Posted on 10/31/2014 7:00:53 AM PDT by C19fan
Many of us say, "That was the worst place in the world!" But really: How many of us truly have the authority to say that? Lee Abbamonte does. He's the youngest American to visit all 193 member nations of the United Nations, and he's well on his way to visiting all 324 on The Travelers’ Century Club list, which includes territories and unique destinations in addition to nations. (Lee expects to have 321 of the 324 countries checked off by the end of the year).
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
I used to take an Air France flight Aden, Yemen (past capital of South Yemen) to Djibouti. We would over-night there to continue back to Paris before catching a flight to the states.
When we would land in Djibouti, we would get seat assignments. The trip from Yemen was a free-for-all, find a seat and grab it.
In Djibouti, they made us que up and wait while they wrote with a crayon our seat assignment on the ticket, then cross the seat off on a paper map of the plane.
I had asked why this wasn’t done in Yemen as there was often physical fights on the plane over who got what seat.
The stewardess (from Paris) explained they have tried several times but Yemen workers always screwed it up so bad, they gave up.
In Al Mukalla, south central Yemen, and third city with Internation flights, The american and brits who were regularly flying in kept complaining about the “eastern” toilets. After six month they finally installed two urinals. No plumbing, I discovered with my first (and last use). They just hung them on the wall to dump on your shoes and across the floor, in the international airport terminal.
At the same Al Mukalla airport, I watched a guy argue for 20 minutes with door attendant why he couldn’t bring his goat on the plane with him. Eventually he got made and left with his goat.
Same place, I watched the pilot and co-pilot pull a ladder out of the cargo area, climb up to an engine on the 707 we were flying in 1993 to beat with a hammer a portion of the cowling that would shift during each flight. The front half of the seats in the same plane had been torn out to make cargo room for pallets of stuff brought back from Abu Dhabi or Dubai.
There were two flights a week when we started from Al Mukalla to UAE. Tuesday to Abu Dhabi, Thursday to Dubai. No time on the flights. We were to show up when the airport opened, and probably sometime that day the plane would come. My Project Manager once stood outside in the afternoon on a Thursday and watched a 707 fly by. When he inquired inside, they got on the radio with the plane. Nobody needed to get off from Aden and they wanted to hurry on to Dubai so they didn’t stop. They suggested he come back next Tuesday. It would probably stop and there would probably be an open seat. No need to change the ticket or anything; any Alyemda ticket was good for any of their flights going anywhere, any day.
And that is the two nicer cities in the Country. I only flew to San’a once, that was a scary place for a white guy. Very fundamentalist Islamic.
Villages with open sewers, no water beyond a single well were common.
Yemen wins.
Having been in Sioux City a number of times, your posts are hilarious!
“... the unfriendliest people live on the western slope of Washington state...”
Mind you own business! Ha, I live in that area.
Hmmm, after reading about Yemen, perhaps I’ve been a little harsh on Neuvo Laredo!
I loved Lagos. It was wonderful! The waterparks were amazing, and the people were sweet and unassuming! The police would stop you and give you chocolate and free passes to the hockey game for no reason at all. Flowers bloomed everywhere, and lavender trees made the smells just amazing. The weather was picture perfect, and the infrastructure was world class. I plan to retire to Lagos, Nigeria — the very best place on earth!
If the world has an armpit, it must be located there.
We used to joke that this isn’t Hell, but if you stand on a hill, you can see it from here.
I was north of the mountain ridge in South Yemen, on the south side of the Rub’ al Khali (empty quarter). The place that Saudi and Yemen didn’t bother with a border (until they found oil) because nether side wanted to claim it.
I had no problem there. I just swaggered around and talked way too loudly. I'd 'accidently' knock over stuff, and sometimes try to cop a feel of some Muslim chick. I often cracked open a bunch of beers I smuggled in, and kinda make an impromptu bar where I would try to convert some of these Muslim fools to Christianity.
What, did you lose a bet or something? Why would anyone visit Sioux City unless it was as penance for some unspeakable sin.
My sister-in-law was admin to the president of IPS.
Those packing plants you were smelling weren’t across the river. They were a few blocks up the street. And those weren’t hobos. That was the City Council.
“The Sioux City airport is identified as SUX.”
Shoulda run that one by the chamber of commerce first. lol
At the time of the abortive 1981 coup d’etat that sought to oust the Communist regime that had run Guinea Bissau since independence from Portugal in 1974, I recall reading that the only items available in stores in Bissau City were plastic dolls made in China. It sounds as though Bissau, which made it to #12 on the list, hasn’t changed all that much.
Yeah, well that’s only because he’s never been to Mahalasville, Indiana. And he calls himself a world traveler.
I started reading, thinking WTF! then saw the poster name...
We actually got beer and hard liqueur in South Yemen. 4 cases and 4 liters per month. It was part of our compensation. Selling it was a firing offence, immediate, that is the next plane, which might be next week.
60 miles from the nearest paved road, probably 100 miles to the nearest flush toilet (besides ours), 3,500 hundred ugly construction guys an no women.
8 weeks of 12/7 days then 2 weeks paid vacation. R&R was mandatory but we could trade weeks with others to maintain staff on site.
I made the mistake of agreeing to work 13 weeks straight once. June to August, we saw 125°F most days, probably 5 months between the slightest rain. I quit 3 times during that period, but got talked back into staying before I could get a plane out each time.
The best Mexican restaurants are in the US (my favorite is La Placita in Albuquerque, NM)--just as the best Indian cuisine is to be found in London.
Dean Stoll was the coal buyer before a series of mergers and looting by the executives allowed the name to disappear.
IPS had four coal burners. Neal 1 was a Babcock & Wilcox Cyclone unit, designed to burn midwestern coal. Neal 2, 3 and 4 were Foster-Wheeler units that worked well on PRB coal. Not so well at Neal 1.
Nah, that is Sydney. If Sydney counts :P
India is the nastiest place on earth
http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/filthy-india-photos-chinese-netizen-reactions.html
A working companion was in the Navy. He said you could smell Pakistan long before you came in sight of shore. It smells like garbage constantly burning.
I have been to both. He is right about Lagos.
Mentioning Juba made Detroit redundant.
Juba, South Sudan
Juba is a horrible place to visit. The world’s newest country has been, is, and will be in danger of falling into utter despair despite the efforts of international humanitarians. Poverty, greed, corruption, and outside influences ensure that South Sudan will not be appearing on any top 10 lists any time soon (other than this one).
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