FabSwingers.com forum: What’s the least developed country you’ve visited?

By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

As the title says, what’s the least developed country you have visited? Mine is the The Gambia in West Africa, it’s in the bottom 15 least developed countries according to the UN Human Development Index, nearly all of which are in Africa. Regular power cuts, sometimes for a whole day, and water shortages, along with a high infant mortality rate, pretty brutal poverty and an over reliance on remittances from abroad, along with an ineffective and corrupt government who’s basically for all intents and purposes controlled by China. Still, it’s a lovely country to visit, and is actually a pretty safe country, and a good introduction to sub-Saharan Africa. Many expect sub-Saharan Africa to be a dangerously violent place, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes some parts are, but it’s just a handful of countries that have had problems for a long time. I’ve been many times to The Gambia in the last decade, in the dry and rainy seasons, from the coastal areas to far inland to see the hippos and chimpanzees, and the biggest risk factor was probably the beaten up unroadworthy cars, and when I say unroadworthy, I mean really bad, many without even working brakes etc, and a poor standard of driving.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Freetown, Sierra Leone. First time I went I was 17 on my first foreign trip with the military and it opened my eyes up to how bad the world can be. The next I was around 22 and we could wander around freely (officers decision) although it did feel very sketchy. Crowds following you round everywhere as there wasn’t many white people knocking around.

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By *lap.n.tickleCouple
over a year ago

sunny Manchester :)

Liverpool

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Scotland

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

As a tourist? Probably Tunisia a couple of years after the Arab Spring.

The hotel compound itself was lovely but pretty much soon as you stepped out of there you could see just how dilapidated the area was, even worse if you took a bus ride out of the city.

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

"Freetown, Sierra Leone. First time I went I was 17 on my first foreign trip with the military and it opened my eyes up to how bad the world can be. The next I was around 22 and we could wander around freely (officers decision) although it did feel very sketchy. Crowds following you round everywhere as there wasn’t many white people knocking around. "

Yeah I met quite a few Freetonians in Gambia over the years, most of them escaped the civil war, and they had some horrific stories to tell. Sierra Leone has come a long way since then, still incredibly poor, but a much more peaceful country. In fact it scored higher in the Global Peace Index than the UK a couple of years ago.

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By *agneto.Man
over a year ago

Bham

Dudley

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By *orkmalewithPAMan
over a year ago

York

The Sunderbans in East India, I was there a few years ago and off the beaten track they are still using Ox and cart to move things around.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Has to be India for me

Amazing country and even better food haven’t actually eaten curry again in the U.K. since!!

Very dirty tho and they don’t care about littering at all very sad for somewhere so beautiful.

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

"The Sunderbans in East India, I was there a few years ago and off the beaten track they are still using Ox and cart to move things around. "

Yeah it’s same in The Gambia, especially in the provinces, the donkey cart is the main form of transport, and sadly many of the donkeys are in poor health.

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By *ohn KanakaMan
over a year ago

Not all that North of North London

Gambia for me too. Went in the 90s when the tourist trade was around 5 or 6 hotels. Ignored the 'only go out with a paid guide' crap and went out exploring, befriended the security guard at the hotel who took is to meet his family on his day off. Brilliant memories.

I've seen far worse poverty elsewhere though

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Scotland "

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Same but we were working in the middle of no where and on our way out to Freetown they had a coup bless them.

Lovely people but very poor and backward country.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Libya in the 70s, Romania in the 80s, Vietnam in the 90s

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Scotland "

Obviously never been

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By *acey_RedWoman
over a year ago

Liverpool

Far from up there at the top but some rural part of Morocco were pretty eye opening.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Dudley"

The home of The "Quality" Hotel, surely not

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By *aveandSue1Couple
over a year ago

Doncaster

"Scotland "

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By *litterbabeWoman
over a year ago

hiding from cock pics.

Most probably laos, about 25 years ago.

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