THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DEAN

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DEAN:
OBSERVATIONS OF OUR PLANET BASED ON VISITS TO OVER 100 COUNTRIES ON SEVEN CONTINENTS*
Most recent update: January 18, 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

COUNTRIES VISITED (Current Count: 110)

QUALITY OF LIFE
    The most and least pleasant countries in which to live
    Poverty and misery factors
    Leisure time

NATURAL SCENERY AND CLIMATE
    The most pleasant climate
    Countries with the most beautiful scenery
    Natural scenery that left the strongest impressions upon me:
        A) Mountains
        B) Rock formations
        C) Waterfalls
        D) Shoreline
        E) Pastoral countryside
        F) Special features

WILDLIFE VIEWING
Best places to view the greatest variety of wild animals
Best places for bird watching

TRAVEL COSTS
    The most expensive countries I visited
    The cheapest countries I visited
    Best value-to-cost ratio

THE MOST INTERESTING COUNTRIES
Countries (or regions) where the culture(s) interested me most
Countries (or regions) I would recommend most...

PEOPLE

TRAVEL HAZARDS

CITIES
The Most Beautiful and Least Appealing Cities

FOOD

TRANSPORTATION

CULTURAL AWARENESS

SPECIAL SITES
Dean's favorite ancient wonders of the world

The most beautiful churches, mosques, temples

The most spiritual places

The most impressive fortresses
Sites of great emotional or symbolic significance

GLOBAL ISSUES
Cultural practices that bothered me the most during my travels
The worst labor conditions I witnessed
Global problems of greatest concern
My assessment of the greatest environmental threats
The most hopeful signs for the future

COUNTRIES VISITED: Current Count: 110*
The opinions expressed in this document are purely subjective and based only on countries I have visited which, though covering broad areas on parts of all seven continents, still excludes nearly half of the nations on the planet. 54 countries were visited during my first world tour, between February 1986 and September 1988, and 37 countries (including some revisits) were covered during my second world tour, between September 1995 and September 1996. Additional countries have been visited or revisited since that time.

*110 countries: It's important to note that in some of the countries I visited, very little time was spent, and it can be said that at best I have only seen small portions of what most countries have to offer. My travel was generally extensive rather than intensive, and I certainly do not consider myself to be particularly knowledgeable about the breadth of what any country offers. Even my own country, the U.S.A., which I have covered rather thoroughly over the years (outside of Alaska and Hawaii), still has numerous places I haven’t seen.

The actual total number of independent nations on the planet today differs by definition and by who is doing the counting. The U.S. State Department, the United Nations, the World Bank, the World Health Organization have varying counts ranging from 188 to 220. I tend to prefer the State Department definition (which excludes from their counts places such as Gibraltar, French Polynesia, the so-called "homelands" of South Africa and others that are not totally independent). The current State Department count is approximately 193 nations.

Countries I visited include:

-- 14 African nations including Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia, and Zimbabwe;

-- 23 Asian and Middle Eastern nations including Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam; (Note that I only saw Mongolia from the window of a train for 12 hours as I passed through the country and from the railway station in the capital, Ulan Bator);

-- All European nations except Belarus -- 42 out of 43. Note that I count Serbia as a substitute for Yugoslavia, which I visited in 1987 (mainly Belgrade). Meanwhile, although I passed through the area of Belarus, its excluded from the list since I only saw it briefly at night from my train window and at a time when it was not yet independent from the Soviet Union;

-- All nations of Continental North, Central and South America except Guyana and Suriname -- 20 out of 22 in all. Note that French Guiana is not independent;

-- 9 out of 13 Caribbean nations including Bahamas, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Trinidad and Tobago;

-- Australia and New Zealand;

-- Other places visited include French Polynesia (Tahiti), New Caledonia and Antarctica, none of which are independent nations nor are they included in my count of countries. I visited East Germany when it was a separate nation, but since it is now part of a unified Germany, I no longer include it in the count.

Gaps remaining to be filled -- various nations of the Far East, Central Asia, West Africa, the Middle East, and numerous island nations.

QUALITY OF LIFE:

The most pleasant countries in which to live (among those I've visited):
Note: These are ranked in order of how I assess quality of life, but are not necessarily in the order of my personal preference for where I would want to live. I may sound rather critical of them in some ways, but these are the best of the best for quality of life.

1. Australia scores high overall for economic opportunities, its social welfare system, environmental conditions, climate, and other quality of life indicators. Its relative isolation is both a plus and a minus. Somewhat provincial attitudes can also be a minus.

2. New Zealand ranks similarly to Australia, but loses points for its somewhat less appealing weather and for its lack of entertainment opportunities, (that is, unless you're a dedicated outdoor enthusiast, it can be a mind-numbingly boring place). Otherwise, it's a great place to raise a family.

3. The USA is the country with the greatest opportunities for both success and failure. It loses lots of points for its high crime rate, economic inequities, somewhat weaker social welfare system (though taxes are lower than other wealthy industrialized nations), racism, environmental degradation, excessive consumerism and parochial moralistic attitudes (although this is also an asset); but the downsides are generally counterbalanced by the country's diversity of cultures and natural environments, by its social, economic, and entertainment possibilities, and by still having enough room to stretch out and spread one's wings, though that room is disappearing rapidly.

4. Canada surpasses the USA in many quality of life measures, but the weather is a big downer, and economic opportunities are fewer (though health and education benefits are better for most). Its environment is not as degraded as in the USA, mainly due to a relatively low population density.

5. Germany has a superior social welfare system that also has its repressive aspects (high taxes and excessive regulation). Its education system also surpasses many, but pigeonholes students too much. It's a great place to raise a family, but overall, the country is too tidy, regimented and boring (though this is slowly improving). Its transportation system is among the best, but the high population density that it takes to support that system impacts other quality of life indicators negatively.

6. Norway is the world's most complete social welfare system, with the cost of inhibiting free-spirited entrepreneurship. Otherwise, aside from Norway's natural beauty, which mile for mile is the best in the world, the weather is less than appealing, social life is damn near nonexistent (just ask them!), and the people, relatively unexposed to racial and ethnic diversity, sometimes suffer from that ignorance. But, as Garrison Keillor likes to say about another similar place in America, the children are all above average.

7. Iceland, which is similar to Norway in the aspects described above, also boasts of having the world's most arrogant people (and some among them will proudly tell you so). Otherwise, the country suffers from too much rain and fog year round, and too much darkness in the winter. Nevertheless, I want to go back.

8. Sweden is also similar to Norway, but benefits from somewhat more cross-cultural exposure. It lacks, however, much of Norway's natural beauty.

9. Denmark is the most socially conscious and culturally hip of the Scandinavian nations, and it's another nice place to raise children, but when not operating in that lifestyle, it's better to find some more interesting place. They have the highest per-capita intake of calories, but perhaps that is because they are among the world's tallest people on average.

10. Switzerland is richer than most countries, but living is also more costly. After mountaineering and marveling at the scenery, there's not much remaining for entertainment. It suffers from similar regulation and regimentation as Germany, probably more so, and every man and woman is obliged to military or public service (which is probably a more fair system).

11. The Netherlands is one of my personal favorites, mainly due to its free-spirited progressive social experimentation. It attracts aimless free-spirits such as myself, but concern among residents about attracting too many of these type of people, along with excessive population density means there's no room for more of us. It receives too many days of rain, but otherwise is a great place for bicycling.

12. England is somewhat more entertaining than most other northern European countries, but it's not quite as nice for raising a family as others mentioned here (although it's far safer than the USA). Its class consciousness is often not constructive, and the weather often depresses. Its economy is less than heartwarming outside of London.

The worst countries in which to live (among those I've visited):

1. Bangladesh suffers from extraordinary population density, oppressive heat and humidity, perennial cataclysmic flooding, and intractable poverty and pestilence. This is the world's number one basket case of sorrow. I visited it in 1988.

2. Mozambique was probably the poorest country of any I have visited before or since when I saw it in 1996. In 1993, the year after its 17-year civil war ended, it had a yearly per capita income of less than $100. Recovery has been slow and millions of landmines remain scattered across the countryside.

3. Sudan has had a multi-decade war that has produced famine for much of its population south of the Sahara. Though I can think of several that are far worse, it has an oppressive regime that is among the worst abusers of human rights. Still, the people that I met were among the kindest and most generous I have met anywhere in the world. I visited it in 1986.

Other countries that seemed to have the most hopelessly intractable poverty:
India, Malawi, Zaire, Zambia, Haiti

Note that there are others which probably have statistically higher levels of poverty, but the ones listed are among those I visited where the future seems dimmer to me than most (at least for the poor).

Note also that there are many countries I haven't visited which are far worse for reasons other than just poverty. For example, Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, Columbia, Rwanda, Somalia and Sierra Leone have been suffering from genocidal wars and extraordinary human rights abuses.

Most noticeable differences between rich and poor: India and Brazil

Leisure time: Average starting paid vacation time for new employees:
USA and Japan: Two weeks
Many European countries: Four to six weeks
The developing world: What vacation? Actually, very high percentages of people in the developing world are unemployed or underemployed. Meanwhile, child labor is the norm in many places.

NATURAL SCENERY AND CLIMATE:

The most pleasant climate is the Mediterranean type climate, which is also found within 50 kilometers of the coasts in southern California, central Chile, southwestern Australia and southwestern South Africa. It is typically sunny and dry (after an occasional morning fog), rarely excessively hot and humid, and it rarely approaches freezing.

Countries with the most beautiful scenery (per square kilometer):
By highest concentration of scenic natural features:
1. Norway, 2. Nepal, 3. New Zealand, 4. Switzerland, 5. Austria,
6. Ecuador, 7. Chile, 8. South Africa, 9. Iceland, 10. Costa Rica

The greatest amount of beautiful scenery and special natural features (overall): The USA has the most varied scenery and unusual natural features found in any single country, but it also has large areas in which the scenery is monotonous.

Natural scenery that left the strongest impressions upon me:
These are organized below into the following groups: A) Mountains, B) Rock formations, C) Waterfalls, D) Shoreline, E) Pastoral countryside, F) Special features

A) Most impressive mountain scenery I've seen:
1. Annapurna Sanctuary, Nepal
2. Torres Del Paine National Park, Chilean Patagonia
3. Paradise Bay and Lameire Channel, Antarctic Peninsula

4. Mt. Everest region, Tibet

5. Matterhorn region of the Swiss Alps
6. Fjords of Norway

7. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
8. Bavarian Alps, Berchtesgaden region of Germany/Austria

9. Fjords of New Zealand
10. Machu Picchu region of Peru

11. Waterton/Glacier International Peace Park, Canada/USA

12. Bolivian Andes

(The most beautiful and impressive single mountain, in my opinion, although far from the largest, is Mount Rainier, WA, USA).

B) The most beautiful and unusual rock formations:
1. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
2. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
3. Arches National Park, Utah, USA
4. Cappadocia Region, Central Turkey, Badlands-like rock formations

5. Petra, Jordan
6. Wadi Rum, Jordan

7. Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, USA
8. Atacama Desert, San Pedro Region, Chile
9. The tepuis (steep-sided mesas) of Venezuela

C) The most impressive waterfalls: The first three (especially the first two) dwarf the others in their amount of stream flow. Angel, Yosemite and Multnomah are high waterfalls with relatively little flow.

1. Iguazu Falls, Brazil-Argentina border.
2. Victoria Falls, Zambia-Zimbabwe border.
3. Niagara Falls, Canada-USA border.
4. Angel Falls, Venezuela

5. *Yosemite Falls, California, USA
6. Gullfoss Falls, Iceland
7. Multnomah Falls, Oregon, USA
8. Various waterfalls of the Annapurna Sanctuary
and along the Lhasa-Katmandu overland route, Nepal.
9. Yellowstone Falls, Wyoming, USA

*I've only seen Yosemite Falls in photographs.

D) Most beautiful shoreline scenery:
1. Antarctic Peninsula
2. The fjords of Norway

3. The fjords of New Zealand
4. Halong Bay Islands, Vietnam
5. Big Sur coastline, California, USA

6. Santorini Island, Greece
7. Calpe region coastline, near Alicante, Spain

8. South-central Oregon coast
9. Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

E) Countries or regions with the most beautiful pastoral countryside:
1. Switzerland
2. Bali, Indonesia
3. Ecuador
4. Nepal
5. United Kingdom
6. Ireland
7. New England, USA

F) Other special features:
1. Glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula
2. Yellowstone National Park geothermal area, USA

3. Soususvlei sand dunes, Namibia

4. Salar de Uyuni salt flats, Bolivia

Best efforts at conservation:
Costa Rica. (Nearly one-third of the country is national park or reserve).

Worst efforts at conservation:
Haiti. (An unsurpassed environmental disaster)

Most Littered Place:
Portions of Albania

Worst air pollution:
Ankara, Turkey

WILDLIFE VIEWING:

Best places to view the greatest variety of wild animals:

1) Etosha National Park, Namibia,
2) Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania,
3) Amboseli National Park, Kenya,
4) Serengeti National Park, Tanzania,
5) Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Overrated for animal viewing (due to obstructions such as trees and bushes): Kruger National Park, South Africa

Best places for bird watching:

1) Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, 2) Pantanal Wetlands Area, Brazil, 3) Everglades National Park, Florida, USA

TRAVEL COSTS:

Most expensive countries I have visited: (This list is not based on any accurate measurement, but on my personal impressions of what I was spending to travel in these countries. It is in approximate order, taking into account exchange requirements and rates at the time I was there, and the kinds of things that I typically purchased. Note that some countries have may have moved up or down the list since the time I visited them).

1. Norway, 2. New Zealand, 3. Tahiti, 4. Iceland, 5. Switzerland,

6. Austria, 7. Finland, 8. Sweden, 9. Burma, 10. Romania,

11. Italy, 12. France, 13. Denmark, 14. Brazil, 15. Argentina,

16. Germany, 17. Australia, 18. USA, 19. Bulgaria, 20. Canada

Note: I haven't visited Japan, which probably is the most expensive country.

Also, the U.S. falls somewhere between the previous list and the next list.

Cheapest countries I have visited (in approximate order, based on travel expenses at the time I was there):
1. Sudan,   2. China,   3. Nepal,   4. Bangladesh,   5. India,
6. Indonesia,   7. Pakistan,   8. Zaire,   9. Egypt,   10. Uganda,
11. Honduras,   12. Bolivia,   13. Malawi,   14. Vietnam,   15. Turkey,
16. Kenya,   17. Sri Lanka,   18. Morocco,   19. Thailand,   20. Syria

Best value-to-cost ratio for typical budget-travel expenses: The following assessment is based upon costs and exchange rates at the time I visited the listed countries and upon my own personal values. My own values go something like this: If my stomach and wallet are happy, then I tend to be happy. Other than those things, all I ask for is a bed without bugs and a seat on a bus without a live chicken in my lap.

1. USA, 2. Nepal, 3. Turkey, 4. Indonesia, 5. South Africa, 6. Namibia,
7. Thailand, 8. Ecuador (except Galapagos), 9. Zimbabwe, 10. Hungary

Best value-to-cost ratio for food:   USA
Best value-to-cost ratio for accommodation:   Nepal
Best value-to-cost ratio for transportation:   The Soviet Union -- this may no longer be true in the years since the USSR dissolved.

THE MOST INTERESTING COUNTRIES:

Countries (or regions) where the culture(s) interested me most:

1. Tibet,   2. India,   3. China,   4. Burma,   5. Pakistan,
6. Indonesia,   7. Ecuador,   8. Peru,   9. Bolivia,   10. Guatemala,
11. Bangladesh,   12. Sudan,   13. Malawi,   14. Zaire,   15. Vietnam, 16. Soviet Union,

Countries where the history interested me most:
Ancient History: 1. Egypt, 2. Israel, 3. Turkey, 4. Peru, 5. Cambodia
Recent history: 1. Poland, 2. India, 3. Russia, 4. South Africa, 5. Lebanon, 6. Vietnam, 7. Cambodia

Most Interesting Country (all things considered): India is in a class by itself, followed by China, Indonesia and Russia; but India is exceptional! It has the greatest extremes of everything -- rich, poor, heroic, corrupt, beauty, ugliness, logical, spiritual, happiness, sadness -- you name it. Everything you want to know and everything you don't want to know about the world (and about yourself) is in India.

Least Interesting Country: Paraguay has very little going for it from a tourist standpoint.

Countries (or regions) I would recommend most...
...to an adventurer:   Tibet, Indonesia, Zaire, Sudan, Bolivia
...to a money-is-no-object adventurer:   Antarctica
...to a traveler who enjoys some rough and tumble:   India, Nepal, Ecuador, Turkey, Pakistan, Kenya
...to an experienced and enlightened tourist:   Egypt, South Africa, Namibia, Thailand and Russia
...to a live-like-a-lush-affordably tourist:   Greece, Spain and Malta
...to a money-is-no-object tourist:   French Polynesia
...to an afraid-of-the-language-barrier English-speaking tourist:   The U.K. or Ireland
...to an average culturally-ignorant bozo:   A cultural geography or language course.

The countries that I personally enjoy the most as a traveler:
1) Nepal, 2) Turkey, 3) Ecuador

I believe that these countries provide the best combination of attributes I find enjoyable in travel, including varied nature, interesting culture and history, comfortable facilities, tasty food, ease of travel, low prices, welcoming people, opportunities for adventure, and a reasonable level of safety.

PEOPLE:

Where people were most welcoming, hospitable and generous to me:
1. Sudan, 2. Pakistan, 3. Turkey, 4. Czechoslovakia, 5. Ukraine,
6. Poland, 7. Russia, 8. Australia, 9. Malawi

Most seemingly cheerful and warm people: Tibetans and Burmese

Least hospitable and welcoming to the independent traveler: The Chinese in mainland China.
This may largely be a function of huge language (both verbal and non-verbal) and cultural barriers, of current and past political indoctrination, and of an official policy more oriented toward package tours than toward individual travelers. Certainly, the many Chinese people I've met outside of mainland China are, almost without exception, much more warm and friendly.

Least touristed country I visited: Sudan
There was a two week period during which I traveled many miles, but saw only local people.
I did finally see one or two foreign travelers in Sudan's capital city, Khartoum, but we were few and far between.

Most diverse racial, ethnic and religious mixes: India

Most successful "melting pot" of race relations: Although Brazil, not unlike many other countries including my own, has an atrocious history of genocide against its indigenous groups (and many would say that this continues), Brazil nevertheless has an extraordinarily racially-diverse population where the subject of race, by and large, has surprisingly been a less frequent focus issue than one might expect. Meanwhile, the divide between rich and poor is among the most extreme on the planet, though that economic divide is not so clearly based on racial and ethnic differences.

My picks for the most attractive women:

1. Polynesian, 2. Indian, 3. Israeli, 4. Brazilian, 5. Spanish, 6. Italian, 7. Sudanese, 8. Venezuelan 9. Chilean, 10. Argentinean, 11. Bulgarian, 12. Finnish, 13. Hungarian, 14. French, 15. Icelandic, 16. Czech

Note I haven’t been to Ethiopia, but based on the Ethiopian women I’ve seen elsewhere, they probably belong high on the above list.

Most beautiful woman I met while traveling: A Russian

Most romantically-minded people: Russians -- just spend some time and listen to them, especially with a bottle of vodka!

Biggest per capita consumers of alcohol: Russians

Most overweight people: Americans, Australians and Russians

Possibly the last country on Earth to receive television broadcasts:
Malawi was scheduled to have its first television station in 1997. Nevertheless, relatively few can afford
a television or even a radio.

Where "people watching" and photographing was most interesting for me:

1) India, 2) China, 3) Indonesia, 4) Pakistan, 5) Bangladesh, 6) Burma, 7) Vietnam
8) Zaire, 9) Sudan, 10) Mozambique, 11) Ecuador, 12) Guatemala, 13) Egypt, 14) Syria

TRAVEL HAZARDS:

Greatest hazards while traveling:

1) Vehicle accidents: This is by far the most threatening risk, particularly in the lesser-developed countries, where reckless, careless and fatalistic drivers pass for normal, and pedestrians are expected to dive out of the way. Although less likely to occur than some of the other things that I also mention in this list, vehicle accidents have the greatest possibility for causing serious harm. The thought of the risk involved with vehicle accidents increasingly gives me pause, particularly if I'm headed to a lesser-developed part of the world where more fatalistic driving habits seem to rule the road.

2) Illnesses: Primarily a problem in lesser-developed countries, illnesses are fairly easily avoided by being conscientious about one's own food and water consumption, by getting inoculated against various transmittable diseases and by using prophylaxes to avoid malaria. Most illnesses that travelers experience are less likely to cause long-term harm than are vehicle accidents.

3) Loneliness, homesickness, and depression: Most long-term independent travelers experience these things, though they rarely cause much harm. However, I did meet a number of folks who were chronically or even pathologically depressed. The road seems to attract such folks, and travel often exacerbates whatever problems they may have brought with them from home. My own personal episodes of depression were thankfully brief in most cases. I moved quickly and the change of environment generally helped me. For some folks, rapid travel and sensory overload makes things worse.

4) Poorly maintained, overburdened and sub-standard infrastructure: Again, principally a problem in lesser-developed countries, the dangers that arise from crumbling infrastructure can be seen in a wide variety of situations, from the risk of falling into uncovered manholes (very common in some places) to sleeping in fire-trap, earthquake-prone buildings that look like a disaster waiting to happen. Often, dangers also exist from extreme overcrowding. Boats and ships are often dangerously overloaded, and it seems that every year some of them sink, and many people die (though it rarely makes international news).

5) Criminality: Thievery is an increasing problem almost everywhere on the planet, but it is normally much less of a physical danger than are vehicle accidents. Although some cities are notorious for their degree of criminality, it is usually just a threat to the wallet, rather than a physical threat to your person. In terms of violent crime, most countries are statistically far safer than is my own country, the USA.

6) Corrupt Officials: Again, this is normally only a threat to one's wallet, but in some places, it can be quite intimidating. There are lots of underpaid bureaucrats, policeman and border officials who are looking for ways to supplement their paltry incomes at your expense.

7) Being overcharged: Mainly injurious to one's pride, this hazard is a daily fact of life. Although it is the most frequently encountered hazard on this list (and one must constantly be on guard for it), its impact is usually minor, leaving one temporarily bitter, but hopefully a bit wiser.

8) Civil conflict, terrorism and other hostilities: From the tourist perspective, these grossly exaggerated problems are worth mentioning only to dispel the myths. Even in places notorious for conflict or terrorism, tourists are rarely impacted directly. Typically, it only impacts one's freedom of movement to some regions of a country, but these things are normally well known in advance. For example, one knows well to avoid the landmine areas of Mozambique. The main reason terrorist attacks are so sensational is because they are so rare in comparison to other forms of violent crime.

Greatest harassment to buy things: 1. Morocco, 2. Sri Lanka, 3. India, 4. Cambodia, 5. Vietnam

Greatest likelihood of theft off my person: (My sense of the risk at the time I was there):
1. Johannesburg, South Africa, 2. Lima, Peru, 3. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 4. Djakarta, Indonesia,
5. Bogota, Columbia, 6. Nairobi, Kenya (known there as Nairobbery), 7. Rome, Italy

Greatest likelihood of being conned: Morocco, (visited 1986)

Most corrupt officials: Azerbaijan, (visited 1996)

Most dangerous countries I visited: (My sense of the risk at the time I was there):

1. Uganda in 1987 (political instability)
2. Columbia in 1995 (very high violent crime rates -- seven times higher than in the USA)
3. South Africa in 1996 (very high violent crime rates -- also seven times higher than in the USA)
4. USA anytime (generally high violent crime rates compared with most other countries).
5. Morocco in 1986 (potential threat of assault and robbery)
6. Azerbaijan in 1996 (corrupt and threatening officials)
7. Georgia in 1996 (corrupt and threatening officials)
8. Romania in 1987 (corrupt and threatening officials)
9. Pakistan in 1987 (terrorist bombings related to the conflict in neighboring Afghanistan).
10. Bangladesh in 1988 (civil unrest)
11. Haiti in 1998 (political instability -- UN peacekeeping troops help to keep things calm).
12. Lebanon in 1999 (political instability, war in the south, and hostage takers at large).
13. Jamaica in 2000 (higher than average risk of thievery, intimidation or violence).

Anti-U.S. sentiment: Most anger expressed toward me as an American tends to come from people who are nationals of countries that are supposedly our closest allies -- people from places like Britain, Australia and to a lesser extent, Germany. At the time of the American bombing of Libya in 1986, anti-American sentiment was quite strong and came at me, usually subtly, from many directions. The Yankee-Go-Home phenomenon of the past was surprisingly absent during my 1995-1996 journey to Central and South America and I generally felt quite welcome throughout Africa both in 1986-1987 and 1996. I also felt warmly received as an American in the Middle East in 1986, 1996 and 1999, including in places that have received media attention for anti-American sentiment (e.g. Syria, Lebanon, etc.). Even the Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians, who we tried to bomb into the stone age, were surprisingly warm to me in the spring of 2001 when they learned I was from the U.S. Any disrespect paid towards America, whether expressed directly to me or overheard in conversation, has come almost exclusively from West European travelers. Perhaps they just feel more comfortable expressing their anger to Americans, openly criticizing U.S. government policy, and taking Americans to task. Most still make a distinction between Americans and U.S. government policy. Their sentiments have turned decidedly worse when the Iraq war began in 2003. Some are perhaps a bit more reticent about being impolite, while others have no problem sharing with me a piece of their minds. Perhaps others are concerned that if they started to express how they really felt, they might just have to kill me. Generally, however, people still treat me warmly and respectfully in spite of the place where I make my residence.

Most common complaints I've heard about Americans from non-Americans:
1. American arrogance about their country and self-righteousness toward others.
2. American ignorance, naiveté and disinterest in other cultures.
3. American superficiality, shallowness and seemingly false sincerity in relationships.

CITIES:

The Most Beautiful Cities: I've broken this into two lists. Some cities have spectacular cityscapes that don't look as pretty when you get up close and personal. Others may not have any grand observation point, but have much to offer when you get up close and explore their nooks and crannies. I tend to prefer the latter group, and I'm listing them here first. Cities in this group made the list based on their architectural beauty, their ambiance, their cleanliness, their pedestrian- friendliness and the number, quality and accessibility of worthwhile attractions. It's perhaps unfair to compare some of these cities, because the largest is perhaps one-hundred times the size of the smallest, and the oldest and the newest are centuries apart; but these are the cities that made the most lasting impressions upon my sense of beauty and what a city ought to be. The second list ranks the world's most spectacular cityscapes.

1. Prague, Czech Republic
2. Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

3. Venice, Italy
4. Dubrovnik, Croatia
5. Salzburg, Austria
6. Paris, France
7. Seville, Spain
8. Barcelona, Spain

9. Vienna, Austria
10. Sydney, Australia
11. San Francisco, CA, USA

12. Brugge, Belgium
13. Budapest, Hungary
14. Cusco, Peru
15. Bamburg, Germany
16. Cambridge, England
17. Istanbul, Turkey
18. Jerusalem, Israel
19. Talinn, Estonia
20. Cartagena, Columbia

21. Verona, Italy

22. Ljubljana, Slovenia
23. Valletta, Malta
24. Florence, Italy
25. Grenada, Spain
26. Munich, Germany

27. Vancouver, Canada

28. Seattle, WA, USA
29. San Diego, CA, USA
30. Quebec City, Canada
31. Washington, DC, USA

32. Vilnius, Lithuania
33. St. Petersburg, Russia
34. Toledo, Spain
35. Avignon, France

36. Lucern, Switzerland
37. Buenos Aires, Argentina
38. Krackow, Poland
39. St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada

Most Spectacular Cityscapes:

1. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
2. New York, USA
3. San Francisco, USA
4. Sydney, Australia
5. Capetown, South Africa
6. Barcelona, Spain
7. Singapore
8. Chicago, USA
9. Vancouver, Canada
10. Toronto, Canada
11. Seattle, USA
12. San Diego, USA
13. Valletta, Malta

14. La Paz, Bolivia

(Note that I haven't been to Hong Kong or Shanghai, China or Tokyo, Japan, but I suspect that they belong high on this list).

Most Beautiful Small Towns (under 50,000 people):
Csesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

Sighisoara, Romania

Least Appealing Major Cities for Tourism:
(The cities I've noted here have populations of 500,000 or more, have very little to see and do that is of much tourist interest and have higher than normal reputations for crime, pollution and ugliness).

1. Djakarta, Indonesia
2. Sao Paulo, Brazil
3. Madras, India
4. Lima, Peru
5. Managua, Nicaragua
6. San Salvador, El Salvador
7. Asuncion, Paraguay
8. Port-au-Prince, Haiti
9. Guatemala City, Guatemala
10. Kingston, Jamaica
11. Johannesburg, South Africa

(Some U.S. cities probably belong on this list).

Most Amazing City: Warsaw, Poland. This is a city that went from a population of several hundred thousand to a population of nearly zero when it was completely evacuated and leveled in World War II. It is said that only two people were found remaining when the Soviets arrived to "liberate" the city. Much of central Warsaw has been rebuilt as it once was, using architectural drawings and photos that had been saved, and today the city has over 700,000 people.

Most Interesting City Historically: Jerusalem, Israel

Most Interesting City Spiritually: Lhasa, Tibet

Most Exotic Cities (based on the cultural and spiritual atmosphere, the intensity and variety of unusual sights, smells and sounds, the ease of getting around on foot, the narrowness of streets and haphazardness of the street patterns, the liveliness and concentration of daily activities, the preservation and respect for historic sites and architecture, the lesser impact of modern or Western influences, the degree to which tradition is still practiced, and the effort that one must take to get to these places):

1) Lhasa, Tibet, 2) Jaisselmir, India, 3) Katmandu, Nepal, 4) Varanasi, India, 5) Peshawar, Pakistan, 6) Fez, Morocco, 7) Marrakesh, Morocco, 8) Shigatze, Tibet , 9) Cuzco, Peru, 10) Istanbul, Turkey 11) Luxor, Egypt, 12) Cairo, Egypt, 13) Dhaka, Bangladesh, 14) Calcutta, India, 15) Yojakarta, Indonesia, 16) Alleppo, Syria, 17) Damascas, Syria, 18) Tripoli, Lebanon, 19) Zanzibar, Zanzibar, 20) La Paz, Bolivia, 21) Jerusalem, Israel, 22) Quito, Ecuador, 23) Chichicastenengo, Guatemala, 24) Xining, China

Best Cities for Evening Life: 1) New York City, 2) London, England, 3) Toronto, Canada
Other honorable mentions: Paris, Buenos Aires, San Francisco, Sydney

Strangest evening life: Reykjavik, Iceland. The city is dead quiet on Saturday nights until 1:00 in the morning when it really comes alive, kicks up its heels, and the streets become lively with bar-hopping folks through the better part of the night. When things begin to wind down after 3:00 A.M., home parties continue. The summer midnight sun adds to the biorhythm confusion.

Cleanest Major Cities: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Singapore. Also, almost any city in Germany, Austria and Switzerland is boringly tidy.

Cities with the greatest number of things worth seeing and doing:

1. New York City
2. Paris, France
3. Rome, Italy
4. Washington, DC
5. Jerusalem, Israel
6. London, England

My favorite cities in which to chill out for awhile:
1. Prague, Czechoslovakia
2. Amsterdam, Netherlands
3. Katmandu, Nepal
4. Quito, Ecuador
5. Capetown, South Africa
6. Cuzco, Peru
7. Istanbul, Turkey
8. Berlin, Germany

My favorite places away from cities to chill out (along the "Banana Pancake" circuit):
(These are the most laid-back places with comfortable traveler facilities):
1. Goreme, Cappadocia Region, Turkey
2. Santorini Island, Greece
3. The beaches of Goa, India
4. San Pedro, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
5. Caye Caulker, Belize
6. Cape McClear, Malawi
7. Tobago, an island in the Caribbean
8. San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Smaller town honorable mentions

Ohrid, Macedonia; Czesky Krumlov, Czech Republic;

FOOD:

My favorite cuisines:
1) Chinese, 2) Indian, 3) Mexican, 4) Thai,
5) Indonesian, 6) Greek, 7) Hungarian, 8) Russian

Where I most easily found the greatest varieties of tasteful,
healthful restaurant food at the most reasonable prices:
1. USA, 2. China, 3. Thailand, 4. Turkey, 5. Greece,
6. Hungary, 7. Nepal, 8. Australia, 9. Pakistan, 10. India

Best Ice Cream: 1) USA, 2) Hungary, 3) Denmark, 4) Italy

Most Exotic Ice Cream: The Coromoto Ice Cream Parlor in Merida, Venezuela has well over 500 flavors ranging from various fruit and vegetable flavors to cheeze and spagetti, fish, meat and alcoholic beverage flavors.

Best pizza on average: USA
Worst pizza on average: Italy

Best Chinese food:   USA
Best Mexican food:   USA
Best Indian food:   UK

Dullest foods:
1) Nsima (mashed corn meal), a staple food of central Africa
2) Tsampa (barley flour with yak butter), a staple food of Tibet

Best Beer: 1) Czech Republic, 2) United Kingdom, 3) Germany, 4) USA

Note: U.S. micro-brews (sometimes called "craft brewed") are among the world's best beers, and now can claim the widest variety (a relatively recent phenomenon), but its mass-produced beers are well below average. By the way, I have a preference for the darker, heavier beers. Ireland's Guinness remains my favorite mass-produced beer.

TRANSPORTATION:

Most dangerous drivers (when sober):
1) Pakistan, 2) Egypt, 3) Turkey, 4) Jamaica,
5) almost anywhere in South America,
6) nations of the former Soviet Union

Craziest automobile traffic:   Cairo, Egypt
Noisiest traffic:   Bangkok, Thailand (short on mufflers, loud on horns)
Most intense traffic overall:   Old Delhi, India (impossibly congested with vehicles, rickshaws, animals, etc. ... but, somehow, it all manages to keep moving).

Most poorly maintained roads: Underdeveloped areas of Sub-Saharan Africa -- most memorably -- Zaire, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Sudan, and Tanzania

Greatest amount of bicycle traffic: Beijing, China.

Most pleasant countries in which to ride a bicycle:
The Netherlands and Germany have the best developed system of bicycle trails.

Urban areas where I most enjoyed the bicycle trails:
1. Montreal, Quebec, Canada (most extensive system -- perhaps 300+ kilometers)
2. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
3. Amsterdam, Netherlands
4. Berlin, Germany
5. Washington, DC, USA

Most hitchhiker-friendly country: New Zealand

Most comfortable long-distance busses and the highest quality service:
Chile (Puts U.S. service to shame).

Best train service: Germany

Easiest places to get lost (due to confusing street patterns, lack of signs or street addresses):
1) Venice, Italy, 2) Sliema, Malta, 3) Managua, Nicaragua

CULTURAL AWARENESS:

Those who travel internationally the most:
1. Germans, 2. Japanese, 3. Australians, 4. New Zealanders, 5. Swiss, 6. Swedish, 7. Dutch, 8. British, 9. Israelis, 10. Danish, 11. French, 12. Canadians, 13. Americans, 14. Italians

Most multilingual: Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark
Least multilingual: New Zealanders, Australians, Americans

Most politically and culturally aware: Dutch, Swedes, Germans, Swiss
Most politically and culturally naive (among the Western industrialized nations): Australians, Americans.

Best museums:

For art: 1) The Louvre, Paris, France, 2) The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Most fun art museum: Salvador Dali Museum, Figueres, Spain.

For national history:
1) The British Museum, London, England
2) Smithsonian, American History Museum, Washington, DC

For human and natural history:
1) Smithsonian, Natural History Museum, Wash. DC
2) British Museum, London, UK.

For technology:
Smithsonian, Air and Space Museum, Washington DC. (With nearly 10 million visits per year, this ranks as the world's most popular museum).

Other honorable mentions (all categories):
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC;
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto;
National Gallery of Art, Ottawa, Canada;
National Holocaust Museum, Washington, DC;

Most frequently heard musician while traveling, seemingly universally
appreciated on all continents over two decades after his death:
Bob Marley (and the Wailers), from Kingston, Jamaica

SPECIAL SITES:

Dean's Favorite Ancient Wonders of the World: (Includes only those I've seen).

1) Petra, Jordan
2) Abu Simbal, Southern Egypt
3) Temples of Karnak and Luxor, Luxor, Egypt
4) Machu Picchu and other Inca structures
5) Angkor Wat temples, Cambodia
6) The temples of Pagan, Burma
7) Mayan temples of Central America
8) Terra Cotta Soldiers, Xian, China
9) Waleichka Salt Mines, Krakow, Poland

Of course, these are important as well:
The Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Egypt, and various Greek and Roman ruins (including many outside of Greece and Italy).

Beautiful, but overrated: The Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Most beautiful churches:
1. Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
2. St. Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, Moscow, Russia.
3. St. Peter's Cathedral, the Vatican.
4. The Dom, Cologne, Germany

Most beautiful mosque: The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey.
Most beautiful Buddhist temple: Rangoon, Burma.
Most beautiful Hindu temple: Tarichyppalli, India.
Most special spiritual places:
1. The Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet.
2. Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet.
3. Tashilunpo Monastary, Shigatze, Tibet.
4. The Wailing Wall, Jerusalem

Most colorful religious dress: The Hindus of Bali, Indonesia.
Most exotic traditional attire (dress and makeup): Masaii Tribe of Eastern Africa

Most impressive fortresses:
1. The Citadel, Cape Haitian, Haiti
2. Masada, Israel
3. Jaisselmer, India

Sights that had the biggest emotional impact upon me:
1) Auchwitz Concentration Camp, Poland
2) The Berlin Wall, Germany
3) Mother Teresa's Orphanage and the Home for Dying Destitutes, Calcutta, India
4) Afghan refugee camps, Peshawar, Pakistan

Other sights having symbolic significance for me:

...Mahatma Gandhi's homes in Ahmedabad and New Delhi, India. Seeing the movie "Gandhi" in 1982 was the spark that inspired me to take my first major journey four years later.

...Taking the "Magical Mystery Tour" in Liverpool. The Beatles were the biggest musical influences of my youth and perhaps a reason why I came to lug a guitar along with me so many miles.

...Tracing the steps in Africa of some heroes of my adolescence from National Geographic Magazine -- including a visit to Oldavai Gorge, made famous by the Leakeys for their discoveries of early hominoids, and to the jungles made famous by anthropologists Jane Goodall and Diane Fossey, for their studies of chimpanzees and mountain gorillas, respectively.

GLOBAL ISSUES:

Cultural practices that bothered me the most during my travels:
1) The repression of women. This is a worldwide phenomenon, particularly in the developing world, but I find it most disturbing in Islamic countries. I most noticed it in places such as Pakistan and Syria, where women are rarely even seen in towns outside of the big cities. When they are seen, they are covered completely in black from head to toe (including a mesh that covers their eyes), and they often tried to avoid being seen by me and by other tourists. In small towns, the marketplaces are filled almost exclusively with men doing both the buying and the selling. Cafes are exclusively a place for males drinking tea, smoking water pipes and playing cards or backgammon. Some predominantly Islamic countries (e.g. Morocco and Egypt) are a bit more liberating for women, certainly in the urban areas. Meanwhile, in much of Sub-Saharan Africa and in other parts of the developing world, women do most of the work (including much of the heavy lifting), while men sit on their butts.

2) The use of child labor. Again, this is a global problem, but one that is most common in the lesser-developed countries. Many parents believe that they have no other choice than to put their children to work if they want to support their family. Often, children barely old enough to speak are put to work, or sent out to beg. Sometimes, government practices of charging money for school uniforms or imposing other requirements discourage parents from sending their children (particularly girls) to school.

3) The maiming of people in order to beg. In some areas, people are so poor that they feel they must injure themselves or family members in order to command more sympathy when they are begging. Some ill-intentioned organizations exploit severely disfigured beggars, taking the greater share of the money they collect.

Worst labor conditions I witnessed:
Potosi Silver Mine, Bolivia. Miners, some as young as 10 years old, poorly supplied with drinking water, adequate ventilation for breathing, clothing (shoeless), safety gear (helmetless) and mining tools (pick or shovel only), have life expectancies of less than 40 years.

Global problems of greatest concern:
(based on the current or potential harm to the greatest number).

1) Nuclear proliferation.
2) Terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical or biological weapons).
3) Spread of drug-resistant diseases. The more we travel, and the more we overuse antibiotics and other medicines, the greater becomes the risk to large numbers.
4) Environmental destruction (see below).
5) Oversupply of labor (unemployment and underemployment).

Currently, the most urgent and inadequately-addressed need: Combating the spread of AIDS and responding to its side-effects (e.g. a huge number of orphans), particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa

My assessment of the greatest environmental threats:
(based partially upon what I've observed in my travels):

1) Species extinction (plant and animal). This is primarily due to the loss or the segmentation of habitat associated with human population growth and development. Nearly half of all plant and animal species are at risk of disappearing permanently within the next century or two. The loss of plant species, particularly in the world's rainforests, decreases our chances of finding cures for diseases. I have seen many animal species under grave threat in their natural environments (e.g. mountain gorillas, chimpanzees and cheetahs) and even one (a subspecies of Galapagos Tortoise) that is the very last of his species.

2) Competition and increased demand for scarce vital resources. Of greatest concern is the current consumption of renewable resources faster than they can be renewed -- never mind the non-renewable ones, such as oil or natural gas. One might consider the real declines in the global fish catch and in global forest cover as vital indicators, but perhaps more significant are the limitations upon renewable resources for which there are no substitutes (fresh water, fertile soil). Water shortages in various regions may lead to conflicts (e.g. in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere), just as resource wars have already occurred over oil (e.g. the Persian Gulf). This problem is principally a function of the misuse or overuse of resources, but population pressures (primarily in the developing world) and increased demand (primarily in the most industrialized nations, due to increased affluence and cheaper technologies), cannot be excluded from the equation. The clearing of forests, primarily for agriculture (and principally to grow crops to be cycled inefficiently through farm animals) or to produce firewood for cooking (in the developing world), is leading to rapid soil erosion in the world's rainforests and, in many areas, to desertification. Only 11 percent of the world's land surface is capable of producing food (with the rest being too wet, too dry, frozen or unfertile), and many previously productive areas are rapidly becoming unproductive. One of the most frightening things I witnessed personally was what seemed like a never-ending parade of men (literally hundreds, if not thousands) each of whom were riding bicycles along the highways of Malawi and hauling stacks of firewood piled so high on their bikes that it was hard to imagine Malawian forests remaining for many years in the future. This is occurring now in a land where the children are already walking around with bloated bellies.

3) Global climate change and ozone depletion. This is one upon which the probabilities and outcomes are more difficult to speculate. Unlike the other two problems I listed above, I can't point even to anecdotal evidence observed during my travels that would permit me to extrapolate to the belief that we are currently involved in such a change, at least not to one that implies a short-term threat either to human survival or to the sustainability of life as we know it. Receding glaciers might be one piece of anecdotal evidence, and I've seen many such glaciers in my travels; but in general I am as everybody else, obliged to rely upon what those who study this topic tell us. What they are telling us is based primarily on evidence taken from ice cores drilled in the polar regions that give a historical record of climate and the atmospheric content of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases". If what researchers say is true, and it appears that there are very few naysayers anymore, then the global climate is warming and a number of possible effects are of concern. Notably among them is the threat to coastal shorelines due to the melting of ice caps and the possible increase in destructive storm activity in some areas (or droughts in other areas) that in severe cases could lead to the displacement of large populations. The ozone depletion issue may be under control, thanks to international agreements; but whether or not it is, at the very least we're going to be seeing a lot more skin cancers.

4) Human population growth. Although I've been an outspoken advocate for the agenda espoused by the U.S. based non-governmental organization Population Connection (formerly known as Zero Population Growth or ZPG), it is becoming increasingly apparent that during the coming century (possibly as soon as the next couple of decades), they will become victims of their own success. Population growth rates are slowing dramatically, and assuming that we continue the determined effort, trend lines point to achieving something approaching ZPG before the end of the next century. Nevertheless, work remains to be done, and the power is in our hands to determine whether we want the world to top off at between 8 and 9 billion people or between 11 and 12 billion people. The difference is not insignificant in terms of its impact upon the quality of life for many people. The degree of our success will play a role (though not as important as getting resource demands and consumption under control) in our ability to minimize the impacts produced by each of the other environmental concerns listed above. Dramatic increases in life expectancy worldwide during the next century, though aspired to by each of us, will exacerbate the problem of achieving ZPG globally. By the way, in terms of impact on the environment, the USA is by far the most overpopulated country. A child born in the USA has, on average, the same environmental impact as 1 and 1/2 to 3 European or Japanese children, or dozens of children born in Africa or Asia.

Concern for the loss of cultural diversity:
This is perhaps not a threat to human survivability on this planet, as the others listed above were. However, as a globetrotter, I find it personally rather disturbing. Below, I describe the improvement in global communications as the most hopeful sign for our planet's future, but I also see something very valuable lost in that equation. The smaller the world becomes through electronic communications and through direct interaction (by travel), the more we lose something of our uniqueness and diversity. Wealthier nations, most notably the USA, are exporting their cultures everywhere, and in most cases, the poorer nations are digesting the garbage we feed them, willingly though somewhat bitterly. Throughout the planet, we are becoming increasingly alike. Why do I think this is a problem? See what I wrote about this subject under "What makes me tick".

The most hopeful signs for the future:
1) The improvement in global communications. As the cost of long-distance communication has fallen and advances such as the internet and satellite transmissions have made the world feel much more like a village, it’s getting to the point that there is no such thing as remote. Distant places are beginning to feel much more local! As costs have fallen, those who care no longer hesitate to make a phone call to East Timor, Angola or Chechnya to say, "Hey, whatchyouguysdoin? Knockitoff!!!" As high-speed aircraft are developed, the world will grow smaller still.
2) The empowerment of women. This isn't happening fast enough to suit me (particularly in the developing world), but I've seen positive trends in many places. Women are receiving greater opportunities to be educated, to control their reproduction, their lives and the lives of their families. This, by the way, is the greatest hope for both economic development and environmental protection in the developing world.
3) The increased tolerance and acceptance of human racial and ethnic diversity. This is primarily a function of exposure to different types of people, either through direct contact (by travel) or through exposure through various forms of media. The global marketplace is demanding these changes. Various groups that have been fighting for years are seeing that they are being left behind in the global march to economic fulfillment and affluence, and in some cases, they are laying down their guns, because they want some of the action. Many little ethnic wars remain, and others will no doubt erupt, particularly under pressures from limited resources and the temptation that arises from the availability of new high-tech military toys. Still, there also seems to be countervailing forces at work that come out of the need for cooperation in the name of survival.