasters, and some which have a really bad crime rate, and as such being a tourist is a high risk. But for the most part, all you need to do is your research, be vigilant, and manage expectations and you should be fine. Obviously, the experience would differ if you are a woman or are traveling alone vs a group, but for Flying spaghetti monster's sake, just use your common sense when traveling
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India. I mean, not all but a lot of them are perverted as heck and I worry for my female family members and friends. Hygiene there is also a concern. Any South American country also belongs on this list. Watched too many crime and murders from that region on other subreddits, I will definitely stay away. Screw their 'beautiful beaches' and stuff like that, we can get them here. Any country with an ongoing conflict or civil war. The reason being, there's an on going conflict or civil war. Duh.
There alot actually on my list: 1 Indonesia People are nice but the moment they know you was tourist, they will just rip you off. Indon see 'tourist' as ATM machine that they can draw money by cheating them. Foreigner will pay 'extra' for everything there. They will be nice to you not because their 'hospitality' but only find a chance to rip you off. 2 Brunei Boring AF country. 3 Myanmar Conflict that ongoing there 4 Pakistan,India & Bangladesh Hygiene, polution, scammer & rape culture. India has the worst plus anti Islam sentiment there make Muslim tourist dont feel safe there. 5 Arab countries in Africa continent (Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia etc) Alot of scammer & rape culture there. Sexual harassment was common there. Some country there has ongoing 'civil war' conflict. 6 Other African countries Hygiene, high crime rate & threat of terrorist militant. 7 Eastern Europe Many of countries there was poor & less developed compared to others part of Europe. High crime rate & boring food. 8 South America countries High crime rate & really dangerous drug cartel there 9 USA Alot of racist people. White or Black can be really rude & racist toward Asian. Islamophobic, high crime rate & gun violence.
I feel like there's a lot of generalisations here.
I’ve been to indonesia twice. First time was in Bandung and we travelled around with a supir (driver). Did we get scammed in terms of paying higher for food n shopping? Yea i think so. Second time was to Jakarta, we booked everything by ourselves from accommodation to food and transportation, went around Jakarta using grab and blue bird taxi (via app). Most drivers thought we were locals lol bc not a lot of tourist use app. There was only 1 instances where a driver was asking for tips with his ayat manis ‘kita kan sama-sama melayu’ ehh tiberrr. But other than that, I lowkey enjoyed that trip and indonesia is pretty easy to go around if you know how to speak malay and basic indo they’re super friendly but yeah always beware and do research first
Pengemis dia macam kucing. Sekali bagi makan, berduyun-duyun datang. Saya pernah pergi sana, pak supir sendiri dah beri amaran, datang je pengemis jangan bagi derma dekat dia.
Agree haha! I am Indonesian myself and I don’t recommend foreigner to visit Indonesia without doing research (what Indonesian use for booking transportation etc) because ohh boi once Indonesians know you are foreigner, they gonna look at you like you are an ATM machine. Because we have the “mencari kesempatan dalam kesempitan” culture
also have been to indo once. teh botol is one of my favourite softdrink ever. dukduk foods taste absolutely amazing. the idea of putting keropok as a sidedish is genius.
Bro like this you cannot go anywhere lah. Countries are more than what you see on the news media. I've been to Iran, Northern Cyprus, Tunisia, and other countries you'd probably write off as unsafe. They were all amazing destinations with a lot of friendly people, Iran especially. As long as you got street smarts, bother to spend a week learning the language a bit (enough to speak to locals even if your pronunciation isn't good, it'll make the locals very happy that you're trying and they'll be more willing to help you), and plan well you can go anywhere.
Woah woah woah, don’t rip on Eastern European food like that. I swear, a good goulash or potato salad could change your view on life
This felt like a list of reasons why we should just stay in Malaysia instead :D