Top 5 Deadly Activities for Thrill-Seeking Tourists
Some people like to travel to get away from the stresses and worries of everyday life. Others like to explore different cultures and ideas. Finally, there are the risk takers who push the limits of their existence in the quest for the best thrill, or, at the very least, a posthumous Darwin award. Please note that none of these activities are endorsed by TravBuddy, and that our dear, valued readers should participate in them at their own risk.
5. Great White Shark Cage Diving
Getting into the water with one of nature's most efficient and deadly predators hardly sounds like my idea of a good time. Tourists are taken out to sea on a boat, fish and blood are thrown into water, and then the fun begins. Accompanied by the music to the soundtrack of Jaws, divers are lowered into a steel cage from the boat to get a glimpse of the "men in grey suits."
Run for your life! Source
Shark diving is becoming increasingly popular in South Africa and Australia, places which already have a higher incidence of fatal shark attacks. Adding to the excitement is the fact that there have been stories of boats that are so dangerously overloaded with people that the risk of being crowded off while the feeding frenzy is going on below only increases.
There are arguments that shark diving and chumming the water with fish parts are causing more and more Great Whites to associate humans with food. Although there are no proven links yet, I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that it's probably true. If pigeons can figure this out when they swarm unsuspecting humans on park benches, I'm pretty sure one of the world's most efficient killing machines can draw the same conclusion. As a surfer, I tend to agree with these assessments, and would rather not aggravate Great Whites in their home turf.
Still not convinced of the danger? Then check out this video of a Great White nearly taking off a diver's head while he's inside the cage.
4. Eating Fugu in Japan
Fugu (the Japanese word for pufferfish), contains a poison that paralyzes the muscles while the victim remains fully conscious. Conscious until he dies of asphyxiation 4-6 hours later. Generally, however, Fugu is quite safe to eat. Chefs typically undergo years of training and need special licenses from the government. The death toll has decreased from 176 in 1958, to relatively rare incidents in modern times. Most deaths now result from unsuspecting fishermen or untrained cooks eating non-properly prepared meat.
Floating ball of poison Source
Still, you have to wonder at the logic of deriving pleasure out of eating something that could potentially cause a horrifying death. Apparently, some chefs leave enough poison on the fish so that it causes a numbing sensation of the tongue and lips. Apparently, this is also supposed to be fun and delicious. Consider this: After World War II, some homeless people were killed after scrounging around in the trash cans outside of Fugu restaurants and eating the leftover Fugu. The government had to regulate disposal of Fugu by saying that it needed to be double bagged, stored in special Fugu waste containers, and destroyed at special Fugu waste facilities. Sounds a lot like disposing of radioactive waste.
And who can forget the Simpson's episode where Homer eats a plate of deadly Fugu?
3. Running with the Bulls in Pamplona Spain
If your idea of fun is trying to outrun a half-ton animal with sharp horns on its head, while simultaneously jockeying for position with a crowd of other crazy people trying to do the same thing, all within an enclosed area, then running with the bulls in Pamplona Spain might be for you.
Run for your life! Source
Although relatively few people are killed during the running (Wikipedia only lists 14 fatalities in the last 80 years), a few hundred people are injured every year. While traveling through Europe a few years ago I met an Australian guy who had recently participated in the event. He told me that he started off the race standing next to an American guy around the same age. Later that day, he found out that the American guy got gored and was now paralyzed from the waist down. Not exactly my idea of a great time, but apparently people from all around the world participate in this crazy affair.
2. Biking Down the Most Dangerous Road in the World
The North Yungas Road, stretching 35 miles from La Paz to Coroico, is often described as the most dangerous roads in the world. It is downhill, runs along cliffs of hundreds to thousands of feet high, is only 10.5 feet wide at places, and is riddled with potholes and wet patches. Nearly 25 years ago to the day, a passenger bus went off the side of the road, killing 100 passengers.
Don't look down...Photo: RainyDayToast
So you'd have to be pretty crazy to want to bike down this thing. But apparently, many people do so every year, including many TravBuddy members. Although I'm no Lance Armstrong, I've run into problems with my bike on perfectly paved streets in peaceful suburbia. If you're willingly speeding down a place that is already famously known as "The World's Most Dangerous Road", what do you do if your brakes lock up, you hit a rock, someone swerves in front of you, or you round a corner and see a huge bus full of people climbing up the opposite way? And, after looking at some of the photos from bikers, does anybody else find it ironic that everyone still bothers to wear helmets?
1. Shotguns, Vodka, and a Bus
A tourist activity for macho men: Source
This tourist activity is so absurd that I wouldn't have believed it was true unless I had heard it first-hand. While staying at a hostel in Latvia, another guest told me about a "fun" day trip excursion that would be offered if we could get 10 or so people to sign up. I'm pretty sure this wasn't an official trip. The excursion involved renting a bus, drinking a tremendous amount of vodka while we were driving to an unknown destination in the woods, then being given shotguns so that we could shoot at wooden targets in the forest. Extreme drunkenness combined with deadly shotguns - you couldn't craft a better recipe for death. We were also told to bring passports, which added the additional thrill of not knowing what nearby country you might end up dying in. Needless to say, I passed.
But I'd rather be boring then dead
i would do the running of the bulls. i can climb walls and be a ninja 
This would be a pass from me on all 5 activities. Ziplining is my idea of a thrilling time 
