Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria.
Canada
Chile
China.
Brazil
Bulgaria.
Canada
Chile
China.
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Group C:
Botswana - the only place in Group C I've been to, and I absolutely loved it. Stunning scenery in the Okavango, plus very chilled out and friendly.
Bosnia for the mountains and scenery, I think
And I guess Brazil. The Amazon holds little appeal, and the crowds of Rio and Sao Paulo put me off, but enough people I trust love the place, so it sneaks on.
The rest of the group C list underwhelm me. West/central Africa, and south-east Asia are areas that have never been a big draw for me - I like my desert-y tropics rather than jungly equatorials.
Group D is much tougher.
Canada, obviously. I've only seen the west of the country, but that makes me want to see the Maritimes and the big cities.
Chile - Atacama and wine and glaciers and all sorts that appeal to my tastes
China sneaks in just ahead of Colombia. Cartagena sounds fantastic, but that's probably not enough considering the sheer variety on offer in China
Kinshasa Congo, Chad and CAR terrify me; Brazzaville Congo never sounded very interesting; the island nations would be fine if I enjoyed lying on the beach or scuba diving but I think there are better island nations than these.Comment
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Group D
Canada: I've never visited and I'd love to. My husband has lots of family here so we'd get a warm welcome too.
China: despite having spent two years living and travelling here, there's still so much I haven't visited. Favourite areas I've been to include: the hanging monastery in Datong, hiking along Tiger Leaping Gorge, bamboo rafting and climbing karst mountains near Yangshuo, the more remote and crumbling parts of the Great Wall, the turquoise lakes in Jiuzhaigou national park, the bamboo forests in Sichuan, the lovely beaches of Hong Kong and Hainan Island, the ice festival in Heilongjiang, I'd always love to go back to Chongqing to visit friends and see how much it's changed.
Areas I haven't visited yet: Hangzhou, Emei Shan and Huang Shan (mountains), Zhangjiajei national park, inner Mongolia, the grand mosques in Xinjiang (though the levels of repression there currently would put me off), the more tropical Southern areas of Yunnan province, Tianjin.
Colombia: I spent a month here over New Year 2007/2008 and I adored it. Less touristy (at the time) than other South American countries. Delicious one dollar lunches. Beautiful snorkelling at Cartagena. Somewhere South of Bogota we spent three days lying in hammocks at a farm in the hills, eating home-cooked food and I have rarely eaten anything better or been more relaxed.
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Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Brazil
Cape Verde Islands
Chile
Congo DR
The first two meet my criteria of European countries I've still to watch a match in. Brazil as I'm planning to go there as soon as we're over all this carry-on.
Cape Verde to keep Mrs S sweet. Chile for no other reason than I've always wanted to go there.
DR Congo. Mwepu Ilunga may be gone - but someone must know the real reason behind whatever he was up to.
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Group C
Bolivia - was going to go for Brazil but don't like the way that country is heading administration-wise. Having said that, Bolivia is not exactly settled at present. I think that Bolivia may be one of those countries that people don't tend to go to as they are more likely to go to Brazil and Argentina and is still fascinating. Also, the place that Butch, Sundance and Che all dies in has piqued my interest.
Botswana - going for African countries where I can and, in this group, Botswana seems the most stable (well, before the lockdown, at least) although I know that Cameroon is enjoying some peace during lockdown. Quite like listening to the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency on Radio 4 as well.
Cambodia - again haven't don't Asia at all and have heard a lot of good things about Cambodia
Group D
Canada - just always fancied visiting and have never heard any bad only good from people ho have.
Chile - similar reasons to Bolivia really.
China - wasn't left a lot in this group that, a, I was interested in and, b, was safe. Obviously, there are ethical reasons for not going to China but I think that it just about tips it over the others.
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My original results and info post was one of the last ones before the hacking so here it is again. Groups A and B:
Group A
Argentina 13
Albania 10
Australia 9
Andorra 6
Austria 6
Armenia 5
Algeria 4
Antigua and Barbuda 3
Angola 1
Afghanistan 0
Group B
Bhutan 15
Bahamas 9
Barbados 8
Belgium 6
Belize 6
Bangladesh 5
Benin 3
Belarus 2
Azerbaijan 2
Bahrain 0
Top two qualify but I will probably also choose the 8 highest-scoring losers to give us 48 nations in the next group stage from which 8 will pass though to the KO stages.
Revised deadline for groups C and D: about 6 pm today (my time).
Thanks for your participation.
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Group E:
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Group F:
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Three picks as usual.Comment
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Group E
This is a really tricky group. I want to visit most of these countries.
Costa Rica. Awesome rainforests, great snorkelling, and they literally sold their army and invested it into education. How can you not love a country like that? Never visited. Would love to.
Croatia, Cyprus and Denmark. Lovely areas of Europe that I haven't managed to visit yet. All appeal.
Cuba. I went in 2005 but don't think we saw the best of it. Havana felt like we were being price gouged and scammed all the time. With my limited Spanish I managed to rent an apartment a bit further down the coast which had beautiful beaches but not much to do. The food was uniformly awful apart from they could actually cook pizza which nowhere else in South America could. Travelling anywhere more interesting was difficult without renting a car and none of us were confident enough drivers to do that.
Czech Republic. I love Prague. I had a very debauched week there on my own in 2007 when it turned out that my intended travel companion's passport had expired.
Djibouti. Always makes me think of the Terry Pratchett country 'Djelibeybi" and I'd like to visit for that reason alone.
After much deliberation, I choose Costa Rica, Croatia and Denmark.Comment
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Group E
This is hard because I've been to six of these on holiday and had a good time.
Cuba will win the group but not with my vote. Yes, savour the faded splendour of Havana and the gorgeous beaches of Varadero, but the food is awful. Really awful. A place to definitely go to once but not twice.
Dominica was the very model of the volcanic tropical island but I think the hurricane levelled Roseau so not sure it's the place to go again yet. Denmark I'd probably choose to live in, but as a tourist they can do one when it's €6 for a small bottle of Carlsberg.
So for me it's Czechia, Cyprus and above all Croatia, that has it all - Roman ruins, medieval towns, mountains, beaches, seafood, and 24 hour hardcore pornography on freeview one channel up from kids' cartoons.
Group F
We've only had beach holidays in Egypt so I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to go back and do the pyramids and luxor bit, preferably on one of those Nile cruises.
Fiji I've always wanted to go to just because I want to cruise across the Pacific one day.
Ecuador seems quirky but Peru's higher on my bucket list. So that leaves three European places I like but despite my overall love of the Baltics I have to go with France. I've been there every other year or so since I was 12 and will continue to do so. Even cheap food and wine in France is, forgive the cliche, better than anything in posh places in England, and Brittany reminds me of Devon and Cornwall.
So Egypt, Fiji and France.Last edited by Rogin the Armchair fan; 21-05-2020, 12:08.Comment
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Group F
Also difficult, though not quite as tough as group E.
Ecuador. Fantastic country with such diversity of landscape in a small region. Amazon rainforest. Beaches. Volcano craters. Quito is a lovely city. There are great hotsprings in the mountains. My time here was only slightly marred by having picked up a stomach bug on my earlier travels in Bolivia and Peru. I dropped to six stone and had to have anti-nausea injections in my gluteus maximus.
Egypt. I would love, love, love to visit the pyramids and the sphinx. But my dad's visit there has slightly put me off. Armed guards escorting them along the Nile. Also seems to have a pretty repressive regime currently.
Ethiopia. A friend lives there currently with her diplomat husband and baby. I get loads of gorgeous pictures of their weekend travels around the country and it's whet my appetite.
Finland. I'd love to do a Lapland trip with the kids before they're too old. Ice hotels, husky sleigh rides, Santa's workshop, the whole hog.
France. I've had so many brilliant holidays here. As children our family camped on the South Coast most summers. As a teenager I travelled around on an interrail ticket with my boyfriend. I loved Marseille, Montpellier and Millau. My friend got married in a chateau just north of Paris and the wedding and a hungover trip to a little town on the way back to Calais was amazing. I don't love Paris as much as other areas.
I'm plumping for countries I haven't visited yet this time. Egypt, Ethiopia and Finland.Comment
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Croatia
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Egypt
Ecuador
France
I’ve never visited a foreign country as often as I have France, yet there’s no other country I feel the same about.Comment
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You can easily visit Finland and Estonia together - they're about 2 hours apart on the Helsiniki Tallinn ferry, that you can just hop on as a foot passenger like jumping on a bus.Comment
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Said ferry also providing insights into the alcohol buying habits of the great Finnish publicComment
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Group E
Croatia - yes, another Balkan state for me. But the Croatian coast is one of those places you should really take a trip to at least once. An Istria-Prevlaka road trip is one of those bucket list things (also includes bonus Bosnia at Neum)
Czech Republic - Prague is lovely. I'd like to see more of the country though.
Denmark - really like Denmark, and have had some great times there. Copenhagen's one of those perfectly-sized cities for wandering, while still having loads to see and do (probably only outdone in Scandinavia by Stockholm IMO)
Group F
Egypt - one of those 'must do's' that I've never gotten around to. The security considerations do worry me, though I've been to arguably more dangerous places so it's not a deal breaker. Egypt's just got too much to offer to miss out on.
Estonia - well I'd have to visit the owner of OTF's best flag vote...plus it's my kinda climate up there.
Finland - love saunas, cold weather, lakes and forests. So Finland is an automatic choice. Plus those glass igloos at Kakslauttanen are on the 'would like to stay at' list.
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Costa Rica, safest central American country
Cyprus, have friends there and never been.
Czech republic, another European country I've yet to visit.
Not many appeal in group F
Estonia
Finland
Ecuador
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Group E:
Costa Rica - always wanted to visit, have friends, and it just sounds amazing for that perfect relaxing yet fascinating holiday. Yes please
Croatia - been a few times, the coast is spectacular
Cuba - another on my bucket list (why bucket list, by the way)
Cyprus - been to the north for work a few times, never to the south. Lots of incredible ruins and history and amazing beaches. Not in summer for me, though
Czech Republic - the towns and cities are spectacular (well some of them are anyway). And the beer.
I have to choose only 3? Then I guess Costa Rica, Cuba and Cyprus (Cyprus just wins that third slot through a mediterranean diet being far more vegetarian friendly)
Group F:
Ecuador sounds so diverse, from the altitude of Quito and that volcano, that amazing train journey, the coast near Guayaquil and then of course the Galapagos Islands
Never been to Egypt and I must
Ethiopia also sounds gorgeous, everyone seems to love it (and have a friend in Addis)
Fiji is possibly the most fascinating of the Pacific islands, though they only make a weak arse version of Sakau/Kava
Estonia, Finland and France are all superb, but as I've been and there are so many new places to choose form they are off the list for today
Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji for meLast edited by ad hoc; 21-05-2020, 13:42.Comment
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Group E - a tough group, plenty of quality in there
Cuba - I'd expect this to be an OTF favourite
Czechia - Have never been, shockingly. It's been on the shortlist several times but always ends up losing out
Croatia - looks wonderful
Group F - A slightly weaker bunch.
Finland - looks nice, and having been to Hungary I look forward to being utterly baffled by the language.
El Salvador - I've already picked Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina so will move further north, will probably be exciting/edgy
Equatorial Guinea - As above, if Mark Thatcher can exert influence there, I should be golden. Plus I'd get to tick off the equator, presuming they're not lying.Comment
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Group E
Nowhere I've been, and several places I'd like to go to.
The Caribbean ones are all attractive to me, even if they don't get into my top three here I would certainly not say no to a trip to any of them, and they all offer more than just beaches. Denmark would also be fine, but I think is maybe too flat. Cyprus seems to have less to offer than the other European destinations, though maybe that's just due to my ignorance. Djibouti gets points for a range of attractions in a compact size, plus likely being further apart culturally from the rest of this list. As far as I can tell Croatia seems to pretty much have it all.
Croatia, Czech, Djibouti
Group F
Been to France alone on this list, and would return though my experiences have been mixed. Thanks to Ladybug and Cat Noir my daughter really wants to go to Paris.
Most countries on this list fall into the 'would be fine going to but don't really grab me' bucket, with I think Ethiopia being the only real exception. Egypt would be but I think the reality of a visit these days may not be particularly pleasant.
So, I think Ethiopia, Ecuador and France.Comment
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Group E:
Lots of these have some appeal but no obvious winner: Denmark is charming, but Copenhagen feels so sanitised it like a Disney version of Europe. Dominica is a really lovely island without the gold-sand beaches side of the Caribbean - it's all rugged and volcanoes. I hear very contrasting stories from Cuba - some wild love but also some suggestions that time-capsule Havana is just a very limited part.
We'll go with
Costa Rica for the mountains and scenery and everything I've ever heard being great
Czechia because I loved it
Croatia for the islands and the coast and Dubrovnik and so on.
Group F is more clear cut:
Despite Asmara's futurist architecture and Estonia's flag, they don't overcome.
France, because obviously
Ecuador, for the volcanoes, the highest place on earth, the Galapagos
Egypt, despite the heat and governmentComment
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Results groups C and D:
Group C
Brazil 11
Cambodia 8
Bulgaria 8
Bolivia 6
Bosnia and Herzegovina 6
Botswana 6
Burundi 2
Cameroon 1
Brunei Darussalam 0
Burkina Faso 0
(I voted for Bulgaria so tie-break rule comes into force.)
Group D
Canada 14
Chile 11
China 10
Colombia 5
Congo (Democratic Republic of the) 3
Cabo Verde 4
Central African Republic 1
Chad 0
Comoros 0
Congo 0
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Egypt. I could write loads about this country but let me share one anecdote with you (I probably already have but it doesn't come up on the search function):
Some years ago, I went to work in Cairo for a month. The bastard employers were too poor to pay for a direct flight, so I flew with Greek Airways, with a change in Athens. However, the first plane form Madrid was delayed so I missed the connecting one. I was put up in a hotel near the Greek capital. I was told that my suitcase would be put on the new flight the following day. All I had with me as hand luggage was a small rucksack with important documents and a change of socks and undies...that sort of stuff.
However, on arriving at Cairo Airport I discovered that my suitcase hadn't followed me. I was a bit worried about this but fairly optimistic that there'd been a mix-up and that it would soon arrive.
But a day or two passed and nothing happened. Cairo is a hot place and it's necessary to change your clothes with more regularity than you would in, say, Worksop. I could wash stuff by hand and they would dry quickly in the baking sun but this was no long-term answer, especially not when the girl in the Greek Airways office was telling me, "We are hardly looking for your suitcase".
With temporary compensation money from the airline I set out in Cairo to buy some replacement clothes. A couple of shirts and a pair of trousers was easy enough, then it was time for the undies. I entered a shop. They spoke English. I explained what I wanted. A pair was recovered from a shelf and handed to me with the words, "Twenty Egyptian Pounds!"
This was way too much for a pair of briefs, and I asked if they had anything cheaper. The shop assistant took them me, ascended a step ladder to a higher level and descended brandishing a pair of undies in his sweaty hands.
"These are ten pounds, " he told me.
I examined them and realised they were exactly the same ones as he'd showed me a couple of minutes before. I bought them. They were white. Most underpants sold in Egypt seem to be white. They are not very adventurous in their underwear.
The next day I found much cheaper ones in one of Cairo's street markets. One crotch was bigger than the other, but this didn't cause me too many problems. You get used to these small troubles in foreign climes.
They lasted for longer than my Cairo sojourn, but on arriving home my girlfriend took umbrage to the undies and decided they had to go. I rather wanted to keep them as a souvenir, but my decision had been already made for me, and out they went.
I never got my suitcase back, by the way.Comment
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(Quick wiki). Damn. I thought I was making a joke.Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair fan View Post
In that case I'll tick the equator off in my previous choice of DR Congo, which does have the equator running across it.Comment
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