[simondice]

Which country was your biggest:
1) Positive surprise, why?
2) Negative Surprise why?

[Transsimian]

Australia

So many fat people.

[Adrenaline]

(03-20-2017 03:29 AM)Transsimian Wrote:  

Australia

So many fat people.

Men or women?

A lot of native women are naturally big boned and the heavy Australian food doesn't help with that. Great for bodybuilding. Not so great for staying slim. The extra weight they carry is the least of your problems though, once they open their mouths.

With men, I find they're either in great shape or beer-chugging slobs. Nothing much in between like the skinny-fat average bodied men you'll see in Europe.

[ZAMSKI]

1.) Serbia, hyped up women...went there...women exceeded my expectations.
2.) Ukraine, hyped up women...went there...was extremely underwhelmed by the talent. With that being said I didn't really try nightlife venues. Just walked around Kresyatic street and tried venues near my hostel. Perhaps I didn't go to the right spots or something. Keen on going back and giving it another chance.

[Phoenix]

1) Hong Kong. Heavy partying with even-ratios even on a weeknight. Shocked me into realizing how much better nightlife is in other Asian countries versus Japan, where even Saturday night is mediocre.

Full of international variety, including Asian girls with uncommonly buxom and long-legged bodies. The hottest always flock to the wealthiest cities lol. The men there, disproportionately study-abroads, were too young and unassertive to constitute real competition, leaving the female study-abroads as easy prey .

2) Jakarta, Indonesia. Just fucking disgusting and unlivable in so many ways. Didn't expect anywhere to be quite that shit, even after seeing shitty Filipino cities and 3rd tier SEA nothing-cities.

Was touted as a pussy paradise, but saw very little there to be interested in but still had to compete with high ranking Aussie men. Sure it's still relatively easy, but very difficult to feel good about it. Felt like I was living on a smokey heap of trash. Tried unsuccessfully to reschedule my flight to get the eff out of that place.

[Transsimian]

(03-20-2017 03:35 AM)Adrenaline Wrote:  

(03-20-2017 03:29 AM)Transsimian Wrote:  

Australia

So many fat people.

Men or women?

Both really, but a large proportion of young men stay in shape

Pheonix Wrote:

1) Hong Kong. Heavy partying with even-ratios even on a weeknight. Shocked me into realizing how much better nightlife is in other Asian countries versus Japan, where even Saturday night is mediocre.

Full of international variety, including Asian girls with uncommonly buxom and long-legged bodies. The hottest always flock to the wealthiest cities lol. The men there, disproportionately study-abroads, were too young and unassertive to constitute real competition, leaving the female study-abroads as easy prey lol.

I almost married a HK girl, and you've reminded me why.

[Agastya]

Best: Morocco, fantastic scenery, very friendly and welcoming people, also some really cool individuals backpacking across the country. Fairly liberal for an Islamic country, lots of truly beautiful spots. Highly recommended for people who speak French or Arabic.

Worst: The city of Lisbon in particular, ugly ass women, generally uptight and unfriendly locals. Lisbon is a decent city, but your money would probably get you a better experience in Spain. Portugal is literally a worse version of Spain, uglier women, worse weather, and less to see and do. Cities like Seville are more beautiful and interesting by far, and have better food. I can't comment on the rest of Portugal, I've heard the Algarve coast and the city of Porto are worth seeing.

[balybary]

With all the data that you can find on internet, it’s difficult to have big surprises nowaday.
My biggest travel surprises were 20 years ago.

Best surprise: Scotland, what a beautiful country.

Worst surprise: Lisbon, when I was there you can be attacked by thief and dogs in broad daylight. Very bad drivers who acts like motherfuckers.

There is zero reason to go to Portugal if you consider that Spain is much more welcoming.

[morales]

I'm Portuguese from Porto but live in Lisbon at the moment and I feel sad that you have such opinion from my country. I hope one day you come back and change your mindset about it

[Rocha]

I understand the opinions regarding Portugal, though I disagree and everyone that comes to meet me here loves the country and Lisbon in particular.
It is true, it can be a little cliquey, and a foreigner will never have the true experience whithout local connections. Otherwise, it is completely impossible to consider the greasy andaluzian food from Sevilla better than the Portuguese... And I love Sevilla as a city and Spain as a country, so no bias.

And the drivers here are totally fine, people are civilized in general, Fance for example is much worse, and with EE there is simply no possible comparison. And certainly Portuguese people with all of their flaws are certainly the most welcoming in Europe.

[Nordwand]

Czech Republic, specifically Prague. I expected to be walking into lampposts, etc, on a regular basis, and suffering from a severe case of tennis neck, which was far from the case. So much for all Czech women being porn/catwalk standard babes.

On a far more serious note, I couldn't believe the disparity between the price of designer goods, such as clothes and watches, and local wages. Everything that I looked at was pretty well UK retail, which wages there most certainly aren't. A very sobering experience.

[atlant]

China. After 6 years in HK and Taiwan with lots of anti-mainland sentiment going around I expected to be disappointed during my first trip, but what I found (at least in SZ and CD) were vibrant cities with decent infrastructure and energetic buzz of development, an entrepreneurial spirit of ambition and adventure among certain groups of foreigners, and as far as girls go, many I dated in the higher quality segment were not only more beautiful than their equivalents in Taiwan and HK, but also had more interesting personalities to boot.

Of course it's not all rosy with pollution and recent political developments probably stopping me from ever settling there long-term, but considering the apocalyptic hellscape it gets painted as in many corners of the internet, China could almost be called underrated at this point.

[Jake007]

I disagree about Lisbon. I was in Portugal about a month ago (visited several cities) and I thought it was great. Got lost in Lisbon several times, even alone at night, and nothing bad ever happened, no thiefs. The locals were extremely friendly, but I suppose it helped that I had Portuguese friends to hang out with for most of the trip.

Back to the topic (but I'll do cities instead of countries)

1. Milan, I absolutely loved it and girls were very open. Interesting city all around and it exceeded my expectations

2. Rome, after the great experiences in Milan, I had high expectations in Rome, but I was disappointed. Streets were incredibly dirty by European standards, and women were very rejective. You might get laid with American, Canadian or German tourists, but the Italians here will be hard, at least that's my view. But still a great city to visit if you're into culture and history, and there will be a lot to do here

[GyopoPlayboy]

Worst Surprise: Germany
Wasn't expecting everyone to look like Diane Kruger, but saw too many Rooney Mara types (as she appears in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo)

Runner-up: Brazil. Way overrated compared to the hype it gets.

Best Surprise: Hungary
Expected Czech to be the highlight of my EE trip a few years back, but Budapest exceeded even the bar set by Prague.

Runner-up: Israel. Had no prior expectations, but TA turned out to be a surprising hit

[Phoenix]

(03-20-2017 04:40 AM)Agastya Wrote:  

Best: Morocco, fantastic scenery, very friendly and welcoming people, also some really cool individuals backpacking across the country. Fairly liberal for an Islamic country

Do they let you stick the D in the P?

[Phoenix]

(03-20-2017 08:14 AM)morales Wrote:  

I'm Portuguese from Porto but live in Lisbon at the moment and I feel sad that you have such opinion from my country. I hope one day you come back and change your mindset about it

I think you mean "hopefully one day he comes back and the country has changed".

[Rocha]

(03-20-2017 09:17 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  

(03-20-2017 08:14 AM)morales Wrote:  

I'm Portuguese from Porto but live in Lisbon at the moment and I feel sad that you have such opinion from my country. I hope one day you come back and change your mindset about it

I think you mean "hopefully one day he comes back and the country has changed".

I think he meant what he wrote.

[morales]

(03-20-2017 04:40 AM)Agastya Wrote:  

Best: Morocco, fantastic scenery, very friendly and welcoming people, also some really cool individuals backpacking across the country. Fairly liberal for an Islamic country, lots of truly beautiful spots. Highly recommended for people who speak French or Arabic.

Worst: The city of Lisbon in particular, ugly ass women, generally uptight and unfriendly locals. Lisbon is a decent city, but your money would probably get you a better experience in Spain. Portugal is literally a worse version of Spain, uglier women, worse weather, and less to see and do. Cities like Seville are more beautiful and interesting by far, and have better food. I can't comment on the rest of Portugal, I've heard the Algarve coast and the city of Porto are worth seeing.

(03-20-2017 06:15 AM)balybary Wrote:  

With all the data that you can find on internet, it’s difficult to have big surprises nowaday.
My biggest travel surprises were 20 years ago.

Best surprise: Scotland, what a beautiful country.

Worst surprise: Lisbon, when I was there you can be attacked by thief and dogs in broad daylight. Very bad drivers who acts like motherfuckers.

There is zero reason to go to Portugal if you consider that Spain is much more welcoming.

(03-20-2017 09:17 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  

(03-20-2017 08:14 AM)morales Wrote:  

I'm Portuguese from Porto but live in Lisbon at the moment and I feel sad that you have such opinion from my country. I hope one day you come back and change your mindset about it

I think you mean "hopefully one day he comes back and the country has changed".

Well, don't get me wrong, my country isn't perfect. I'm 24 and i've lived in 2 countries( Portugal and Italy) and visited around 20, between Africa, Asia and South America and Europe, so I don't have much experience.
But, I can tell, that regarding Food we have one of the best gastronomies in the world( I don't wanna seem biased by the fact I'm Portuguese, but I probably will). Either fish, seafood or pastry or even wine it's amazing. I could talk for hours about it.
Normally, when tourists come to Portugal they mainly go to Lisbon, but things are changing, and they often go directly to other spots like Porto or our beautiful islands like Madeira or Azores.
Regarding drivers, i know we're kinda crazy(specially when comparing with countries like Netherlands or Belgium) lol but believe me there are countries in Europe way worse like Italy or Greece(they drive like crazy)
Regarding the people, it's weird you have such opinion about the locals. Every foreign I know, just say wonders about us and always feel welcomed, specially comparing to Spain. Spanish are always regarded as way more ignorant people than Portuguese. They don't speak english at all or try hard to, and they always close themselves in groups.
Now, there's one thing I agree with you all: portuguese women. You might find really pretty ones in the street but forget about approaching them. You'll be back in a minute lol They'll just ignore you, doesn't matter if you're an handsome guy, if you approach them with clear sexual/dating intentions just forget it. And also, spanish girls take better care of themselves, either make-up or even gym. It's really common to find a girl in Portugal that doesn't do any sports or workout(it's like they don't give a shit). And, when you're a guy who loves sports and loves to workout (like me)and is in a good shape(6 pack and all that) they might even consider you a gym freak because "you must have lots of free time/is probably dumb"
Anyway, sorry, if I brought a big discussion about this country, that was not the point of the thread
Cheers

[Phoenix]

^ What lesson did you learn, Rocha?

[Cr33pin]

(03-20-2017 03:43 AM)ZAMSKI Wrote:  

1.) Serbia, hyped up women...went there...women exceeded my expectations.
2.) Ukraine, hyped up women...went there...was extremely underwhelmed by the talent. With that being said I didn't really try nightlife venues. Just walked around Kresyatic street and tried venues near my hostel. Perhaps I didn't go to the right spots or something. Keen on going back and giving it another chance.

I agree about Serbia.... I found Serbians in general to be the friendliest white folks I have ever encountered. The scantily clad teenagers in the summer blew my mind on a daily basis. However even though they were super friendly they were super hard to get the bang, took a lot of effort.

[Stirfry]

(03-20-2017 06:15 AM)balybary Wrote:  

With all the data that you can find on internet, it’s difficult to have big surprises nowaday.
My biggest travel surprises were 20 years ago.

Best surprise: Scotland, what a beautiful country.

Worst surprise: Lisbon, when I was there you can be attacked by thief and dogs in broad daylight. Very bad drivers who acts like motherfuckers.

There is zero reason to go to Portugal if you consider that Spain is much more welcoming.

I agree about Scotland. I had an amazing vacation there- the people were friendly and the scenery magnificent. Oh, and despite all you hear about English/ Scottish food, I did not have a single bad meal there (and I would recommend to the guys on the board here that you must try haggis. It's delicious).

The biggest surprise to me was Mexico. I know Americans are the fattest and sloppiest, but damn, Mexicans come awfully close. There isn't much to eat in Mexico City (outside of the fancier restaurants or chain places) that isn't breaded, fried, and covered with cheese. The people walking around the city reflect that diet.

[simondice]

(03-20-2017 09:10 AM)GyopoPlayboy Wrote:  

Worst Surprise: Germany
Wasn't expecting everyone to look like Diane Kruger, but saw too many Rooney Mara types (as she appears in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo)

Runner-up: Brazil. Way overrated compared to the hype it gets.

Best Surprise: Hungary
Expected Czech to be the highlight of my EE trip a few years back, but Budapest exceeded even the bar set by Prague.

Runner-up: Israel. Had no prior expectations, but TA turned out to be a surprising hit

You know, this has been the same opinion of many friends as well.
The Brazilians I've met in the USA haven't really blown my mind or anything. I'm still waiting to see what's up when I go there. Roosh did say that the ones in US are rotten, same with American iced Colombian chicks.

Israel and Hungary are high up on my list, excellent experiences with both, excited for it.

[BrewDog]

Haiti. I didn't have any idea that such a horrible place existed on Earth.

[Uruz]

(03-20-2017 09:01 AM)Nordwand Wrote:  

Czech Republic, specifically Prague. I expected to be walking into lampposts, etc, on a regular basis, and suffering from a severe case of tennis neck, which was far from the case. So much for all Czech women being porn/catwalk standard babes.

Would be good to remind that Prague is basically not Czech Republic.

[DigitalNomad]

Underrated - Sarajevo, Bosnia: Didn't know what to expect other than that I knew it was a Muslim country that was destroyed by war. Great, patriotic people with not a ton of lookers, but enough. Good nightlife, actually hooked up with a local in the bathroom of the club. But the history of the city was the deal breaker. Bullet holes everywhere and to think I was just a few years after they had the Olympics when all the trouble started. Not the quality of Belgrade by any means., but when it comes to interesting daytime activities it blew Belgrade out of the water.

Runner up- my first time to Krakow going in with no expectations:

Disappointment- Berlin- I'm not really into drugs and I feel like so many people go there just to do drugs and go to the clubs. Somewhat similar to Amsterdam IMO. I had fun but I wouldn't go back. Much rather be in Munich, Prague, Krakow, Budapest etc.

With regards to the Portugal posts, I feel like it deserves another shot for those who didn't like it. Amazing food, beautiful (also difficult) women, nice beaches. Maybe Lisbon isn't someone's scene but there are many other places and surfing towns to see.