Man who travelled to one of world's most dangerous countries told he could become 'major bargaining chip'
There's extreme holidays and then there's genuinely putting your life on the line.
Travelling to war-torn countries isn't normally high up on people's bucket lists, but one lad has made it his mission to visit a number of the world's more obscure countries, to see what they're really like.
World Nomac, real name Mac Candee, is an American content creator known for sharing his rare experiences with subscribers, as he ventures to several nations and aims to 'change perceptions of the world'.
The self-described Nomad (hence the name) has visited Tehran, Hiroshima and Kolkata among other obscure holiday destinations.
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But in 2024, the YouTuber uploaded a couple of videos documenting his visit to Syria, a nation that has been devastated by a civil war that's been raging since 2011, for the viewing of his 740,000+ subscribers.
While Americans are advised against travelling to the Middle Eastern nation, Mac picked up a tourist pass through a licensed tour guide, allowing him to roam the country freely.
Many perceive Syria to be one of the most dangerous places in the world; with the civil war currently on hold, though, Mac was determined to prove that the area is not as dangerous as it's perceived in film and media.
In an interview with LADbible, he admitted that the negative portrayal of the Middle East has encouraged him to venture out, as he's been to the likes of Lebanon, Iraq, and now Syria.
He explained that he visited 'five to six regions' across the country, and had nothing but nice things to say about the locals, though this didn't mean he felt completely safe at all times.
The true extent of the horror faced by those who live there was laid bare during the two-hour drive from Tartus to Aleppo, a route marked out by its devastated landscape, strewn with the rubble of destroyed houses and buildings.
Describing it as if 'a war happened in every single area', Mac spoke about some of the groups in the Idlib region in particular, and how his background could see him in the firing line.
While speaking to his tour guide, he was told: "Guys in the Idlib region, if they know that you're an American, you could really find yourself in some deep s**t," adding that he could be used as a 'major bargaining chip'.
Reflecting on the moment, he said: "That's the most scared I probably was was being on that road where everything was destroyed.
"Then knowing that about two kilometres west of me on that road was an area that essentially had been cut off from the rest of Syria, that that's ultimately HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), the rebellion group that ended up taking back Syria."
That wasn't the only time that Mac was on edge, though, as he recalled running into a group of Russian soldiers at a checkpoint on the road.
"I immediately pulled the camera down because I noticed the convoys, which you can barely see in the video," he explained, adding that his tour guide told him he'd 'never seen Russians here'.
"I was kind of on edge, like, 'Are they going to come to question me? Is it going to be a problem?' One said something like, 'This is the first time in my life I have ever seen an American'. And so I think it was this point where I could relax."
As seen in the video, he would end up taking some photos with the soldiers after they found out who he was.
When it comes to shocks, though, Mac said that, contrary to popular belief, 'there's a huge party scene' in Syria.
He explained: "There were clubs. I went out drinking when I was there, that's probably one people don't expect.
"They have wild summers where DJs come out, it's like, festival season back in America - DJs are huge," as he remembered enjoying Arabic music at an 'underground nightclub', with people 'going nuts' on the dance floor.
While in the Arab country, Mac spoke about the fact that he didn't experience any 'extremism' with anyone's views, and while he acknowledged that this may not have been the case with the whole country, it wasn't what he saw.
"They just want to hang out with their family, friends, it's so much more normal of a country than probably most people imagine," he admitted.
Despite some moments of fear, however, Mac said he is open to going back to Syria one day, though there are some reservations in the back of his head.
"I'd say there is this fear in me," he told us.
"I have heard that some of the factions of the groups, some of them that took back Syria, from what I have been told, have very extremist views," Mac explained.
He added: "Some of them just wanted their Syria back. Some of them are very normal, but I heard that some of the more extreme mercenaries that were brought over from other Middle Eastern countries, those guys have had some of the most radical fighting inside Syria."
Mac acknowledged that there was 'a bit of tension' in Syria as it is, but said: "But I think the excitement of seeing the locals and hearing them speak freely is what I want, it's what I'm probably most interested in experiencing."
Joshua Nair