What can make a person risk their life and health? An adventurous streak that pushes into the most dangerous countries for tourists in the world, where civil conflicts have smoldered for decades or hostilities have developed, where there are risks of contracting malaria, yellow fever, cholera or the terrible Ebola, where no one has heard of civilization.
How do daredevil tourists survive, whom fate has thrown into hell on Earth? Is it so dangerous in those countries that we have heard exclusively from news reports from hot spots of the planet? And what to see if you are there after all?
Chad
There are 54 countries on the African continent. Each is interesting and unusual in its own way. In Africa, you can find both states where five-star hotels are built for wealthy Europeans who come on safari, and beggars, dangerous countries where disease and wild morals reign. The latter include, for example, the Central African country of Chad, in which there is a civil war.
Tourists are allowed in Chad, but without special permission they are not allowed to leave the capital, N'Djamena. You need to get it at the police department, and without a bribe it is impossible to do this.
Chad does not produce anything on its own; all edible supplies, including drinking water, are brought here from neighboring Cameroon. And all this costs incredible money. Residents of Chad cannot afford imported products, so they eat what has grown in the fields, and these are simple roots. Local children are forced to work from 6 years old. Some of them manage to attend schools at mosques - and this is a real chance to achieve something in life.
The cost of living in a decent hotel by local standards is $ 80. For this amount, you will receive a room in which, in addition to the bed, there will be a plumbing with rusty water, an old toilet bowl and lizards - a thunderstorm of malaria mosquitoes.
The main drawback that any tourist in Chad faces is the ban on photographing everything in the world - the central square of the Nation, the Grand Mosque, government buildings, people. The police, seeing the camera, rotate the tourist 180 degrees, the residents just throw stones at him.
Somalia
In Somalia, 6 local clans howl among themselves, and the end and end of this war is not in sight. Tourists in this East African country are not allowed on tourist visas. Only those who present a work visa can enter. Who can a European work in Somalia? For example, a mechanic, a pilot, etc.
The capital of Somalia is the city of Mogadishu. Local residents consider the ransom demand for a white visitor to be the best and easiest way to earn money. Therefore, those tourists who do end up in Somalia should take care of their own person protection in advance. Usually 4 submachine gunners are enough, who will accompany the traveler's car in a separate jeep.
You cannot open the car windows, standing in traffic jams is like death. Sightseeing is an accelerated program, because it is forbidden to stay in one place for a long time.
In Mogadishu, visitors are shown:
- the fish market, where all local fishermen supply their products and where huge tiger sharks, tuna and other giants of the sea are cut in front of the amazed public;
- the city embankment, once built up with fashionable restaurants, but now turned into a garbage dump, where you can meet cute kids hunting for tortoise meat, and fishermen, sharks drying in the sun;
- the ruins of an Italian lighthouse built 100 years ago;
- Lido beach with the best fish restaurant in town.
Afghanistan
You can come to Afghanistan: they give visas there, there are travel agencies that organize security for visitors. Moreover, unlike Somalia, where at least 4 guards are required, in Afghanistan you can get by with one. This security guard from retired military will be his own at any checkpoint, and there are a lot of them here. which means that the tourist will be able to save time and move around the streets of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, without hindrance.
Terrorist attacks should be feared in Afghanistan. They are arranged by representatives of the Taliban, who are at enmity with the Shiites living in the country.
All more or less valuable buildings in Kabul are covered with concrete slabs that can stop suicide vehicles. There are a lot of coffee shops in the city, divided into male and female halves, serving tea from large samovars, meat and rice, and delicious bread.
Souvenirs can be bought on Chicken Street. Also worth a trip out of town with the village of Istalif, where there are many pottery shops.
Iraq
Tourists rarely visit Iraq, although the locals accept them kindly, willingly communicate, talk about their life during the time of Saddam Hussein and after. Foreigners are not touched at checkpoints either, limiting themselves to a superficial check of luggage and viewing passport data.
The main danger in modern Iraq is represented by terrorist attacks that periodically occur on the streets of local cities. They are satisfied with the Sunnis and Shiites, who cannot come to an agreement and live peacefully.
In Iraq, there is the famous Babylon - a city mentioned in the Bible. It was there that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were located. Tourists are allowed into the ancient city, surrounded by completely modern walls. You can also visit one of the 18 personal residences of Saddam Hussein. They say that Hussein, having visited the construction site, found fault with the work of the builders and ordered them all to be shot.
From Babylon to Baghdad - about an hour's drive. There are cafes and bakeries along the road, there are water pumps and many checkpoints.
In Baghdad, you need to visit the old city and the new "green" area with government buildings. The latter houses the National Museum of Iraq.
French guiana
French Guiana is a state in South America on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, sandwiched between Suriname and Brazil. Since the 17th century, it has been ruled by the French. The territory, completely covered with dense jungle with poisonous creatures, did not inspire enthusiasm even among desperate adventurers. Nobody wanted to go to the development of Guiana. She was rightfully considered the branch of hell on Earth.
The most terrible prison in the history of mankind was opened on the Devil's Islands, which belong to Guiana. Several islands are available for visiting.
Tourists are not recommended to go to Guiana because of the turbulent criminal situation in the capital, the city of Cayenne. There are many unemployed and immigrants from the nearest South American countries, whose main occupation is gold-washing.
In Guiana, you can visit the zoo, set up right in the jungle, and the spaceport with rocket launch sites.
