funny,scary, or just plain memorable travel stories

[Annette33]

Besides being hosts, most of us are also avid travelers. I bet we can fill the entire world map with plenty of pins of places we all have been to. That to me is the most fascinating aspect here in the forum: that we "meet" people from all around the globe and connect  -  a big thank you to Airbnb for making that possible  🙂

Travel is one of my passions, encountering the unexpected and being open to it, is always a thrill, be it  exchanging money on the black market in Chile to finance my trip to the Eaaster Islands, getting cornered by a nasty East German border guard when crossing the border back into  West Germany, or having a helpful Italian dude hop into my car when I was hopelessly lost in the traffic in Rome and driving me to my pension, oh traveling! So I have been to lots of places around the globe and never get tired of exploring more. 

Would be so fun to hear YOUR stories - let's share, I go first:

Here is my funny story:  So as a 22 year old, blonde, tall girl from Germany, I just had to escape the drudgery of law school for a few weeks, and so I scheduled an imprompu trip for myself to Northern Africa. Convincing my then boyfriend was not that difficult, as a young American in Germany he was open to anything. So off we go in my 1956 (!) VW beatle, with just a few clothes, a backpack and tent stuff thrown onto the back seats.

Through France, Spain, Portugal , we eventually crossed over to Marocco - and it was like arriving in another world all together! As a young woman, I quickly learned,  I was not supposed to go by myself to the market, to look into people's eyes, to engage them into conversations...it surely was a man's world there.

Anyhow, we adjusted, I put on long pants, no more shorts, mostly put a scarf around my hair, tried to "quiet down", so all can be happy now with my presence I thought...well.... another few hundred or thousand miles east, we get into Algeria. To get the visas had been very difficult, at that time it was not a country to see many Westerners come through, certainly not carefree young students.

Somehow, I don't even remember the city, I think it was Oran, we connected with local students, and not being able to tent camp in the concrete jungle of the big city, we happily accepted the offer of one of the students to spend the night in his student dorm. "But you must be very quiet", he implored us, "this is a dorm only for male students". We took the first hurdle , getting me in without anybody noticing. 

Sharing the narrow twin bed with my boyfriend wasn't optimal but we sure had a good night's sleep anyways.  But waht do I hear very early the next morning?? Somebody is banging keys, and it sounds like each door down the long hallway is getting opened, some jabber jabber talking ensues, doors are closed, then the next door gets unlocked and opened - clearly that sound is getting closer and closer, it will just not go away!

What to do?? Not having enough time to think it through, sure enough our door is  getting unlocked and opened, 3 guys in blue overalls are staring at me in total bewilderment as if I had just descended from Mars, then they start wildly hollering and gesturing in my direction. I pull the bed sheet up as high as I can over my birthday suit, try a smile and a vague "bonjour", ( second language in Algeria is French).

But I still can't hide that I am female. It also doesn't help that my American boyfriend is oblivious to the situation at hand, we both don't speak Arabic - so being a type A and speaking French makes me the designated go to person. "Je m'appelle Annette, mon mari s'appelle John",  I go and I point at my boyfriend , thus elevating him in no time from boyfriend to husband . (I thought that was a wise move, considering their culture. ) I reassure them that we love their country, "j'aime bien l'Algerie", I add.

So the 3 guys calm down a bit afterv that proper introduction, turn their heads away from me and  tell me in broken French that they need to check the heat radiators - which are behind the bed! Boyfriend jumps out of bed to make room for them, grabs the bed sheet to cover himself up, well great: now I am really totally uncovered. Mustering my last bit of chutzpah left I wave them over, say something like "eh bien, pas de probleme,"  and scoot out of the bed, grabbing an old sweatshirt I see over the  chair next to the bed.

Dignity restored, I just start laughing like a silly goose. Well - they all joined in! They then decided withing 10 seconds that the heating system was in fine order and headed out to the door to the next dorm room. I put my finger up to my mouth, wispering "shhhhh" - and they get it! They do the same thing, put their fingers up to their lips, making "shhhh" and off they go...

Still wondering after all these years if they kept the story to themselves, but something tells me that they probably bragged to all their male friends about finding this naked  German girl in the all male dorm.....

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Great story @Annette33 😄 you made me laugh , I can imagine the picture 😄

Here is my story:

Back in 1994 there were still war in and arround Croatia and I get sick of all that depression and decided to go to visit Canada for few months. I had a friend there so I got the visa for Canada and USA and went with brand new Croatian passport. (Croatia just separated from Yugoslavia)

I arrived in Canada and felt the real Canadian winter on -36 C OMG! :((((  After two months the weather become warmer I decided to visit Niagara falls by bus with some travel agency. While there I thought it is a great oportunity to visit USA as well, as it is just accross the bridge. It was saturday late at night and I took 100$ , passport and cigarettes in my pocket and went by foot accross the bridge . Somewhere on the half way there was a ramp and I should put the coin in it to make it open and let me pass. But I didn't have d a m n coin! On the other side of the bridge there were 2 officers looking at me so I was affraid to jump over the ramp. There were no passengers arround me, just cars. So I looked at officers and they looked at me and we wave to each other and communicate with hands on the distance , you can immagine 😄 With no other choice I had to jump over the ramp and walk to them.

After that our conversation was interesting:

- you should put a coin

- I don't have a coin! 😞

 - do you have any money? 

- Yes, 100 $ 😄 😄

- 100$ ???' How long do you plan to stay?

- few hours 🙂

- why?

- to drink something and can tell my friends and my future kids that I was in USA 😄

- where are you coming from?

- Croatia

- WHAT??? Where is that???

- Europe. Ex Yugoslavia

- Do you have passport and visa?

- Yes... and I gave it to them and they were looking at it.. never seen that passport before, called supervisor, checking it... and they let me go through after 15 min with a big smile  😄

- welcome to USA!

- thank you 😄

So there I was, just entered USA for the first time, by foot, jumped over the ramp at 22:00 PM saturday evening, with 100$ in my red leather jacket , with a brand new passport of a brand new countrry in war 😄 The ligts over Niagara falls were chainging   colors and life was great 🙂

Later, in the bar I met 4 crazy american woman who were celebrationg mothers day there without kids and husbands. We had a great time and went to club later 🙂 I went back over the bridge at 3:00 in the morning, but this time I had a coin for the ramp 🙂 Two officers were still there, waving to me while I was leaving and the lights over Niagara were still chainging colours ... Good bye USA ! 🙂

[Annette33]

@Branka-and-Silvia0, o yes, I clearly can see this scenario! great story 🙂

did you ever come back to the US? your English is perfect! 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

tnx @Annette33 , my English is far from perfect but usually people understands me 🙂

No, I never went back to USA, I have a good friend in NY and he is inviting me but I don't know how would I survive half day in a plane and later there without a cigarette , I should be covered from head to toe with nicotine paches 😄 

Back in 1994 this was not an issue, I miss those days 🙂

Did you ever come back to Algiria? Did your old car survived the trip? 🙂

[Annette33]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 , do come back! there is more to the US than our current president.... I love it here out west, basically prefer the west over the east. i always followed this motto: you need 3 things in life to be happy: a true friend/mate, a job you love - and living at a place that inspires you and nurtures your soul. I'm so lucky to have worked out all three 🙂

pS : I almost sold that VW in Tunesia, before going on the ferry back to Europe (to Palermo, Sicily, where I would meet my next boyfriend, hahaha, I was a busy girl...), but there were heavy sanctions if I didn't return with the car , so I drive it all the way back toMarburg, Germany. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Annette33 it is so refreshing to hear that someone is happy with his life. You are one lucky woman 🙂 

There are so many places I would like to visit but somehow since my daughter was born I turned into the hobbit 😄 I have to change it before it's too late

I love german cars, they are the best, we had VW beatle, audi and second golf now  🙂 

[Annette33]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 , yes, I also switched back and forth between VW and Audi, now for the longest we drive Hondas - never owned an American car, and probably never will...

Never made it to Zagreb, just down the coast from Istria via Hvar (sleepy at that time!) to Dubrovnik. But if you promise to feed my goldfish, I might just look you up in Zagreb one of these days - love your listings, so well presented and done, and your reviews tell the story 🙂

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Annette33 you and your goldfish are very welcome 😄 she can enjoj in a bath tub hehe

Zagreb is the best in Jun till September and then again in December ... there is so much going on, fairs and festivals and concerts in every park and square and caffee bars on every step. It seems that nobody works, everyone is just sitting and drinking coffee on the terrace whole day long 😄

there is not much going on along the coast out of season I am affraid. Dubrovnik is another story, the best is to visit it out of season because there is not to much tourists so you can actually see something 🙂

[Robin4]

@Branka-and-Silvia0

I just loved, loved, loved Dubrovnik.

Hey before I start on that, you may or may not have heard of an Australian performer called Peter Allen! He is dead now, but was most notable for marrying Lisa Minelli, (Judy Garlands daughter) and writing a song called 'I still call Australia Home'! It is like an unofficial anthem to us and it sort of sums up Australia...a visit is something you just have to do before you die. Sit in the opera bar of the Sydney Opera House, stay in a tent at Uluru, sit in the outback and read a book by starlight, Sleep a night in a 5 star room in an underground opal mine in Coober Pedy, sit in a field of daisies and feed the Kangaroos. You never forget the experiences you take from these shores when you leave.....put in on your bucket list Branka.

We did a 21 night Mediterranean cruise in 2011 which started from Civitavechia in Rome and the first port we stopped at was Dubrovnick, and it was just stunning with all it's orange tiled roofs, which I believe were donated by an Italian tile manufacturer. The town is just beautiful, to walk that main square with the worlds oldest pharmacy and all those beautiful little alleyways that lead up the hill. One of the highlights for me was a visit to a lovely little village just south of Dubrovnick called Cavtat. We sat on the harbour wall and ate fish and chips on a lovely still overcast June day.

Definitely one of my 'remember for ever' moments.

If by some miracle we could get Ade's legs to work again I would so love to go back there again!

Cheers.....Rob

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Robin4 yes, I would looove to see Australia.... and Kangoroos :)))))) If I ever go there I will let you know 😉

I have never been to Dubrovnik but my Silvia was , she will never forget the leg pain after walking on the wall :))))

[Robin4]

@Branka-and-Silvia0

Well, if you ever do come you know where a welcome mat awaits you!

You say Silvia's legs pained her walking on that massive wall that surrounds the old town of Dubrovnik! Branka I have done some of that wall but I can tell you that is a walk in the park compared to the Great Wall of China. How they ever managed to build this wall through the mountains outside of Beijing is beyond me! It is ridiculously steep!

And I have to tell you, although she only did a section of the relatively flat bits, pushing Ade in a wheelchair on the Great Wall of China was one of the most physically taxing things I have ever done.

Cheers.....Rob

[Marit-Anne0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 mentioning former Yugoslavia took me down memory lane and had me inspired.

In the early 1980's I had an Ethiopian boyfriend and me a mousy blond Norwegian, him being a student and I on a pretty meagre income, we needed something cheap and cheerful for holidays.  Interrail was out due to visa issues, so we found a package holiday to Yugoslavia called fly&camp.  

Our travels in the country took us to the island of Korčula, a beautiful island and the town's capital like @Robin4 a mini Dubrovnik. 

I do not remember all the details any more, but we ended up at a camping close to a beach where we could swim to a little island. After a long swim to the island in the bay before lunch, we were hungry and headed for the one and only restaurant. They were advertising "gefüllte papkrika" which suited us well.

I believe the restaurant must have been a family business as there were this elderly lady sitting at one of the tables. She was not having a meal, just sitting there observing the guests.  I suppose she had finished her chores in the kitchen and was ready for the entertainment of the day while the younger generation with better language skills waited tables.  

The old lady, typical of the time, black clad, head scarf over grey hair, toothless, weatherbeaten, started glancing in our direction and a little later smiling and gesticulating, trying to make conversation, but language barriers came in the way.  

Well, we were curious, so we asked one of the waiters for assistance.  He came back with a big smile on his face, the old lady was wondering what colour our children would have :)) We split up some years later and we did not have any children, so I never found out.  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Marit-Anne0 it is called PUNJENA PAPRIKA 🙂 It is Croatian national dish, we often cook it at summer time when peppers and tomatoes are cheap.

I belive old lady asked herself that question, you two were like yin-yan 😄 lol

[Marit-Anne0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0

There they are those delicious paprika.  I make a version myself nowadays as I am into that "aromatic cooking" you do not approve of in your apartments 😉

Anyway, I suppose most of the tourists were Germans in those days and the menu on the blackboard in German for that reason.  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Marit-Anne0

well if you will ever stay in my apartment I will cook it at my place and bring it to you ;))))