How many countries have you been to and which is your favourite?

[Bakero]

A few people putting Hong Kong and Gibraltar as countries, is that right?

A few others putting Dubai as a country, that definitely is not right!

We've also had Puerto Rico and Bali- some definite cheating there (although they may not have mentioned Indonesia as well as Bali).

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

What do you like about Switzerland? Apart from the skiing it has always struck me as a pretty uninteresting country. Am I being unfair?

Yes, but just a tad. Whilst true that it has splendid mountains, wonderful scenery, and the trains run like clockwork, (some ARE clockwork!), it's also a very conservative country ... and l don't like the word 'conservative'.

 

[big nuts]

1.usa - 6
2.brazil - 1
3.argentina - 1
4.chile - 1
5.uruguay - 1
6.south Africa - 2
7.tunisia - 1
8.mauritius - 1
9.spain - 8
10.france - 3
11.germany - 2
12.italy - 1
13.cyprus - 2
14.estonia - 1
15.hungary - 1
16.poland - 1
17.czech rep - 1
18.holland - 2
19.ireland - 1
20.barbados -1
21.st lucia - 1
22.antigua - 1
23.bahamas - 1
24.cuba - 1
25.china - 1
26.australia - 1
27.mexico - 2
28.portugal - 1
29.vatican - 1
30.jamaica - 2
31.hong kong - 1
32.St Vincent - 1
33.Luxembourg - 1
34.Belgium - 1
35. Iceland - 1
36.UK

Best countries - USA, Argentina & South Africa

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

We've also had Puerto Rico and Bali- some definite cheating there (although they may not have mentioned Indonesia as well as Bali).

As well as England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, of course.

 

[Deanbha]

What do you like about Switzerland? Apart from the skiing it has always struck me as a pretty uninteresting country. Am I being unfair?

Just the sheer beauty of the place. Stayed near lake Thun and loved it!

 

[Westdene Seagull]

What do you like about Switzerland? Apart from the skiing it has always struck me as a pretty uninteresting country. Am I being unfair?

Very unfair. It's a stunningly beautiful country in the summer. Surprisingly warm and swimming in open air pools 3/4's of the way up a mountain surrounded by snow covered peaks is a lovely experience.

 

[Guinness Boy]

England
France
Spain
Australia
Holland
Germany
Poland
Belguim
Italy
Singapore
Thailand
Taiwan
New Caledonia
Hong Kong
Malaysia
India
United States
St Lucia
Japan
Fiji
New Zealand
Phillipines
Portugal
Ireland

24 not including Scotland and Wales. Taiwan and New Caledoinia are debatable - Taiwan as it's not officially a recognised UN country and I think New Caledonia is officially part of France. Of those I lived in Australia for a year, Japan for 8 months and Taiwan for nearly three years all for work. I also worked in India and Ireland for three months. So less countries than many but probably spent more than average amount of time in each.

Taiwan was easily my favourite to live in. Earthquakes, typhoons, stinky tofu on every corner, thousands of missiles pointing at you at any given time, unsanitory drains and cockroaches the size of your hand and yet all that was part of the charm. The people are lovely, genuinely nice, the food is amazing and the ex pat life interesting and fairly unspoiled. The island itself is wonderful boasting mountains, gorges, excellent diving and naked girls selling beetle nuts on main roads (at least in Tainan a few years ago though they were trying to crack down). And you met some interesting people in the bars. Sure there were a few sexpats but we had dinner with a CIA agent one night (at least everyone except him said he was), lived below an arms dealer and had birthday cakes made for me by a mental alcoholic Kiwi pastry chef who had once worked at The Savoy whilst squatting.

Fiji and Kota Kinablu in the Malaysian part of Borneo were the two best holidays.

 

[cheshunt seagull]

Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, West Germany, Austria, Russia, USSR, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Morocco, Egypt, India, Ceylon, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, USA, Canada.

A favourite is impossible as there are so many factors, like who I was with, my age etc. but the most interesting was probably Japan.

 

[surrey jim]

Cuba is top of my wish list. I want to go there before it changes too much. Should probably try and get to Maldives before it sinks too!!

Went to Cuba on honeymoon two years ago. Did a twin centre holiday staying 10 nights in Guardalavaca (sp?) and 5 in Havanna. Loved every second of it over there. Would recomend to anyone to get there before it changes for the worse. (aka turns into American resorts like in Cancun Mexico)

As for countries visited is there a list somehwere so I can check against it! Think it must be something around 30 I have been to, favourite being Cuba and worse Bulgaria.

 

[daveinprague]

We've also had Puerto Rico and Bali- some definite cheating there (although they may not have mentioned Indonesia as well as Bali).

Im counting Puerto Rico, and Gibraltar as they have National football teams ;-D

 

[Luke93]

Other than the home nations, I've been to:

Greece, Neverlands, Belgium, Germany & France

Greece was my favourite by far! Hottest, best hotel and stunning places to visit.

 

[mac04]

I went to Uganda last week which was number 50 for me. My faves so far have been Iceland and Thailand I reckon. I made a promise to myself about 7 years ago to go to at least 4 new countries every year, I am racking them up:

2013 I did Finland, Estonia, Russia, Kenya, Thailand, Cambodia, Greece and Turkey.

So far this year - South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and off to Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe next month

Botswana (the Okavango Delta in particular) will be very close to the top of your list by August.

 

[SwedishSonna]

I think I need to get out more. Have only done the following...

France
Spain
Gib
Italy
Greece
Morocco/Ceuta
India
Canada

Split between Canada and India for best place. Could easily live in either.

 

[Bakero]

24 not including Scotland and Wales. Taiwan and New Caledoinia are debatable - Taiwan as it's not officially a recognised UN country and I think New Caledonia is officially part of France. Of those I lived in Australia for a year, Japan for 8 months and Taiwan for nearly three years all for work. I also worked in India and Ireland for three months. So less countries than many but probably spent more than average amount of time in each.

Taiwan was easily my favourite to live in. Earthquakes, typhoons, stinky tofu on every corner, thousands of missiles pointing at you at any given time, unsanitory drains and cockroaches the size of your hand and yet all that was part of the charm. The people are lovely, genuinely nice, the food is amazing and the ex pat life interesting and fairly unspoiled. The island itself is wonderful boasting mountains, gorges, excellent diving and naked girls selling beetle nuts on main roads (at least in Tainan a few years ago though they were trying to crack down). And you met some interesting people in the bars. Sure there were a few sexpats but we had dinner with a CIA agent one night (at least everyone except him said he was), lived below an arms dealer and had birthday cakes made for me by a mental alcoholic Kiwi pastry chef who had once worked at The Savoy whilst squatting.

Fiji and Kota Kinablu in the Malaysian part of Borneo were the two best holidays.

I met a girl from New Caledonia recently; you're right, it's officially part of France. What's it like out there?

I was chatting to a friend earlier who lives in Taiwan. Surprisingly, he said he's not that impressed by the food. He reckons it's not a patch on Vietnamese food (we both used to live in Vietnam). What Taiwanese food is he perhaps missing out on?

 

[Everest]

1. Holland
2. Tenerife
3. Yugoslavia (back in the days when it was Yugoslavia)
4. Egypt
5. Zanzibar - Tanzania
6. Maldives (four different islands)
7. Mexico
Plus driven through a few in Europe.

If I could only go back to one again, it would have to be Velavaru in the Maldives.
Fantastic diving area.

 

[brakespear]

10 or so I think - Belgium is my favourite so far.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Over 20. Favorite country is the USA with Chile a close second. Worst would be Israel

 

[Guinness Boy]

I met a girl from New Caledonia recently; you're right, it's officially part of France. What's it like out there?

I was chatting to a friend earlier who lives in Taiwan. Surprisingly, he said he's not that impressed by the food. He reckons it's not a patch on Vietnamese food (we both used to live in Vietnam). What Taiwanese food is he perhaps missing out on?

New Caledonia - spent three days there due to 'visa issues'. Stayed in Noumea. It basically is exactly how you'd imagine a French tropical island. We were there in 2002. The Customs Guy was chomping on a Gitanes as he checked our passports and we overtook an entire plane load of Aussies thanks to being EU. Food in the hotel was terrible, a sort of pastiche on a French motorway cafe but we found a fantastic restaurant doing a mix of classic French and local seafood on the beach. They had to keep the red wine in the chiller because of the temperature. Beach was unspoiled but dirty and I was putting insect repellant on every five mins or so it seemed as Dengue is fairly rampant (signs about it everywhere). My wife nearly lost all of our money in a casino after too much of the chilled Vin Rouge.

Taiwan - depends where your friend is. In Taipei there was a brilliant dumpling place called Din Tai Fung which is famous and fairly commercial. They do little steamed dumplings with pork and broth inside that sort of explode in your mouth. There are good Vietnamese and Thai places but you have to scout around. Our office was on Nanjing East Road Section 5 and there were two side streets where our translators took us that had a good Vietnamese and a place that just seemed to do crispy duck. Food wise I'll try almost anything so I quite liked eating at night markets which may not be for everyone. the high end Chinese places are pretty good as they do a mixture of styles given the KMT people originally came to Taiwan from all over. There was a really good Sake bar called A+ and a brilliant high end Japanese called Dozo. Other than that go to Kenting for beaches, Toroko gorge and Alishan are both worth the visit and we found an awesome hot spring just north of TienMu before you get to the hills (and yes that is as much direction as I can manage from memory).

 

[Sweetie]

Think it's 33 for me although may have missed one or two. Favourite would have to be the USofA due to the huge range of things to do over there. Worst without doubt was Nigeria.

 

[mikeyjh]

Think it's 33 for me although may have missed one or two. Favourite would have to be the USofA due to the huge range of things to do over there. Worst without doubt was Nigeria.

I can honestly say I've never been anywhere that doesn't have at least some small redeeming feature - I don't have particularly fond memories of Luxembourg but only actually went to the city.