Friendly Countries

[Brendan]

I?ve just read this story about peoples that the Lonely Planet considers friendly:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/travelog/2007/10/is_ireland_the_worlds_most_fri.html

There is quite an interesting summary at the bottom.

Where is the friendliest place you have visited?

I am inclined to agree with them to a certain extent about the Irish and the Turks. I don?t agree about Malawi as when I went there I got robbed which I consider to be very unfriendly indeed.

Anyway in my experience ED is by far the friendliest suburb in London and I have lived in a few.

[Nero]

The United States is friendly, though perhaps more formally polite than cheery and matey in some places. Northern England and Scotland are friendly too, in the give-strangers-a-Polo-at-the-busstop kind of way. Nero

[lozzyloz]

I've always found Kenya a friendly welcoming place and Jamaica as long as you're outside of Kingston and other big towns and tourist traps.

[Nero]

South Africa was friendly and scary at the same time. Nero

[SeanMacGabhann]

I am sooo going to be slated but I have always found France ( and Corsica) to be extremely friendly

[Brendan]

lozzyloz Wrote:

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> I've always found Kenya a friendly welcoming place

So did I. Then I got robbed (yes in Kenya too. perhaps it is me.) and had a near death experience with a taxi driver from hell. He was friendly though but psycho.

[lozzyloz]

Sorry to hear that Brendan. Reminds me of a mate from Jo'burg who had never been robbed, kidnapped etc. Came to London and was mugged at gunpoint in Soho within days!

Generally I think country's are friendly as long as you're out of the metropolis and you're not at war with them. Some friends of mine just got back from Syria and said that it was the most unbelievably friendly and welcoming place they'd ever visited. Perhaps it could be said because they had different expectations.

Most unfriendly place? Lagos without a doubt, although the music and bars kind've made up for it. I half agree with Sean's comments on France, Robbed twice in Paris (not violently) but have always found the rest of the country, even Le Penn territory most welcoming except possibly in the Basque region near the Spanish border.

[Marmora Man]

Denmark was amazingly friendly - with Copenhagen being the best part. USA, particualrly S. Carolina and southwards was briliant - was invited to Thanksgiving, with 8 friends just because we were visiting over that weekend.

[downsouth]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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> I am sooo going to be slated but I have always

> found France ( and Corsica) to be extremely

> friendly

I agree about France too. Egypt was really friendly as well.

[PeckhamRose]

I agree about USA - they hear the accent and come over to me in the shops or restaurants and just want to hear you - assume we're all highly intelligent educated people. And many times specially in the west people come up and beg me to believe that they hate Bush and did not vote him in and disagree with the war. Complete strangers being so friendly and wanting to tell you this.

New Zealand is incredibly friendly too. Such a laid back culture. Interesting to read your thoughts on our European cousins though too.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I found Liverpool v. friendly. [well oop north is another country]

[Ant]

I've always found France friendly. Helps that I can speak French, of course.

Norn Iron is very friendly. I'm sure it's the same down in the ROI, but I've never actually been so can't say.

[Brendan]

lozzyloz Wrote:

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> Sorry to hear that Brendan. Reminds me of a mate

> from Jo'burg who had never been robbed, kidnapped

> etc. Came to London and was mugged at gunpoint in

> Soho within days!

I?ve been robbed in Jo?burg too.

And in London for that matter.

I?m starting to think it is just me. :-S

Nero Wrote:

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> South Africa was friendly and scary at the same

> time. Nero

Really? That?s nice to know. (well except for the scary bit but I fully understand you on that) As a South African I have never thought we are particularly friendly. Very hospitable but not necessarily friendly I think there is a difference.

I have also found the French quite friendly but I have only visited rural areas of France.

[blinder999]

Since we had kids, I've found Italy particularly friendly - they just love the little ones.

Same in France really - we had a week in the Basque country this summer, everyone was very friendly, from the hotel owner to the deckchair attendant. Definitely helps if you speak the language though.

[mockney piers]

I'd have to go with Portugal as the friendliest place I've been to.

France outside of Paris is great. I've found Ireland a mixed bag, very like the UK in that respect I guess.

Spain is strange, they (we?) can be quite antipathetic on the surface, but make the effort to speak the lingo and be gregarious yourself and you'll soon win them over, at which point they're as good as it gets.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Thailand - friendly except the pushy tuck-tuk drivers and the pain in the arse bell-boys who kept phoning me in the middle of the night wanting to know if I "wanted a lady"

France - friendly except the shop-keeper who accused me of shoplifting and wouldnt apologise when I shoved the receipt under his nose

Ghana - friendly

Ethiopia - scary with big guns

Bangladesh - friendly

Pakistan - friendly from what I could tell, I wasnt allowed out of the hotel

Nepal - friendly to foreigners, not too each other

Netherlands - ever so friendly

Estonia - friendly, except the tosser who nicked my wallet

Greece - ever so friendly

Barbados - friendly with nice beaches

Italy - friendly except on the auto-strada where they turn into homicidal maniacs

Germany - surprisingly friendly

Belgium - ever so friendly and with added beer and chocolate

Spain - friendly

Canada - ever so friendly with big hugs, especially in Quebec if you make the effort to speak French

USA - friendly with big portions

[Ted Max]

"The Chinese, a great bunch of lads."

//Father Ted//

[mockney piers]

Oh yeah Canada, never a bad word spoken in that country.

A big shout for Argentina too, especially the ones that killed a kid* and made the best empanadas in the world in our honour.

*that's a small goat people...lighten up!!

[Keef]

Lithuania - Really really lovely and friendly, but that was before the invasion of thuggish stag dos. Not sure they're so trusting now!

France - Bordeaux is really friendly! (just make at least SOME effort to speak their language!)

[snorky]

Albanians + Moldovans - in situ - I find are very friendly

[Alan Dale]

You have been to Albania Snorky? Did you get the ferry from Italy?

Was meaning to go in search of the next big thing. Albania is the new Montenegro apparently. Did you spot any investment property bargains?

[snorky]

been a few times - both overland from Kosovo, macedonia and Montenegro, also bari => durres ferry

great place - it really is

Property - the infrastructure is iffy - power cuts/ drainage non existant ion some areas / filth and dumped stuff everywhere - there are some interesting places on the coast but its still a bit of a basket case and hard to change 50+ yeard of mismanagement

go across and have a sniff about to make up yer own mind - dont take any preconceptions about the Albs all being gangsters and drug runners etc

I know albs in Londion who are buying beach properties back home, so thats a good sign I suppose

[Alan Dale]

Thanks. Maybe one day.

Seems it's the last remaining affordable stretch of Adriatic coast.

[snorky]

go now.

its a lovely crisp time to be in Alb

ryanair to bari - ferry to durres/ train to Tirana ot whatever - will cost very little

[mockney piers]

I looked into buying property in Bosnia back in 2000 when it was still unspoilt (by tourists anyway), but was warned against it by a mate who's (expat bosnian) uncle had tried to do the same and found the whole thing a kafkaesque nightmare paved with corruption.

Should it ever become better regulated I'd still love to.

Ooh yes, Bosnians are a pretty nice bunch too, in fact all the exFRYs in my experience.