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Outliers: Eight countries that do things differently to everyone else

By Ben Groundwater

Updated November 16, 2022 — 9.57am

You never quite know what time it is in Ethiopia, though it's probably time for a coffee.Credit: iStock

There's only so many fast food restaurants and American fashion outlets you can walk past before you start to get this strange feeling: is the world all the same?

Obviously it's not exactly the same, but there's a similarity to many of the countries we as travellers tend to visit. Systems of government are the same, societal structures are the same, even language can take on a certain sameiness thanks to pervasive American pop culture.

However, not every country dances to the beat of this recognisable drum. There are still those out there who are doing absolutely their own thing, where a visit makes you realise that the world isn't so similar after all. These countries are refreshing, fascinating, sometimes frightening and occasionally bizarre.

Ethiopia

Here's something you surely take for granted around the world: time. We've developed a system of time and it seems a fairly good one. Yes, other countries use different calendars, but time is the same: 12pm is the middle of the day; 12am the middle of the night. Except, that is, in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, clocks work differently. Here, 12am is the beginning of the day – what we would call 6am. You then have 12 hours of daytime, until the clock reaches 12 again – at what we would call 6pm – and 12 hours of night begins. Makes sense, when you think about it. Though, it's very confusing in a country that is gradually being dragged by global forces into using the "normal" system, and you're never quite sure which one is being referred to.

Bhutan

Here is a country that famously avoids focusing on Gross National Product – a widely used metric for economic output – and instead concentrates on Gross National Happiness. That's right, at regular intervals the Bhutanese government polls its citizens to understand how happy they are, and then alters its policies to attempt to redress any obvious areas of failure. A country that focuses on happiness instead of economic growth is pretty much unique – though, it's not perfect. Despite GNH being measured since 2008, more than 100,000 ethnic Nepalese have been forcibly expelled from Bhutan because they were not Buddhist, and therefore detracting from others' happiness.

Japan

It's very obvious from the moment you set foot in Japan that this country does things differently. Everything looks different, it feels different, it sounds different. This is a largely monocultural country that clings tightly to its traditions. One of the most interesting of those traditions, to me, is the basic structure of Japanese society, in which the good of the community has a higher value than that of the individual. It means everyone is expected to work for the greater good, rather than their own success. It's not a perfect system, but it is fascinating to visit and see it in action.

North Korea

Clearly, North Korea does things differently. Though, it's not exactly clear how, because this is such a secretive country – ruled by an autocratic, authoritarian government – that even those who have made it in for a visit are given a stylised and sanitised version of life here. What really happens in North Korea is anyone's guess. This is a nominally socialist country where everything should be taken care of by the state – though reports suggest that isn't happening.

Uruguay

It's mostly bad news that we hear from Latin America: Venezuela and its violence; Colombia and its drug wars; Peru and its Shining Path; Brazil and its favelas; Argentina and its financial woes. We don't hear so much about the success stories, which is probably why you don't know a lot about Uruguay. Uruguay is different, particularly for South America. It's a highly successful, peaceful democracy. It's also progressive: this was the first country in the world to legalise recreational cannabis use; the country has also legalised same-sex marriage, prostitution and abortion. This is an outlier in a very good way.

Turkmenistan

Like North Korea, Turkmenistan is a country ruled by totalitarian regimes operating largely behind a veil of secrecy – though again, we can be fairly certain that this is a nation playing by its own rules. Take a quick look around the capital, Ashgabat, and you'll understand that you're not in Kansas anymore. This city, completely redesigned by former president Saparmurat Niyazov, is now filled with buildings clad with white marble – 543 buildings, to be exact, clad with almost 500,000 square metres of marble. Even all cars in the city have to be painted white, to match the buildings, by presidential decree.

Singapore

As with many of the countries mentioned above, you only have to land in Singapore and walk around for a few minutes to realise that this place is different – particularly compared to its South-East Asian neighbours. The politics of Singapore is unique: this is a Westminster-style democracy, though the same party, the People's Action Party, has been in power since the first general election in 1959. Protest of any kind in Singapore is difficult, and political opponents and even critical media tend to be quickly vanquished by the PAP with bankrupting defamation lawsuits. This might all sound a little icky and repressive, but Singapore is also highly successful and stable, which makes it interesting to say the least.

Portugal

Any time you hear ooh-scary stories of socialism in Russia or North Korea or wherever it's supposed to be taking place, just think about Portugal. Yes, Portugal is a socialist country. It's Europe's only socialist nation, a non-Marxist-Leninist state similar to, um, Eritrea, Nicaragua and Nepal. It's also a freely democratic country in which the centre-left Socialist Party won a parliamentary majority earlier this year. This is a prosperous, stable, progressive country that was one of the world leaders on COVID-19 management. It's another fascinating outlier.

Email: b.groundwater@traveller.com.au

Instagram: instagram.com/bengroundwater

Twitter: twitter.com/bengroundwater

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