Reverend Fred,
I’m afraid I’m going to have to pull you over for an English infraction.
You know you were ‘gestating’ in a ‘jesting’ zone, don’t you?
I’m afraid I’m going to have to suspend your license to pontificate for the next twenty-four hours, at which point it will be automatically reinstated.
It’s for your own good.
Now pay more attention to the proper deployment of your native language in the future and, whatever you do, don’t drink and post.
Gosh Spook:
It must have been subconsciously on my mind. I had just posted on the give that England bitch an abortion post. Thanks for the warning. I shall try to avoid any such lapses in the near future.
Nope, not kidding. Since the question was about cities that I have visited the answer stands as it is.
I consider Taipei a shithole (but Taiwan in generally is rather nice), too dirty, messy, ugly and expensive. Of course it’s convenient but from all the cities I have been too I rank it the worst.
[quote=“Trapper”]In no particular order:
I think London will “collapse” in 20 years - too many people, not enough space, too much money in the wrong hands, etc…
3/ Trapper[/quote]
I think if Boudica, the great fire of london and various wars and plagues didn’t wipe it out it will be around for another thousand years. I just came back from London and I think that has improved quite a lot recently.
Rascal:
I am outraged (not really but you know politics can carry over into city preferences surely?)
Taipei has a great night life, great people, great food, no crime, relatively improved traffic, the service is better, the parks are being improved, there are plenty of foreign organizations to spice up social life, etc., it is close to numerous countries by three-hour flight, the taxes are low, the apartments are getting better, the decor is improving, you can buy anything from food to music to wine to furniture to cars to whatever in Taipei right now, etc etc.
Surely a rethink is in order?
fred
[quote=“fred smith”]Rascal:
I am outraged (not really but you know politics can carry over into city preferences surely?)
Taipei has a great night life, great people, great food, no crime, relatively improved traffic, the service is better, the parks are being improved, there are plenty of foreign organizations to spice up social life, etc., it is close to numerous countries by three-hour flight, the taxes are low, the apartments are getting better, the decor is improving, you can buy anything from food to music to wine to furniture to cars to whatever in Taipei right now, etc etc.
Surely a rethink is in order?
fred[/quote]
I love buildings made from cheap grouting and bathroom tiles! especially after a few years of wear. 
fred, I rank it the worst from the places I have visited, it doesn’t mean it’s the worst city in the world.
Your list some valid points but they also apply to other places I have been to that are nicer or otherwise more attractive and of course there are places which might not match all the items (and convenience) but win me over due to other things.
Maybe I am influenced because I not only visit but also live here … who knows what I would think about Bangkok after a few years over there?
But to calm you down ( 
) let’s just say the place is ok.
Rascal:
What’s wrong with Frankfurt? am Main or an die Oder? I am sure that somehow you must be wrong. You just must be because I am right.
Ho Chi Minh City.
I lived there for a year.
Although I have stayed in 57 cities in India, I can’t really say much about how bad the worst are since I think you need to actually live in a city for a while to get some idea. But there are some pretty awful places there.
[quote=“wolf_reinhold”]Ho Chi Minh City.
I lived there for a year.
Although I have stayed in 57 cities in India, I can’t really say much about how bad the worst are since I think you need to actually live in a city for a while to get some idea. But there are some pretty awful places there.[/quote]
57 cities in India? India has cities? Terrible lies.
FFM (Frankfurt am Main) - boring place and terrible airport.
You’re so right Rascal:
I once bought an expensive bottle of French wine and as I sat it down on the airport floor in Frankfurt, the bottle shattered and my wine was left for me to whine about. Damnable place. What kind of airport has floors like that I ask you.
I can’t think of 5, but out of 20some countries I’ve been to, Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon wins hands down! What a nasty little dog-eat-dog stinkhole! I couldn’t find one thing to like about that place. Nasty, aggressive hawkers and beggars, the most blatant, in-your-face tourist price inflations ever, I was attacked once by a tuk tuk driver with a wooden board, and another guy attempted to rob me on a main street in broad daylight. Luckily, he was too high to be very effective, and I out ran him. But everybody else could have cared less about the robbery. Didn’t even blink an eye! And that’s not to mention how the Vietnamese treat each other!
All in all, Vietnam was the worst country, although it has a few rare and bright spots, if you can get yourself off of that well-worn, government controlled tourist path. A 3 day motorcyle tour with a guy called Dinh Mui (muitours@hotmail.com) through the Central Highlands was the best.
The inevitable follow-up thread…
My 5 worst are (in descending order of horrible-ness, 1 = worst):
Honorable mention & good competition for Detroit would have to be Kaoshiung, Taiwan!
Or you could just have posted here
Ah the value of scrolling through older posts is not to be underestimated. Thanks Iris.
Poipet, Cambodia
Medan, Indonesia
Johannesburg, South Africa
???, Mississippi (Don’t remember the name, but it was some forgettable backwater burg off the Natchez Trace Parkway that seemed to be populated with rednecks, racists, thieves, beggars and gangsters. I never felt more unsafe anywhere than I did there. Perhaps it’s actually a nice city, but the vibe I got said “Get out of here, NOW.” Other cities I visited in Mississippi were very pleasant.)
That’s 4. Can’t think of the 5th.
[quote=“Chris”]Poipet, Cambodia
Medan, Indonesia
Johannesburg, South Africa
???, Mississippi (Don’t remember the name, but it was some forgettable backwater burg off the Natchez Trace Parkway that seemed to be populated with rednecks, racists, thieves, beggars and gangsters. I never felt more unsafe anywhere than I did there. Perhaps it’s actually a nice city, but the vibe I got said “Get out of here, NOW.” Other cities I visited in Mississippi were very pleasant.)
That’s 4. Can’t think of the 5th.[/quote]
Philadelphia, Mississippi?
[quote=“rooftop”]Ah the value of scrolling through older posts is not to be underestimated. Thanks Iris.[/quote]I enjoyed Kaohsiung, very much, so it depends on what grabs your fancy, (but I had a local lady as a guide). We stayed at the Kind Business Hotel (near railway, opposite KFC) for about NT$1100 with breakfast, I’ll return. The harbour ferry to Chi Ching (?) Island is a 7-10 minute ride to some of the best seafood cafe deals I’ve seen. A taxi driver put us onto a huge self service seafood place (free watermelon, tea) which was a NT$100+ ride from the ferry, along the beachfront road and then off to the left. I’m interested in seafood so the place was, to me fantastic with the cheapest abalone and prawns. I don’t know how they do it. There is also a ferry tour of the harbour every couple of days I’d like to see. The night markets are around the corner from the Kind Business Hotel, they close off the street at dusk. John H