Stories / memories from travelling?

Dave!

Hey folks,

Anybody got any stories or memories from their travels that they'd like to share? I'm sure some of ye have been kidnapped by FARC guerillas in Colombia, held in Dubai for having traces of marijuana in your clothes, or climbed to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro and had a spiritual awakening

I haven't really been to any far-flung places (yet), so can't say I've had any particularly wild experiences! However I do remember a rather cool time in Portici (outside Naples), met a load of fellow travellers from various countries, and we went to a local restaurant. The family who run it were all sitting down to their dinner at the table next to us, and we spent the time chatting with them and drinking with them and having a great time They gave us 2 or 3 free bottles of wine! The grandmother said a few toasts, after asking for all of our names then giving the Italian equivalent The food was delicious (and the seafood local), and the company was fantastic. A great night! And we went back there twice more

Go ahead, share! Ever get lost in the outback?

Jugs82

Good Idea for a thread

Walking around Bangkok during the Coup in September '06 was strange experience

Getting Stranded in a Burmese town due to the weather and helping the owner of a local bar to come up with a cocktail menu for the backpacker trade - he had no English so a pretty surreal exercise, not to mention me been drunk for 2 days 'testing' the stuff :D

Had a couple of mates who were travelling through Colombia and one dissapeared with a local girl - the others got really worried when he didnt arrive back for a few days - he arrived back, happy as larry after spending 4 days on some inland island with said girl - says it was a real paradise...

Glowing

In Vietnam, I got chased down the road by a tailor on a moped, screaming at me, and threatening to call the police because I refused to pay for a pair of trousers with two different legs. When he got to the end of the road, he'd turn 180 and abuse me going the other direction.

He was the most unstable, volatile, scary person I have ever come across. I didn't sleep that night cos I was afraid he'd stalk my hotel with a shotgun!

0utpost31

Does it count if I tell you a friends story? This guy is my manager and is well travelled. This story is 100% true.

Manager was working with the UN in colombia and I think he decided to go on a daytrip to some small town...

Anyways, travelling by bus in Colombia from one town to the next through the countryside when the bus came across a road block! Uh oh. Who was it other than the FARC who stormed onto the bus, AK47's in hand and marched everyone out.

They lined the people up against the side of the bus, my manager was shitting it, thought he was defo going to get shot and dumped in some ditch along with the other passengers. But the FARC just gave them all a lecture on who they are fighting, why they are fighting, the good they are doing for Colombia and what they're political stance is etc...

Marched them back onto the bus and sent them on their way. I'd say the whole bus had to change their britches at the next stop.

Spider_Baby

Outpost31....holy crap!!! I'd be sooo terrified! :eek:

One of my most memorable was probably travelling on a bus through China. I was on it on my own, travelling overnight, to meet up with mates further south.
First off, I got stared at for the entire journey (being a lone female and blonde). Secondly...I was far too tall for the "bed". THirdly...no-one spoke English...so they were never able to tell me how long the bus was stopping for each time. I didnt know whether I had time to get food or not...plus...most of their toilet stops were along the side of the road!!!! Not good Oh....and 14 hours on a bus listening to bad karaoke dvds isn't all that fun...
Highly memorable though!!!
Quite a bizarre experience!

Crossing the border to Vietnam was quite memorable too...it involved two buses / coaches....followed by a tuk-tuk....followed by a taxi....and then another mini-bus...and another tuk-tuk!
We made it with minutes to spare before they closed for the night. Phew!

Nowhere near as scary as FARC rebels though!!!

0utpost31

And before somebody posts here and tells me "Hey there's a similar story in the book "the gringo trail"... yes thats true, but it also happened to my manager. The Farc obviously do this often enough.... They don't kidnap everybody they see, what good would that do them? The want to educate people about what they are fighting for.

Dave!

Jayzus, my sister is going to S America in a few months...... No Colombia please

0utpost31

Are you forgetting what country you're from? Eh, IRA n' stuff? The IRA bloody trained the FARC in the art of street-terrorism! The FARC were only used to fighting in the jungles so they hired 3 IRA guys to train them in how to effectively cause havoc in urban environments.

Google the colombia three.

RATM

0utpost31 wrote: »

Are you forgetting what country you're from? Eh, IRA n' stuff? The IRA bloody trained the FARC in the art of street-terrorism! The FARC were only used to fighting in the jungles so they hired 3 IRA guys to train them in how to effectively cause havoc in urban environments.

Google the colombia three.

Ah come on sure they were only bird watching in the jungle:D

Ive a good story about my time in Iran involving heroin traffickers and a caviar dealer.

http://www.therecord.ie/content/view/155/79/

Dave!

0utpost31 wrote: »

Are you forgetting what country you're from? Eh, IRA n' stuff? The IRA bloody trained the FARC in the art of street-terrorism! The FARC were only used to fighting in the jungles so they hired 3 IRA guys to train them in how to effectively cause havoc in urban environments.

Google the colombia three.

Not sure what your point is there sunny jim I'm familiar with the Colombia Three and the IRA...