The weirdest thing that happened to me overseas
Everyone has a crazy story about their adventures overseas. Cows on a plane? A kidnapping before your eyes? A naked receptionist? Yes, apparently, these did happen.
A Stuff travel story inspired readers to share their experiences and, boy, some of the tales have been quite stupendous.
Here are 10 of the more disturbing ones:
1. Lost in Translation
There are about 6500 languages spoken in the world, so chances are you'll eventually land in a country where you won't understand a word. Learning a new language while travelling can be an exciting, yet challenging experience. But what about learning new English? Believe it or not, a reader was once asked by an American if Australians spoke American. Howdy, you bet!
2. Scary encounter
It doesn't matter where you are in the world, when you drive through McDonald's you will always find the usual suspects. A Big Mac, a McChicken - and a kidnapping? In Manila, about 20 years ago, a hungry reader began to order his burger when he saw a man with a gun pointed at a lady's back. The gunman ordered her to cross the carpark towards a waiting car. Scary.
3. When cows can fly
Planes are tight, sometimes smelly places as hundreds of people are crammed together. Add cows to the mix and you're set for an interesting flight. Flying between Indonesia and Malaysia, a reader was surprised to find his booked seat missing. He said the seats were removed from the plane to make room for some cows. During landing the passengers had to pick up their belongings from the floor as the cows' waste moved towards them.
4. The perfect crime
When planning a trip, you always hear warnings about muggings and the new tricks of the trade. What you may not be prepared for is police committing the crime. A reader got mugged in Kyrgyzstan by police - three times within 30 minutes.
5. Riding a camel
There is nothing wrong with seeing a mini-truck carrying two camels on the back. There is something wrong with two camels, dragging a mini-truck however. While in Saudi Arabia, a reader saw a truck driver take a corner too fast, tipping over the camels. The animals managed to get up and started pulling the truck down the road. The surprised driver popped his head out of the window and started shouting for help.
6. Toilet
It can be hard to find a toilet while travelling, and sometimes you will have no choice other than to hold it in (sometimes for hours). Thus it can be shocking when the locals are quite care free. While in Poland, one reader spotted a 5-year-old peeing on a tree. That's nothing. Then they see a well-dressed mother help a little girl poo and wee nearby. She wiped the child with one tissue, left it on the ground, and walked away.
7. Train delay
Transportation can be unreliable when travelling, particularly in countries with poor infrastructure. The train may be an hour, maybe two or three hours late. One reader found out it can be a lot later than that. When a train in India arrived up to 5 hours behind schedule, the reader was kicked out of their seat. Turns out they had the wrong ticket as they were on "yesterday's train". Yup, it was 24 hours late.
8. Nudist’s hotel
Looking for the perfect hotel can take a bit of work. You can check out the reviews on Travel Advisor, check out their website and hopefully you're done. But you should always be prepared for surprises, and not only of the bed-mites and cockroaches variety. One reader booked a hotel for New York through a travel agent, turned up and found the receptionist naked. They were informed clothes were optional at the hotel.
9. Complicated codes
LHR, JFK and SYD are airport codes easy to decipher - London's Heathrow, New York's John F Kennedy and Sydney's Kingsford Smith. But what about KAT and KTM? It was a bit too confusing for two American travellers. A reader working at Auckland Airport said he was approached by the girls who were trying to catch an Air New Zealand flight to Kathmandu (KTM). New Zealand doesn't have direct flights to Nepal. Turns out the girls' travel agent booked tickets for Kaitaia (KAT) without checking.
10. Conference pain
A tent, check. A sleeping bag, check. A leather whip, check. You'll always find people from all walks of life at a campground. One reader who worked in America came across 500 people at a sadomasochism conference. It was a "weird" few days, he said.
What’s the oddest thing that’s ever happened to you overseas?
Written by Paloma Migone. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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