My scariest travelling experience was in Quito.  I was walking up the steps to the statue of the virgin Mary, which the guide book recommended gave a great view.<p>About a third of the way up, some girls aged about 10 shouted some Spanish to me.  I only understood &quot;tu muertas&quot;, and after some confusion returned to the hostel.<p>Apparently, the path goes through a slum, and it&#x27;s pretty dangerous -- the police don&#x27;t go there.  My guidebook was out of date!<p>An Ecuadorian tourist I met didn&#x27;t have a camera, since it had been stolen shortly before his holiday. He seemed to think this was pretty routine.