whats the most dangerous city in the world?

HULK_I6T · 12-04-2014, 01:22 AM

We are pretty lucky we live in australia, everyone pretty much has something nice to eat, most things we consider necessities are luxurious in many other countries... many of the capital cities in australia are rated amongst the most liveable in the world. we live well but we gotta concede we are pretty soft.. especially compared to many other cities in the world..

what tough cities have you visited? Any encounters you were lucky to survive?

Makes you appreciate where we live, we have to be in the best country in the world (or close to the best) welfare for everyone, hospitals for everyone, little or no corruption, low threat of violence..

i went over to thailand a few years back..ventured to the outskirts of bangkok.. warned not to go there by the locals but couldnt resist. About 20 mins scooter out of bangkok. Oh my.. i was scared for my life out in the day let alone night. Utes driving around with cages on them and people crammed up in the back of em. Followed until i got back to bangkok. Cars with mirror tint windows right up behind me. Old guys on side of road giving me dirty looks and staring at me with piercing stares. Im told that if someone hits me that i would disappear permanently as insurance is too expensive. And Im told this area wouldnt be anywhere near the most dangerous...

Where have you been? what have you seen?

NAK302 · 12-04-2014, 08:02 AM

i've just come back home after being in Manila, Philipines for 3 weeks. everywhere in the metropolis where there's money being handled, are armed security men. let me just say i felt safer there than at a Gold Coast ATM.
we travel every second year to somewhere foreign, it's this travel that has brought me to the conclusion, we are over regulated for normal living and normal everyday needs are usually 3 to 4 times more expensive in this country. to say we have the best country in the world is clearly seen through rose coloured glasses. having said that, i still love my country, but i would move to the Coral Coast, Fiji, in a heartbeat if i could.

vbvbvb088 · 12-04-2014, 12:23 PM

I was mugged in Belfast....

FPV GTHO · 12-04-2014, 01:10 PM

I've heard Port Moresby is pretty bad.

Motorbreath310 · 12-04-2014, 04:09 PM

My sister was mugged by a knife-wielding legless guy on a skateboard in Jakarta. Her boyfriend wasn't far behind Him though so His head would've hurt afterward from what I was told.

That's an isolated event, though I haven't heard anything good about Indo as a (w)hole.

Yellow_Festiva · 12-04-2014, 04:20 PM

Almost went home in a box after visiting a market in Nairobi.

neptune blue · 12-04-2014, 04:34 PM

Nimbin

351EL · 12-04-2014, 04:35 PM

Cairns.

Glen 5150 · 12-04-2014, 04:59 PM

At the moment i'd say Pretoria, South Africa. If the streets aren't bad enough littered with crime, you come home for some alone time in the toilet and a double amputee shoots you dead through the door.

CoupeKing · 12-04-2014, 05:23 PM

I`m pretty sure it would be in Africa or Sth America. Then again, just ask the same question to a Mother who`s child was murdered while touring Australia.

bungarra · 12-04-2014, 06:20 PM

Got mugged in Sydney.

**fordomatic** · 12-04-2014, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Almost went home in a box after visiting a market in Nairobi.

And i'm sure you have many more close call stories than this one, i have heard a few.

I've traveled to a heap of places and the closest call i have had was in Prague. I had a group of 3 guys bail me up late one night when i was leaving a club, one had a knife. They assumed i was drunk and i wasn't. I had 1000 euro in my wallet that i was not willing to give away so i pushed one out of the way and ran for it. They chased me for about 2km and i had no idea where i was going. After about 2km i ended up in a dead end street but they were extremely tired so i went back and one by one i gave them what for.

Now say what you want about this but these guys meant business, if they were willing to chase me for 2km on foot then they obviously wanted what i had. I could have tried to get around them in the ally yes, but at least by doing what i did they might rethink about trying to mug a tourist again.

Went to Maktan in the Philippines and was told not to go out at night in the outer suburbs where i was staying. We were the only white people i saw the whole night but i actually never felt threatened. A few people looked and stared at us but i believe that was just them being curious. When overseas in dangerous places the way you carry yourself plays a big part in how people perceive you.

It's funny, the most places i've felt threatened in the world are popular tourist destinations and not where people say not to go.

Stazza_Brendan · 12-04-2014, 07:19 PM

Palm Island (off the coast of North QLD) was once in the Guinness Book of Records for being the most violent place on earth outside a combat zone.

Quote:

The 1999 edition of the Guinness Book of Records brought international attention to Palm Island when it named the island the most violent place on earth outside a combat zone. To support this claim it stated statistics such as a murder rate 15 times higher than that of the entire state of Queensland, a life expectancy of 40 years, the highest rate of youth suicide per capita in the world, and a total of 40 suicide fatalities over a period of only five years

BHDOGS · 12-04-2014, 09:07 PM

mc vaginas neighborhood is the most dangerous because he has alot of guns and he can shoot them good hes a menace to society a boy on the hood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC03...9AC4321245A79C

homegrown · 13-04-2014, 01:35 AM

I dont have any interesting stories myself, but my lecturer told us of a time he was in South Africa and traffic was at a stand still on a multi lane road and he could see from his rear view mirror that a rude driver was overtaking everyone on the inside emergency lane. So my teacher than decided to move over and try block the guy from cutting through. He succeeded in blocking him but the guy behind now just sat on his horn, not beeping it, literally just sat on it. After a while my teacher eventually pulled back into his lane and as the driver pulled up next to him raised his gun and pointed it at him and said "Next time I'll shoot you" and was gone.

homegrown · 13-04-2014, 01:50 AM

Sorry didnt know what city that was from.
I think the worst I have seen is abit more North from where we are when my wife was doing the midnight shift at a servo. Nothing where you would fear for your life but seen plenty of teeth been knocked out.

Iggypoppin' · 13-04-2014, 03:03 AM

Flint and Detroit in Michigan are getting very very bad, Mexico city is pretty deadly and plenty of cities in Africa and south Africa are places I'd never want to visit.

I live in Adelaide and feel safe everywhere I go but crime and violence are a fact of life. Several years ago a cab driver was killed by two men evading a fare. It happened at the end of my street. Not far from there is ascot park train station, not long ago it was considered one of the most unsafe train stations in the city. My area is by no means a crime filled area and is in fact on the decline for crime and graffiti but bad things happen anywhere you go unfortunately.

I like reading that new York city has a much lower crime rate now than ever before. Proof you can turn things around with a bit of hard work.

calais · 13-04-2014, 06:56 AM

Baghdad, Mogadishu, Kabul, Kandahar, Port Moresby, Los Angeles.....

All hellholes I couldn't wait to get away from.

Theres more but I cant think of them right now....

pottery beige · 13-04-2014, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordomatic

And i'm sure you have many more close call stories than this one, i have heard a few.

I've traveled to a heap of places and the closest call i have had was in Prague. I had a group of 3 guys bail me up late one night when i was leaving a club, one had a knife. They assumed i was drunk and i wasn't. I had 1000 euro in my wallet that i was not willing to give away so i pushed one out of the way and ran for it. They chased me for about 2km and i had no idea where i was going. After about 2km i ended up in a dead end street but they were extremely tired so i went back and one by one i gave them what for.

Now say what you want about this but these guys meant business, if they were willing to chase me for 2km on foot then they obviously wanted what i had. I could have tried to get around them in the ally yes, but at least by doing what i did they might rethink about trying to mug a tourist again.

Went to Maktan in the Philippines and was told not to go out at night in the outer suburbs where i was staying. We were the only white people i saw the whole night but i actually never felt threatened. A few people looked and stared at us but i believe that was just them being curious. When overseas in dangerous places the way you carry yourself plays a big part in how people perceive you.

It's funny, the most places i've felt threatened in the world are popular tourist destinations and not where people say not to go.

got a lol out of this, you ran their legs off, then turned around and belted their tired asses in

agree its the way you carry yourself, mostly just opportunistic ****ant thugs seeking a weak target

vdo · 13-04-2014, 08:41 AM

After my flight was cancelled in Detroit, I found myself in downtown Detroit at the Greyhound station in the middle of the night. I watched the hookers and drug dealers ply their trade outside for a while, then decided I had to get a room for the night. I didn't dare walk, so I caught a taxi for the one and a half blocks to the hotel, only to find out that it was a fake taxi... the driver picked up another passenger on the way, who climbed in the back with me, he bought some drugs from the driver and then the driver proceeded to take me to the hotel, where he demanded $20.00 for a $5.00 fare (800 metres). I just paid it and got out as fast as I could. The hotel had bars and wire mesh at the desk, I got into my room (air cond was broken) and was awakened 3 times during the night, by prostitutes banging on my door accompanied by their BIG minders, wanting business. I could see them through the peephole. I laid low, pretending not to be there. I hid my carry bag in the shower cubicle in case my door was rammed during the night, eventually leaned over from my bed to turn off the side lamp and was electrocuted by the frayed wiring. I got up in the morning, ordered a (real) taxi by phone to the airport and got the hell out of there. All the time I was carrying over $4000.00 US in my carry bag. A night I'll never forget.

xxx000 · 13-04-2014, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vdo

After my flight was cancelled in Detroit, I found myself in downtown Detroit at the Greyhound station in the middle of the night. I watched the hookers and drug dealers ply their trade outside for a while, then decided I had to get a room for the night. I didn't dare walk, so I caught a taxi for the one and a half blocks to the hotel, only to find out that it was a fake taxi... the driver picked up another passenger on the way, who climbed in the back with me, he bought some drugs from the driver and then the driver proceeded to take me to the hotel, where he demanded $20.00 for a $5.00 fare (800 metres). I just paid it and got out as fast as I could. The hotel had bars and wire mesh at the desk, I got into my room (air cond was broken) and was awakened 3 times during the night, by prostitutes banging on my door accompanied by their BIG minders, wanting business. I could see them through the peephole. I laid low, pretending not to be there. I hid my carry bag in the shower cubicle in case my door was rammed during the night, eventually leaned over from my bed to turn off the side lamp and was electrocuted by the frayed wiring. I got up in the morning, ordered a (real) taxi by phone to the airport and got the hell out of there. All the time I was carrying over $4000.00 US in my carry bag. A night I'll never forget.

when's the funeral?

vdo · 13-04-2014, 09:26 AM

There nearly was. Detroit has gone to ******. No wonder you can buy a house there for a dollar.

Yellow_Festiva · 13-04-2014, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordomatic

When overseas in dangerous places the way you carry yourself plays a big part in how people perceive you.

It's funny, the most places i've felt threatened in the world are popular tourist destinations and not where people say not to go.

Spot on about how you carry yourself... some people just don't get it and learn the hard way.

Some of my rules when I'm off the beaten track:

1) NEVER look lost, EVER! Don't stand on a corner with a map turning it every which way trying to work out where you are. A tourist with no orientation of their surroundings is an easy target to a theif that knows every alleyway and escape route.

2) Try pulling money from an ATM during daylight / business hrs in a busy part of town. Better still, try to do it from within a branch if possible.

3) "Camera Bags" and "Laptop Bags" are just advertisments that you are carrying a laptop and a camera. My small P&S camera is placed in a Myer / JB Hifi small bag, then shoved in my pocket. My larger camera goes in a bum bag around my waist and under my shirt.

4) Take only your assumed money needed in cash tucked into you pocket. 3rd world / dagerous places don't rely on cards so your wallet is best left locked in your room, shoved in a shoe with a smally sock plugging the hole. You can go further to stuff small denominations in 1 poclet and large in another so you are not pulling your whole wad out to pay for something thats worth $5.

5) Talk to locals who look young and educated. If a place looks sus go up to one of them and say "The taxi driver told me that this place is down this rd and to the right, would that be the best way for me to go?". Helps if you are asking a shop attendant that has just made a sale. Sometimes the purchase of a 50c bottle of water and a smile will release a floodgate of information (especially in countries where 'service' ALWAYS comes at a cost.)

6) Walk with direction, enthusiasm and purpose. 'Look' like you always know where you are going, you are in a rush to get there and you are well aware of your surroundings. ALWAYS. Even if it means walking around the block 3 times to find your hotel sign...

7) You are not rich, you are not wealthy, you are a struggling student who is living off their overdrawn credit card. You stay in hostels, eat street food, wear old clothes, look like a person who hasn't got a cent to their name. Sometimes thats the reality, sometimes thats the story you tell people when they ask. When you are walking around a city wearing 3 months wages in shoes, belt, glasses, hat and clothes (not to mention jewellery) you are telling people "This is what a wear around you guys, I don't care you earn $2 a day and I will gladly pay my way out of trouble should I need to".

8) Look at yourself in the mirror. Ask yourself, If I were to rob myself, what would be my weakest link? Often an extra clip around backpack straps to cross your chest or a carabina locking several zips together is enough deterant. Bit likd a steering wheel lock being a great visual deterant.

9) Heed the advice of locals. You are not in your home country, the police will not be there at the making of a phone call, calling for help may not invoke a response and people may actually go out of their way to avoid you when you do need help.

10) Ducking into a cafe for an early or late lunch / coffee when you think the outside situation is volatile may be the best $2 you have spent. Sitting well away from sight of course.

11) Think before you talk! When I was in India during the time Australians where attacking Indian students here I became a New Zealender.. Aussies were being lynched by the media 24/7 and I'm sure several Aussies would have been the victim of a 'revenge attack'..

I spent a week in Northern Pakistan alone using local public transport and stopped in a town called Gilgit (an autonomous self-governing region) on my way to Skardu via the Karakoram Highway. This place (at the time) had an endorsed YHA that had not been used for months due to the unrest and killings and perhaps I was a little silly staying there. In fact, I had the whole complex to myself; water and power were turned off as well. The guard met me at the door, handed me the key and told me where to hide it after I checked myself out the following day.

Got to Skardu to see some of the MOST BEAUTIFUL scenery you will ever see. Kicked myself because the only camera I had was a 4yr old 4mp Kodak P&S camera (so it didn't get nicked)... Yet the locals encountered INSISTED that I was from the media because 1) No tourist is stupid enough to be in this neck of the woods and 2) Was obviously evident by the costly, professional camera I was using...

Stayed in The Shangri La resort, Skardu, named due to the fact that the area is similar to how it was described in "Lost Horizon". Was the only Westerner that had visited in the last 6 or so months and I shared the whole resort with a newly married couple from Islamabad that were wealthy enough to afford to travel to stay there.. It's the Bora Bora of Pakistanis.

Time to leave... weather held back the plane for 3 days (Skardu Airport is a sight to behold!) and driving back by local transport was not advised due to some random killings in Gilgit... (where I needed to stop to stay the night and change busses). Seems I was either very lucky while there or left the day before the first person was killed in the street.

I may have been lucky?? Who knows?

There are always people who live to temp fate... this sign didn't deter many of the people I shared with in UB Guest House, Mongolia.... who would gladly return back at all hours in a drunken stupor due to the cheap grog...

Yellow_Festiva · 13-04-2014, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vdo

After my flight was cancelled in Detroit, I found myself in downtown Detroit at the Greyhound station in the middle of the night. I watched the hookers and drug dealers ply their trade outside for a while, then decided I had to get a room for the night. I didn't dare walk, so I caught a taxi for the one and a half blocks to the hotel, only to find out that it was a fake taxi... the driver picked up another passenger on the way, who climbed in the back with me, he bought some drugs from the driver and then the driver proceeded to take me to the hotel, where he demanded $20.00 for a $5.00 fare (800 metres). I just paid it and got out as fast as I could. The hotel had bars and wire mesh at the desk, I got into my room (air cond was broken) and was awakened 3 times during the night, by prostitutes banging on my door accompanied by their BIG minders, wanting business. I could see them through the peephole. I laid low, pretending not to be there. I hid my carry bag in the shower cubicle in case my door was rammed during the night, eventually leaned over from my bed to turn off the side lamp and was electrocuted by the frayed wiring. I got up in the morning, ordered a (real) taxi by phone to the airport and got the hell out of there. All the time I was carrying over $4000.00 US in my carry bag. A night I'll never forget.

Bloody hell...

Yellow_Festiva · 13-04-2014, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordomatic

It's funny, the most places i've felt threatened in the world are popular tourist destinations and not where people say not to go.

This is true. Popular tourist destinations in poor places breed locals who learn that each tourist is a walking bank...

I mention Pakistan in my previous post. People are shocked when they learn that was NOT at the top of my 'worst place to travel' list.

That gong goes to China.

When in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, I never once got ripped off by a taxi, overcharged by a shop / market or given misleading directions or information that would benefit the other person or harrassed... not once.

I assume it was because so few tourists go there that the 'rip off' mentallity hadn't set in yet. My Paki friend in Sydney told me this before I went but of course I was a bit cautious at first...

Can't wait to go back one day truth be told. Only regret, not knowing anything about cricket... The locals, even in the middle of nowhere put me to shame with their intricate knowledge of the Aussie cricket team...

Davehoos · 13-04-2014, 11:30 AM

recently listened to a conversation between airline engineers about what African country wasn't crap--it was a short list.

My boss has been trying to organise a south American trip for 3 years.

I did 3 trips around the USA and Memphis was the most dangerous. Ohare is in the crap part of town 'so you don't go out of the airport, and you don't take a Californian hire car into seatle or The South.

New years mid 1980's in los angles look like bagdad with tracer shots-and Im not talking east LA.

Was bashed by steroid morrons in parramata--and warned by police not to be seen on the street for their shift.