Acrophobia (fear of heights)
The CN Tower in Toronto.

While the "World's Tallest Free-Standing Structure" is really impressive from the bottom, getting to the top and looking down is another matter entirely. The glass floor doesn't help matters either, especially when the ball park in the Skydome Stadium below the tower has been reduced to the size of a matchbox. As someone who's nervous of heights, seeing two small childen jumping up and down on this glass floor repeatedly made my stomach turn.

Coprophobia (fear of anything relating to toilets)
La Guardia Airport in New York (if I remember correctly).

No buttons, chains or levers are required here as these loos flush by themselves as soon as you stand up. This can be quite unnerving if you're not expecting it, or are unfamiliar with such technologically advanced contraptions. In its favour, the "ghost-flusher" accomplishes something that human hands sometimes fail to do when using public toilets.

Entomophobia (fear of flies or insects in general)
Anywhere in Australia.

No amount of swatting, flailing arms or insect repellent can deter these filthy little beasts as they land in large numbers on anything that moves (or doesn't move). Those Ozzie "cork hats" aren't just tourist gimmicks!

Automatonophobia (fear of wax statues)
Louis Tussaud's Waxworks, Canada.

Like certain paintings can do, some of the models actually look like they are giving you the "once-over". The macabre dungeon/torture chamber is fairly creepy. But what got me was the wax model of a tourist taking a photograph of one of the exhibitions. It was so convincing that I apologised to it after bumping into it, before realising that it was only a mannequin and walking away, red-faced.

Hydrophobia (fear of water)
Niagara Falls, Canada

The volume of water in these falls is unbelievable. And it's never-ending. You can feel the spray up to 200m away. For the especially brave, one can catch a boat to the foot of the falls and get a better view from below.

Balistophobia (fear of bullets)
Johannesburg

'Nuf said.


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