OT: Surprises In & out of country

[wire chief]

In travelling back to Fl, I stop at a Tenn. Cracker Barrel. I'm a little stunned when asked, "Smoking
or non-smoking?" Really? Still?

In Switzerland I'm warned not to flush the hotel toilet, cause someone will call the cops
and I'll be arrested for disturbing the peace.

Got any similar tales?

 

[pap49cba]

During one of my first sojourns to the Dark Continent I was holed up at the Presidente Hotel in Luanda, Angola. This was during the height of the UNITA insurgency. The hotel's windows were all plywood as a UNITA bomb had blown out all of the glass. And the only time we had electricity was at night by means of generators as UNITA had blown up the main transmission line outside of town.

Anyway I had gone out to dinner and returned to my room, flipped on the lights and discovered a HUGE cockroach perched directly on top of my toothbrush.

This is when I learned the hard way a very valuable lesson about traveling in the third world: Always leave the lights on when you leave your hotel room and the bathroom light, in particular, should be on at all times. Oh, and also check your bed for snakes and/or spiders before climbing in.

Note: I've left out the particular dangers posed by 'casino girls' for another time....

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Not quite so dramatic -

but, on a business trip to Lexington, I can only describe the decor of my hotel room as "Kentucky Wildcat" on steroids. Trash can, wall paper, curtains, lamps and lampshades, towels, shower curtain . . . (you get the picture). I simply cannot imagine how you could fill that room without asking the guest. It was nightmarish.

and I think I might have told the story before, but after a Tennessee pasting of Rutgers, I was one of a group of fans that drove all the way to Pigeon Forge because one of the fans wanted to eat at Alabama's barbecue restaurant. I don't drink, but several other fans did, however, they were informed in immaculate southern accent, "I'm sorry, but this is a dry county". Who knew.

 

[CAHUSKY]

During one of my first sojourns to the Dark Continent I was holed up at the Presidente Hotel in Luanda, Angola. This was during the height of the UNITA insurgency. The hotel's windows were all plywood as a UNITA bomb had blown out all of the glass. And the only time we had electricity was at night by means of generators as UNITA had blown up the main transmission line outside of town.

Anyway I had gone out to dinner and returned to my room, flipped on the lights and discovered a HUGE cockroach perched directly on top of my toothbrush.

This is when I learned the hard way a very valuable lesson about traveling in the third world: Always leave the lights on when you leave your hotel room and the bathroom light, in particular, should be on at all times. Oh, and also check your bed for snakes and/or spiders before climbing in.

Note: I've left out the particular dangers posed by 'casino girls' for another time....

Sounds like we traveled in similar places in similar times. My experience was roaches didn't care of it was light or dark. The roaches were far more palatable than the Mosquitos. The casino girls, they weren't so bad.

 

[meyers7]

A couple anecdotes. 1978 traveled in Italy with HS group (band). At the time the PM Aldo Moro had been kidnapped, later killed. We had to go through road blocks in and out of Rome. Soldiers with Uzi's would walk through the bus (while we kept very quiet) and look underneath in the luggage compartment. A couple more soldiers were stationed outside in a machinegun nest at the roadblocks. Made for very interesting and long travel days.

A few years later attended a wedding of a friend of mine down in southern IL. I grew up in IL, but not southern IL. Very small town. 1 motel. The night stand was made out of an old barrel and bolted to the floor........you know, so nobody would steal them??. I do believe we might have encountered a cockroach or two also.

 

[CTyankee]

Went to Scotland via Icelandic Airlines a couple of years ago with a layover both ways in Reykjavik. On the way back the layover was 5 hours. The airlines offered a side trip to a thermal bath, the Blue Lagoon. A great experience... Met some interesting travel companions...

 

[k9fanatic]

Didn't need to leave the country for my roach experience. Went down to Miami Beach, booked a room in a grand, art-deco hotel right on the main strip. Barely had to time to check into the room when I noticed a roach crawling up the wall -- in daytime, none the less. Called the desk and told the clerk there was a roach in our room. His response: "only one?" Needless to say we checked right back out. Still gives me the creeps to this day.

Spain also has some interesting hotels. I had one room that was so small that the corner of the bed abutted the dresser so that every time I had to use the bathroom I had to literally step up on the bed and then step off. Another hotel room was very large, but they split the bathroom in two parts. You had the toilet in a little room as soon as you walked in, but then you had to traverse the entire room to get to the sink and shower, etc. And yet a third hotel was a brand new, gorgeous, luxury hotel. Bathroom was to die for (sensing a trend here?). Except the bathroom did not have a door, which was bad enough, but the all-glass shower was directly across from the room so there was absolutely no way to take a shower without an audience. Oh those wacky Spaniards

 

[vtcwbuff]

I frequently stayed in a small hotel in Palau, Sardenia. The water was shut off every night at 6 PM and the electricity and heat went off at 10. However, the mom and pop proprietors made it worth it with food and wine in the lobby every evening.

I made a trip to Venezuela for work in the late 90's around the time Chavez came into power. I traveled by rental car from the airport to my destination and was stopped along the way at a military checkpoint (at least I think it was military). The not too friendly guys were giving me grief about my US passport, my drivers license, destination etc. One of the guys noticed I was wearing a Red Sox ball cap and asked me if I knew who Carlos Quintana was - I did but barely. When I realized the guy was a big baseball fan we started talking about Luis Aparicio. A player I was more comfortable talking about. I had seen him play at Fenway several times.

I gave the guy my Red Sox cap and I was on my way.

 

[wire chief]

Didn't need to leave the country for my roach experience. Went down to Miami Beach, booked a room in a grand, art-deco hotel right on the main strip. Barely had to time to check into the room when I noticed a roach crawling up the wall -- in daytime, none the less. Called the desk and told the clerk there was a roach in our room. His response: "only one?" Needless to say we checked right back out. Still gives me the creeps to this day.

Spain also has some interesting hotels. I had one room that was so small that the corner of the bed abutted the dresser so that every time I had to use the bathroom I had to literally step up on the bed and then step off. Another hotel room was very large, but they split the bathroom in two parts. You had the toilet in a little room as soon as you walked in, but then you had to traverse the entire room to get to the sink and shower, etc. And yet a third hotel was a brand new, gorgeous, luxury hotel. Bathroom was to die for (sensing a trend here?). Except the bathroom did not have a door, which was bad enough, but the all-glass shower was directly across from the room so there was absolutely no way to take a shower without an audience. Oh those wacky Spaniards

While they are not handsome, roaches are part of the décor in Fl. I call them by name

 

[JRRRJ]

Sometime in the early 80's, I found myself in the south of Italy doing contract work for the Air Force at Brindisi in the heel of the boot. Afterwards we drove up the A1 (main N/S highway) with stops at Naples/Pompeii and a couple other scenic spots. Didn't leave time to get to Rome that evening so we pulled out our AAA guide and called around for a hotel. Found a second-class (that means "not first-class" not "lower-class") in Frosinone, about an hour up the road. Frosinone is built on a hill -- a steep hill on the north & west sides. Our hotel was in the northwest section on the hill of course, so we got to switchback up the hill on a very narrow road (as you can see here) with few lights. The hotel was on a street that had a 30-degree slope, no exaggeration. We made a hair-raising turn from that uphill slope into an even steeper downhill driveway to the basement garage. Carried our two large suitcases up the steps to the lobby and checked in. Were directed to the elevator, which was literally 2.5 feet square. We would have both fit in, but neither could fit in with a suitcase. So my wife went up to the 4th floor alone. I sent up suitcase 1, then suitcase 2, then went up myself. (Don't ask about the staircase -- it was only a little over one person wide. We'd have had to drag the suitcases up behind us or carry them in our arms, upright.) It was a nice room, and even had a 9" B&W TV. The capper was the bathroom. It was pretty large -- about 8 feet square -- tiled all over, floors and walls, and we shared it with the room next door. But we couldn't figure out why there was no shower or tub -- you're required to have one or the other in the attached bath in order to be rated as a second-class hotel.

The answer came clear in the morning (we arrived quite late at nite and use that as an excuse for not noticing earlier). There was a drain in the middle of the tiled bathroom floor. A light bulb went off and looking up, we found the shower head 7 feet overhead. The water valves for the shower were hidden behind the bathroom door or our side.

 

[vtcwbuff]

While they are not handsome, roaches are part of the décor in Fl. I call them by name

We called Florida cockroaches B-52's 'cause they were big enough to have a crew. Different and no way rear as nasty as the German cockroach.

 

[Joe6cats]

Gadzooks, the unexpected things you learn about on the Boneyard! And to think, this chain started in a Tennessee Cracker Barrel.

 

[ChicagoGG]

About 25 years ago, I was on a business trip all over Asia and was spending a few days in Manila. We drove out to the suburbs to visit a factory, and on the way back to our hotel - It was the Manila where MacArthur had his headquarters during the war- we were delayed for half an hour because a herd of water buffalo lay down in the road and the farmer had a hard time getting them to move on. I mention the hotel because a) it was lovely; b) very convenient to the American embassy; which c) was important because due to the political climate at the time, we had to go in and out of the hotel thru metal detectors for security purposes. And our driver was always armed, for the same reasons. The Philippine people were wonderful.

 

[FASTEDDY]

During one of my first sojourns to the Dark Continent I was holed up at the Presidente Hotel in Luanda, Angola. This was during the height of the UNITA insurgency. The hotel's windows were all plywood as a UNITA bomb had blown out all of the glass. And the only time we had electricity was at night by means of generators as UNITA had blown up the main transmission line outside of town.

Anyway I had gone out to dinner and returned to my room, flipped on the lights and discovered a HUGE cockroach perched directly on top of my toothbrush.

This is when I learned the hard way a very valuable lesson about traveling in the third world: Always leave the lights on when you leave your hotel room and the bathroom light, in particular, should be on at all times. Oh, and also check your bed for snakes and/or spiders before climbing in.

Note: I've left out the particular dangers posed by 'casino girls' for another time....

Please tell us about these "Casino Girls". I am curious as to what you are referring to and what the story is.

 

[phil sampieri]

We called Florida cockroaches B-52's 'cause they were big enough to have a crew. Different and no way rear as nasty as the German cockroach.

The Floridians call them Paqwlmetto bugs, sounds so much better.

 

[Sonny44]

In travelling back to Fl, I stop at a Tenn. Cracker Barrel. I'm a little stunned when asked, "Smoking
or non-smoking?" Really? Still?

In Switzerland I'm warned not to flush the hotel toilet, cause someone will call the cops
and I'll be arrested for disturbing the peace.

Got any similar tales?

Just happened to run across this one.
http://nypost.com/2014/06/05/tiny-1230-london-apartment-sparks-outrage/

 

[itsasport]

In 1971, just after being discharged from the Army, I took a trip to Europe. A buddy, Larry, who I had gone through training with me at Fort Ord was than an infantry officer with the Berlin Brigade (the American unit stationed in West Berlin.) To get there, I took a train through East Germany. One interesting part of the experience was a visit by East German police to each compartment. They were very polite, but very thorough, in checking every nook and cranny for any East German trying to defect.

During my visit, we went into East Berlin. I had to be checked through "Checkpoint Charlie." Larry was able to walk right through, but he had to be in uniform. Nearby was the Memorial for the Unknown German Soldier. It was a structure similar to the Lincoln memorial- a long stairway, leading to a wide entry. On the way, Larry informed me that the East German population had been told that all the members of the Berlin Brigade were Vietnam vets, so brutal that they tied the head of women and children to their waists as trophies.

A we walked up the steps, three little boys were waking down towards us engrossed in a brochure. One of them dropped it just at Larry's feet. They knelt to pick it up and found themselves looking at Larry's spit-shined jump boots. Larry is 6'3." As their heads craned up and up, their smiles turned to absolute dread. They bolted down the steps as fast as their legs would carry them.

 

[msf22b]

Two years ago we were sailing from Rio Dulce Guatemala a hundred miles or so to Roatan to spend a few weeks on that lovely Hondurian Island. I was napping below when my wife started arguing with a couple of kids in a motorboat, that she had no spare gasoline. As I reached the deck the handsome one (like a movie star) pulled a 9mm, put it to Mei's head and said Mooney! Being experienced New Yorkers, we assisted him in his 20-minute ransacking of our valuables, kept him calm, and were just as passive and helpful as we could be.

The nearest police station at Puerto Lempura was 30 miles away back in the direction we had come and we had a sneaking suspicion that the very underpaid port authorities had directed the youngsters straight to our boat. moreover the Katazenjammer style cops were long on reports and short on action. It was the wild West; absolutely no chance of getting anything back or even an investigation.

We were just happy that violence was avoided. I expect that the kids with the guns were too.

What dredged up that story was a story in the Times or Associated press yesterday that a boatload of American entrepreneur/do-gooders was arrested at that very Puerto for having weapons on board including an AK-47,
probably in reaction to our hi-jacking.

 

[alexrgct]

Here's a surprise that happened in and out of country. It's way more personal than it needs to be, but whatever.

On our honeymoon, my then-wife and I landed in Milan. We went into the center of town, dropped the bags off at the hotel, an started walking around. Immediately, Jenn (my ex) announces she's having "feminine issues" and needs to pick up "something" at the pharmacy. It was awkward, difficult, and kind of funny to fumble through explaining the problem in Italian (which I speak fairly well, but not comprehensively). Anyway, we get to Florence and start having a great several days.

One day, something bad happens. I give Jenn a couple shots of great cuban rum at a bar. She takes literally two sips and throws up on the table. I have never been more mortified.

The following Monday, Labor Day 2007, I mention to her that I haven't noticed her "feminine issues" have yet manifested themselves in any way. We're just talking about this over lunch in Pisa. Jenn tells me she hasn't since June. Between that and the rum incident, we figure out she's probably pregnant. On our honeymoon. Already. Surprise.

As we were living in Atlanta at the time, we get an OB/GYN appointment two days after returning from the honeymoon. Off we got to the appointment, and the first thing they do is test for and confirm Jenn's pregnancy. Surprise confirmed.

So what was the domestic surprise? Well, on that appointment, we do an ultrasound. The fetus has arms, legs, and a head! She's 13.5 weeks along- already past the first trimester. Big Surprise.

What wasn't a surprise? Well, I just knew it'd be a girl, and six and half weeks later, it was confirmed on high-resolution ultrasound. A daughter I could give the first name Lillian after my beloved late mother and the middle name Katya after my beloved late paternal grandmother. These are two brilliant, wonderful women I adored and revered. What and honor and privilege it was to name their progeny after them.

One final surprise: Lillian was born on March 3, 2008, my 30th birthday. Of course, this was domestic.

MY all-time wonderful surprise, my amazing 30th birthday present and fellow UConn WBB fan:

 

[RadyLady]

I was a kid traveling on tour in Europe with America's Youth in Concert in 1976. Naturally being to Europe for the first time there were a lot of surprises, the biggest one being the "toilets" for tourists at the vatican - simply holes in the floor in a smallish room. No seats, no paper, no privacy.

radylady no go.

No surprise

 

[CTyankee]

La Cucaracha...

The wife and I were in a small grocery store in a small seaside town in the northern Yucatan, Rio Lagartos. As I exited the store something landed on the back of my neck; a bug. Since I was wearing a back pack I couldn't easily get to it to swat it away, and it had started crawling... UGH!!! It seemed like an eternity for me to unbuckle the backpack harness and to get that thing off of me before it got lost in my clothing... Here's the evidence... Really UGLY...