One of the key reasons we are traveling is to see how people are living in other countries. Their lives with daily chores, jobs, family, and dining out are mostly close to ours, but there are still plenty of nuances that no one talks about in book guides and travel posts. Perhaps the country you are visiting feels like it is actually on a different planet! Here’s 12 life facts in other countries that sound too odd to be true.
Kenya
Local buses in Kenya are decorated in all sorts of wild colors and graffiti. Sometimes you’ll hear loud music from the speakers to make the trip more exciting. Given the traffic, the driver still tries to go as far as possible so get ready for a fun and bumpy trip!
Croatia
Croatia is a country where people take hours to drink coffee. That is false! If you are sitting for 2-3 hours with one cup of coffee nobody will bother you or ask you to leave. It is a fully natural thing and people really enjoy it a lot.
Israel
Children in Israel are very independent. You can see a 5-year-old who walks alone, gets into a bus and goes to kindergarten. Such children also look after their little brothers and sisters, occasionally. They are feeling totally healthy!
Nigeria
Blackouts of electricity occur very often in Nigeria, but the locals do not seem to mind. Unlike other countries where a blackout can be a real disaster, people don’t make a huge deal out of it and only start everything they were doing. And so, when there’s energy on people running and dancing in the streets like it’s the best thing ever.
India
Barbershops and dentist parlours are also visible on the roadside. While barbers can be very good, at a really low price offering you a trim or a shave, dentists seem a little shady. The structure persists because of the vast amount of poor citizens, who can not afford to go to proper institutions.
Turkey
People in Turkey believe in all sorts of supernatural things. You’ll find evil-eye amulets hanging everywhere. If they work or not it doesn’t really matter, people would always place them – on doors, trees, inside their cars and houses. They are literally all over the place!
Greece
In Greece everyone is very religious. When you don’t attend church with your girlfriend or husband, then you’re in serious trouble. A person who isn’t going to church just won’t exist for your family! And if you’re asked if your partner is going to church, say ‘yes’ instead.
Netherlands
There are more bicycles in Netherlands than men! Around 22 million bicycles are in the country and just 17 million people own them. If you wonder how that’s possible, it’s pretty easy – people own a lot of bikes. One for city trips, one for mountains and even another for motor racing.
France
Once the French people meet, they always kiss each other on the cheeks. Because they are utter strangers! If this is not strange enough, consider what happens when a huge group of fifteen people get together. It’s a marathon of actual cheek kissing!
Denmark
When you hit 25 and are still single, be prepared to get cinnamon-dusted! Yeah, this is as strange as it sounds. And with age it gets worse. If you’re still a bachelor in 5 years, you’ll get sprayed with black pepper! And that definitely isn’t something you ‘d like to witness, ever.
Iran
Iranians are very welcoming. If you happen to look like a tourist, you will be given special attention by people. Yet not so bad! You’re invited to have dinner and a nice talk at their house. They welcome a visitor from another country and share their food with him.
Iceland
People are extremely friendly in Iceland and will always say ‘good morning’ and ‘good evening’ to everyone they encounter on the street. Cities and towns are very free, so much so that babies in wagons are often left outside the shops, while moms do grocery stores or clothing shop! Icelanders can also chat for hours about different kinds of snow, but that’s not too surprising considering that we’re talking about Iceland.
