Where in the world have you been that was very different to what you’d expected?

[Davespecifico]

For me it was a journey through Montenegro to Kotor. I couldn’t believe the fjords, steep cliffs and cruise ships.

I live in the USA (I also lived in Germany and well as the UK), the poverty here is enormous but goes unacknowledged. Five companies own all the main media so they just never cover it. It has been the wealthiest country in the world for a long time but the 0.05% of billionaires and above are sucking all the money upwards.There is a lot of great natural beauty but with the enormous national debt everything has to paid for by individuals: healthcare, education, etc. so lots of people are in debt or living month to month.

I was amazed at what an obviously wealthy nation Germany is in comparison to both the USA and the UK. The standard of living, health care and free education (paid by taxes, no university fees) is excellent. So much of the infrastructure is new and up to date. You don't see the swaves of poverty you see in the USA and UK, even small towns get investment.

I keep telling my teens to think about going to uni there and living there instead of the USA as luckily they are bilingual as they lived there for so long. They don't understand how precarious the US economy is.

There are lots of wonderful things about America and actually in polls the majority of Americans support social democracy like the Scandinavians. They don't get it because of the corruption in the nation. Both Al Gore and Hillary Clinton won the popular vote (by huge margins, Clinton by 3 million) but because of the Electoral College (which is in the constitution as a way for the elites to keep control of power) the world got George W. Bush and Donald Trump instead. If by some miracle a Democrat wins and they also take the Senate ( because I think the billionaires will be up to their tricks again) don't be surprised if Americans implement a New Deal similar to FDR.

@lulubelleblue will probably agree with me that Sardinia specifically Cagliari was very disappointing the city itself has lovely architecture but so run down and uncared for, also the locals in some cafés were openly hostile to us even when we had a local with us and tried to speak Italian. I was so excited before we went.

Germany surprised me been to Hamburg and Luneburg and loved them both was surprised how safe and comfortable I felt and how friendly the people are.

Cyprus 30 odd years ago was much more rustic and less touristy we visited a lot of the Greek side as family lived their for a while, last time I went I was shocked how much it had changed.

Ibiza surprised me as well loved it away form the touristy areas.

Cuba is beautiful but don't go with a red head you can not blend in for a moment.

carpballs hated it from the minute we got off the bus! We were accosted every step by people trying to sell us tat and then we walked to the end of the street, saw the tower and thought, that's it?! Couldn't wait to leave.

Central Mexico, specially Queretaro.

I was expecting somewhere really dangerous but it was like being in an old European city like Florence.

I walked around on my own and soaked up all the culture, they clearly weren't used to many westerners so I attracted a bit of attention but all in a good way, I felt looked after by the locals who were lovely!

Loved it!!

Loving this thread!

Better than expected/ places I love:
Vietnam, especially HoChiMin city, weird mix of cultures, great food.
Rome - I was surprised how small and walkable the centre is, I love that it's a bit grubby and different neighbourhoods have different vibes.
Canadian Rockies, friendly locals and jaw dropping scenery.
Murcia city- my sister lives here, was never on my radar but it's a beautiful place, great architecture, food and nature nearby and very low prices.
Ibiza- north is stunning, Ibiza old town is gorgeous.

Disappointments:
Gibraltar- not very scenic, weird uk in the sun vibe.
Santorini - dramatic scenery spoilt by tourist crowds, cruise ships, feels mercenary and tacky not romantic!
Much of the Caribbean, including Cancun, St Vincent, Barbados. All felt americanised, the poverty is very apparent.
Antigua, Guatemala- some photogenic streets but felt like a tourist trap and unsafe at night.

Fascinating thread, interesting to see so many polarised opinions on places like New York and Rome!

I didn’t expect to like NYC but I LOVED it. We’ve been back 4 times since. There’s a very special energy in that city, and the food is incredible. We got married there too!

Other places I didn’t expect to like were Chicago, Washington DC, Hong Kong and Melbourne. Loved them all.

The one place that really underwhelmed me was Bali. I was expecting this gorgeous exotic paradise. In reality the traffic was the worst I’ve seen anywhere in the world, and the beaches were just ‘meh’. A few people attempted to rip us off and scam us while we were there too, and the whole taxi mafia situation is genuinely scary, especially in Ubud.

I found this thread really absorbing!
Lots of love for Central and Eastern Europe.
Thanks for the inspiration.

Disliked
-London - generally quite ugly and doesn't hold a candle to other European cities
......and that's it! I've been all over Europe and Asia and really London stands out as not all that

Loved
-Hong Kong - the energy and vibrancy of the place is amazing
-Kampot, Cambodia - lovely small village near a riverside, spent an amazing week in a wooden bungalow there
-Venice - one of the few places that is jaw droppingly stunningly beautiful. Loved!

DH and I travelled on the Amtrak train through LA. So much of it was run down.

Venice - smelly with narrow and dirty ‘streets’, and the ground floor of all homes seemed abandoned (presumably due to regular flooding) with dirty marks from the last flood. Gondolas horrendously expensive.

Las Vegas - thought I'd hate it but had the most amazing time.
NY - absolutely blew me away
Cape Verde - the poverty was so shocking
Sistene Chapel - so underwhelming but Rome was truly beautiful with the best food I've had anywhere

@VillaChris - my husband is from Naples, so I have to agree! Yes, there are some pretty grim parts of the city but even they have a certain charm and the Thieves Market is a wonderful place! The circumvesuviana down to Sorrento is usually an experience with the local buskers jumping on and off trying to dodge the ‘ispettore del treno.’

Roll on the time when we can visit Gio’s family again!

Thailand, the scenery is beautiful and the food amazing but there are massage parlours on almost every corner. You get a menu with pictures and prices for sex shows whilst walking down the street. It's a real eye opener

Paris - dirty, unfriendly and nothing to eat.
Lisbon - crap, bland food and full of dog poo. Had one good meal which was at an Italian restaurant. The seafront is like an industrial dockyard along most of it with a big road behind.
Bavaria - so lovely! Absolutely spotless, brilliant for children, loads of lovely family things to do and not expensive. Food a bit hit and miss though - literally one sausage on a plate with a slice of bread and a squirt of ketchup type meals. A lot of chips. Also they eat pork rare which we only found out when it was on our plates.
Milan - really ugly and again nothing to eat.

Basically I really hate places where you can’t easily find tasty food. China is amazing for this and I would thoroughly recommend!

People I’ve spoken to who haven’t liked NYC, generally just stayed around the crap parts like Times Square. There’s so much more to it. I lived there for a number of years and found something new to do every weekend.

Personally I wasn’t keen on Australia. Felt like a dated version of England.

@pigdogridesagain It depends where you go in Corfu. There are still some lovely parts. But yes it is a shame a lot of it has been ruined by tourism.

For me 2 places stand out:
Lindos on Rhodes. If you go peak season it is a bit overrun with tourists by day, but by night the old town comes into its own. Beautiful views of the lit up Acropolis from the many different roof top tavernas and fantastic food. Would be great for a romantic get away. I went when I was in my late 20’s with my friend. After a fantastic meal we would go on to find the nightlife. It was a bit maze to find around all the narrow alleyways in the old town. Once there it was great. Extremely multi cultural. A lot of young Greeks over from Athens, but also lots of other nationalities. It was just a really nice relaxed vibe with people just enjoying themselves. Not aiming to get absolutely hammered. A far cry from the British resorts.

Then there was Japan. Absolutely amazing place. It is so modern and their technology is so advanced. There train system is astonishing it is run seamlessly with never a late train. Despite this they have managed to keep there customs fully alive. Never have I had to take my shoes off to go into a restaurant before. I went to visit a friend who was teaching English our there. Even in the school the kids had to take off their shoes and had slippers to wear around the building. All the beautiful temples aswell. My favourite one was actually one off the main track. It was a little run down, but it seemed more ‘real’ in a way. I love how they have kept their customs we could learn a lot from them. They also have to be the politest people I have ever met. Oh and I can’t forget their private Karaoke rooms. You and a group of friends hire the room and they bring you as many drinks as you want all included in the room hire. So much fun (especially after a few).

I know I know very common but Disney World in Orlando its shit. Much prefer Disneyland Paris.

Jamaica for me. I didn’t expect it still to look like it did in Dr No, but that’s exactly what it was like. A friend had been the year before and said she was hassled continually by hawkers, we weren’t at all. The Jamaicans we met were friendly and helpful. I loved it and returned several times.

I was very disappointed with Copenhagen after wanting to go for ages. It was probably due to the fact it rained most of the weekend, but I found it quite dull.

On the other hand I didn't expect to fall as completely and utterly in love with Lisbon as I did. Years ago BF and I booked on a whim because it was one of the cheapest places on Skyscanner. It was completely charming with beautiful architecture and had loads to do.

Melbourne - no character at all and could've been any city in any country anywhere in the world.

I font really know what I was expecting but everyone else seems to rave about it, not sure what the fuss is about!

Valle De Reyes in La Gomera. I have a friend who goes there regularly for walking, uses it as a base so thought it would be rather sweet. I didn't expect it to be so developed, small scale, low rise, but developed nonetheless. And the 'hippy' vibe gave me the willies. And one side is full of hobby cafes where it would take about 30 minutes for someone to rustle up a coffee, the other side was just a bit grotty and dreary. Horrible place. And a long old drive out of it.

Liverpool. Went for a business meeting. Was expecting a second Manchester. It was way, way better.

The view coming out of Lime Street station is amazing!

Kyoto in Japan. I had pictured avenues and avenues of blossom trees and temples. Although there were plenty of temples, the reality is
that Kyoto centre is a grid-shaped city like many others.

On the subject of Japan, Hiroshima. In my mind I expected a ravaged war-torn city which of course is ridiculous, because these days everything is beautiful, clean and new (obviously). One of the prettiest cities in Japan.

Oh and New Orleans. I felt like I was in Amsterdam with all the sex shows ! Felt very sleazy - it might just have been the area I was in though!