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I'd say your friend is telling porky pies. Think about it for a moment... Shanghai's population is a bit over 24 million. So 4% of their population lives in just one building?
That's more than the population of Grand Rapids, Warren City, Sterling Heights City, Lansing City, Ann Arbor City, Kalamazoo City, Livonia City and Flint City put together. Even then, this magical one building would still be looking for nearly 50,000 tenants! Can you imagine all those people squished into just one building? (I chose Michigan cities since you said somewhere you were from that State).
Also, you said something upthread about not being able to worship freely in Dubai. There are a number of christian churches in Dubai - I'm sure at least one of them would meet your needs should you ever find yourself there.
I will check that information again, about 1 million in his apartment building, and report back here. It seems HOLY EXCESSIVE to me, but I took his word for it.
I didn't say anything about Dubai. I would never go there, church or not.
One of our good friends is dying right now (he is 35) from Japanese Encephalitis he contracted from parasites in food or water while in the Philippines, there is no cure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthernProper
Another of our friends lives in an apartment in Shanghai... their ONE apartment building houses 1,000,000 (ONE MILLION) people. How can that be sanitary?
Japanese Encephalitis is a virus contracted from being bitten by an infected mosquito, not a parasite from food/water. There is also no transmission from person to person and infected patients don't need to be isolated.
There is no apartment building housing a million people, that is ridiculous. That would require a skyscraper with thousands of apartments per floor.
If this is the type of "wisdom" you're getting from your friends who have traveled you might as well dismiss everything else you've heard as well, they are either liars or fools.
Japanese Encephalitis is a virus contracted from being bitten by an infected mosquito, not a parasite from food/water. There is also no transmission from person to person and infected patients don't need to be isolated.
There is no apartment building housing a million people, that is ridiculous. That would require a skyscraper with thousands of apartments per floor.
If this is the type of "wisdom" you're getting from your friends who have traveled you might as well dismiss everything else you've heard as well, they are either liars or fools.
It is possible he said apartment building, but perhaps he means to say there are a million people in his apartment complex?
Our friend has Japanese Encephalitis, as well as numerous amoebas and parasites that were contracted in the Philippines (from water or food sources) they are in his liver and brain, he is in multiple organ failure. You might show some compassion instead of calling him a liar and fool. Not to mention the fact that he is leaving behind a wife and two small children, making your dissection of minutiae pertaining to his medical diagnosis rather petty in comparison.
But let's talk more about our friends. For instance, the family of 7 who moved to Java, Indonesia and ALL got very sick for months as they tried to acclimate to the water, food and living conditions. Malaise, vomiting, diarrhea, fevers, weight loss ... followed by two bouts of Dengue Fever which left the mom barely alive and weighing 74 lbs. I suppose they are liars, too? Or perhaps we just have unfortunate friends with low immune systems ...
Should mention one other friend who works with orphans in the Philippines ... the ones living in the nice and sanitary trash dumps.
My point being, my long list of reasons for not wanting to visit Asia are my reasons ... they are not unfounded, and should be of no consequence to you.
Last edited by SouthernProper; 09-02-2017 at 11:54 AM..
I think the three countries I would be most afraid to visit as of right now would be
1. Somalia
2. Democratic Republic of the Congo
3. Afghanistan
,
I'm not completely aware of geopolitics in regards to which places other than that are truly, very, very extremely unsafe. NK obviously, but at the same time you can technically go there very safely by visiting the DMZ, and even those that go with tour groups rarely deal with personal crimes or anything of that sort from what I can tell. I don't know that there is anywhere else in Asia right now that I would quantify on that level, possibly Syria since it's in a war, Ukraine (Europe, but still), and portions of some of the other middle eastern countries? Even Bangladesh, from what I understand, while crazy, isn't all that unsafe (everywhere in the Far East seems relatively, to very, safe). In Africa, I'm sure there are more (Sudan comes to mind, possibly Mozambique), but at the same time, I think there are a few, even those classified as LDC's (Zambia, Tanzania, Madagascar, etc.) that have a healthy tourist industry, and I do hear about people going over there without incident.
Last edited by theurbanfiles; 09-02-2017 at 02:22 PM..
- Regarding the bathrooms, well, you don't have to take some public bathrooms in the streets of Mumbai. There are excellent hotels with excellent bathrooms all over Asia.
Funny story: When I was in Turkey, I had to go REALLY bad while visiting a mosque... so I asked a guard (standing outside) where the bathroom was, and he asked "Turkish bathroom or foreigners' bathroom?" Since I was so desperate, I said whichever is closest, and he pointed me towards the Turkish bathroom. I walk in, and see women in burkas and other long dresses/skirts, squatting over holes in the dirt. Normally I would have said nope, and ran to the "foreigners' bathroom," but like I said I really HAD TO GO. So I followed their leads, and had my first squatting-over-a-pit-in-a-skirt experience. I survived.
That being said, Turkey was otherwise a beautiful and mostly modern country. One of the best meals I've had in my entire LIFE was there, at a shish kebab stand in the Grand Bazaar (Istanbul), and our hotel was absolutely gorgeous. Asia is a HUGE continent, so I'm quite sure the OP could find places to their liking. Btw, Japan is known for their fancy high-tech toilets. LOL
As for where I'd personally never go, I would avoid (just for the sake of safety) places with hostile anti-American situations - e.g. North Korea, Iraq, parts of Africa, etc. Also places with super strict laws, like Singapore, since I'd be the type to get arrested for something like smoking in the wrong place. I've never been great at following rules, and any place where littering is punishable by caning would be too risky for me. Not that I litter normally, but you get my point.
I always think of Synagogues, Rabbi's, kosher kitchens, Hasidic Jews ... forgetting that Jews are just people, some Orthodox, some not (just like not all Christians are the same). Have you been to Israel?
Yeah, we're just people too. LOL
I've been to Israel, and believe it or not, the MAJORITY of the country is secular or Reform (mildly practicing). You'll find a vibrant culture with people of all types, including Christians and Muslims, and all the modern amenities needed within the larger cities. Go to Tel Aviv, and aside from the Hebrew writing, it'll look like any big city in the U.S. As for the political climate, I was there in the middle of the first Gulf War, and never truly felt my life was in danger. We traveled freely about the state, and the only sign of war was the military presence - which is always around in Israel, but probably more soldiers walking the streets than usual. Occasionally you'd hear target practice (or real bombs?) in the background, but during my 2-month stay I always felt safe.
Honestly, I think everyone should visit Israel at least once in their lifetime. It's an amazing experience, no matter what your background or faith. I'm Reform Jewish myself, and still was in awe at standing where Jesus (allegedly) made his Sermon on the Mount... along with neighborhoods so Orthodox they wouldn't look you in the eyes, just walking distance from modern shopping malls and people dressed in shorts. Interesting clash of cultures there, with great shopping and a huge assortment of foods/restaurants. Nothing like REAL falafel from a street vendor!!
Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, all those small expensive countries. The prices seem ridiculous there, I prefer traveling to countries where my dollar will go a long way.
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