To those that believe “getting lost” is the best way to travel in any country, does getting a concussion count in “getting lost”? Below is a list of activities to do and places to go where the risk of dying and the guarantee of getting hurt is more than a plus. Places with political unrest, acts only a fool would do, and ghettos are not included. And do keep in mind that the mortality rate of some of the things on this list increases annually, because danger attracts only the bravest company.
Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake
Imagine sky-diving without a parachute and instead of the ground being below you it’s beside you making contact your entire fall. Add a roll of cheese and a bunch of individuals with copious amounts of Dutch courage and you’ll have a cheese-rolling event. Unsurprisingly, it is still going strong in Gloucestershire, England; with visitors arriving in the small town more than its local police would want. There are prizes for all participants—with a roll of cheese for the lucky winner, and a free trip to the hospital for the rest. Even the cheese itself is known to cause injuries, often hitting spectators at the bottom of the hill.
Running of the Bulls
In all of history, putting off responsibilities to the unskilled has never been a good idea. Not that there’s much control over a stampede of bulls, but it is a tradition in some towns of Spanish countries for bull handlers to release bulls from the stable and into the street, leaving the crowd to conduct them to the ring. And there’s nothing that disorients bulls more than methods of fear and excitement—moving objects and loud noises, multiplied by a couple hundred people dressed in their (of course!) national colours all wadded in a tight alley. There’s only one word for it—glorious.
African White-water Rafting
Nay, not just white-water rafting in general, this continent deserves a special mention. Africa’s always taking things to the next level—safaris, coffee, deserts, and hard work; now they have their white water rafting. With multiple countries having the highest rated (most dangerous) rivers for rafting—Zambia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, and more—someone’s going to swim.
Rodeo
Honestly, only man can have the level-headedness of turning farm animals into something dangerous. Back in the day, rodeo meant “let’s round up them cattle”. These days it would mean more along the lines of “prove your cowboy skills with an enraged 500-1,000 pound animal and tire it to the ground without you yourself touching it”. There are different kinds of events, often having innuendo-sounding names; to name a few: tie-down roping, bareback bronco riding, steer-wrestling, and barrel racing. Rodeo central: the Americas.
