TravelBuzz! - What City is really "HELL ON EARTH"?

I am a strong believer in reincarnation. People that had it great in one life and blew it by being a terrible person- will be reborn in a terrible life in a city that is truly "HELL ON EARTH".

I read about how terrible many places are on this planet, but the true story about it is usually hidden behind political correctness.

I suspect that the travelers on Flyertalk have been to some terrible places and have some great stories to tell.

To start things off my vote goes to Lagos (in Africa).

This may not be the worst place on earth, but there is a catch to it.
Here in Norway there is a town called Hell!!!

So if you come to Norway, they will understand if you ask for a train ticket to Hell. :D

This may not be the worst place on earth, but there is a catch to it.
Here in Norway there is a town called Hell!!!

So if you come to Norway, they will understand if you ask for a train ticket to Hell. :D

My vote goes to Calama, Chile. A dusty desert town of 250,000 with NOTHING! (The only plus is that its the gateway city to San Pedro de Atacama). Lots of miners, prostitutes, and stray dogs. I've talked to people that have been transferred here...and trust me they hate life!

If you're thinking HELL!! violence, death, disease wise...take a visit to Rio de Janeiro's favelas. (Usually with 1km of wherever you are in the nice parts of Rio)

What city is "HELL ON EARTH"?


Erie, Pennsylvania.

houston, in august.

Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia

Blech.

Sadly, there are lots of hellish neighborhoods in cities all over the US. You know the parts I'm talking about. :(

Guachupita , DR its only a large Neighborhood but its trully hell on earth. even the cops are afraid to go in there. ( i most likely spell the name wrong)

Never been there, but from what I've read the Soviet era outposts on the Bering Sea must come quite close.

houston, in august.

right now it is over 100 degrees and 100% humidity

right now it is over 100 degrees and 100% humidity


then july also. :) :cool: :)

Anywhere in southern Alabama comes to mind.

Then there is Elizabeth, NJ - home to more burned-out warehouses than anywhere else in America.

Armento, WY - home of America's finest sheep rodeo.

Mianyiang, China - home to the world's most virulent strain of dysentery. And several samller towns in the area where rope is used for toilet paper.

I thought it was always Los Angelos or Sacramento. :D

Hell is where no airplanes can land for six months of the year
Where the geese have all disappeared far to the north
Where water is sucked down the drain the opposite direction,
that is if there is any water to be found
Where the few that live there tire of darkness that goes on and on
Where it is too cold even for penguins
The South Pole - where such beauty is protected by the hellish environment

I think we did this thread recently - perhaps in OMNI.

It started out with people piling on (mostly in an uninformed way) Houston, Detroit, Cleveland, and a few other usual suspects. By page five, we had pretty much trash-talked every city in the world, including Tokyo, San Francisco, Paris, London, and others. :eek:

Maybe we can get a link to that thread so we don't have to do it all over. Otherwise, I'll have to throw up all over Schaumburg, IL again. :o

right now it is over 100 degrees and 100% humidity
Where do you come up with this stuff? The last three days the high has been 80, 84 and 85. And there have been exactly two days all this year where the temp has gotten to 100. And it has yet to exceed 100. At least here in Houston, we understand that it can be hot and we air condition accordingly, unlike many places that when the temps get into the 90's, there is no escape.

I know no one will be believe me, but my vote is for Papeete, Tahiti. No architecture to speak of; no decent roads or public transportation (when a friend came down to see me and he saw a Truck [Papeete's version of public transport], he said, "What's that jailhouse on wheels thing?"

Walking from the bus stop to my dentist or Carrefour, I walked along open sewage. There are mangy dogs everywhere in the streets. And people with bare, diabetes-infested feet sit out on the sidewalks not working (or next to you on the Truck).

Now, of course, Moorea and Bora Bora are worlds apart! :p

My vote goes to Calama, Chile. A dusty desert town of 250,000 with NOTHING! (The only plus is that its the gateway city to San Pedro de Atacama). Lots of miners, prostitutes, and stray dogs. I've talked to people that have been transferred here...and trust me they hate life!

If you're thinking HELL!! violence, death, disease wise...take a visit to Rio de Janeiro's favelas. (Usually with 1km of wherever you are in the nice parts of Rio)

I guess that explains why the flights down to SCL were so crowded. I didn't think Calama was as bad as the town of Chuquicamata, which is being moved to the outskirts of Calama because of poisoning from the enormous copper mine there! The mine tour was pretty darn cool too.

When I think "hell on earth," I don't think of the "boring" places like in the thread mentioned previously. I would think of places like Groznyy, Chechyna; the bad areas of Port Moresby, PNG; and Darfur province, Sudan.

Puno, Peru. :td:

- or at least that was true in the early '80s - we were stuck there for 3 days! It is the only place that we have ever barricaded the door to our hotel room with furniture because the door barely locked. I think we may have been the only "guests" in a fairly large hotel. Uncomfortable, to say the least.

Tijuana Mexico.

Ugh... i hate that dump. It's crime ridden, corrupt, dirty, smells funky, confusing and full of slums and vagrants.

This may not be the worst place on earth, but there is a catch to it.
Here in Norway there is a town called Hell!!!

So if you come to Norway, they will understand if you ask for a train ticket to Hell. :D

And don't forget to take a photo of the freight office (godsexpedition) sign right underneath the 'Hell' sign ;)

Tijuana Mexico.

Ugh... i hate that dump. It's crime ridden, corrupt, dirty, smells funky, confusing and full of slums and vagrants.

Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing.

I have no love for San Jose, CA or Pocatello, ID.

There is a real Hell, Michigan.

There's one on Grand Cayman Island, too - complete with souvenir stands selling T-shirts that say things like "I've been to Hell and back." You can get your postcards stamped there, also.

Orlando, FL.

Komodo Island, Indonesia. Not only do you have to worry about being eaten alive by those huge lizards, you could die of sunstroke just strolling around looking at them. They even lurk in the water, so don't think you can escape by diving into the sea. Scariest place I have ever been.

Delhi & Calcutta, India. The trip was well worth it. Great cities, great sights, great people. But the conditions were hell.

Tijuana Mexico.

Ugh... i hate that dump. It's crime ridden, corrupt, dirty, smells funky, confusing and full of slums and vagrants.

This statement is very unfair. Any place you can buy a litre bottle of Kahlua for $7.75 cannot be hell!

Any city in Southern California is hell on earth! The only thing I like about Southern Cal. is LAX and San Diego Airport.

Puno, Peru. :td:

- or at least that was true in the early '80s - we were stuck there for 3 days! It is the only place that we have ever barricaded the door to our hotel room with furniture because the door barely locked. I think we may have been the only "guests" in a fairly large hotel. Uncomfortable, to say the least.

Yes - I spent a night there in 1991. Dreadful town!!

The surrounding countryside, including Lake Titicaca is pretty wonderful by contrast!!

Erie, Pennsylvania.

OMG, I would have said Scranton, PA. Talk about miserable.

Baghdad, Iraq

The incidences of violence probably top the list of any major city in the world.

.....

My vote goes to Mestre, IT. Smelly, humid, boiling summers, freezing winters, plenty of traffic, not much to do... :td:

Asmara, Eritrea.

I've also been to Hell, Grand Cayman. It was quite nice :) .

I guess that explains why the flights down to SCL were so crowded. I didn't think Calama was as bad as the town of Chuquicamata, which is being moved to the outskirts of Calama because of poisoning from the enormous copper mine there! The mine tour was pretty darn cool too.


I was going to mention Chuquicamata..aside from the fact that its not going to exist in a few months...and last time I checked...hell is eternal.

lagos, nigeria - scary scary town, hot, humid, difficult to get a good meal, violent robbers and prostitutes all over

dhaka, bangladesh - much poorer than any big city in india, on aflood plane so much of the year the roads are all under water, very humid and hot, strong mildew destroys the colar from buildings, so everything is gray/green, the surface water is deseased, the well water has high natural arsinic content, sewage flows everywhere.

podgoriza, montenigro - small city in the ex-yugoslavia, capital of one of the smaller new republics. all the taxi drivers in town drive old communist left over cars and are drunk, the only hotel in town is also a brothel, all the food is heavy and flavorless, one flight in and out a day, rotating from different cities in europe

washington, dc

as a student there it's great to have headlines in the local paper that "three people stabbed three blocks from the white house" or "transient caught defecating in shrubbery by the world bank"

a few other us cities come to mind as well...

lagos, nigeria

Yeah, but there's a guy there that is going to pay me $15 million to help him launder some money... ;)

Yeah, but there's a guy there that is going to pay me $15 million to help him launder some money... ;)

I got the same thing, still waiting for my money.. wonder where is it?

OMG, I would have said Scranton, PA. Talk about miserable.

Both Erie and Scranton are miserable. My vote goes to BOTH, with my hometown of Pgh close behind.

..god that taxi ride in from the airport is horrendous.

My vote goes to Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. Lovely place......

Any city in Southern California is hell on earth! The only thing I like about Southern Cal. is LAX and San Diego Airport. Um, yeah... I suffer greatly with the hellish conditions here in Laguna Niguel :rolleyes: I don't know how my neighbors in Dana Point survive either...

Stop it with the Lagos, Nigeria bashing. I've been there several times and have not had any problems there, ever. No, it's not a touristy town, but I have had good times there with the local people, and also with the expat business community.

I am in Angola right now, and it's okay too.

I also have a residence in Houston, which is a wonderful city, and a well kept secret from the rest of the USA. I was raised for the most part in Los Angeles, and prefer Houston much more to L.A., or other US cities I have lived in such as D.C. and NYC.

M8

..I just dont do flat well.

I've been both to Hell, MI and Hell, Grand Cayman. Neither were "Hell on Earth", quite the opposite.

I haven't done much international travel (Lagos, Dominican Republic, etc) so my nomination for Hell on Earth would probably be Beaver Falls, PA. Actually Beaver County, PA would fit the bill except for a few spots.
Depressed area, truly part of the "rust belt".
When it snows I don't remember once when the snow was truly white. It was always a dirty grey color. Probably from the numerous incinerators.
Closed down steel mills and people standing on town corners just being unemployed. Depressing. Generational Depression is an interesting topic to study in this area.

Although I have to include as a caveat, that this area is not the worst of all areas as I met mrs. infinityplusone here, before she was mrs. infinityplusone
(Fortunately, neither of us called this place home for more than a couple years).

I also have a residence in Houston, which is a wonderful city, and a well kept secret from the rest of the USA. I was raised for the most part in Los Angeles, and prefer Houston much more to L.A., or other US cities I have lived in such as D.C. and NYC.

M8
And I for one am happy to let you keep your secret.

There's nothing quite like the smell of refineries in the morning.

Yes - I spent a night there in 1991. Dreadful town!!

The surrounding countryside, including Lake Titicaca is pretty wonderful by contrast!!

Forgot to mention watching two men examining the contents of two brief cases a few tables away in a Puno restaurant one evening. One briefcase was clearly full of money. The other......... They made little attempt to be discreet.

We paid the bill and left.

How about South Dakota, or any place in the northern plains ... -20 in the winter, over 100 in the summer...

Um, yeah... I suffer greatly with the hellish conditions here in Laguna Niguel :rolleyes: I don't know how my neighbors in Dana Point survive either...
I also feel your pain up here in Manhattan Beach. I guess when it gets real bad I'll hang out at LAX. I really wonder why the median home price is $1.5, when there are so many better places for a fraction of the price.

Anywhere in southern Alabama comes to mind.

Then there is Elizabeth, NJ - home to more burned-out warehouses than anywhere else in America.

Armento, WY - home of America's finest sheep rodeo.

Mianyiang, China - home to the world's most virulent strain of dysentery. And several samller towns in the area where rope is used for toilet paper.
Rope for toilet paper!! ouch,and I thought the tree bark we use in the North West was primative.I'll never complain again

Stop it with the Lagos, Nigeria bashing. I've been there several times and have not had any problems there, ever. No, it's not a touristy town, but I have had good times there with the local people, and also with the expat business community.

I am in Angola right now, and it's okay too.

I also have a residence in Houston, which is a wonderful city, and a well kept secret from the rest of the USA. I was raised for the most part in Los Angeles, and prefer Houston much more to L.A., or other US cities I have lived in such as D.C. and NYC. :

M8
I was looking at you resume and I have some prime flood plain land in Dakar that might interest you. :D

My vote goes to Lompoc, California. It is the cesspool of California. I thought it would be nice since there was Vandenberg Air Force Base and Nasa within a few miles. Instead, I found the Medi-Cal (state welfare) fraud capital of the state, thanks to Santa Barbara county and it's lax formulary for welfare drugs. Everyone there gets Soma and Vicodin and a "Jazzy" or something like it (a motorized cart). It's also very windy every day.

My next vote goes to Topeka, Kansas. I'm too tired to go on.

Missoula, MT Two seasons Fire and fridgid cold

Any city in Southern California is hell on earth! The only thing I like about Southern Cal. is LAX and San Diego Airport.

I 2nd this but don't even like the airports.

How about South Dakota, or any place in the northern plains ... -20 in the winter, over 100 in the summer...

South Dakota has some really beautiful terrain (same with Montana) but weatherwise i hear you.

As for Scranton PA, most of my family is from there (in fact, it's my birthplace :eek: ) but I have mixed feelings about it.. it's getting bouyed by people from NYC and PHL retiring in the area (and commuting too).

It's quiet, safe, but astethically it's fairly depressed... some areas are quite nice though.

Odysseus, now I believe there are 4 flights a day from Podgorica-Belgrade where you could pick up more aircraft.. Interesting what you have said about Podgorica, I've heard it's quite nice.

You know, it may not be hell, but Battle Mountain, NV advertises themselves as the "Armpit of America". Truth in advertising?

Honestly, all these folks bashing LA, Houston or the rust belt need to visit Fresno for a week in August. Context people, please.

Jackson, MS

washington, dc

as a student there it's great to have headlines in the local paper that "three people stabbed three blocks from the white house" or "transient caught defecating in shrubbery by the world bank"

a few other us cities come to mind as well...

Oh come on now really, that can happen any where in the world not just DC. However the weather over the last week or so has made it feel like hell.

My vote for hell goes to Rochester NY. The town is dieing and has a serious lack of decent restaurants, or my grandparents just have no idea where they are. :D

Tad where do you go to school?

Hey -- I think Fresno is fabulous in comparison to Bakersfield. :p

Honestly, all these folks bashing LA, Houston or the rust belt need to visit Fresno for a week in August. Context people, please.

Hey -- I think Fresno is fabulous in comparison to Bakersfield. :p


And Bakersfield is fabulous in comparison to Helendale/Barstow ;)

Then there is Elizabeth, NJ - home to more burned-out warehouses than anywhere else in America.


I was thinking of Paterson, NJ but you might be right.

Across much of the southeast United States this weekend, it will be about 100 degrees. Come down and get a little taste of hell. The heat coupled with the humidity will make you think that preacher was right about the fire and brimstone.

Detroit, Peroid.

My vote goes to Lompoc, California. It is the cesspool of California. I thought it would be nice since there was Vandenberg Air Force Base and Nasa within a few miles. Instead, I found the Medi-Cal (state welfare) fraud capital of the state, thanks to Santa Barbara county and it's lax formulary for welfare drugs. Everyone there gets Soma and Vicodin and a "Jazzy" or something like it (a motorized cart). It's also very windy every day.
I'm gonna politely disagree on this one.
Granted, it ain't Santa Barbara, Savannah, or Tampa but it sure ain't hell in my book. I do a lot of travel to Lompoc (3-4 times/year) and look forward to it every time. Not necessarily for the town itself, but more for the weather, golf, and food. Yes, it's breezy, sometimes windy. But when it's perennially 65-70 degrees, I'll take it.

Try La Purisima Golf Course.
Try Sissy's cafe.
Try the Hitching Post restaurant.

To start things off my vote goes to Lagos (in Africa).

Oh yeah! My good pal, Counsellor would second that in a, well, second. Truly gawdawful and not just a little scary. :eek:

Okay now, I can't believe no one's said this but ...

Um, how 'bout Death Valley, CA as being truly Hell. On. Earth.

:buh da bumm:

:D

Odysseus, now I believe there are 4 flights a day from Podgorica-Belgrade where you could pick up more aircraft.. Interesting what you have said about Podgorica, I've heard it's quite nice.


it isn't that bad, and actually lagos isn't that bad, either (I stand firm on Dhaka, though).

what I hated most about podgorica was getting in and out - I would fly in from rome on monday and fly out to Budapest on Wed, montenegro airlines has one plane which flies to different cities every day. you can take Yugoslavian airlines (I do't remember if that is actually the name) to Belgrade, and then fly out from their, but that isn't so easy, either. and montenegro air only takes cash - actually 2 or 3 years ago, when I went comminly to montenegro, nobody took credit cards, so you needed a lot of cash with you. and the taxi drivers were always drunk, and the hotel was crappy.

aside from that.....


the women were hot, and wore skimpy clothes. that is the best thing I can think of.

Hell is where no airplanes can land for six months of the year
Where the geese have all disappeared far to the north
Where water is sucked down the drain the opposite direction,
that is if there is any water to be found
Where the few that live there tire of darkness that goes on and on
Where it is too cold even for penguins
The South Pole - where such beauty is protected by the hellish environment
hear hear !!

LaFayette, TN

Trust me!

it isn't that bad, and actually lagos isn't that bad, either (I stand firm on Dhaka, though).

what I hated most about podgorica was getting in and out - I would fly in from rome on monday and fly out to Budapest on Wed, montenegro airlines has one plane which flies to different cities every day. you can take Yugoslavian airlines (I do't remember if that is actually the name) to Belgrade, and then fly out from their, but that isn't so easy, either. and montenegro air only takes cash - actually 2 or 3 years ago, when I went comminly to montenegro, nobody took credit cards, so you needed a lot of cash with you. and the taxi drivers were always drunk, and the hotel was crappy.

aside from that.....


the women were hot, and wore skimpy clothes. that is the best thing I can think of.

Jat? ;)

Georgetown, Guyana.

I think in the mid-70s "The Book of Lists" took a shot at this one, based on a lot of traveler reports. A coastal city in Colombia came out as #1, followed by Kotzebue, Alaska, followed by Doha, Qatar.

From personal experience I can't say too much for Kalibo, Philippines, Polonnawura, Sri Lanka or, sectionally, the Pettah part of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Though in a way the Chinatown section of Bangkok has a leg up because, while possibly interesting, the sidewalks are still horribly crowded and the vehicular traffic is so thick that the fumes suffocate the place. It really is a health hazard to be outside in that area for any length of time.

Colon, Panama
Camden, New Jersey

Take your pick.

I am a strong believer in reincarnation. People that had it great in one life and blew it by being a terrible person- will be reborn in a terrible life in a city that is truly "HELL ON EARTH".

I read about how terrible many places are on this planet, but the true story about it is usually hidden behind political correctness.

I suspect that the travelers on Flyertalk have been to some terrible places and have some great stories to tell.

To start things off my vote goes to Lagos (in Africa).
I'm surprised you didn't nominate Lima, Peru:

Arrived at the airport, could already tell I made a terrible vacation choice (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=606915&page=1&pp=15) (hint: see post #16 ;) )

Even though I live in San Francisco for the past 10 years, I'll still stand up for my old hometown of Houston. I love it there. If I wouldn't have moved across the country for love I'd still be there, but I do still visit. Best bang for your buck that I've seen anywhere in the United States.

I wasn't thrilled with Mobile, AL I'll have to say when we passed through there and stayed a night. And to be frank, I was never keen on New Orleans either, the grit in the air there made Houston seem like a fresh cool breeze wafting over you.

If we restrict it to the US, I'd go with Camden.

Or literally, there's always Hell:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell,_Grand_Cayman ;)
On edit: yeah, looks like I'm not the first person to point this one out.

houston, in august.
Hah! I have a grandmother in Houston, so I've spent some time there.

Last month, there was an article about Houston in a in-flight magazine (perhaps for SkyWest?) that stated:

"What's Houston's best kept secret? According to Burton, it's the city's magnificent outdoors. 'With the exception of a couple of hot and humid summer months, the year-round good weather makes it an outdoor enthusiast's paradise,' said Burton."

I laughed so hard, I think I may have peed a little.

Colon, Panama
Camden, New Jersey

Take your pick.
both of which are cities that the cops are too scared to enter :eek:

Houston isn't hell on earth, by even my low standards. It's not the best place i've seen (in fact, i'm not sure it has many redeeming qualities) but it seems like a place that is indeed liveable.

New Orleans, after Katrina, may be the hell on earth people are talking about. Miles of abandon buildings.... and the mold, and the smell......

Then there´s always HELsinki, sometimes referred to as HellStinky. This is actually quite a nice place to live as long as you don´t end up here in November.

delete

If we restrict it to the US, I'd go with Camden.

Or literally, there's always Hell:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell,_Grand_Cayman ;)
On edit: yeah, looks like I'm not the first person to point this one out.

You don't have to go that far:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell%2C_Michigan

and one I didn't know about until now:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell%2C_California

I don't agree that every city in Southern California could be classified as hell.
But I can say that most of the drivers here in Southern California drive like bats outta hell! :mad:


Steve :p

There is a real Hell, Michigan.As well as a Paradise Michigan :)

My vote for Hell on Earth goes to Karachi, Pakistan. A truly horrible place.

Perry GA

The traffic in Jakarta on a good day!

......
Walking from the bus stop to my dentist or Carrefour, I walked along open sewage. There are mangy dogs everywhere in the streets. And people with bare, diabetes-infested feet sit out on the sidewalks not working (or next to you on the Truck).

Now, of course, Moorea and Bora Bora are worlds apart! :p

... are you talking about??? :confused: :confused:

The worst "hell" city in the world? Bombay without a doubt. The city is filthy and smells of death (the dead bodies in the street contribute to that), garbage (the cows are dining on that), pollution and, as a pathetic attempt to cover the stench, incense. Makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. Oh, I forgot to mention the locals lifting up their robes on the street to take a dump in full view of everyone! Gross, disgusting. Add to that the 100 degree temperate with 100 percent humidity. If that ain't hell, I don't know what is.

The worst "hell" city in the world? Bombay without a doubt. The city is filthy and smells of death (the dead bodies in the street contribute to that), garbage (the cows are dining on that), pollution and, as a pathetic attempt to cover the stench, incense. Makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. Oh, I forgot to mention the locals lifting up their robes on the street to take a dump in full view of everyone! Gross, disgusting. Add to that the 100 degree temperate with 100 percent humidity. If that ain't hell, I don't know what is.

How about Mumbai - what's that like?

houston, in august.

Houston in August is nearly paradise.

I nominate Bopal, India.....it's the worst of the 3rd world cities that I know of. I have not been to Lagos, however. I don't know how Lagos is.