Post: #101

The slums of Mumbai (in a taxi of course near the airports). In the USA probably the biggest dump was some pockets of Detroit I drove through. The place looks like a warzone. I saw a Shell gas station that looked completely abandoned, bombed out, covered in graffiti, and literally emanating with smoke. Detroit has a ton of abandoned buildings & just straight up ruin. It's hard to believe this shit actually exists in the United States. 2nd place probably goes to the south side of Chicago, but tried to zip through there as fast as possible. Chicago possibly has worse (or on par) crime with Detroit, but at least its infrastructure is intact in comparison. The gang culture & warfare is definitely worse overall in Chicago's ghettos compared to Detroit. Chicago's ritzy areas are RITZY & teeming with diverse talent however. Summertime in the hot spots are right up there with say NYC/Manhattan (River North, Gold Coast), Brooklyn (Bucktown/Wicker Park) or Hoboken (more Wrigleyville & Lincoln Park frattish Big 10 vibe). Clubs are open late of course in Chicago. Detroit is hurting. In NYC, the worst parts I personally saw were in the Bronx, but I've heard that a couple neighborhoods in Brooklyn are arguably the worst ones in NYC.

Post: #102

From everything I've read, it's Liberia, hands down. That I've seen - Jacksonville, FL. no question.

Post: #103

^^^ why is JAX so shitty ???

Post: #104

(04-24-2013 09:10 PM)TexasMade Wrote:  East St. Louis. Shitty downtown. I can't imagine any other US city with a worst DT. Southside ChiTown maybe? Youngstown, Ohio?

When you say east St. Louis, do you mean the town in Illinois or the eastern part of St. Louis, Missouri? St. Louis is a complete shithole. I went there once planning to spend at least two or three days there. I got in at about 10:00 P.M., checked into a hotel, and was out of there about 7:00 A.M. the next morning.

Post: #105

delete

Post: #106

I already said New Delhi, India , but I recently went to Riyadh,Saudi Arabia and it's full of angry men who like to rip you off and hate on you if you're too "Handsome" , and also because there's very little chance of doing daygame, and if you ever get caught having sex with somebody else's wife, you're gonna suffer.

Post: #107

(02-13-2013 12:25 AM)Volk Wrote:  Tolu, Colombia. The whole city lives from begging, and the place is a neglected wasteland. If it weren't for tourism because of past glories, the place would have imploded already in misery. Nobody wants to work, and there's no work. Only a polluted sea and a beach made up of black and dark gray sand.

Medellin, Colombia. Okay, let's be serious. Has any of you been to neighborhoods like El Coco, Barrio Triste, Villahermosa, La Villa, Barrio Antioquia, Belen Rincon, Altavista, El Trianon? (This are the ones I have been personally to. There are others Like Castilla, 12 de Octubre, Populacho, Vallejuelos, and other hellholes) It's not uncommon to see 6 year-olds smoking crack in those places. Or watch them sniffing a whole bottle of glue, along thousands of people along the riverside. Or maybe you can see them stabbing eachother for some old shoes. Medellin is fun, as long as you keep to a few neighborhoods, anything else is a big pile of human crap.

I wouldn't consider Medellin a shithole by any means. Sure, some spots in Medellin are, but the city as a whole is great. Yeah it's dangerous and there are some really seedy neighborhoods, but it's also pretty close to poosy paradise. The women are top notch, beautiful and friendly. The night life is a lot of fun. Your metro and public transit is at first world levels, hell, the metro kicks the shit out of NYC in terms of cleanlines, and it's also super efficient. The food isn't bad (But not great either). Some neighborhoods you would confuse for America had you not known better. It's like the example of Brazil I was saying before. Yeah, I saw dumpier places in Brazil than Guayaquil, but I still consider the coolest place I've been. There is too much good there to focus on the bad, the good way over powers the bad (Though the close to 50% tax they pay makes it tough to want to work and live there unless you are making big time bucks). Plus, in comparison, the seedy and dumpy neighborhoods in Medellin aren't on the level of the the seedy and dumpy neighborhoods in Brazil from what I can see.

Post: #108

(04-26-2013 01:07 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  I wouldn't consider Medellin a shithole by any means. Sure, some spots in Medellin are, but the city as a whole is great. Yeah it's dangerous and there are some really seedy neighborhoods, but it's also pretty close to poosy paradise. The women are top notch, beautiful and friendly. The night life is a lot of fun. Your metro and public transit is at first world levels, hell, the metro kicks the shit out of NYC in terms of cleanlines, and it's also super efficient. The food isn't bad (But not great either). Some neighborhoods you would confuse for America had you not known better. It's like the example of Brazil I was saying before. Yeah, I saw dumpier places in Brazil than Guayaquil, but I still consider the coolest place I've been. There is too much good there to focus on the bad, the good way over powers the bad (Though the close to 50% tax they pay makes it tough to want to work and live there unless you are making big time bucks). Plus, in comparison, the seedy and dumpy neighborhoods in Medellin aren't on the level of the the seedy and dumpy neighborhoods in Brazil from what I can see.

IP, you stayed in Poblado. It will look 1st world country to you, of course. But you didn't see Medellin, you saw what the people here sell to outsiders so they spend their dollars here and tell their friends how the "Only Danger Is Wanting To Stay". Trust me, this is easily one of the biggest shitholes of the world, by far!

Post: #109

In terms of poverty and gross factor, parts of northern India are shocking - Delhi, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in general. It's on a whole different level then anything I saw in Southeast Asia. I heard Bihar and Bangladesh are even worse but haven't been. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for a white woman there.

In terms of danger, El Salvador was pretty bad - armed security guards all over the place, couldn't walk on the street, etc. Alot more dangerous then Guatemala.

In terms of shady people, went to Cairo following the revolution, nonstop scams - that place is a disaster.

In terms of hostility and racism towards brown people, I'd say Russia is probably the worst.

Looks like from the vice documentary on Liberia
http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-tr...-liberia-1
that place takes the cake on multiple levels....

Post: #110

Poi Pet, Cambodia, was a shit hole.

Manila is a shit hole if you are not in the nicer areas like Makati. I saw a rat the size of a shih tzu in the slums.

I'm sure that these places are like Stockholm compared to lots of spots in India and Africa.

Post: #111

I need to write up an STL data sheet. "How to Have Fun and Avoid Being Shot in Saint Louis"

Ironically the most fun I've had there was the east side.

Post: #112

are we talking about East St.Loius, Illinois... or eastern St.Louis, Missouri ???

Post: #113

(04-26-2013 11:05 PM)Volk Wrote:  

(04-26-2013 01:07 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  I wouldn't consider Medellin a shithole by any means. Sure, some spots in Medellin are, but the city as a whole is great. Yeah it's dangerous and there are some really seedy neighborhoods, but it's also pretty close to poosy paradise. The women are top notch, beautiful and friendly. The night life is a lot of fun. Your metro and public transit is at first world levels, hell, the metro kicks the shit out of NYC in terms of cleanlines, and it's also super efficient. The food isn't bad (But not great either). Some neighborhoods you would confuse for America had you not known better. It's like the example of Brazil I was saying before. Yeah, I saw dumpier places in Brazil than Guayaquil, but I still consider the coolest place I've been. There is too much good there to focus on the bad, the good way over powers the bad (Though the close to 50% tax they pay makes it tough to want to work and live there unless you are making big time bucks). Plus, in comparison, the seedy and dumpy neighborhoods in Medellin aren't on the level of the the seedy and dumpy neighborhoods in Brazil from what I can see.

IP, you stayed in Poblado. It will look 1st world country to you, of course. But you didn't see Medellin, you saw what the people here sell to outsiders so they spend their dollars here and tell their friends how the "Only Danger Is Wanting To Stay". Trust me, this is easily one of the biggest shitholes of the world, by far!

It's not like I only stayed in Poblado the whole time though. I saw a good amount of the city. I went up on both the metrocables, I saw the slums. I went to Bello and centro. I took the metro and buses all over town. I probably saw a good 70% of Medellin, at least from afar. Trust me, the bad slums in Brazil look much worse than the ones in Medellin. Even then though, I'm willing to bet places like India and all over Africa are way bigger shitholes than Medellin or Brazil. Medellin is a place I would live for a long period of time. I wouldn't consider it a shithole because the good outweighs the bad in my opinion. It's hard to call a place a shithole that has first world neighborhoods, gorgeous and friendly women, and good nightlife. I just can't agree that Medellin is a shithole. Come live in a small town in Colorado for a couple months and you'll be begging to go back to Medellin. Not that most of Colorado is a shithole, but if you stay in a little town, you will get bored real fast, especially if it's not in the mountains. Not to mention the average girl will be a 4 or 5. Medellin is far from a shithole. Yes, it can be dangerous and some neighborhoods are real shitholes, but they can be avoided.

Post: #114

(04-27-2013 04:18 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  It's not like I only stayed in Poblado the whole time though. I saw a good amount of the city. I went up on both the metrocables, I saw the slums. I went to Bello and centro. I took the metro and buses all over town. I probably saw a good 70% of Medellin, at least from afar. Trust me, the bad slums in Brazil look much worse than the ones in Medellin. Even then though, I'm willing to bet places like India and all over Africa are way bigger shitholes than Medellin or Brazil. Medellin is a place I would live for a long period of time. I wouldn't consider it a shithole because the good outweighs the bad in my opinion. It's hard to call a place a shithole that has first world neighborhoods, gorgeous and friendly women, and good nightlife. I just can't agree that Medellin is a shithole. Come live in a small town in Colorado for a couple months and you'll be begging to go back to Medellin. Not that most of Colorado is a shithole, but if you stay in a little town, you will get bored real fast, especially if it's not in the mountains. Not to mention the average girl will be a 4 or 5. Medellin is far from a shithole. Yes, it can be dangerous and some neighborhoods are real shitholes, but they can be avoided.

It's one thing passing by in a hanging cabin and seeing far away from a station. Medellin's filth is not something you see from afar. You haven't lived here long enough, several weeks being 80% of the time on a sheltered neighborhood is not enough to see why. In none of the previous "shitholes" the following happens:

- Extortion for public transport
- Extortion for crossing a road
- Extortion for crossing a bridge
- Extortion for owning any kind of business
- Invisible frontiers, on a kill-at-sight policy (Currently on the 8th and 13th neighborhoods)
- Chainsaw mass killings (1st, 2nd and La Sierra)
- Open gunfights every night (Easily the 13th, 8th, La America, 1st, 2nd and downtown Medellin)
- Paramilitary cells (Convivir)
- Worst homicide rate in the country
- Weekends with homicides in the double digits
- Children getting their throats cut because they crossed an invisible frontier
- 80% of the population under the poverty line
- 60% proper unemployment (real unemployment is around 10, but people meet ends by selling random stuff in buses and such)
- Jails running at 700% occupation, thus, criminals are released to make space.
- Percentage of homicides that are solved : less than 1%
- All police crime investigation is infiltrated by mafias.
- Percentage of robberies solved : Even less than homicides, probably one in 10000.
- One cellphone is stolen every 5 to 10 minutes
- Biggest drug ring in the country
- Hitmen that work for as little as 10 dollars.

I don't want to go on, I'm in a rush. I've known this place for too long, and I've lived in the worst areas too because our family built all from the ground up. I'd prefer 10 years in Flint or in a small town in Colorado over one month more in Medellin. Every gringo has a honeymoon period with Medellin for about 3 months to a year. After shit starts happening, after they see 5 year olds putting a knife to your groin for drug money, after somebody gets their guts spilled right in front of their door, then they start realizing why all those locals are always saying that the city is a huge dump.

Bottom line, I hate this place and you love it. I'd be the first to admit that we are both biased, but if you take anything from this is, that never take the smoke and mirrors we sell to foreigners as reality, we are not as nice as you might have been led to believe.

Don't take this as fearmongering. Everyone is still welcome to come and stay for a while. Funny enough, tourists are a huge order of magnitude safer than us because local homicides don't tarnish the image as much as a murderer foreigner does. You are still welcome to visit and enjoy all the paisas that happen to be hot! (Take them all, paisas don't turn me on ). Just don't make the mistake to take is as a livable place.
Peace.

Post: #115

I understand what you're saying. I say, "Welcome to Latin America." Most people who travel to Latin America are well aware of these things. You think Mexico, Venezuela, Central America, or Brazil are any better? I met a handful of gringos who lived in Medellin for 2, 3, or 4 years plus. I know of one that posts here. I got you though. Of course Medellin is corrupt. I'm just saying, it's probably a much better place to live than africa or india. And definitely that types of shit happens all over the place, not just Medellin. Hell, I'd live in Medellin before most places in the US any day.

Post: #116

(04-27-2013 06:39 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  I understand what you're saying. I say, "Welcome to Latin America." Most people who travel to Latin America are well aware of these things. You think Mexico, Venezuela, Central America, or Brazil are any better? I met a handful of gringos who lived in Medellin for 2, 3, or 4 years plus. I know of one that posts here. I got you though. Of course Medellin is corrupt. I'm just saying, it's probably a much better place to live than africa or india. And definitely that types of shit happens all over the place, not just Medellin. Hell, I'd live in Medellin before most places in the US any day.

From a getting laid and dirtiness perspective, yes, better then India. From a safety perspective, India is better - as long as you're not a white woman traveling alone, but I doubt such white woman would be safe in Medellin either if the above descriptions are true. There's crime in India but it's nothing compared to the violence that I saw in Tijuana, which is safer then Medellin.

Post: #117

(04-28-2013 12:25 AM)ao85 Wrote:  

(04-27-2013 06:39 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  I understand what you're saying. I say, "Welcome to Latin America." Most people who travel to Latin America are well aware of these things. You think Mexico, Venezuela, Central America, or Brazil are any better? I met a handful of gringos who lived in Medellin for 2, 3, or 4 years plus. I know of one that posts here. I got you though. Of course Medellin is corrupt. I'm just saying, it's probably a much better place to live than africa or india. And definitely that types of shit happens all over the place, not just Medellin. Hell, I'd live in Medellin before most places in the US any day.

From a getting laid and dirtiness perspective, yes, better then India. From a safety perspective, India is better - as long as you're not a white woman traveling alone, but I doubt such white woman would be safe in Medellin either if the above descriptions are true. There's crime in India but it's nothing compared to the violence that I saw in Tijuana, which is safer then Medellin.

But really, if you stick to the safe places at night, how dangerous is Medellin? Why would you even go to a dangerous neighborhood at night unless you were looking for trouble? I've traveled to many "dangerous" places. I lived in Brazil for 6 months, I saw nothing
"dangerous" other than places that looked like they were dangerous at night, but obviously I stayed away from those places. I'd only see them passing by in cabs and the like. Hell, I even went into a favela and didn't run into any danger. Almost none of my Brazilian friends have ever been robbed. I was robbed in Medellin, but for $20 and a wallet. besides that one time, I've been in worse situations in the states. If you go to Centro Medellin at night, you're asking for trouble. Just be smart.

Post: #118

(04-28-2013 12:38 AM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  But really, if you stick to the safe places at night, how dangerous is Medellin? Why would you even go to a dangerous neighborhood at night unless you were looking for trouble?

Poblado and parts of Envigado? As safe as the US. Why would you go to the other areas? No reason really, you are right, but you know that's where most of the people live. I have to go to those places, even at night, because I have relatives living there and I have to visit them from time to time.

Post: #119

I agree with InternationalPlayboy that Medellin is a nice city and I will likely return, but I like how Volk is here keeping all of us Colombia fans grounded with reality.

The biggest shit hole I've been to was also in Colombia, a small town called San cipriano near the Pacific coast, I dropped a data sheet on it, I should have gone back to Cali as soon as I saw how I was getting there, on a rigged up motorbike with a pic nic table attached to it riding half an hour on an abandoned railroad, good times:



The biggest shit hole city I've been to has to be Cebu, Philippines, I don't know why so many guys on here bother staying there, I've spent about two weeks in that dump and I regret having done so. hard to imagine that in a city of almost a million people, the only bumping night life area is a run down entertainment area called Mango Square, full of skanks, hookers and ladyboys.

I wasn't too impressed with Angeles City, Philippines, spent 24 hours there a few days ago, may have to drop a data sheet on that dump too.

Post: #120

New Delhi in India is a paradise compared to some of the rural villages in Bihar or any of North India for that matter. That being said, south india is far worse (I was born there) as people are thicker and uglier (especially the women). For example, women in Kerala barely have style; maybe they're getting there but definitely not there yet. Shopping there involves crowded markets where the restroom will most likely consist of a single hole with minimum privacy.

Goa is probably one of the more diverse and liberal places in India; somewhat a result of Portugese ancestry and culture in my opinion.

Post: #121

Ok, well..
- Saigon, Vietnam. What a dump.
- Parts of Salvador, Brazil. The city itself is ok (more advanced than Saigon), but some parts of it are very dangerous and run down. I stayed one night at a shitty short time hotel in the Centro.
- Parts of Maceio, Brazil - real favelas with shit flowing down the canals.

Post: #122

(04-27-2013 11:44 AM)STLmatic Wrote:  I need to write up an STL data sheet. "How to Have Fun and Avoid Being Shot in Saint Louis"

Ironically the most fun I've had there was the east side.

I would like to read this. Every time I go to St. Louis I can't wait to leave.

Post: #123

I havent done much travel but Thunder Bay Ontario was disgusting on many factors.

Too many dudes, not many girls. The peoples attitudes and moral values were absolutely appalling. 6+ months of Winter, welfare city where people just drink and reproduce (sometimes with their cousins) and never leave their little bubble.

Post: #124

(05-14-2013 07:46 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:  Ok, well..
- Saigon, Vietnam. What a dump.
- Parts of Salvador, Brazil. The city itself is ok (more advanced than Saigon), but some parts of it are very dangerous and run down. I stayed one night at a shitty short time hotel in the Centro.
- Parts of Maceio, Brazil - real favelas with shit flowing down the canals.

Maceio is supposed to be the most dangerous city in Brazil.

Post: #125

Kandahar Army Airfield in the 100+ degree summer. Quite literally there is a giant shithole that we lived and worked next to.