What's the weirdest/funniest thing ever happened to you on a holiday?

[papaver]

A couple of years ago we went to beautiful Zanzibar. A tropical island near Africa. One day we wanted to see the other side of the island so we took a cab to take us there. When we were really in the middle of the jungle the cab broke down. It was really hot and the cabdriver asked us to wait outside. So we did. About five minutes later we were surrounded by at least a hundred people. Staring at us. Probably thinking: look how white they are...

After half an hour or so (and at least a hundred people more) we saw a white woman coming our way. She shouted in dutch... do you guys want a Stella (Belgian beer)?

She was married to a local guy and lived there permanently. She always dreamed of asking that question some day.

Zanzibar was the most beautiful, funny, remarkable vacation we ever had. Sweet sweet memories.

[tulip]

I was in Rio de Janeiro a few years ago for a wedding. I did not bring my hair dryer because of the differences in electrical outlets. I searched all over town to buy a hairdryer to use for the wedding...my hair looks terrible if it's not tamed. No luck. Anywhere. I speak a little Portuguese and asked in every shop that would conceivably carry a hairdryer. Apparently they cannot be purchased in Rio!

So I took a deep breath and went into a hair salon for a haircut on the day of the wedding. I essentially spoke a mix of Portuguese and French, and with lots of hand gestures, I got a really good haircut for $12. I was pretty proud of myself for negotiating a haircut in Rio with no English.

[Cataboo]

This one didn't actually happen to me, but it's in line with Papaver's story & her being belgian. When I first started dating a belgian guy, he hadn't told his parents/family in Belgium that he had a girlfriend... A while later, he gets a call and his family knows that he has a girlfriend.... Because... one of his colleagues at work in Washington, DC had gone on vacation and climbed up Mount Kilimanjaro... and while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro meets a belgian guy and mentions, oh I work with a guy from Belgium! Turns out it was a childhood friend of the belgian bf's.... and they got to talking about his new gf... So the friend goes back to Belgium to report to the family that there apparently was a gf that noone had heard about.


Odd thing that happened to me - I was doing the Inca trail to Machu Picchu when Fujimori resigned as president of Peru... It's a 3 day walk, 4th day at Machu Picchu... And we arrive and learn that Fujimori has resigned. We just sight see, take pictures, and when we're done exploring walk down to the town to take the train out. We buy our train tickets, but gradually the train station is getting fuller and fuller of people coming down from Machu Picchu and apparently... there is a train strike. So the train is basically going to be standing room only when it comes and only so many people are going to fit to leave... Everyone's getting a bit agitated, because what are we all going to do at Ages Calientes?

But eventually, hours later, the train finally arrives and they've managed to add a couple box cars to it - so everyone fits, it's still just standing room only.

Then I think we flew from Cusco to Puno/Lake Titicaca and there was a layover in Arequippa ... And at this point, there is a truck strike and whoever knows what other strike. So when we get to our lay over, there's no airplane fuel at the airport... our plane can't actually take off again.

So after a while, they deplane us.... And after another while, another airplane comes a long, parks near our airplane.... And they stick a big hose from the new airplane into our airplane and start siphoning fuel from the one to fill the other.

We wake up in Puno the next day, and there's soldiers marching the streets... and we're going... Oh no! Was there a coup??? Turns out it was some march for a festival of some sort.

Much later on, we got back to Lima - the brother of a Peruvian that we were visiting there was a congress person who was in line to possibly take Fujimori's place, so he got us a tour of the capital building... which was surrounded with protesters and riot police.

It sort of struck me - that for a democracy and the rest of that, the US doesn't really have that much in the way of protests or civil action most of the time.

[Aggie_Ama]

When I was pretty little (maybe 5-6) we went to Galveston, TX with my Nanny and Pawpaw. While we were at the train museum and ran into one of the teachers at my daycare. I thought that was kinda funny.

I also got my Nanny in trouble when she took us to Vegas when I was 7. I didn't know kids couldn't take a short cut to the arcade through the casino. A security guard pulled Nanny from her slot machine to take me to my room. My big brother was supposed to be watching me.

[limewave]

My mom and I had just finished laying out Thanksgiving dinner on the table. And about 25-30 family members were to start arriving any minute. My mom set the Apple pie that was in a glass pie pan on the stove to wipe up the counter. Well, the burner was on and my mom didn't realize.

Just as the doorbell announced the arrival of the first guest, the glass pie container EXPLODED! Along with the Pie! There was glass and apple pie everywhere. Glass in all of the food. Apple pie on the walls. It was just too funny to be upset about.

[oxysback]

My sister and I and a few cousins went on vacation with my great aunt and uncle in their RV. We were all swimming in the lake when my great aunt called us in for a snack. Everyone, except my sister and I, started chowing down on the beef jerky (puke!) my aunt bought until one of the cousins decides to look at the wrapper. Turns out it was a beef jerky treat for dogs. I've never been so glad that I hate beef jerky!


When I was in high school my dad was stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. This was right around the Marcos/Aquino coup time frame. My dad's job was playing in the Air Force Band (which is a really cool job if you're in the Air Force because that's all you do) and the whole band, including families, got to go to the American Embassy in Manila for a concert and picnic. The Philippine military band was also playing. They would play one song, then our Air Force Band would play one song, and so on. After the first few songs everyone was clapping along and enjoying themselves, but after about 5 songs each we were wondering when the concert would end. March after march was played....I swear the concert must have gone on for a few hours. Turns out there was supposed to be someone that gave a signal that it was time to quit and eat lunch, but no one did, and both bands were too polite to call it quits. My dad was so relieved when both bands finally exhausted their repertoire and we could finally eat lunch!

[shootingstar]

Great story oxy. Those wind musical players must have powerful lungs..

Unusual holiday experiences:

I was travelling in Greece for several wks. with some good friends. In Athens we took a transit bus to a wealthy, supposedly heavily inhabited by Arabs where we walked around. When I turned a corner in this neighbourhood, I nearly freaked about: I had dreamt this place several wks. before landing in Greece!

Have never seen the place in photos in advance nor did I know we were going to this neighbourhood. Just a spontaneous thing. It was the strangest feeling.

[OakLeaf]

Aggie, your trip to Galveston reminded me of my spring break trip from h#ll.

I was supposed to have a ride to the Boston area to visit my sister, whose college was on a different schedule from mine. The night before spring break started, my ride fell through. This was in the days before ATMs (and before college kids had credit cards), and I didn't have enough cash for a bus ticket. Luckily my bank was open Saturday mornings. I think I had about 45 minutes between the time the bank opened and the time the bus left. So I caught the local bus into the nearest city and got on a Greyhound to Boston.

The first bus gets stuck in 4th gear. We're going through tollbooths on the Pennsylvania Turnpike creeping as slowly as the driver can without stalling, explaining the situation to the toll-takers in motion. We stop at the next service plaza to wait for Greyhound to send a replacement bus.

Second bus... same thing happens. I don't remember how far we got before we were, again, waiting at a turnpike service plaza. I want to say we were somewhere in upstate New York by then.

Third bus... quits completely. I remember watching the sunrise in the middle of nowhere, Western Mass.

Fourth bus is the charm. Almost exactly 24 hours from the time I left, I got off the bus, filthy and exhausted, made my way to Harvard Square where someone was supposed to pick me up, and who's the first person I see?

My faculty advisor.

[Crankin]

The summer before we moved here, we took a 2 week vacation to the Cape and spent time around the suburbs, scouting out places to live. We were in Minuteman National Park (about 7 miles from where I live now), looking at one of those panoramic battle pictures, with an explanation underneath, outside in front of the Visitor's center. I looked up from the plaque and saw another family that lived in Tempe, that went to the JCC preschool with my kids... 2800 miles from home.
This wasn't an incident, but a foreshadowing. In 2004, we went to Siena to visit my son, who was studying there. He came walking down the street to greet us, looking like a different person, wearing a cord jacket, hair slicked back and gesticulating loudly in Italian to his professor who was walking with him. For the rest of the trip, I felt like the dumb, old mother, whose child had to read the menus, make the reservations, and lead us around... an inkling of what it will feel like in another 25 years.

[redrhodie]

When I was in Spain this summer, I stayed in an apartment that had a washing machine. Every other appliance had manuals, except this one. It did have weird little diagrams for all the different cycles, none of which made that much sense, but we managed to wash our clothes several times with good results.

One of the diagrams on the machine was of a soccer uniform and another was of shoes. Well, I guess that shoe diagram gave me the brilliant idea of washing my Keens, which I'd been wearing most of the time on my trip, and were looking a little shabby. I decided to use a little shampoo because we'd run out of laundry detergent. I used the tiniest drop, much less than I use to wash my hair.

The next thing I know, suds are coming out of the machine like something out of an "I Love Lucy" episode. All over the floor, and not stopping. I had no idea how to make it stop, and just had to wait it out. I spent the next few hours of my last day in Spain mopping the floor, even moving the machine to clean under it, using all my towels up, too. It was a huge drag.

I wonder what the cleaning lady must have thought after we left? Probably that those Americans sure were clean--they even washed the floor!

[oxysback]

The next thing I know, suds are coming out of the machine like something out of an "I Love Lucy" episode. All over the floor, and not stopping. I had no idea how to make it stop, and just had to wait it out. I spent the next few hours of my last day in Spain mopping the floor, even moving the machine to clean under it, using all my towels up, too. It was a huge drag.

Ha!! I find this amusing because I had a similar experience with a dishwasher. We had just moved back to the States from the Philippines. We had no dishwasher for 5 years (if you don't count our housegirl who did the dishes) and I mistakenly put regular dish soap in the dishwasher. Yikes!!

[Onix]

Ha!! I find this amusing because I had a similar experience with a dishwasher. We had just moved back to the States from the Philippines. We had no dishwasher for 5 years (if you don't count our housegirl who did the dishes) and I mistakenly put regular dish soap in the dishwasher. Yikes!!

I did this once when I was 16! I went to ask the neighbor to borrow some dishwashing soap (we were out), and she gave me regular dish soap instead of dishwasher soap! My mom was less than thrilled!

[Cataboo]

I did this once when I was 16! I went to ask the neighbor to borrow some dishwashing soap (we were out), and she gave me regular dish soap instead of dishwasher soap! My mom was less than thrilled!

My Mom did this when she first moved to the US - 34 years ago...

She pushed the dishwasher out of the house in response and has never had one since.

She still despises them. If she comes to visit me, she does the dishes in the sink and then puts them in the dishwasher to dry.

[Biciclista]

ok, picture it, i worked full time through both pregnancies. It's christmas, we take our vacation time to fly to Dallas where my mother was living then. I am 7 months pregnant and have a two year old son. It's the last day in Dallas. My mother is making copies of all the LP's she bought us for christmas. it's time to go but our clothes are in the dryer and there's just one more record.. Finally somehow we are in the car speeding to the airport.
we make it on time to the gate, we are the last in line. And the airplane is full. I am frazzled , exhausted and start to cry.. but... wait....

they put us in first class. I was in absolute heaven. Our son had room to sit by himself and play (those were the days when you could keep a tot in your lap) and my husband could have wine (and those were the days when he drank)and the meal was incredible... and I could have a cloth napkin and take a nap....

[divingbiker]

8 or 9 years ago, I went to St. Lucia with 3 friends for a scuba diving vacation. The first two nights, we stayed at a B&B run by a German man. His partner Patrick was a veterinarian from Jamaica, and worked for the St. Lucia animal welfare department. Patrick asked us if we wanted to go with them that night to the east side of the island because the sea turtles were supposed to be laying eggs on the beach.

We jumped at the chance and loaded into this jeep-like vehicle, crammed to the gills with about 12 people. We drove for what seemed like hours, past heartbreakingly poor villages with houses made of paper and children running around naked. We went through a locked gate, down a tiny road and finally ended up at the beach. My friend Carol, a control freak, was nearly hyperventilating because we had no idea who these people were, where we were, or how to get home.

After hours of patrolling the beach, we decided to take shifts. About 2 am, Patrick and I were walking about a mile from the vehicle, in the pitch black, and we stumbled across several turtles in the midst of laying eggs. It was beautiful. He told me to go back to get the others.

I walked what seemed like forever, getting more and more panicky by the minute as I couldn’t find the rest of the group. I finally got to them and we all went back down the beach to observe the turtles. Some of them got confused by our flashlights and followed the lights instead of the stars and moonlight to get back to the water, and they’d have to be led out to sea.

Anyway, we stayed up all night and saw several dozen turtles laying eggs, and it ranks as one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. Not weird or funny, really, but definitely cool.