Cities you'd never return to

clappyhappy · 24-04-2014 09:42AM

wuffly wrote: »

Slavery? They dont exactly go to other countries and kidnap them you know. Have you ever spoken to a labourer or a taxi driver about how they feel about Dubai? they brought in wage protect systems to stop lower paid staff from being taken advantage of, its not the EU but its is new country development takes time and they focused on the wrong areas at times, know any other country that had crisis in 08?? Fake nightlife if you went to a nightclub in Dubai what do you expect? Locals don't drink, did you manage to miss every single shisha cafe when you were there? that is local night life. Did you check out any Muslim culture? There is a whole centre dedicated to cultural understanding in Dubai. Dubai doesn't put on a show of liberalism, it is more liberal but isn't costa del sol. They have laws that everyone is aware of, yes they turn a blind eye to a lot but that doesn't mean the laws cant be enforced when people openly flout them. There are ridiculous laws(the issues surrounding rape are archaic) but in general if you have common sense and you wont have a problem, hundreds of thousands of expats live here without issue. As for culture, only old stuff id cultural is it? no one is allowed move on from the past are they? there are tonnes of galleries in the UAE, a Guggenheim is being built in AD which will house mostly middle eastern art, there will also be a louvre with a universal theme opening next year but sure they are buying culture so that doesn't count. there is currently a great exhibit in saadiyat the history of the world in 100 objects (on lone from the British museum) one of which is an islamic coin, these coins were a turning point in the history of the world and trade but sure lets ignore that as well. How about the history of area's like Deira with a rich history of pearl diving and trade? Aw sure we won't count that either... I know its not perfect but you get what you look for in a place...

I agree with you on some points, but not on others. I lived in Dubai for 8 years and the difference between nationalities is disgusting.

Some labourers are recruited from very poor villages in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan etc., promised a great life in Dubai. The reality is very different. Made work 6 days a week, (as do most of us), live in a compound with 100's of other labourers, passports taken off then, only paid a fraction of what they were promised and not left travel home for years. They really are treated like dirt. I remember thinking while the burj al Arab was been built, that not one of those who spent hours in mid day heat building it would ever be allowed inside its doors.

Locals don't drink???? Yes they do. I was exec head chef of a 5 star hotel there and the way staff were treated by customers was appalling. While the local customers just expect to be waited on hand and foot, the worst were actually Western European expats who think that because they have a nanny and maid they can treat them like ****e also.

I used to get slagged because I lived in Deira, not jumeirah or the new greens that popped up, we didn't have a maid or house cleaner.

Dubai is a very false city, yes it has its very beautiful and historic areas, it has some of the best 5 star facilities in the world, a Mecca for those who have money. But hell for most of those that has built the city. Human rights don't exist there for everyone!!

wuffly · 24-04-2014 10:52AM

clappyhappy wrote: »

I agree with you on some points, but not on others. I lived in Dubai for 8 years and the difference between nationalities is disgusting.

Some labourers are recruited from very poor villages in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan etc., promised a great life in Dubai. The reality is very different. Made work 6 days a week, (as do most of us), live in a compound with 100's of other labourers, passports taken off then, only paid a fraction of what they were promised and not left travel home for years. They really are treated like dirt. I remember thinking while the burj al Arab was been built, that not one of those who spent hours in mid day heat building it would ever be allowed inside its doors.

Locals don't drink???? Yes they do. I was exec head chef of a 5 star hotel there and the way staff were treated by customers was appalling. While the local customers just expect to be waited on hand and foot, the worst were actually Western European expats who think that because they have a nanny and maid they can treat them like ****e also.

I used to get slagged because I lived in Deira, not jumeirah or the new greens that popped up, we didn't have a maid or house cleaner.

Dubai is a very false city, yes it has its very beautiful and historic areas, it has some of the best 5 star facilities in the world, a Mecca for those who have money. But hell for most of those that has built the city. Human rights don't exist there for everyone!!

Don't want to get into a debate about the place. Agree with many of your points. What i saying was that there is culture here.
Yes there is inequality but the UAE is the top ranking Arab country in relation to human rights. WPS has made a big difference to lower paid workers in the last few years. Our highest and lowest paid staff members are both Indian expats. Agree that there is a way to go but adopt a camp and other charities are raising awareness and a lot big companies are making camp improvements a key part of their CSR. Yes locals drink but you aren't going to find an arab bar are you? its not part of the culture. Yes there are plenty of twats from all nationalites, and i know plenty of people that have never bothered to visit a mosque, meet an Emirati, learn a few words of the language that doesn't mean there's no culture.

MarkY91 · 24-04-2014 11:29AM

Belfast - come nightime the city is a ghost town. no nightlife about it at all. clubs are few and far between. unlike dublin where we have temple bar and dozens of clubs/bars all within walking distance of o connell bridge

Todd Toddington III · 24-04-2014 12:21PM

jester77 wrote: »

Really? Siem Reap is fine in comparison to Phnom Penh. At least in Siem Reap you don't have child prostitution so openly on display.

Disagree with you, really didnt like the place at all. Apart from the few nice colonial french buildings I found it very depressing. Ankhor wat was nice though, the only reason to go there.

Todd Toddington III · 24-04-2014 12:25PM

MarkY91 wrote: »

Belfast - come nightime the city is a ghost town. no nightlife about it at all. clubs are few and far between. unlike dublin where we have temple bar and dozens of clubs/bars all within walking distance of o connell bridge

A lot of tension in the air too. Didnt like it one bit walking around at night

turnikett1 · 24-04-2014 12:33PM

Todd Toddington III wrote: »

A lot of tension in the air too. Didnt like it one bit walking around at night

I thought Belfast had a great nightlife, I had loads of craic there. Though I agree there was a serious tension in the air, did not feel safe walking around the city centre at night! Went looking for a bottle of Buckie during the night time at Falls Rd, thinking I would be on friendly grounds... I was so wrong! We felt sooo uncomfortable.

Great city overall tho

Sgt Hartman · 24-04-2014 01:09PM

The Kreutzberg district in Berlin. A total and utter dump.

MadYaker · 24-04-2014 01:34PM

Johannesburg isn't great. Depends on the areas you go to obviously but there is so much petty crime like assaults and robberies. Huge drug problems. Wandering around at night time is pretty much out of the question on your own. I wouldn't be rushing back.

Warper · 24-04-2014 01:35PM

Cairo - now there is a dump literally. Went there few months after the revolution and the place is an open tip. The people just want a piece of you and it stinks of horse sh1t. Saw the pyramids which why i went but never again. Every just keeps on harassing you for baksheesh

stoneill · 24-04-2014 01:52PM

Jasus, that Mogadishu place is in bits. Remind you of Darndale a bit.

MadYaker · 24-04-2014 01:58PM

Ah to be fair what were you expecting visiting a place after major political turmoil and civil unrest.

I hear Damascus is lovely this time of year!

rainbow kirby · 24-04-2014 01:59PM

Thought Sunderland was an absolute ****hole - got cheap tickets to see Sunderland v Liverpool at the Stadium of Light a couple of years back (was up in Newcastle for the Great North Run anyway), couldn't wait to get the feck out of there after the match.

stop animal cruelty · 24-04-2014 02:21PM

cork.

StompToWork · 24-04-2014 02:26PM

Barcelona. Nightmare of a city.

Stateside, I would never want to go back to Salt Lake City. What a terrible kip of an arid, boring hell-hole.

Finally, and not because anything really bad happened there, I may return to Las Vegas, but not for a long, LONG time. I wasn't right in the head for weeks after getting back from there. Some people just can't handle Vegas. I am some people!!

25-04-2014 07:57AM

For me has to be Cape Town, just avoid it is unsafe, indeed i will go further and say the whole of SA.
A lot of the Northern Italian cities have serious social issues and are not safe unless you are street wise and up for a fight.
It would be great if there was somewhere where we could capture these opinions in a poll or make it more concise as this is a great thread.

25-04-2014 07:57AM

For me has to be Cape Town, just avoid it is unsafe, indeed i will go further and say the whole of SA.
A lot of the Northern Italian cities have serious social issues and are not safe unless you are street wise and up for a fight.
It would be great if there was somewhere where we could capture these opinions in a poll or make it more concise as this is a great thread.

munchkin_utd · 25-04-2014 08:05AM

turnikett1 wrote: »

I thought Belfast had a great nightlife, I had loads of craic there. Though I agree there was a serious tension in the air, did not feel safe walking around the city centre at night! Went looking for a bottle of Buckie during the night time at Falls Rd, thinking I would be on friendly grounds... I was so wrong! We felt sooo uncomfortable.

Great city overall tho

Belfast is grand and the "air of tension" is only in your head.

You'd be under more actual threat outside the chipper in Galway or Mullingar (or Longford/ Cavan and pretty much any town I can think of) than Belfast.
Sure not even champion boxers are safe nowadays.

NSAman · 25-04-2014 08:12AM

Cienciano wrote: »

Anyone who describes a city as "boring" is really just telling us more about themselves than the city imho. A city can't be boring.

that is true, Moscow I could not describe as boring, the fact I HATED the place, the corruption, the costs, the hookers in the lobby of all hotels, being ripped off, the sheer indifference and abuse of each other not to mention everyone else. The place couldn't be called boring.. but CHRIST I will NEVER go back there again.

Mind you the subway and the escalators there-in are amazing..;)

shalalala · 25-04-2014 08:17AM

I would say Naples but myself and my oh are heading that way again this year. Shame that Sorrento etc are so close to that awful place.

i grew up in the midlands in England. Some awful and lovely places around there.

in Ireland. I was never fond of Sligo or athlone (sorry)

munchkin_utd · 25-04-2014 08:42AM

shalalala wrote: »

I would say Naples but myself and my oh are heading that way again this year. Shame that Sorrento etc are so close to that awful place.

i grew up in the midlands in England. Some awful and lovely places around there.

in Ireland. I was never fond of Sligo or athlone (sorry)

indeed - places like Coventry really should be reduced to rubble (again) and rebuilt from scratch (again) and I cant see myself ever going there ever again

keano_afc · 25-04-2014 08:47AM

turnikett1 wrote: »

I thought Belfast had a great nightlife, I had loads of craic there. Though I agree there was a serious tension in the air, did not feel safe walking around the city centre at night! Went looking for a bottle of Buckie during the night time at Falls Rd, thinking I would be on friendly grounds... I was so wrong! We felt sooo uncomfortable.

Great city overall tho

Where do you find this tension? Walking down Sandy Row with your Ireland jersey on? Seriously. My wife was in Queens for 4 years while we were dating so I was up there at least every second weekend. Never had one bad incident, and she was staying in Methodist College which leads on to Sandy Row and some loyalist areas. She made a lot of frieinds in college so we still go up every few months. I've parked my Dublin registered car in East Belfast (in some really dodgy areas as well, Beersbridge Road for example) tons of times as most of her friends live over there and never had a problem.

Belfast is a great city, plenty to do and the nightlife is great. You might have some issues if you go looking for them, like any city. But based on my experience the vast majority of people just want to get on with life and couldnt be arsed causing hassle.

Laois_Man · 25-04-2014 09:57AM

Paris - expensive and overrated. And after like, one hour, boring too.

Wasn't too fond of Brussels either! Not the friendliest place in my experience

Las Vegas - A good place to see.....but for no more than a couple of days once in your lifetime is enough

turnikett1 · 25-04-2014 10:07AM

keano_afc wrote: »

Where do you find this tension? Walking down Sandy Row with your Ireland jersey on? Seriously. My wife was in Queens for 4 years while we were dating so I was up there at least every second weekend. Never had one bad incident, and she was staying in Methodist College which leads on to Sandy Row and some loyalist areas. She made a lot of frieinds in college so we still go up every few months. I've parked my Dublin registered car in East Belfast (in some really dodgy areas as well, Beersbridge Road for example) tons of times as most of her friends live over there and never had a problem.

Belfast is a great city, plenty to do and the nightlife is great. You might have some issues if you go looking for them, like any city. But based on my experience the vast majority of people just want to get on with life and couldnt be arsed causing hassle.

Not really in the city centre, but going for wanders around the place. I don't wear Irish jerseys or anything of the sort - the only thing that identifies me as not from the North was my accent. Me and my friends 2 got a lot of stares from people and I won't say rude encounters but definitely cold. There was times where I felt very unwelcome and tense. It wasn't the same as walking around rough parts/estates in Limerick or Dublin or whatever, it was a cold uneasy feeling.

Don't get me wrong, I really loved Belfast. I wouldn't mind living there! There was just some parts to the city that felt very uncomfortable to be in.

I remember we went to a shop and asked directions to the city centre, yer man started sniggering and gave us very clear directions. 10 minutes later we had ended up in Sandy Row! There, we got a LOT of stares!

Cookie_Monster · 25-04-2014 10:08AM

Belfast - there twice and it's just boring and depressing and over policed.
Frankfurt - only because if I'm ever back in Germany I want to go other places as I've been there already.
Paris - no redeeming features and the worst major airport in the world.

DoctaDee · 25-04-2014 11:15AM

There's so many wide and differing opinions of cities here I'm reminded of the Idiot Abroad series on Sky when Karl picked up the little fella Warwick for season 3. 1st stop was Venice and St. Marks Square, Pilkington was tellin us that the city was more suited to back when we were fish, and the little lad was off buying ice cream and postcards to which Pilkington remarked ... he's treating it like a fcuking holiday. Really your state of mind colours your view of any particular place.

shalalala · 25-04-2014 02:07PM

munchkin_utd wrote: »

indeed - places like Coventry really should be reduced to rubble (again) and rebuilt from scratch (again) and I cant see myself ever going there ever again

where i am from! Awful. Interesting fact, although it was bombed, a lot of the demolition was done by the government to re build it as what they saw as a modern city. So actually the Germans didn't ruin the place.

Eggy Baby! · 25-04-2014 02:16PM

jane82 wrote: »

I went to thermopylae once. 300 hundred locals turned up at a narrow passageway coming into the town and all huddled together and wouldnt let us through.
We had to camp there took us months to get in.

Somehow, "the 30 thousand Spartans" just doesn't have the same ring to it...

zl1whqvjs75cdy · 25-04-2014 02:20PM

Laois_Man wrote: »

Paris - expensive and overrated. And after like, one hour, boring too.

Wasn't too fond of Brussels either! Not the friendliest place in my experience

Las Vegas - A good place to see.....but for no more than a couple of days once in your lifetime is enough

Seriously? Some people are utterly taking the piss in this thread. I'd agree that Paris is very expensive but boring it is not. There is loads to do. The Louvre alone would take up a week.

drumswan · 25-04-2014 02:22PM

donkeyoaty0099 wrote: »

Seriously? Some people are utterly taking the piss in this thread. I'd agree that Paris is very expensive but boring it is not. There is loads to do. The Louvre alone would take up a week.

Paris hardly compares to Laois now, come on

industrialhorse · 25-04-2014 02:23PM

I found Las Vegas to be sleazier and tackier than I thought it would be. I'm happy that I got to see it once in my lifetime cos I'll never need to visit the place ever again.

Cities you'd never return to

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