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The World's Most Overrated Cities (according to online reviews). Try and guess before opening.


fygjam

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Bangkok has systematically removed all the things that tourists went there for!!

- Khao san road went from a small street predominantly used by backpackers for cheap hotels,clothes, food and drink to just another plastic tourist attraction . Who remembers the small bars listing the films being shown that day.?? When I came here in 91 for a job interview (a paid holiday with mates really) it looked totally different to when I went there a couple of years ago with my sons...Shit, even they said that it had changed from their previous visits.  

- Samak totally ruined the general "street vibe" by removing food vendors off the streets. Soi Rangnam was a bustling road at around 5pm with all the workers pouring out from their offices to eat street food! It was also a "destination" street for outsiders.

When Mike Chinnoy's articles started on CNN "The sights and sounds of Asia" it showed a completely different world than it is today (But in all honesty where hasn't changed in that time) but I think that is the world that tourists come to see not some plastic replica...

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Was big news over here today, but just for the fact that Toronto was the top 🇨🇦 city on the list. Then I clicked on the link for the full list……was shocked myself. Never had any issues with BKK, in fact I’ve always regretted only spending maybe 7-8 days there total out of 11 months in LOS

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2 hours ago, Derek Dangleberries said:

Bangkok has systematically removed all the things that tourists went there for!!

- Khao san road went from a small street predominantly used by backpackers for cheap hotels,clothes, food and drink to just another plastic tourist attraction . Who remembers the small bars listing the films being shown that day.?? When I came here in 91 for a job interview (a paid holiday with mates really) it looked totally different to when I went there a couple of years ago with my sons...Shit, even they said that it had changed from their previous visits.  

- Samak totally ruined the general "street vibe" by removing food vendors off the streets. Soi Rangnam was a bustling road at around 5pm with all the workers pouring out from their offices to eat street food! It was also a "destination" street for outsiders.

When Mike Chinnoy's articles started on CNN "The sights and sounds of Asia" it showed a completely different world than it is today (But in all honesty where hasn't changed in that time) but I think that is the world that tourists come to see not some plastic replica...

 

I still think Bangkok is a great city. That is if you are near a BTS, or MRT station. Once you get that down it is a pleasure travelling to many of the choice places. 

I spent 60 + years living in the U.S. Most of it in and near Chicago. I still think of it as a great place. 

I have never been to NYC (other than JFK once). I have no desire or reason to go there.

The two best cities I have been , Hong Kong (now completely f***d over by Xi) and Seattle (no place comes close as for big cities, IMO).

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1 hour ago, Glasseye said:

That is if you are near a BTS, or MRT station. Once you get that down it is a pleasure travelling to many of the choice places. 

I have had my wallet stolen 4 times in Bangkok but never in Pattaya, or anywhere else in the World - And I've been around a bit!!!

- Twice successfully on the BTS just too many people around bumping and grinding together! !!!

- Once outside the Landmark. Which I prevented.

- Once Soi 4. Which I prevented.

1 hour ago, Glasseye said:

The two best cities I have been , Hong Kong (now completely f***d over by Xi)

Oh man aren't you spot on there, mate!

Whilst working in Bangkok at the time of the hand over of HK to PRC it seemed quite popular with expats here to want to fly over to witness it...but nobody that I knew had ever actually been there before!! They didn't even fly into Kai Tak...There was no way I was gonna join them....

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3 minutes ago, Derek Dangleberries said:

I have had my wallet stolen 4 times in Bangkok but never in Pattaya, or anywhere else in the World - And I've been around a bit!!!

- Twice successfully on the BTS just too many people around bumping and grinding together! !!!

- Once outside the Landmark. Which I prevented.

- Once Soi 4. Which I prevented.

Oh man aren't you spot on there, mate!

Whilst working in Bangkok at the time of the hand over of HK to PRC it seemed quite popular with expats here to want to fly over to witness it...but nobody that I knew had ever actually been there before!! They didn't even fly into Kai Tak...There was no way I was gonna join them....

Back in the day landing in Kai Tak was a thrill. If I recall correctly, pilots used to line up a hill in the background, checkerboard hill or something like that, just to be able to make it. Almost as good was walking to the city near there and seeing those 747s so low to the ground over the built-up city.

 

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1 hour ago, Glasseye said:

 

I still think Bangkok is a great city. That is if you are near a BTS, or MRT station. Once you get that down it is a pleasure travelling to many of the choice places. 

I spent 60 + years living in the U.S. Most of it in and near Chicago. I still think of it as a great place. 

I have never been to NYC (other than JFK once). I have no desire or reason to go there.

The two best cities I have been , Hong Kong (now completely f***d over by Xi) and Seattle (no place comes close as for big cities, IMO).

I like Seattle too but give me San Francisco over any US city. Even with all of the homeless, SF rocks. Go Niners.

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45 minutes ago, Trip said:

Back in the day landing in Kai Tak was a thrill. If I recall correctly, pilots used to line up a hill in the background, checkerboard hill or something like that, just to be able to make it. Almost as good was walking to the city near there and seeing those 747s so low to the ground over the built-up city.

 

Wonderful times !!!

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1 hour ago, Derek Dangleberries said:

I have had my wallet stolen 4 times in Bangkok but never in Pattaya, or anywhere else in the World - And I've been around a bit!!!

- Twice successfully on the BTS just too many people around bumping and grinding together! !!!

- Once outside the Landmark. Which I prevented.

- Once Soi 4. Which I prevented.

Oh man aren't you spot on there, mate!

Whilst working in Bangkok at the time of the hand over of HK to PRC it seemed quite popular with expats here to want to fly over to witness it...but nobody that I knew had ever actually been there before!! They didn't even fly into Kai Tak...There was no way I was gonna join them....

One of my most memorable trips. Stayed there 3 days on the way to LOS and 3 days back. At the time saw some incredible shows (not sex lol) in places you could barely swing a cat (sorry). Lovely place, sad to say probably gone forever. Sure am glad I checked it out when I did.

Funny, At least three times in the BTS I had people alert me that my backpack was unopened.

Other than one time when some lovely African ladies were trying to get their hand into my pocket on Soi 4 have I ever had an issue. Bitch is lucky I didn't break it.

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10 minutes ago, Glasseye said:

One of my most memorable trips. Stayed there 3 days on the way to LOS and 3 days back. At the time saw some incredible shows (not sex lol) in places you could barely swing a cat (sorry). Lovely place, sad to say probably gone forever. Sure am glad I checked it out when I did.

Funny, At least three times in the BTS I had people alert me that my backpack was unopened.

Other than one time when some lovely African ladies were trying to get their hand into my pocket on Soi 4 have I ever had an issue. Bitch is lucky I didn't break it.

* I meant opened. But you probably figured that out. Time for a Leo....

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For me it would have to be Cairo.

A tick in the box "I have visited the Pyramids" simply did not make up for the khazi that is Cairo and its surrounding area. Never so glad to get back on the cruise ship still in one piece and without contracting dysentery.

"Cruise ship" was a very loose term for a rust bucket out of Cyprus covered in a few thousand gallons of white paint.

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1 hour ago, Jambo said:

For me it would have to be Cairo.

A tick in the box "I have visited the Pyramids" simply did not make up for the khazi that is Cairo and its surrounding area. Never so glad to get back on the cruise ship still in one piece and without contracting dysentery.

"Cruise ship" was a very loose term for a rust bucket out of Cyprus covered in a few thousand gallons of white paint.

I've been to Cairo a couple of times whilst flying with Saudi royal family aircraft.

An absolute shithole that I would never return to,but I did see the pyramids....when we flew over them.

As an aside I've been visiting Bangkok for around 42 years,absolutely love the place but have never been to Khaosan Road.

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2 hours ago, Jambo said:

For me it would have to be Cairo.

A tick in the box "I have visited the Pyramids" simply did not make up for the khazi that is Cairo and its surrounding area. Never so glad to get back on the cruise ship still in one piece and without contracting dysentery.

"Cruise ship" was a very loose term for a rust bucket out of Cyprus covered in a few thousand gallons of white paint.

Sharm El Sheikh, was not a city, but another Egyptian shithole. Four of us went on a four day bender. One wouldn’t leave the hotel room until evening because he hated the place so much.😀

Best city for me was Budapest, loved it there.

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1 hour ago, galenkia said:

Sharm El Sheikh, was not a city, but another Egyptian shithole. Four of us went on a four day bender. One wouldn’t leave the hotel room until evening because he hated the place so much.😀

Best city for me was Budapest, loved it there.

Hurghada is another shithole in Egypt I went to,luckily we were in the Intercontinental Hotel & they had a snooker room so me & the chief pilot(the only other Brit on the crew) spent a lot of time in there whilst drinking duty free hooch.

Never been to Budapest but spent a lot of time in Bucharest,not a great place for a tourist but the beer's very good & very cheap & the ladies are very nice.

What more could one ask for?

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11 hours ago, Jambo said:

For me it would have to be Cairo.

A tick in the box "I have visited the Pyramids" simply did not make up for the khazi that is Cairo and its surrounding area. Never so glad to get back on the cruise ship still in one piece and without contracting dysentery.

"Cruise ship" was a very loose term for a rust bucket out of Cyprus covered in a few thousand gallons of white paint.

I've been there also Jambo. The world's biggest toilet. From the drive into the city I feared the worst. Many abandoned apartments from the trip from the airport. 

City centre.. Blokes with 150 goats and sheep parading down the road. Went to that famous museum there where Tutankhamen  solid gold head thing is ( sorry for my ignorance) and ended up wanting to twat some ignorant and impatient Russian fuckers. 

I'll never go back there and if the pyramids wernt on the outskirts of the shithole what is Cairo, no body else will either. 

Sharm El Sheik for me was OK but the Egyptian folks.... Asda price, cheap as chips.. Wears a bit thin after a day or two.... The cops are corrupt as f**k also. 

Won't be going there again. 

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18 hours ago, Aqualung said:

Sharm El Sheik for me was OK but the Egyptian folks.... Asda price, cheap as chips.. Wears a bit thin after a day or two.... The cops are corrupt as f**k also. 

Whenever we encountered an example of indigenous stupidity one of us would quietly say "They never built the pyramids".

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