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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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