What a let down...

[Deleted]

Have you ever been to a place or country that was a complete let down and not what you expected at all?

I mean, you might have heard people raving about it, saying how good it is, or fun it is, so many things to see and do, and when you get there, you think; 'what the heck'? And wondered why you bothered? Any place come to mind?

[bazfaz]

Andorra. We drove through fields of sheds selling dutyfree goods. I refused to stop even for coffee. And the French customs wouldn't believe we had bought nothing.

[hwinpp]

Brunei.

I went there because it was on the way and a friend of mine lived there. It's got a very mediocre beach, no nightlife, a palace with 4000 rooms and some kind of floating village. I bought lots of steaks at a local supermarket and spent the last two days (of 4or 5) eating them and reading in his house.

I'd never done that before and I've never done it afterwards.

[imec]

Dallas - boring as sin unless you're into the cowboy thing (I'm sure as hell not). Atlanta - got some cool things but they're all over the damn place - no main area to hang out.

[spindrift]

San Antonio and Texas in general. I drove up from Mexico City to spend a few days there. I had been longing to see a real 'motel' and indeed we stayed at several during our trip. I felt so let-down by the sleaziness of everything including the breakfasts. I had no idea of what 'sunny side up' meant concerning eggs...

I found the endless roads across flat land absolutely boring. I remember that I had $100 to spend in a Shopping Mall at San Antonio. I'd never seen a shopping mall before. I was just fresh out of Ireland and there were no such things there in those days. I was desperate to spend the dollars but found nothing I liked...everything seemed so cheap and horrible.

To make matters worse on reaching the US/Mexican border at Llaredo I wasn't let enter Mexico although I'd been living there for several months. My boyfriend had to abandon me on the US side of Llaredo and I had to wait in that miserable town for 2 days until the embassy opened and I could renew my visa or whatever. i was astonished at how cold it was but there were oranges on the trees in town (I had never seen an orange tree before) and I struck by the fact that the American Texans dressed just like they did in the movies..with big hats and strange shoes. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Imagine my distress when I was finally allowed board a plane for Mexico City (on the Mexican side) and a Mexican official summonsed me out of my seat , marched me off the plane and into a room where he let me know that I wouldn't be flying anywhere without giving him a bribe. Being so frantic at this stage and knowing my bf would be waiting for me in MC, I bribed him £20 and he let me depart.

Anyway I wasn't disappointed in Mexico ;D

[Deleted]

I may have mentioned somewhere along the line but,the biggest letdown was when I first moved here to NOLA and went to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the first time. Expecting at the very least,a body of water to swim in and some type of half way decent beach. When I saw what I did; a body of water not even the equivalent of a bay at low tide,bathtub warm water and a stretch of dirty looking sand,I nearly wept.
Part of my moving here was to be close to a place to go swimming,body surfing.

[spindrift]

I can understand that would be a terrible let-down....

[bazfaz]

In Greece I met a man who had retired back to his mother country where he said his dollar pension let him live like a king. Well, we were on an island where it was impossible to spend your money on much, king or not. He had run a Greasy Spoon in Gulfport, Mississippi. It must have been a terrible place.

[Deleted]

Absolutely -- my birthplace, Gulfport, Mississippi.

(Actually, the sand and sea out at Ship Island off the coast of Gulfport are excellent, Casimira, but ferry service is spotty.)

[Deleted]

imec, I agree about Dallas, it's a nice city to view visually, but boring. Atlanta has no attraction for me at all.

Sprindrift, Texas is one hell of a large state, I drove across it some years back and found it boring as well.

[bazfaz]

Kerouac, I don't suppose you frequented a Greasy Spoon run by a character called Louie. I have no idea what his Greek name was but he said, "If ever you want me just go down to the waterfront and ask for Louie the Greek."

[Deleted]

No, our mainstays were Sinopoli's Popp's Ferry, the Friendship House, and the Broadwater Beach Marina. None of them survived the hurricanes.

All of that has been replaced by the Mississippi Gulf Coast's new vocation, such as the Beau Rivage or the Hard Rock. They are reputedly hurricane proof now. Famous last words.

[auntieannie]

Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. We left as soon as we could, spending approximately three hours in town, of which about half was waiting for the next bus out of there. Overly touristic. No peace even within the temples, just bad atmosphere...

[imec]

Roses on the Costa Brava - full of bars serving "bleedin' Watney's Red Barrel" (from a Monty Python sketch) and stores selling the tackiest souvenirs one could imagine. Luckily we didn't have to stay as we were only on our way to the delightful port of Cadaques.

[auntieannie]

oh, imec, I know what you mean! but apparently there are two areas of Roses. The tacky charter-friendly dump you mention and a more refined/traditional/expensive area. I spent a few holidays in Bagur when I was adolescent. Near Pals, a stunning medieval village (towards the hills) with a mediocre/touristic hell waterfront - miles from the aforementioned village.

[bazfaz]

We spent one night in Roses. That was enough. Strangely Tossa del Mar, a tourist town, seemed much nicer. There are good walks up in the hills from there and we even managed a reasonable meal.

[Deleted]

I spent several days in Tossa de Mar once. It had been a favorite place for my parents to go when they lived in Béziers, so I was rather suspicious. I went there one September out of season and stayed in an empty hotel. I enjoyed the empty beach and the empty old town. The vino tinto was not bad at all. Nearby Lloret de Mar is also nice.

[bazfaz]

We too lived not too far from Beziers and went - I think - in early October. I am trying to remember the name of the hostal we stayed in - Casa Rosa? - run by a lovely woman who spoke only Catalan and her daughter who spoke some English and French. We keep meaning to return. So it doesn't count as a let down.

[Deleted]

I stayed at the Mar Blau. Their only language was Catalan, but it wasn't too difficult to get what I needed.

[Deleted]

Nov 6, 2009 14:37:52 GMT kerouac2 said:

Absolutely -- my birthplace, Gulfport, Mississippi.

(Actually, the sand and sea out at Ship Island off the coast of Gulfport are excellent, Casimira, but ferry service is spotty.)

Ship Island is very lovely as is Horn and Cat Island,what's left of them...use to sail to Horn Island with a friend in his 13' wooden sailboat that he made himself. Good memories.

[Deleted]

I have say, that I haven't found a place in Canada that was ever a let down for me, and I've been to nearly every corner of the country at one time or another. (Excluding the most Northern parts). It still fascinates and interests me. I guess I was just born to be Canadian.

[Deleted]

Toronto, at least the main downtown area, is not fascinating to me. I'm sure that there are some very nice areas, however.

[imec]

Nov 9, 2009 17:42:56 GMT kerouac2 said:

Toronto, at least the main downtown area, is not fascinating to me. I'm sure that there are some very nice areas, however.

Yes, the downtown is largely a dud - there are indeed some very cool neighborhoods though.