I got lost one time in Hillbrow on the way back to Tamboo Airport. Not a fun experience!


I have a friend that just got back from Guatemala City. He and his wife visited the large trash dump outside the city. She had a woman come up and ask her to take her baby back to America. He has been all over the world and said he had never seen so much Gang Activity and it topped his list.

I would say Afghanistan, Somalia, Djibouti or Iraq, but honestly I have been shot at more in Jacksonville, FL.

So that is my top pick.

The warzone is the warzone and you expect it.

I have never sought to visit a warzone, but sometimes you are in the wrong place at the wrong time:

1979, Bangui, Central African Empire, shot at (as in aiming at me)
1983, Ouagadougou, Upper Volta, shot at (caught in crossfire, don't think they were aiming at me specifically)
The above were both coup d'état situations, so very fluid. I was of course unarmed, a civilian.

I lived in Djibouti from 1985 to 1990, seemed peaceful to me, so surprised to see it on a "dangerous" list. I found Yemen in 1986 to be a little dicey however (went for Christmas holidays from Djibouti).

Several trips 2008-2011 to Juba, Southern Sudan. I advise being accompanied by some decent soldiers when going outside of town, and only in places where demining has been done.

There are a few places in Lagos I also advise avoiding, but staying on the beaten path is usually OK. Was in Abuja when a bomb went off a couple km from me, wasn't in any immediate danger. Ndjamena is not as bad as people may think, I do just fine there. Eastern border of Chad with Sudan (Darfour) is another place I try to avoid.

Upper Belize River jungle is the only situation where I was very nervous.

A Uruguay friend of mine says he does not know one person who has not been robbed in that country

Chicago, without a doubt!

I just returned from Guatemala City and it is a Scary place.

Karachi and Quetta, Pakistan.

In the stall next to Mike (Beretta682E) at the shooting range :-)

I think the Capt was asking about dangerous places we've found ourselves while traveling to recreate not war zones. For me I guess the most dangerous place was in the picturesque town of Hilton in RSA. The town reminds me of an English village. We were staying in a B&B while crisscrossing the country hunitng this and that. We were in the main house and Gary Kelly our PH was staying in the converted carriage house across the courtyard. While we were all having dinner in the main house a couple of knot heads with great finesse sent a huge piece of concrete through the back window burglar bars in the carriage house. They stole Garry's guns and other valuables. We heard nothing only 50 yards away. It was a little disconcerting to have that happen in what might be considered the most developed Afrcan country I've hunted in.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
In the stall next to Mike (Beretta682E) at the shooting range :-)

Biebs made a funny

I would say Burkina Faso.

I don't have to travel anywhere risky for work.

I tend to choose safe or know places for vacations/hunting/fishing.

Terrorism in western world is very difficult to handicap.

Crime is easier.

I like traveling internationally - I just choose safe places.

Mike

Mike, speaking of fear, he's still waiting for you in that deep, dark korongo :-)

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
I think the Capt was asking about dangerous places we've found ourselves while traveling to recreate not war zones. For me I guess the most dangerous place was in the picturesque town of Hilton in RSA. The town reminds me of an English village. We were staying in a B&B while crisscrossing the country hunitng this and that. We were in the main house and Gary Kelly our PH was staying in the converted carriage house across the courtyard. While we were all having dinner in the main house a couple of knot heads with great finesse sent a huge piece of concrete through the back window burglar bars in the carriage house. They stole Garry's guns and other valuables. We heard nothing only 50 yards away. It was a little disconcerting to have that happen in what might be considered the most developed Afrcan country I've hunted in.

Mark

Life experiences vary. 20 years in the military, that is what I have.

I drove through two gangster firefights in Jacksonville, FL in 2010. About a month apart, and 10 miles from one another. One at 10 am and one at 8 pm.

Well, in Yaoundé Cameroon, I got mugged while sitting in a taxi at the main train station( huge traffic jam had all traffic stalled). The next day our taxi end up surrounded by a drunken gang fight while waiting at a red light at a busy downtown intersection. Interesting city....

I Corps, Republic of Vietnam, 1966-67. Hands down.

I have a friend that got held up by gun point in Puerto Rico three weeks ago. They were flats fishing some of the outer islands and guy came out of nowhere with a gun while they were taking a break on a beach. Sounds like an inside job to me and curious to find out if they were with legitimate Outfitter.

I have heard the same from lots of other people that have traveled to PR. More heroin issues there than anywhere else in the US and they average a shooting every eight hours. It is the only place in the US where marine insurance companies policies do not cover you boat. Overall tourism is down and the island is costing the taxpayers billions every year.

No customs check from PR so lots of drugs and other contraband enter mainland through baggage handlers that are either paid or threatened by cartels. Here we are in 2017 and that island still has a problem with Pirates!

Nigeria hands down. Specifically Warri and Port Harcourt. Lagos is an open sewer.

I have been in a riot in Moscow and all kinds of issues in Pakistan, but Nigeria is easily the most dangerous.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
Karachi and Quetta, Pakistan.

Amen on Karachi.

Kafue river.

I felt the most uncomfortable in Nairobi, we were followed through a market place until we got to the armed guards at out hotel entrance. Once we were in the bush Kenya was amazing.

I would have to say Oakland for the states and Burkina Faso while out of country

So far so good
But I felt bit uneasy in Tijuana and one time in Brownsville Brooklyn in 80's -'literal warzone with whole blocks burned out and I had flat tire, black kid helped me but said, " watch for these niggers around here, nasty bunch "

Belize was a bit dodgy but Nairobi was downright scary.

Another vote for Burkina.

Paris 13/11/15

PK5 and also the thieves market (marche des voleurs) both in CAR Bangui end of 80s and beginning of 90s ...

being shot at by yaringas (road blockers)out of Bangui ...

The local train at night between Trenton, NJ and Philadelphia. Rio, Beijing 1989.

Mindanao, PI.

Up in the highlands.

Life experiences vary. 20 years in the military, that is what I have.

I drove through two gangster firefights in Jacksonville, FL in 2010. About a month apart, and 10 miles from one another. One at 10 am and one at 8 pm.[/QUOTE]



Well, that's disconcerting.

Wife & I moved to JAX 2 1/2 years ago due to job transfer she was offered. Got us out of Atlanta, which I'd been trying to do for 20 years.

I was genuinely surprised about the murder rate in JAX. It's an exception NOT to hear of at least one overnight shooting/killing.

Most crime is concentrated on the north side of downtown, or to the far west, but it can occur anywhere.

We live in Mandarin, in southeast JAX, a fairly safe area. But we have had car break-ins with autos parked in owners' driveways. Also, too much door-to-door soliciting (illegal, but still done) which can be a ruse to case the property.

Still, I'm glad we moved--Atlanta makes JAX look like Sunnybrook Farm.

Bad folks everywhere, it seems.

Probably Cali Columbia in the 90s. We had a car bumper come through the window of our office there, from a car bomb.
Our office was on the 7th floor.
I was not there that day. But traveled the countryside with an armed guard.

Rio.

Wedding chapel in Santa Fe.

quote:

Originally posted by PSmith:
Wedding chapel in Santa Fe.

Probably not a great comparison, but Baton Rouge, La. is getting that way. I don't keep a tally, but seems as tho they kill at least one a night ever since Katrina. I definitly carry when I go to town. GW

quote:

Originally posted by PSmith:
Wedding chapel in Santa Fe.

quote:

Originally posted by Hogbreath:
Chicago, without a doubt!

SE DC!

quote:

Originally posted by Goatwhiskers:
Probably not a great comparison, but Baton Rouge, La. is getting that way. I don't keep a tally, but seems as tho they kill at least one a night ever since Katrina. I definitly carry when I go to town. GW

One of my co-workers said the invasion of New Orleans to take the city back by special forces was worse for him than the 2nd invasion of Iraq.

In a 6 block area around the stadium they found 205 dead bodies with gunshot wounds in them.

They personally disarmed and arrested over 50 police officers that were involved in looting businesses. He said there were deadly firefights on a regular basis, until the tide shifted enough for people to start acting right.

He told me that he had no hope for humanity in a big city if there was another natural disaster like that.

Being Walters friend for almost 40 years!

quote:

Being Walters friend for almost 40 years! clap

Hands down winner right there! :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:

quote:

Originally posted by Goatwhiskers:
Probably not a great comparison, but Baton Rouge, La. is getting that way. I don't keep a tally, but seems as tho they kill at least one a night ever since Katrina. I definitly carry when I go to town. GW

One of my co-workers said the invasion of New Orleans to take the city back by special forces was worse for him than the 2nd invasion of Iraq.

In a 6 block area around the stadium they found 205 dead bodies with gunshot wounds in them.

They personally disarmed and arrested over 50 police officers that were involved in looting businesses. He said there were deadly firefights on a regular basis, until the tide shifted enough for people to start acting right.

He told me that he had no hope for humanity in a big city if there was another natural disaster like that.

Little doubt that New Orleans is a really bad place. If you go to the wrong area, you are in real trouble.