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Lonely Planet's Endorsement of Crap Destinations Not Entirely Suprising

At least there's something slightly facetious about this dispatch from Michael Kohn, Lonely Planet's patron saint of sketchy travel. It's better than the totally serious article about Transdniestr that freaked us out.

Somaliland (in northern Somalia) is worth considering for some seriously off-beat travel. Although this region of the country is reasonably secure, local authorities still insist that you travel with an armed guard. As for the rest of the country, plan on saving it for the last of your travels - you might not make to any other destinations on this list! If you do reach Mogadishu, bring plenty of cash - the per-day charge for an armed gang of bodyguards can run into the hundreds of dollars.

One of the easier places to visit on Kohn's list is Iraqi Kurdistan, in Northern Iraq, which he calls "an epic landscape of rugged mountains and cool lakes." We've already told you about Austrian Airlines' new service into Erbil, but were surprised to hear that visas are available upon arrival. Yup, it really is pretty easy to go there.

It's too bad Kohn lives in California. What a pussy! If he was for real, that article would be half-written, and we'd get the rest after he successfully traversed the Amazon on a pogo stick.

[Photo: Lonely Planet]

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