Avoid jogging in Vancouver if you're no good at map reading I'm sure anyone with a better knowledge of Vancouver than mine has realised that I'd read the tourist map upside down and was actually heading away from the park, not towards it. I was getting strange looks from passers-by - this idiot wearing Newcastle United kit and an imaginary sign above his head stating: TOURIST. I decided to head back along the main road through Chinatown, but ended up in rather scary part of town with hostels, people living on the street, a few people the worse for alcohol, and goodness knows what else. The sight of a shiny tourist with phone, cash and shiny clothes was surely a temptation. The crowds seemed to increase and I had this fear of someone just grabbing me. My leisurely run in what was clearly the no-go area was becoming a worried sprint and, in the words of Forrest Gump, "I just kept on runnin' ." It's ironic, but Newcastle's perpetual lack of success during my lifetime was possibly now saving my neck, as the locals seemingly had no interest in me. Now, Barcelona or Man United - well, I may not have lived to tell the tale, but Newcastle... Within 20 minutes, I was back in the safety of my hotel. Later, at the conference, I told the story of my run to some influential people, who were probably wondering how much of an expert I was if I couldn't even read a map... As well as a mental note to take more time in future to study the map, it fascinated me how close to the centre of the city this no-go area was and it did make me wonder how valuable that area would be in 15 years or so. Look at areas of London, especially around the East End where some new flats are currently attracting prices of around £1,000 per square foot. If someone had told you that they'd be worth this kind of money 15 years ago you'd have probably laughed out loud. But who's laughing now? So next time you're exploring a city, ask yourself, what do you see? Danger and poverty or future opportunity? Neil Jensen is based in Hong Kong, where he is head of operations for Asia at Fraser and Co, a London residential property agent.