Topics: News, World News, Australia, Travel
A 'dark tourist' has shared the one place which had him fearing for his life.
When we think of holidays, one of a few things will probably pop into our heads.
Some of us might imagine sunbathing and sipping cocktails on the beach, or long hikes followed by cozy cabins.
Others might want the thrill of exploring the culture and history of a new city and country, or sampling some delicious new food we've never tried before.
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But some people just don't fancy any of this, and instead opt to go and visit dark and dangerous parts of the world.
Among them is Tony Taouk, who has visited many dark places over the course of his travels.
These have included underground tunnels in Paris housing six million bodies, as well as the sites of horrific crimes.
But Tony, who works as a lawyer, said that one place had him fearing for his life.
He revealed that he had once ended up in a 'war zone' in Lebanon in 2006.
This saw Israeli forces making incursions into Southern Lebanon where they were met with fierce resistance by Iran-backed Lebanese militia and political party Hezbollah.
Tony revealed that he was forced to travel to Jordan on foot due to the airport at Lebanon's capital Beirut being bombed.
He told escape.com.au: "The worst thing that happened on my travels was finding myself in the middle of a war zone while I was visiting Lebanon in 2006. I had to make my way to Jordan via Syria overland because Beirut Airport had been bombed."
But this was not the only time that he had a hair-raising experience while travelling.
The lawyer revealed that one time he was genuinely scared for his life was when he was passing through a neighbourhood in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil.
Favelas in Rio De Janeiro can be risky for outsiders to visit, with cartels operating out of them.
Brazilian military police are also often indiscriminate and merciless when conducting raids in favelas, and innocent people are frequently gunned down.
But Tony also revealed that one of his favourite experiences was in Rio de Janeiro, describing the views from the Christ the Redeemer statue as 'spectacular'.
However, his main interest is in visiting the places where infamous crimes have taken place, in particular prohibition era gangsters.
He became interested in this in part due to his work as a lawyer, which deepened his fascination with crime.
He said: "The creepiest places are the ones where you can still see vestiges of the crime. One example I recall is Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.
"It's infamous as the place where North Side Gangster Hymie Weiss was murdered in a hail of bullets in 1926, allegedly on the orders of Al Capone.
"The actual bullet holes from a Capone-era hit in the Cathedral's exterior around the cornerstone which says AD 1874. They are very faint and you have to look closely to make them out."
Each to their own!
