Countries you visited and those you avoided when you were at sea

[happy daze john in oz]

Malta, the Gut.
A group of us were there for a beer or two, as we walked up the road there was a river of sorts flowing along the gutter.
In the bar and after a time one of the lads needed the dunny.
In the corner behind the curtain he was told, there he discovered where the rive came from.
A bucket, well and truly full flowing out of the bar to the gutter.
It turned out every bar along there did the same.

Then to Lulea in Sweden two weeks before Christmas, freezing bloody cold, sea freezing over had to use an ice breaker to get out last ship before it all froze over, dark as the inside of the black hole, and no beer.
Only the make believe stuff, wine in restaurants and that was about all.
very dry country then, not now though.
Back there a few years back and pubs on just about every corner.

[Tony Taylor]

The other "crappy" country I HAD to visit was in the Emirates in 1978. This is not the Emirates of today, luxury hotels and high-rise buildings, this was the worst side of the Arabian Nights. I was working in Iran. The company wanted a market study of the Emirates to consider expanding its remote-site industrial catering activity. I drew the short straw.

The place Sharjah, the last of a miserable trip traveling to the seven emirates.* I was royally*pissed, standing on a bridge leaning on the cement railings, staring*at the miserable town of Sharjah and feeling sorry for myself. The last of a truly punishing trip.

An Arab stopped, lifted his thoub, (the long white gown the men wear) climbed backwards onto the bridge railing, right next to me, and took a dump. Got down and walked away, no cleaning himself, (not that it would have made me feel better if he had).* It all happened in a matter of seconds.

Yuck, Rodney

I saw exactly the same in Bombay, leaning on rail talking to C/E and his wife, when this guy strolls to the edge of the jetty and takes a dump just like you describe; I can still hear the Chiefs wifes' comment in broad Devon accent "durty bugger".

[john walker]

I saw exactly the same in Bombay, leaning on rail talking to C/E and his wife, when this guy strolls to the edge of the jetty and takes a dump just like you describe; I can still hear the Chiefs wifes' comment in broad Devon accent "durty bugger".

I have seen a similar thing at a place called Rumuolemeni up the Bonny river in Nigeria. There was a small weekly market with mainly women stall-holders and customers. I was walking back to the compound where I was living a women stopped in front of Me, smiled as if to say excuse me widened her legs and took a pee while stood up still dressed in a long skirt.

[Peter foale]

Best place I visited was west coast of Canada, so beautiful. The worst, by a country mile, was Nigeria never felt safe going ashore.
Peter
UK018193

[Steve Peacock]

In my case I think its ports as much as Countries that I disliked, at one time I had a list of "Places I never wanted to go back to" these included PNG, Iran and Port Hedland. It wasn't to be though and I ended up working with Teekay (Australia) for from 2012 - 2016 looking after a fleet of Tugs. Although I was based in Perth the vessels were in (you guessed it) Port Hedland. The place hadn't improved since the early eighties and the temperature still hard to get used to. Still never done South America except Venezuela so hoping to do this on a cruise before I "check out".