Places you felt most on edge in your life

Emma Chisset said:
That was very unlucky. I had a great time in Belize and found the local rastas fine and friendly. The only thing that worried me later was to find that there are poisonous snakes in the jungle where we went for a Bob Marley herbal birthday tribute. They don't even put any tobacco in it.

I suppose it depends on luck and how you conduct yourself. I do remember that my Belizean amigos and me were drinking in one bar and there were two white USA lads who sat down with us and they were a bit arrogant. They bought a round of beer, but not for everyone at the table, just for themselves and the couple of lads who brought them in, so people did got a bit cross with them about that and they had to leave without even getting to drink their beer. I don't think anyone chased them though.
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Belize on a whole was fab, loved the place and the locals, my mate married one and as far as I know is living out there. Think I was just unlucky that night. Jungle was scary, I stood on a snake first day there, didn’t mean to, I was crossing a road and I think it had been stunned by a vehicle, didn’t wait to find out.
Went to Southern Belize for a few days with a few lads, there no hotel rooms at all so the local Police let us kip down in the Police Station, unreal, not in the cells, just in a big room, even made us a cuppa 👍
 


Soldiers bars and pubs all around the world never seem to have a comfortable atmosphere and there can often be fighting there. I try to avoid them if possible.

I remembered one night in Omotepe Island in Nicaragua, I was drinking in a bar with some other travellers and maybe I was too loud anti-Somoza and pro-Sandinista in the discussions (it was not too long after the 'Contras' death squads were operating). Some little short fella in a faux-US army baseball cap and sunglasses got very aggressive and wanting us to go outside the back of the bar and so on. The locals on our table were all quite cowed and worried by him, so I've got no idea who he was. We just told him no and tried to ignore him hopping around and threatening us. We drunk up our beer and went.

The next morning who should be in the queue in front of us for the ferry to the mainland, but little baseball cap man and all on his own this time. We were about 8. So the time waiting in the queue was spent by our biggest lads kneeing him up the arse, jostling him and threatening to throw him in the water. He didn't even turn round once and pretended not to notice. On his own, he had lost all his bravado.
 
Can't compete with most experiences on here about places like Lagos. Brought up in rough area, saw football violence in the raw through the late 60's and 70s, worked in Broadmoor and work took me to the Shankhill and Falls in the pre-peace 90s. But, only times I have been truly scared were:

1. Pub in Cardiff docks - only time I have seen a gun used (but not fired) when a guy was pistol whipped and everyone in a pub froze as the gun was put to his head and it looked like he was going to get shot
2. Off the Ramblas in Barca - me and mate attacked by pick pockets and then by a series of similar gangs over a 30 minute period - not funny at 25 let alone when you're mid fifties and pissed at 4am
3. Pub in Gurnos estate in Merthyr, widely recognised as one of UK's hardest areas - had a first date with a lovely girl who took me there ("don't worry, it's a fantastic place") and I honestly thought I was going to die at 18 - got stabbed in leg but saved by two local squaddies home on leave who intervened and got me out via some first aid
4. Woman threw what she thought was scalding water over me but it turned out it was cold - I learnt what a split second means when that water headed my way
5. Petrol station in Newcastle West End a couple of years ago - got in car to drive off and the whole forecourt suddenly filled with two large groups of guys, maybe 30 in total aged 25-40 fighting with weapons - went on for a few minutes and they all ran off apart from the injured - just had to sit there whilst mayhem ensued with real homicidal venom and none of the modern football invisible walls between guys - never appeared in the press or any police bulletin so just assumed they were rival dealers

It's funny though. I'd rather go through those again than something I remembered 25 years ago when I had young kids, big mortgage and a wife recently diagnosed with a serious illness. My then female boss bullied me and subjected me to all kinds of shit because she knew my situation and exploited it. That was absolutely scary and lasted months. Makes me think about what some of you are going through with the virus and the recession we'll now have. Made me determined to never again be in a situation where someone could do that to me. A little bit of violence is one thing but a psychopath in a suit can really hurt you.
 
ExiledonFront Street said:
Can't compete with most experiences on here about places like Lagos. Brought up in rough area, saw football violence in the raw through the late 60's and 70s, worked in Broadmoor and work took me to the Shankhill and Falls in the pre-peace 90s. But, only times I have been truly scared were:

1. Pub in Cardiff docks - only time I have seen a gun used (but not fired) when a guy was pistol whipped and everyone in a pub froze as the gun was put to his head and it looked like he was going to get shot
2. Off the Ramblas in Barca - me and mate attacked by pick pockets and then by a series of similar gangs over a 30 minute period - not funny at 25 let alone when you're mid fifties and pissed at 4am
3. Pub in Gurnos estate in Merthyr, widely recognised as one of UK's hardest areas - had a first date with a lovely girl who took me there ("don't worry, it's a fantastic place") and I honestly thought I was going to die at 18 - got stabbed in leg but saved by two local squaddies home on leave who intervened and got me out via some first aid
4. Woman threw what she thought was scalding water over me but it turned out it was cold - I learnt what a split second means when that water headed my way
5. Petrol station in Newcastle West End a couple of years ago - got in car to drive off and the whole forecourt suddenly filled with two large groups of guys, maybe 30 in total aged 25-40 fighting with weapons - went on for a few minutes and they all ran off apart from the injured - just had to sit there whilst mayhem ensued with real homicidal venom and none of the modern football invisible walls between guys - never appeared in the press or any police bulletin so just assumed they were rival dealers

It's funny though. I'd rather go through those again than something I remembered 25 years ago when I had young kids, big mortgage and a wife recently diagnosed with a serious illness. My then female boss bullied me and subjected me to all kinds of shit because she knew my situation and exploited it. That was absolutely scary and lasted months. Makes me think about what some of you are going through with the virus and the recession we'll now have. Made me determined to never again be in a situation where someone could do that to me. A little bit of violence is one thing but a psychopath in a suit can really hurt you.
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Yes true that. Some people here seem to be intimidated to be among poor brown people, but the ones who have really done us harm and affected us badly in our life have been white men in suits such as bosses and landlords etc. Really they are the ones to be worried about.
 

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