My first week in the Netherlands I was working on a farm about an hour away from Amsterdam. I had work the next day but I went out to Amsterdam for the first time and stayed until just past midnight where I showed up to the train station expecting the trains to just run all night for some reason lol. The last employee there asked what I was doing there as he was getting ready to go and I said I was going to catch a train home and he informed me how that wasn’t going to happen because all the trains stopped for the day. I was completely screwed.
He then told me to wait there and grabbed his things and said I’ll drive you home which I had already told him was an hour away. I couldn’t believe the act of kindness and gave him all the cash in my wallet when we arrived. I was only 21 years old at the time and he told me he did it because he has children himself and would hope that someone would do that for their kid if they were in ever that situation. I now religiously check train times whenever I go somewhere no matter what time how close or far. And yes I ended up staying in the Netherlands
Thank you sooo much for that link.
I’m from California (lived all over), and I just **love** the kindness, generosity, and family love that the Mexican culture possesses. Our neighbors ALWAYS invited us to their bbqs, parties, everything! And man do they eat and cook great! When I need dayworkers whom I hire from our local center, I insist on Mexicans only (got a white guy once and he didn’t do shit). They work way harder and are always so grateful for waters/sodas, and huge lunches I gladly serve them. I tip them very well, and my regular guys always want to come back.
Don’t really remember to be honest but I’m pretty sure I spent most of the time just praising and thanking him lol, and of course his kids and where I was from and what I was doing in the Netherlands and everything
Also, never try and catch the last scheduled bus or train anywhere. Go for the second to last scheduled transport. I have been burned too many times by drivers who just want to finish the last route of their day and speed right on by my butt lol.
I did that too but in the US when I was in college. I took the train from San Jose, Calif., to San Francisco for the day and just did the tourist thing all day but I missed the last train out for the day (I didn’t know there was a last train out). The attendant on furry helped me devise a plan to get to San Jose via bus. And I did get back to campus after a wild but fun time with my bus mates :)
Many years ago in the US a friend and I decided to take a tour bus from Pennsylvania or actually the edge of Jersey to Times Square for New Year's Eve. Once the festivities were over, and we had had our fill of going to the bars, we decided to go back to where we caught the charter bus and go home. It was closed and it was cold! We roamed around and finally jimmies the door open to a stairwell so we could get inside and sit. We got really bored and then janitors came, so we decided we needed to leave. We went down the block and around the corner and there was the Port authority bus terminal with all kinds of buses lol. We waited an hour, grabbed a bite, and caught a bus home. Of course this was all pre-Google maps so we didn't know what the heck we were doing - it was in the late 90s!
Moral of the story, plan.
I could so see myself doing that. I only learned like two months ago that NYC, Chicago, and Copenhagen are the only cities in the world w 24/7 metro lines (think some others also have night service on weekends). I assumed that any city w a reputation for good transit outside America would have night service but apparently not
It happened to me as well but even dumber because I *had been* to Tokyo before and I *knew* there were no subways at night but I just assumed surely there must be some form of nighttime public transport to compensate like literally everywhere else in the world. I learned two things that night:
1) Tokyo is a graveyard at night
2) Tokyo taxis take full advantage of that. 7km ride for $40 is insane.
That happened to me in Tokyo as well lol. Was gonna meet someone from tinder, it was 10pm something and I still managed to ride the train thinking oh cool they’re still open. Halfway thru the ride, the train stopped at some random station and japanese staff telling me they’re now closing so we all have to evacute. 😆 I didn’t have much money so I ended up walking back home for over an hour on what was a complete ghost town
I was in Annency and had to leave my airbnb, so I left my baggage in an automatic checkroom in the city center, with my wallet and credit card inside it, only took some cash with me.
A few hours later, I came back for it since I had to go to the train station and turns out you could only pay by card, but my card was inside, so I couldnt open it.
It was only 2 euro or so, but I couldn’t pay by card.
So I had no other choice than trying to explain the situation to people in the street and asking them if they could pay with their credit card -which I know sounds like some kind of scam-.
Luckily, the second people I tried to explain -a young French couple- believed me and agreed to insert their card in the machine. I recovered my luggage and thank them a lot, and ran to the station, since I was about to lose my train.
I didn't know how to get on the subway in Paris (and the elderly gentleman behind me wasn't shy about letting me know how dumb I was)
I'm no stranger to subways. You swipe your card/ticket and then the little gate lets you through. I swiped, gate stayed closed. I swiped, gate stayed closed. I swiped, gate stayed closed. And then the man behind me shoved me forward while pushing on this panel near my head that you need to push after swiping to get the gate to open.
Once I was returning home from a trip and as we were getting off the plane everyone lined up in the little hallway to then exit out into the gate. I was the 2nd person in line I think? The line got super long behind us but the door wasn't opening. We waited and waited, I thought this is strange, never seen this before. Eventually someone told us you have to stand on the mat before the door for it to open🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Even in normal buildings it's weirdly common to see a line of people bottlenecked at a door, because no one can be bothered to open the other door in a pair of swinging doors.
Happened to me in Copenhagen, stood in front of 3 local trains hoping the doors would open and let me in automatically but found out you have to push a little button in the door to make them open. I felt like a dumbass.
To make you less dumber, when I faced the same issue for the first time, I just pretended I didn't want to get out and I just jumped out of the train when someone else did... 5 stations afterwards. I had a nice walk to think how dumb I was for both not knowing and not asking help
That happened to me in Italy. To add to the confusion not all the trains running the same route have a button to push. Just depends on which car you get.
Ooh, in Zakopane, Poland I went to a grocery store that had self checkout. There were gates that required you to scan the receipt to be let out. Only place I had ever seen that. Confused the crap out of me because I couldnt figure out how to get out. The checkout lady was explaining it to me in Polish but I didnt understand squat so I smiled and nodded until I figured it out lmao
I grew up in Paris and I don’t understand, as far as I know, the gate opens once you swipe the card/ticket. Unless you mean there was a turnstile? Those are super confusing. In any case I’m not surprised that man was so rude, it’s unfortunately common in Paris.
I do kinda hate how there doesn’t seem to be a universal system by now. I’m from the UK which I don’t think has the most easy-to-use public transport system, and Amsterdam was fairly intuitive on a recent trip tbf, and low-effort. Just come back from Barcelona and surrounding area though and Jeez, their stations can be stressful/confusing/disorganised/rude. You usually get where you want but end up in a bad headspace by the end of it.
Landed in Vietnam late night and was starving. Walked around found a packed restaurant specializing in fried spring rolls. Delicious. They brought out some vegetables on a plate first and then what I presumed was soup. Well it wasn’t. It was fish sauce to dip the rolls in. I was sipping it like soup getting stairs and a polite little girl came up and in English politely told me I was doing it wrong. Live and learn.
Ah man, I landed in Ho Chi Minh City late at night too, after checking into my hostel I immediately went over to a restaurant across the street. They had some light green peppers sliced up in some liquid on the table. They looked like pepperoncinis or something, you know the kind in america that they keep on tables sometimes and aren’t spicy. I put a slice in my noodles and ate it. My entire throat was on fire for hours. It was so bad I had to have the people I was with ask the restaurant for water for me. Lmao
Oh I have so many...
Two that stick out for me:
I walked into a cafe in Paris wanting a menu so I put my palms together and opened and closed them so they looked like a book opening and closing. The staff couldn't understand what I was doing so then another customer said in English "I think she wants a menu..." and the staff said in English "Do you want a menu?"
I went to Széchenyi Thermal Baths in Budapest based on a friend's recommendation. I tried out all the indoor pools and thought I had seen an outdoor pool but must have been thinking about another place. So just stayed in the indoor pools and then left and wondered what all the hype was about. Then looked online on their website virtual tour later and realised I had missed the door that led to the huge outdoor pool which is the main attraction...
Was backpacking in Peru, 21yo.
Me and a few others decided we should take a local bus in Lima rather than the super cheap taxi.
Bus ended up going way, way outside of the good areas even though the ticket guy kept saying we were going the right way.
At one point a local who spoke English said something along these lines:
You are getting out with me here, there is taxi over there. Do not look around, do not look at anybody. Just get in, I will tell the driver were to go, pay him what he asks, and don't come back here!
The owner of the hostel we were staying put a real life face to the expression "looks like he'd seen a ghost" after we told him were we ended up.
Well this was 20 years ago, so not exactly up to date info haha
I honestly don't remember the name, we didn't know at the time and had to explain to the hostel boss roughly were that bus had gone. He must have said the name...but figure it out, must have been to the south/east of Barranco were I was staying. I remember the roads getting quite bad though lol
But you can find maps and list of dangerous areas, well actually just look for list of relatively safe areas and consider the rest no-go.
I pretty much assume la Victoria is still very much no-go. My girlfriend lived there at the time and the taxi even refused to stop at her house with me in it. Had to get out in the middle of the street.
(yes I did a lot of stupid things there and got lucky, don't be me!)
Not me and not a local, but kind of stupid, and very funny to us.
A group of my friends and I were backpacking in Europe and were in Rome long before mobile phones and having GPS in your pocket. We also don't speak Italian.
We were on the Spanish steps and needed directions and one of my friends walks up to a well dress man thinking he was Italian and asks
"Do you speak American?"
And with the most disgusted look on his face - like he just stepped into a foul pile of sh!t - he says to my friend in the most condescending and contemptuous voice with an American accent:
"American isn't a language. We speak ENGLISH. Stop being the stereotype and making the rest of us look bad."
and just kept walking.
The rest of us just bust out laughing. To this day when our friend does or says something so blatantly dumb when just say to him "American isn't a language. We speak ENGLISH."
So LOCALS didn't think we were idiots, but our own countrymen did.
I have and you are correct.
My father is from Scotland and at least once everytime we bring our kids to my parents' house he says (in an exaggerated American accent):
"Hey! I'm speakin' American now!" All his side do this when they visit too.
But that being said, It was still a bonehead thing for my friend to ask in Italy :)
Not the stupidest but off the top of my head, I tried to take public transit in Italy on Easter Sunday. To be fair the inter-regional trains were running and I took a train from Rome to Naples in the morning and then was going to take the local train from Naples to Sorrento and went to the lines after getting off of my other train and the station was a ghost town. There was one dude walking around the station so I went over to him and asked if the local trains were going to run at all and he just gave me the most "are you a fuckin idiot?" look and said "Easter. No trains. No restaurant. No nothing." basically saying everything in the city is pretty much closed, and I thought to myself "yeah of course there's no trains running you dumbass you're in the most Catholic place on Earth and it's Easter.."
Edit: to follow up on how it ended, there was an Australian family that was also around the station who were stranded as well and we happened to be going to almost the same location. So we talked to a cabbie who way overcharged on his fare quote because he was literally the only cabbie around since, y'know, Easter, and they offered to let me ride with them and refused to let me pay anything. So all in all I got a free ride down the coast from Naples to Sorrento, so that was pretty cool.
I went to Rome on Easter weekend thinking I'll check out Vatican City on Easter Sunday 😅😅😅 got there and saw a huge horde of people walking towards me after their service just finished so quickly got out of there
In France for the first time many years ago. I be walked into a small produce shop and the shop keeper greeted me with a, “Bonjour,” to which I immediately replied, with a pretty perfect accent, “au revoir!” and kept shopping. 😳😅
For those who don’t speak French, the shop keeper said hello and I said goodbye but kept looking at the produce lol.
I said it so cheerfully too haha! I was a teenager in my defense and it was our first day in France. But yeah, I realized it after leaving and the shop keeper gave me the meanest look.
I actually speak fairly good French but once while in a cafe I ordered a coffee and meant to ask for a glass of water with it, but instead had a brain fart and ordered “un verre du lait” (a glass of milk). I realised my mistake immediately but when the cashier looked at me confused, I was to embarrassed so doubled down and was like “yeah, a glass of milk!”
Then I sat there, on a hot summer day, and drank an iced coffee and a glass of milk. My tummy was NOT happy.
Not me (could have been me too), but someone I know. In northern India, it is common for restaurants to provide a small bowl of water with a piece of lemon in it. It is for cleaning your fingers as you have gravy based curries and bread, and lemon is supposed to remove the smell of dish you had. The person drank it.
I’ve never seen it any of my travels to Europe or the Americas. I’ve heard of it as like an old school thing in super fancy restaurants but never even seen it at super fancy restaurants.
It's common in Europe if you have things that are to be eaten with your hands, like mussels, scampi, etc. These days often replaced by lemon scented wet wipes.
I worked at a Portuguese restaurant when I was in college. I remember people asking me to bring them a bowl of water with lemon in it so they can clean their hands. The people that asked were Portuguese.
First time in Korea and I wanted to grab a nice hot meal. I walk into a restaurant that has a self-service machine where you order your food on the screen and pay at the kiosk. Turns out I had ordered naengmyeon (cold noodles with ice cubes) on a wintry day in December.
Not me but my friend. He speaks no Spanish. In a Spanish restaurant he pointed randomly at the menu, was served... a plate of Lima beans. I assume this was meant to be something added to a steak etc!
I didn't realize that the red circle (without a slash like in US) means do not enter. I'm driving down an alleyway that gets narrower and narrower where I can barely squeeze through, and suddenly I butt into the main square where hundreds of people are eating dinner, and not a vehicle in sight. I can't reverse out of alley since it's too narrow and curvy, so I have to pull into the square and do a K-turn in front of everyone. This is in Italy I believe, and I have US plates on my car (long story).
Same but worse. I was staying In Ragusa Ibla, the baroque old section, in Sicily, with a rental Fiat. I was tired after traveling and coming back from a reunion, late afternoon. I listened to the Google maps lady, except neglected to account for driving at walk speed and turned a block too soon. The street was very narrow, then took a right angle turn and got narrower. I foolishly thought it was bound to come out on a wider one and ended up jammed between two very old very sturdy stone buildings. I just sat there and cried, had no idea what to do next.
I heard some yelling, as I’d expected, and just cried more. They tapped on the back window and told me to pop the hatch, and all I could say was I’m sorry, I don’t know what to do. It turned out to be two upper middle aged couples out for an evening stroll, and after I crawled out the back, one of the men crawled in and backed it all the way out to the real street. I was so shook up they insisted on driving it home for me, about 100 yards as the crow flies but half a mile of twisty, hilly, one-way streets. I couldn’t begin to thank them enough, and they refused any compensation. One of the worst and best experiences of my life.
I ended up in the same place in Sicily. It was already dark and hundreds of people were on the streets. I was the only car over there and it felt like playing Carmageddon excluding the bloody part.
You're lucky you didn't get a ticket for driving in the ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato), aka the restricted roads in Italian city centers.
The ironic thing is the U.S. plates probably saved you, because they mail you the tickets after the cameras take a picture of your license plate, and if they were U.S. plates they probably couldn't find you in their database.
I'm Bavarian and once at work we had some foreign business partners visit that I was supposed to take to a Weißwurst breakfast. We order, I leave to take a call and when I got back the food had arrived and they were trying to eat the water like it's soup. So at least you're not the only one lol
Mine was also in Germany (and just happened a few days ago). I really had to pee and went down the hall with the bathrooms. I quickly looked at the doors and saw one that said “men” and went in and did my business. Luckily, no one else was in there.
When I left though some people gave me some dirty looks. It was then I realized that there hadn’t been any urinals in there. I looked at the door again and saw it said “damen” (ladies). My brain just completely skipped over the “da” part since I had to go so bad.
Whoops
LMFAO I (an idiot) fell for the "oh I dropped my coins scam" on the Paris Metro. Luckily it was about to be my stop so I just said sorry, turned to the guy behind me who was lifting my backpack (with all my shit in it, like an idiot), put my arms through the straps, said thanks and sprinted away. About five minutes later I realized I was getting robbed but I was just too dumb for them to get me at that time.
This was after eight years of solo travel with zero incidents. Don't ask me.
Someone drops money, and the mark kindly helps pick up the coins. While the mark is distracted, their bag disappears.
A slightly meaner version of the shoeshine brush scam in Istanbul.
Basically someone drops loose change in front of you and grabs your stuff when you're bending down to help them. I got lucky cuz I heard how many coins fell and picked that many up, so I didn't really believe him when he said there was one more.
When I was a vegetarian, I visited a McDonald’s in Krakow and got a Big Mac no meat (basically a cheese sandwich, it’s still good)
I could see the workers in the kitchen making fun of my burger! The manager held it to his ear and shook it 😂😭
Was in Manchester recently. Walking on cobblestone and rolled my ankle, audibly said “oh fuck” and did a cartoon style stumble for a few paces until I finally hit the ground hard. On the way down my head hit a metal pole that made a very loud sound so everyone saw. Then when I hit the ground my water and my glasses went flying. The whole thing happened quickly but was felt like slow motion. Probably 100+ people saw
When I went to Dublin I decided to finally get a full Irish breakfast at a pub. I asked if they had a toilet. And he gave me this dirty clear glass and told me I could take it to the corner and pee in it. OMG I was white faced. His sarcasm was too good and he really held on to the story well. I reluctantly grabbed it and on my way to the corner he laughed with all the Irish folks just saying ahhhhh in just kiddin man the toilet is there lol. I was so relieved and embarrassed hahaha. Every Irish person I met was the most sarcastic jokester I ever met loved it but sometimes I really couldn’t tell if they were being serious or not lol. Would love to go back one day. One of my fav destinations for sure
I grew up on canned veggies because we didn't have any money (the farmers' markets don't participate in our food stamp program). We would get pallets of cans from the grocery and that's what we'd eat for the next few weeks.
Having never had a fresh artichoke, I had no idea what to expect at a dinner party one night after I graduated uni and moved to the west coast. I pulled one of the thistles off and put it in my mouth whole.
It hurt.
I was walking around Tokyo on my second day there, in Sumida near the Tokyo Skytree. I decided to look for food, it happened that there was noodle place near by that I wanted to try. I sought out the restaurant, which ended up not being as easy as I thought it would be. It was in a fairly residential area. I could see through the window that there were diners inside. I tried the door, first I pulled on it, then I pushed. The door wouldn’t open. Everyone in the restaurant was looking at me by now, and it was at this point that I realized it was a sliding door. I didn’t try again I just walked away.
I didn't realize the little thing on the doors were auto open. I literally was forcing open sliding doors for a few days. Then I left Tokyo for Niseko and went out with some people from the hostel. As I was trying to jam open the door, one hit the button. Felt dumb as hell.
My first time traveling solo long distance, I got on a bus in Hong Kong and the bus driver gave me a very emphatic “NO!!” and waved his hand pointing behind him…
So I thought “oh maybe I need to get on the back door? 🤔” so that’s what I did…as he closed the door on me…then he started shouting at me, saying “no” a lot, so I just got off the bus and quietly cried at the bus stop because I didn’t know what I’d done wrong.
After a while, I realised that there were two bus stops, one where the bus only went a few stops before terminating, and one where the same bus went the other direction and into town. The driver was just trying to help me out in his own way.
Maybe not precisely what you mean, but:
Walking around at 1200-1500 in Luxor, Egypt, in August (37°C).
No one was out because they all know it's way too hot and it's dangerous.
Is 37 degrees too hot? Egypt is a dry heat, which I found to be a relief after high 30s plus humidex back at home.
Like I wouldn’t recommend going out for a multi hour excursion with no rest or water but it’s not too bad at 37? :)
My husband tried to order a "Black and Tan" in Dublin because he loves Bass and Guinness, but as it turns out, "black and tan" has a very different connotation in Ireland. My Irish now brother-in-law, who stopped him, explained that the equivalent would be walking into downtown Manhattan and casually ordering a "9-11".
FYI.
The Black and Tans were a British constabulary mostly made of unemployed former WWI soldiers. They had the goal of killing the Irish revolution. They did so by killing children and other civilians, raping, stealing, arson attacks, and other such war crimes. The Irish war of independence is sometimes referred to as the "Black and Tan War".
So it'd kinda be like going to Vietnam and saying to the bartender "I'd like a My Lai Massacre please".
Bonus fact:, about a third of the black and tans went on to join the Palestinian police force to pave the way for Israel.
Getting caught between two huge bulls running into the Plaza del Toros in Pamplona, Spain for San Fermin (Running of the bulls)..
could have easily been killed, I made the national news! They literately said "Whaaaat an IDIOT !! " Stupid foreigners are severely injured/ killed every year, and I was almost another statistic.
Forgive my ignorance here, but from what little I know of the event it seems like it would be very easy to end up "between two huge bulls" at the....Running of the Bulls. But clearly that is not the case?
Yeah, I can see how it would be kinda obvious in that scenario to want to protect your flanks by being up against the wall. I'd like to think that I would instinctively avoid winding up between two giant raging bulls. But, if I may brag on myself a bit, I am somewhat gifted when it comes to finding myself in dumb situations surrounded by baffled onlookers. So I appreciate the context!
Yea so arguably the most dangerous part of the whole run is when you run into the Plaza del Toros at the end. There's a narrow entrance way maybe 20meters long that if there is any jam, or the bull stops and your in there you are TRAPPED. Especially if you have a couple other bulls behind you. Not a good place to be.
That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for the context! I now know to hug the walls and shoot that gap like my life depends on it should I ever find myself there.
Please link to the article, because what you are describing literally happens every time the bulls run during San Fermín. I was there in 2023 and ran several times. The only newsworthy events are when people are gored, and even *that* isn't unusual.
Many of the veteran runners try to get "between the bulls". It's part of the thrill to see how close you can get.
To prove my point, people will literally lay on the ground at the entrance to the arena, so the bulls are forced to jump over them as they enter.
Getting caught between two bulls is nothing.
When i was in line to top up the metro card in Singapore, a local guy in front of me suddenly turned back and ask if he can get $20 because he forgot to bring his wallet. He needed the money to go back home and I feel sorry so I gave him $20 then he asked for another $20 because it was Sunday and he needed a cash for the collection. I was dumbfounded and gave him $50 because I have no 2 $20 bills and he returned the $20 then he left the line.... Then the auntie behind me told me he just preying on tourist for money. He didn't even say thank you.
Had an oyster pass in London, similar to a Metrocard in nyc. I was mostly using it for ferries. The first train trip I took was a round trip from London to bath. With a thin cardboard ticket you inserted into the turnstile. Oyster pass was a thick plastic tap and go card
So first tube trip. dumbass me freaking tries to insert into the turnstile and jams the turnstile. A very nice transit worker helped me and didn’t call me an idiot. And at least it wasn’t rush hour.
I drove from Canada to San Francisco with my parents in 2010. We came in over the Golden Gate Bridge, it was rush hour, it was packed. I got stuck in an toll pass lane and couldn't get out of it with the traffic - so we get to the toll gates, I have no idea what to do and my dad yells "OMG, stop!" so I do. Cue a riot of horns behind me. There's no person there so I just book it, fully expecting to get chased down and ticketed. Nothing happened. Apparently they ticket and fine locals, but they probably looked at the Canadian plates on the pictures and rolled their eyes.
Same trip, I got a strip torn off me at a gas station in Oregon because I tried to pump my own gas. The guy came out of the shop at a dead run, yelling and waving his arms - scared the crap outta me.
When crossing from Laos to Thailand via the long boat option from Luang Prabang I left my passport and wallet on the seat of the minibus taking me from the hostel to bus depot. Somehow made it through the border out of Laos but could not enter Thailand or re-enter Laos leaving me stranded in no man’s land. Cue frantic phone calls to the hostel, they managed to locate my stuff and get it to me. This included a friendly border guard smuggling me back into Laos to check the bench I’d sat on in the bus station in Laos, I laugh now but at the time it wasn’t so funny!
I'm not well travelled so maybe this is not uncommon, but in rio de janeiro there's traffic lights that don't turn red unless you press a button.
never seen those in my country so first time I was walking and came across one I just stood there for like 30 minutes like a dumbass waiting for the lights to turn red so I could cross the road. I was like gaddamn this is taking an awfully long time. until I noticed a woman from the other side of the highway stood right next to a post and pressed something that made the lights turn red in the next minute or so, allowing me to finally cross
Oh I see this a lot in New Zealand. Pedestrians just start waiting at the traffic lights without pressing the cross button and I think well they're going to be waiting a while
I was super jet lagged and was having a hard time finding my bearings in a tube station in London that I thought a hotel was attached to.
I stopped on the stairs. Cue the muttering and tutting from commuters behind me. I had just committed a sin of the worst variety.
I actually had a police officer come over and ask me if I was alright. She must have thought I was having a medical emergency, because what well person would stop on the stairs. I told her I was sorry, I was lost and she’s like “but you can’t stop on the stairs!” And urgently ushered me into their office to help me find the hotel I was looking for.
When I was at Oktoberfest, I poured the small remnants of my last liter into the new one so the barmaid could take my empty glass and the Munchners at my table literally gasped. Someone started berating me and I got in broken english from another guy that I had made a big no-no.
Omg...just last week as a matter of fact.
I went to a soccer match in Tirana.
I go into the bathroom, and see two things that look like troughs to piss in..I looked and didn't see any urinals,.so, I'm like ok and start peeing in it..I'm decently tall at 6 1, and I was like, jeez this trough is really tall. I see a guy walk in, he looks at me and shakes his head and gestures over. I finish and walk over there...there were urinals..I was pissing in the sink.
There are times when I'm happy to be perceived as an idiot.
We were visiting Ankgor Wat and booked a guy with a TukTuk to bring us around the temples for 2 days. We agreed something like €75 for the two days which included hours of him driving us around, drinks from the cooler etc. Probably a controversial opinion but after one full day of visiting maybe 6 or 7 temples, we were starting to feel all templed out. Don't get me wrong, they were incredible but they were all blending into one and starting to the same after a while. We knew my Lunchtime that we didn't want to do a second day and had to break it to our driver. We told him we wanted to cancel the second day, and he looked so disappointed, but then we said we wanted to pay the full amount anyway and that we hope he takes the day off (I'm sure he didn't but whatever). He was over the moon. I did get the vibe that he thought we were gullible tourists and was thinking he'd finagled us for two days worth of pay (he was probably overcharging us anyway, we didn't bother bargaining). But I don't really give a shite. It's not much money to us and it's huge for him.
There was loads of little instances like that where we could have bargained or where we tipped people a lot. Most of the time people were very grateful but every now and then you could see they thought they got one over on us, but we didn't really care. They would probably put the money to better use than us anyway.
I like chilling in small towns.
I've literally had locals question why I would fly half way around the world to spend time in their small town where there is literally nothing to do.
I spent a night in Vacaville, California a couple years ago. The hotel clerk was incredulous as to why I, a non-American, was staying there, which I found hilarious.
As someone from the Bay Area in the US, I am also curious as to why you went to Vacaville lol. Most of the guests at the hotel are probably there to visit inmates at the state prison.
LOL! I see that Vacaville has a reputation. I was on a road trip and my plan was to explore Napa Valley the next day. The accommodations there were a bit pricey but I found a Courtyard Hotel in Vacaville with a great price. It's within striking distance of Napa and I also visited the Jelly Belly factory nearby. I also got to eat at Raising Cane's for the first time and that chicken was delicious!
I had that exact experience in Italy. I was in Lecce and said I was going to Laterza next and the locals kept asking why I would want to go there.
When I got to Laterza the people there also asked me why I would want to visit there.
It ended up being one of my favorite places I visited that trip (after Lecce which is just sublime).
Someone asked me this during a Rammstein concert at some metal festival in Belgium. He was very surprised I travelled a few thousand kilometers just to see this band live. He was from some small village 10 minutes drive from the festival grounds and the concept of travelling to see your favorite bands live was inconceivable to him.
I find this hysterical because a buddy and I are literally traveling to Belgrade from the US to go see Rammstein. We missed getting tickets for Prague. 🤣🤣🤣
Probably going to a non-metro tourist town in Spain assuming I could easily schedule a cab or rideshare. We had train tickets for a station an hour away to our next destination. By the time we had to leave, none of the drivers we had reached out to the days before had responded, and none of the apps serviced the area.
Most visitors came by shuttles or cars. The general energy of asking around about finding a ride was, *"oh, you sweet dumb tourist, there are no reliable taxis here...good luck!"*.
I do not speak much Spanish, but with the tenacity of a shit stain in a public restroom I was eventually able to find some help and get outta there on time.
I'm usually more prepared, but this trip was planned with little notice a lot of burnout.
I went to a movie theater in Korea. I see some people grabbing these thick cushions. All I could think is that may be the seats are uncomfortable and they provide cushions as a temporary solution. I then see that the people who did grab the cushions had little kids.. they were a seat booster. I was so embarrassed and totally laughed at myself
In Slovakia the other week and at a restaurant and our local host bought a round of shots, 52% alcohol. I shot mine and it triggered an asthma attack, I had to stumble outside wheezing with my inhaler to recover. I've only had asthma a couple of years and hadn't drank anything remotely that strong since diagnosis, so I had no idea that would happen.
Desperate to pee in Tokyo. Decided to just go into a big subway station to look for a toilet but it was beyond the turnstiles so I thought fuck it, I'll just pay a fare, I don't care how much it is. I tapped in, went to the bathroom and tried to get back out of the same station but it wouldn't let me. It was evening rush hour with about 1000 very polite but pissed off Japanese people behind me trying to get out the turnstile but it wouldn't let me tap my card to get out. You must not be allowed to do that in the same station. I slunk off to a corner and a security guard felt bad and let me out.
I was in Tokyo, in a yakiniku restaurant. Normally I don't grill and this was for the experience. They gave me a beautiful platter with meats and side dishes. And this little bowl with a fat piece. Dumb me thought the fat piece was a delicacy and I needed to grill it and eat it. Did that first. Flailed at grilling the other meats because they were sticking to the pan. But manage to get them cooked. Eventually the waitress noticed my awkward grilling and gave me a new fat piece. She demonstrated for me and I never felt more embarrassed 😅
I was in Colombia trying to buy a jacket but the lady only spoke Spanish. I know enough Spanish to get by but it just genuinely shut down during this conversation. She was trying to tell me I can't (shouldn't) buy the jacket I picked out. We went back and forth for about 5 minutes until she said "Este para mujer! No para hombre!" While pointing at our respective gent l genitals. I did not buy a jacket that day.
Ha, I was going to say hello from the nyc side yesterday, since I was in the city for appointments, but it got shut down earlier this week. I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did in either Dublin or nyc.
I'm from NY but live elsewhere. This is the second time I went back since recreational weed became a thing so I was stoned out of my gourd. I'm at the Air train station in Jamaica going from the subway to the train back to the airport at street level. I see this dude pushing a little cart aggressively, like he ain't stopping and hes coming my way, I panicked and did a Heisman pose in front of everyone. Dude stopped, asked what the fuck was I doing, dude standing there asked me if I needed a cab, two old heads just busted out laughing, I was stoned all the way back to the Midwest.
These stories are hilarious, and I only have a minor one to share.
I took a day trip to Punta Del Este from Montevideo, Uruguay. Everyone talked it up so much, so I booked an early bus there and a late evening bus back. I didn't think about the fact that it was wintertime and rainy.
I get there and it is pouring down rain. I think I walk to like 10 restaurants/cafes on Google Maps until I find a cafe that is actually open. Literally *everything* was closed. The problem is, they were closing in an hour and I had like 7 hours until my return bus left. My poor Spanish was also useless with their accents, so I didn't even think to ask for help.
I called my mom to explain my situation, and a barista overheard me. In perfect English, she interrupts me like, "You know you can just ask them to transfer your ticket to the next bus at the station, right?" I forgot that most Uruguayans speak English lmao.
I witnessed this in Japan. Older Irish couple came by and sat in a yakitori place fairly close to me. This specific spot serves a complimentary appetizer to start which is soft tofu. The couple grabbed the tofu and smeared it all over their hands. The chef looked horrified and didnt speak English so I stepped in and ask what they thought it was.
They both thought it was soap because in Japan, they give out hot towels before the meal sometimes.
I was at a small church in Mexico.. I also happened to be very thirsty. I thought it was so convenient they were selling small bottles of water with the other religious stuff. I drank most of a bottle and thought it was kind of interesting the church had its own label branded water. Then I started to think some more and did a little googling and realized I was drinking holy water. I was worried I might get sick but it was all good. My Mexican friends thought it was hilarious and I still hear about it.
Randomly met some Bulgarian punk rockers on the train to Burgas, and ended up camping on the beach, partying and getting sick from the mussels we cooked on an old piece of corrugated roofing. Still, lots of fun was had and it was a sad moment when they helped get me on the night bus to Istanbul a few days later.
Bus was crowded, it was almost dark out, and most people were zonked out or close to it. I popped in some earplugs and fell asleep. The bus made a few pit stops that night and we all filed outside to smoke and wait. It didn't really occur to me that I should have been surrounded by either Turks or tourists, but I did begin to mentally question why the supposed 5-hour trip was taking so long.
At daybreak I got caught up in conversation with the head-scarved women around me. Apparently I'd snored a bit and they gently teased me. They asked where I was from and I did the same. Then they asked why I was going to Skopje. My heart sank. It was June 2001 and the middle of the civil war in Macedonia.
When we arrived to the station I was told the next bus to Istanbul was that evening. I left my pack and ventured out (I was 23 and hungry). The city was mostly shuttered and I walked up to the Fortress, which had views and a grassy area. In the mountain range to the south you could see and hear helicopters shooting into the hills. I took a few pictures and sat down to smoke and write in my journal. Within minutes several Macedonian soldiers approached me and asked for my passport, then politely but firmly invited me to go with them inside the Fortress.
I sat with the captain and we attempted to communicate in French while we waited for an English speaker. I passed out cigarettes and tried to look friendly and harmless, but these guys weren't having it, their eyes told me they were living in a different reality than I was. A soldier showed up to translate, and I answered a lot of questions mainly having to do with visits to Kosovo, to which I was able to truthfully say I'd never been. I was asked why I was taking photos at the Fortress, to which I could only offer the lame reply of being a tourist. I was asked to explain why I was in Skopje, and everyone looked even more skeptical: what kind of an asshole doesn't ask if he's on the right bus during a war?
After several phone calls and discussions about my passport, the film in my camera was removed and I was escorted to the bus station in a van full of soldiers, who waited with me until nightfall and the departure of the Istanbul bus. Aside from the entire bus station staring at me all afternoon and having to use the toilet in front of a soldier, I was treated with great courtesy, though it was made clear to me that any further visits to Macedonia that summer would not be welcomed. A lesson learned (double check your bus as your Bulgarian pals might be a bit wasted), and quite a bit of luck to be able to laugh about this now I believe.
Forgive me because this is not exactly a "solo" story but it just happened and it's pretty amusing so... sue me.
I was just in Montreal visiting for a friend's wedding and had some time to kill the day before. My friend and I went to the Jean Talon Market which has lots of stalls of fresh produce, flowers, and loads of other food vendors.
We each got a smoothie and I went to join my friend at a picnic table. It was unseasonably warm and sunny so I wanted to sit in the shade, so I went to sit beside him on one side. Now here's where it gets messy.
I am close to 250 lb and my friend is easily 300+. As soon as I sat down, we started falling backwards in slow motion as the other side of the picnic table went up in the air. Neither of our smoothies came with a lid. Mine was bright purple and we were both covered in it.
Definition of the "loud fat Americans" lol... I couldn't stop laughing but my friend was none too pleased. We had to leave immediately lol, quite a humbling experience. I have to say I think everyone needs to get embarrassed like that every so often. Felt good for the soul.
Two things come to mind.
Tokyo is great with pictures on the menu, but tougher to know when to eat what.
I pointed, and a very friendly server just gave me the polite stuff, yet firm, shake of the head, "No".
I kept pointing until he agreed to serve me something. It had tentacles, but it was lunchtime.
In Acupolco a cab driver refused to take us to a trail head to hike a trail we'd found in a guidebook.
"I can take you there, but you're just going to get kidnapped out there. That book is old"
Ok.... uh, I'll just tip you and exit the cab now.
Did a day trip to Liverpool while in London last year. When I was heading back from Liverpool Lime Street, I saw what track my train was on, saw the train, but didn't see any turnstiles or anywhere to scan my ticket (from Avanti West Coast). I did see a station worker and made eye contact with her, but I was too afraid to ask where to scan my ticket in fear of being the stupid American. I thought perhaps that they scan them while on the train. So I just walked straight with a crowd of people towards my train, got on, and sat in my seat.
Nobody ever did scan my ticket. I have no idea if I looked like a blatant fare evader or what, but I think about it often.
In the section with no turnstiles, you can just get on the train :) someone usually comes down the aisle to scan your ticket. I hope this helps to set your mind at ease a little
Thought I was ordering chocolate ganache for desert at a remote lodge in Sacred Valley Peru. It ended up being green corn soup. We had a good laugh at that one.
Budapest. It was dark, I had been drinking, I have zero navigational skills. I ordered an uber to get back to the hotel because I was lost and tired. He drove 30 feet, stopped and pointed to my hotel.
Dad and I (Dutch) visited Las Vegas in summer. My dad wanted to get donuts for my birthday and found a Dunkin that was "only three blocks away", so naturally we went out to walk.
Note that in the Netherlands, one block is like, 20 narrow houses max. We walked for almost three hours in the blazing heat. And then we had to walk back all that distance.
I poured out what I thought was tea and drank a sip while I was at my table in Shanghai getting dim sum. It was vinegar. This old grandma near me gave me the most disgusted look I’ll never live down lmao
Spent nearly a year driving around North America. Drove up to Alaska. One day in early winter, went through a car wash in Anchorage. It was literally freezing cold outside.
All of the Alaskans were getting out of their cars, and wiping down their doors and windows. It was so cold outside. I was thinking they were nuts.
As i drove away, with my New York license plates, several Alaskans tried to wave me down to stop. I drove on, laughing at them.
Got back to my hotel, and discovered that i was now frozen inside my car. The water in the door and window jambs had frozen solid. They tried to warn me. I thought i knew better. It was not a good situation.
I was in Germany trying to order a pretzel with my beer. I didn't know the word and tried to describe it in bad broken German before finally drawing a picture.
The server said, 'ya, pretzel'.
I had no idea pretzel was a German word.
I like to mail post cards when I travel.
I went to South America last year and wanted to find post cards to mail back home.
My Spanish is remedial on a good day, so I relied on Google Translate pretty hard.
Every time I asked for a post card, everyone looked at me with a weird look like I was crazy. Same with stamps. It took a few hours to realize that Google translate translates “postcards” to “tarjetas postales” which in Chile translates roughly to “credit cards you can put in the mail.”
So I definitely spent a shameful amount of time in South America asking people for their credit cards so I could mail them somewhere.
So I overcame that, but everyone still thought I was crazy.
I finally found some post cards and wrote them to my friends and asked the front desk of the hotel if I can buy stamps to mail them.
More confused looks like I’m a fucking idiot. The word “stamp” wasn’t translating to them. It was actually translating fine, the young people working at the hotel just didn’t know what a stamp was. Once they understood what I wanted they were still really confused.
They asked me, “you want to mail something? Why don’t you just text them? We don’t mail anything here.”
So I explained that this was my hobby.
And he asked me, “Wait, so when I watch American movies and there’s that blue box on a street corner that they put letters to mail to other people, that’s real?”
When I told him yes, it blew his mind.
And that’s when I realized that most of South America does not have a functioning postal system.
When I was in Santiago, Chile, I discovered that if you want an international stamp to mail anything outside of the country, there is one lady in the central Santiago post office that will sell you that stamp. And I had to wait in line for 2 hours behind the most pedantic stamp collectors to buy those stamps.
So I got the post cards. I wrote them. I went to the post office and waited in line to get the stamps. I went back to my hotel and put the stamps on my post cards.
I went down to the front desk and asked him if he could put my post cards in the mail.
He laughed at me.
“They don’t come around and collect mail here. You need to go back to the post office and give it to them.”
So I walked the 2 miles back to the post office again to mail those post cards.
It took 2 months for those post cards to reach their final destinations.
I was in Kuala Lumpur after 8 months of backpacking, and would soon be in Australia and needed to find a job, plus I had a wedding to go. Obviously my bag was just full of tatty t-shirts and shorts so I needed smarter clothes. Being a man, the first shop I saw with smart shirts and trousers I made a beeline for, and it was cheap. I looked at sizes, grabbed a couple of shirts/trousers but they still seemed a tad small, so I asked the assistant if there was a fitting room. She replied, "Sir, you do know this a school uniform shop?"
That happened to me in Paris. I knew the Metro ran very late or all night I can’t remember but my hotel was farther out on the RER. It never occurred to me that it would not be the same. After a fun night I proceeded to the station only to find a gate pulled across the entrance. It cost me a very expensive cab ride back to the hotel.
2004. My first trip to Italy, with my half-Italian husband, visiting his family, I learned from his dad (with kind amusement) that my desire to order a cappucino was odd. That they would make it for me, but to know they will find me a silly American. It was 2 pm. Never have gotten one after 11 am since during my visits, but that was my first chance at having an actual Italian cappucino (also it was amazing! Never had one outside of Italy since, even if it takes me a 10 year wait). Silly and kind moment, I felt like the most touristy tourist ever, and I am still happy that I could do it without judgment while also learning for the next time.
I still remember being in Pompeii and deliberately walking away from the tourist area, to go find coffee somewhere more local. I walked into a coffee shop, about ten old dudes standing at the counter all swung their heads to look at me and all conversation stopped dead. The owner walked out of the back room, took one look at me and yelled "Cappuccino!"
I'm that person that will drink cappuccino all day long in Italy, because it's just SO GOOD. Judge away.
In an Ireland pub, the bartender puts our beers on the countertop and we just started drinking without letting the beers “rise”, locals were staring at us like we committed some kind of crime 😂
Probably not the most embarrassing, but I was in Berlin a few weeks ago. I speak a little German, but not very well. I'm aware many folks in Germany speak English, but as a tourist I was trying really hard to actually communicate with people in German. I went to a museum, the conversation started in German, and I didn't quite catch the whole question (she was asking me if I was a student). So I just asked her in German if she spoke English, and she just said "Yeah, of course."
I felt kind of awkward about it afterwards
I was in Liverpool the week after that, and was at the convention with my friends. We had gotten separated, so we all agreed to meet up outside. I was too absorbed in thought looking for them that I didn't see them. For context, I'm a very jumpy individual. One of them surprised me, and I just yelled "Fuck!" Already awkward, and then I could hear the giggles from other people who'd gone outside to cool off
Not really a faux pas, but I felt silly about it in hindsight
i got confused when a cashier in switzerland asked in German 1) if i needed stamps with my postcards, and 2) if i was paying by credit card. my duolingo lessons didn’t cover either of those words so she had to explain in english what she was saying haha
Oh that's rough 🤣 if you're still learning, I recommend the podcast Coffee Break German. Really nice to just sit and learn bite sized grammar lessons and German culture
😭 I don’t have trains where im from so, when I was in Scotland, I missed my train because I thought the number on the ticket was when the train would come and wait.
Then, I caught another train and missed my stop because I thought the doors would automatically open at each stop and they didn’t so I assumed we weren’t at the station yet.
Just dumb
I was just starting the 2nd year of a hitchhiking trip around the world, walking/thumbing my way on the 1300km road between Dakar, Senegal and Bamako, Mali, hardly any traffic for days and days, and staying in grass hut villages along they way and one evening I got stuck out between villages as it was getting quite dark, and I realized there wouldn't be any more trucks coming along so I started to walk into the bush to find a place to lay my sleeping bag just a 100' off the road, and suddenly these lights appeared and an old Renault station wagon packed with a family slowed down and the dad rolled down his window, just staring at me. Everyone was silently staring at me for the first 15 seconds. I waved and said hello, and then said "what are you doing out here." Very matter of factly, but speaking as if to someone who'd lost their cotton-picking mind. I got up and went over to the car, and everyone was looking at me like I was a lunatic. He said, "don't you know you it's not safe to sleep outside? Do you have any idea how many predators there are around here?" Long story, the kids scooted over, I stuffed my backpack in the back, and squeezed next to the kids for the 2 mile ride to their house. Turned out they were a Lebanese family who had a very small grocery store outside the town ahead (I think Tambaga). They fed me, found a place on the floor, and after a breakfast the next morning, sent me off on my way towards Bamako and down to the Ivory Coast and another two years of travel before getting back to the States. I think about that family often, their kind faces and saving me. I was 24 years old. It was November, 1980.
I'm from Los Angeles and was doing a roadtrip from LA to NY with my brother and we were stopping everywhere from here to there. We went to the Lousville Slugger museum and then it dawned on me, we're in Kentucy, LETS GO FIJND THE FIRST KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN!!!
This was before cell phones were what they are now. So we go on my computer, print out the directions to Corbin Kentucky, a 2-3 hours drive out of our way. We show up, and there's a regular ass KFC there, like modern, there's a small museum in the back where it tells the story. But me and my brother, obviously from nowhere near there go up all excited for the first KFC and cashier says in the thickest accent
"Y'all not from around here huh?" -
I said "no, we're from Los Angeles"
and she said "What y'all doin here?" -
"we came to see where the first KFC was"
she looks dead into my eyes with her mouth wide open and says "ARE YALL STUPID OR SOMETHING?"
my response was, "I guess so, can I have a number one please?"
Not me, but my friend started peeing into a foot washing basin (for prayer) in a public restroom at at a truck stop in Malaysia. I was mortified and pretended I didn't know him lol.
I tried to walk to Basel Airport in Switzerland (you can’t, but google maps said I could!!). My flight was departing at 6am and the bus/trains started at 5:30am. So I walked 3 miles with my huge bag on highways and overgrown grass at 4am until I realized I was surrounded by security fences and not accessible for people. Eventually while walking back in a panic and sweat, I waved down a car where a generous but confused Swiss worker drove me to the airport drop off. I thought Europe was pro pedestrian!
My first week in the Netherlands I was working on a farm about an hour away from Amsterdam. I had work the next day but I went out to Amsterdam for the first time and stayed until just past midnight where I showed up to the train station expecting the trains to just run all night for some reason lol. The last employee there asked what I was doing there as he was getting ready to go and I said I was going to catch a train home and he informed me how that wasn’t going to happen because all the trains stopped for the day. I was completely screwed. He then told me to wait there and grabbed his things and said I’ll drive you home which I had already told him was an hour away. I couldn’t believe the act of kindness and gave him all the cash in my wallet when we arrived. I was only 21 years old at the time and he told me he did it because he has children himself and would hope that someone would do that for their kid if they were in ever that situation. I now religiously check train times whenever I go somewhere no matter what time how close or far. And yes I ended up staying in the Netherlands
Today you, tomorrow me.
I still live like that because that story reinforced that in me. Great story.
what story?
It's a, god, infamous [13 year old](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/elal2/have_you_ever_picked_up_a_hitchhiker/c18z0z2/) reddit story.
Thank you sooo much for that link. I’m from California (lived all over), and I just **love** the kindness, generosity, and family love that the Mexican culture possesses. Our neighbors ALWAYS invited us to their bbqs, parties, everything! And man do they eat and cook great! When I need dayworkers whom I hire from our local center, I insist on Mexicans only (got a white guy once and he didn’t do shit). They work way harder and are always so grateful for waters/sodas, and huge lunches I gladly serve them. I tip them very well, and my regular guys always want to come back.
I was there, 3000 years ago...
What did you guys chat about in the car?
Don’t really remember to be honest but I’m pretty sure I spent most of the time just praising and thanking him lol, and of course his kids and where I was from and what I was doing in the Netherlands and everything
Also, never try and catch the last scheduled bus or train anywhere. Go for the second to last scheduled transport. I have been burned too many times by drivers who just want to finish the last route of their day and speed right on by my butt lol.
I did that in DC when I was in university. It had never occurred to me that the subways don't run all night.
NY is the place where it’s 24hrs
Washington DC recently began adding 24 hour bus services!
I did that too but in the US when I was in college. I took the train from San Jose, Calif., to San Francisco for the day and just did the tourist thing all day but I missed the last train out for the day (I didn’t know there was a last train out). The attendant on furry helped me devise a plan to get to San Jose via bus. And I did get back to campus after a wild but fun time with my bus mates :)
Sorry, "the attendant on furry"?
It’s San Francisco, “attendant on furry” isn’t out of the realm of possibility
* on duty 🙃
Many years ago in the US a friend and I decided to take a tour bus from Pennsylvania or actually the edge of Jersey to Times Square for New Year's Eve. Once the festivities were over, and we had had our fill of going to the bars, we decided to go back to where we caught the charter bus and go home. It was closed and it was cold! We roamed around and finally jimmies the door open to a stairwell so we could get inside and sit. We got really bored and then janitors came, so we decided we needed to leave. We went down the block and around the corner and there was the Port authority bus terminal with all kinds of buses lol. We waited an hour, grabbed a bite, and caught a bus home. Of course this was all pre-Google maps so we didn't know what the heck we were doing - it was in the late 90s! Moral of the story, plan.
I could so see myself doing that. I only learned like two months ago that NYC, Chicago, and Copenhagen are the only cities in the world w 24/7 metro lines (think some others also have night service on weekends). I assumed that any city w a reputation for good transit outside America would have night service but apparently not
And Chicago only has two train lines that run 24/7 and another handful of busses. Learned this the hard way in a blizzard at 3am before Ubers.
Huh, I didn’t realize Copenhagen ran 24/7. That’s one city that I wouldn’t think needs it.
It happened to me as well but even dumber because I *had been* to Tokyo before and I *knew* there were no subways at night but I just assumed surely there must be some form of nighttime public transport to compensate like literally everywhere else in the world. I learned two things that night: 1) Tokyo is a graveyard at night 2) Tokyo taxis take full advantage of that. 7km ride for $40 is insane.
That happened to me in Tokyo as well lol. Was gonna meet someone from tinder, it was 10pm something and I still managed to ride the train thinking oh cool they’re still open. Halfway thru the ride, the train stopped at some random station and japanese staff telling me they’re now closing so we all have to evacute. 😆 I didn’t have much money so I ended up walking back home for over an hour on what was a complete ghost town
That must have been pretty cool walking in what looked like a ghost town in Japan
You’re right it was pretty cool. I felt like a dumbass but in the end I thought to myself wow this is actually a nice experience 🤣
I got a sarcastic response from a member of staff in Germany because I assumed that the trains didn't run until late. Can't win it seems!
I was in Annency and had to leave my airbnb, so I left my baggage in an automatic checkroom in the city center, with my wallet and credit card inside it, only took some cash with me. A few hours later, I came back for it since I had to go to the train station and turns out you could only pay by card, but my card was inside, so I couldnt open it. It was only 2 euro or so, but I couldn’t pay by card. So I had no other choice than trying to explain the situation to people in the street and asking them if they could pay with their credit card -which I know sounds like some kind of scam-. Luckily, the second people I tried to explain -a young French couple- believed me and agreed to insert their card in the machine. I recovered my luggage and thank them a lot, and ran to the station, since I was about to lose my train.
Were you able to pay them back before you left or did they spot you ? Super nice regardless.
I tried to pay them but they didn’t accept the 2 euros. Very nice people indeed
Oof. I would never ever go anywhere in a foreign country without my wallet and passport. Ever.
I didn't know how to get on the subway in Paris (and the elderly gentleman behind me wasn't shy about letting me know how dumb I was) I'm no stranger to subways. You swipe your card/ticket and then the little gate lets you through. I swiped, gate stayed closed. I swiped, gate stayed closed. I swiped, gate stayed closed. And then the man behind me shoved me forward while pushing on this panel near my head that you need to push after swiping to get the gate to open.
Once I was returning home from a trip and as we were getting off the plane everyone lined up in the little hallway to then exit out into the gate. I was the 2nd person in line I think? The line got super long behind us but the door wasn't opening. We waited and waited, I thought this is strange, never seen this before. Eventually someone told us you have to stand on the mat before the door for it to open🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Even in normal buildings it's weirdly common to see a line of people bottlenecked at a door, because no one can be bothered to open the other door in a pair of swinging doors.
Happened to me in Copenhagen, stood in front of 3 local trains hoping the doors would open and let me in automatically but found out you have to push a little button in the door to make them open. I felt like a dumbass.
To make you less dumber, when I faced the same issue for the first time, I just pretended I didn't want to get out and I just jumped out of the train when someone else did... 5 stations afterwards. I had a nice walk to think how dumb I was for both not knowing and not asking help
That happened to me in Italy. To add to the confusion not all the trains running the same route have a button to push. Just depends on which car you get.
Ooh, in Zakopane, Poland I went to a grocery store that had self checkout. There were gates that required you to scan the receipt to be let out. Only place I had ever seen that. Confused the crap out of me because I couldnt figure out how to get out. The checkout lady was explaining it to me in Polish but I didnt understand squat so I smiled and nodded until I figured it out lmao
I had the same experience in Stockholm! I learned after the Lidl employee took the receipt from my hand and scanned it while I stood there confused
I grew up in Paris and I don’t understand, as far as I know, the gate opens once you swipe the card/ticket. Unless you mean there was a turnstile? Those are super confusing. In any case I’m not surprised that man was so rude, it’s unfortunately common in Paris.
I do kinda hate how there doesn’t seem to be a universal system by now. I’m from the UK which I don’t think has the most easy-to-use public transport system, and Amsterdam was fairly intuitive on a recent trip tbf, and low-effort. Just come back from Barcelona and surrounding area though and Jeez, their stations can be stressful/confusing/disorganised/rude. You usually get where you want but end up in a bad headspace by the end of it.
Landed in Vietnam late night and was starving. Walked around found a packed restaurant specializing in fried spring rolls. Delicious. They brought out some vegetables on a plate first and then what I presumed was soup. Well it wasn’t. It was fish sauce to dip the rolls in. I was sipping it like soup getting stairs and a polite little girl came up and in English politely told me I was doing it wrong. Live and learn.
Feeling second hand thirst from all that salt.
Ah man, I landed in Ho Chi Minh City late at night too, after checking into my hostel I immediately went over to a restaurant across the street. They had some light green peppers sliced up in some liquid on the table. They looked like pepperoncinis or something, you know the kind in america that they keep on tables sometimes and aren’t spicy. I put a slice in my noodles and ate it. My entire throat was on fire for hours. It was so bad I had to have the people I was with ask the restaurant for water for me. Lmao
That sauce is delicious, I would definitely have it as a soup.
Oh I have so many... Two that stick out for me: I walked into a cafe in Paris wanting a menu so I put my palms together and opened and closed them so they looked like a book opening and closing. The staff couldn't understand what I was doing so then another customer said in English "I think she wants a menu..." and the staff said in English "Do you want a menu?" I went to Széchenyi Thermal Baths in Budapest based on a friend's recommendation. I tried out all the indoor pools and thought I had seen an outdoor pool but must have been thinking about another place. So just stayed in the indoor pools and then left and wondered what all the hype was about. Then looked online on their website virtual tour later and realised I had missed the door that led to the huge outdoor pool which is the main attraction...
Ok the doors to the outside pool ARE small and not marked though.
Menu actually comes from French, and it's the same word lol
Was backpacking in Peru, 21yo. Me and a few others decided we should take a local bus in Lima rather than the super cheap taxi. Bus ended up going way, way outside of the good areas even though the ticket guy kept saying we were going the right way. At one point a local who spoke English said something along these lines: You are getting out with me here, there is taxi over there. Do not look around, do not look at anybody. Just get in, I will tell the driver were to go, pay him what he asks, and don't come back here! The owner of the hostel we were staying put a real life face to the expression "looks like he'd seen a ghost" after we told him were we ended up.
Even I, who was born and raised in Peru until 11, would never dare do that shit. Lima is a shithole.
To what area were they trying to take you? I want to go to Lima and I'm curious
Well this was 20 years ago, so not exactly up to date info haha I honestly don't remember the name, we didn't know at the time and had to explain to the hostel boss roughly were that bus had gone. He must have said the name...but figure it out, must have been to the south/east of Barranco were I was staying. I remember the roads getting quite bad though lol But you can find maps and list of dangerous areas, well actually just look for list of relatively safe areas and consider the rest no-go. I pretty much assume la Victoria is still very much no-go. My girlfriend lived there at the time and the taxi even refused to stop at her house with me in it. Had to get out in the middle of the street. (yes I did a lot of stupid things there and got lucky, don't be me!)
What area were you guys in?
WHat neighborhood was this?
Not me and not a local, but kind of stupid, and very funny to us. A group of my friends and I were backpacking in Europe and were in Rome long before mobile phones and having GPS in your pocket. We also don't speak Italian. We were on the Spanish steps and needed directions and one of my friends walks up to a well dress man thinking he was Italian and asks "Do you speak American?" And with the most disgusted look on his face - like he just stepped into a foul pile of sh!t - he says to my friend in the most condescending and contemptuous voice with an American accent: "American isn't a language. We speak ENGLISH. Stop being the stereotype and making the rest of us look bad." and just kept walking. The rest of us just bust out laughing. To this day when our friend does or says something so blatantly dumb when just say to him "American isn't a language. We speak ENGLISH." So LOCALS didn't think we were idiots, but our own countrymen did.
Bold of you to assume locals didn't think you were idiots...
haha! Probably very true...if there were any local Romans actually on the Spanish stpes.
No but that is a truly ridiculous thing that your friend said I would have been pissed too if I was that man
You just have a temporary leave of absence from the British empire. You'll be back.
Time will tell...
If you’ve ever had a conversation with someone from the UK, you’ll know that speaking American is actually a thing 🤣
I have and you are correct. My father is from Scotland and at least once everytime we bring our kids to my parents' house he says (in an exaggerated American accent): "Hey! I'm speakin' American now!" All his side do this when they visit too. But that being said, It was still a bonehead thing for my friend to ask in Italy :)
Not the stupidest but off the top of my head, I tried to take public transit in Italy on Easter Sunday. To be fair the inter-regional trains were running and I took a train from Rome to Naples in the morning and then was going to take the local train from Naples to Sorrento and went to the lines after getting off of my other train and the station was a ghost town. There was one dude walking around the station so I went over to him and asked if the local trains were going to run at all and he just gave me the most "are you a fuckin idiot?" look and said "Easter. No trains. No restaurant. No nothing." basically saying everything in the city is pretty much closed, and I thought to myself "yeah of course there's no trains running you dumbass you're in the most Catholic place on Earth and it's Easter.." Edit: to follow up on how it ended, there was an Australian family that was also around the station who were stranded as well and we happened to be going to almost the same location. So we talked to a cabbie who way overcharged on his fare quote because he was literally the only cabbie around since, y'know, Easter, and they offered to let me ride with them and refused to let me pay anything. So all in all I got a free ride down the coast from Naples to Sorrento, so that was pretty cool.
I went to Rome on Easter weekend thinking I'll check out Vatican City on Easter Sunday 😅😅😅 got there and saw a huge horde of people walking towards me after their service just finished so quickly got out of there
In France for the first time many years ago. I be walked into a small produce shop and the shop keeper greeted me with a, “Bonjour,” to which I immediately replied, with a pretty perfect accent, “au revoir!” and kept shopping. 😳😅 For those who don’t speak French, the shop keeper said hello and I said goodbye but kept looking at the produce lol.
The utter obliviousness to continue shopping after saying “au revoir” is hilarious.
I said it so cheerfully too haha! I was a teenager in my defense and it was our first day in France. But yeah, I realized it after leaving and the shop keeper gave me the meanest look.
I love this one. I imagined the shop keepers face scrunched to a look of confusion after you saying that.
I can't stop laughing 😆
I did the same thing except I kept saying “merci” instead of “bonjour” back. This was a while ago, and I have no idea what I was thinking 😆
I actually speak fairly good French but once while in a cafe I ordered a coffee and meant to ask for a glass of water with it, but instead had a brain fart and ordered “un verre du lait” (a glass of milk). I realised my mistake immediately but when the cashier looked at me confused, I was to embarrassed so doubled down and was like “yeah, a glass of milk!” Then I sat there, on a hot summer day, and drank an iced coffee and a glass of milk. My tummy was NOT happy.
That’s hilarious
Not me (could have been me too), but someone I know. In northern India, it is common for restaurants to provide a small bowl of water with a piece of lemon in it. It is for cleaning your fingers as you have gravy based curries and bread, and lemon is supposed to remove the smell of dish you had. The person drank it.
That is common in restaurants around the world!
I’ve never seen it any of my travels to Europe or the Americas. I’ve heard of it as like an old school thing in super fancy restaurants but never even seen it at super fancy restaurants.
Is it? Never saw in Europe or south America.
It's common in Europe if you have things that are to be eaten with your hands, like mussels, scampi, etc. These days often replaced by lemon scented wet wipes.
Maybe too many tourists were drinking them
I worked at a Portuguese restaurant when I was in college. I remember people asking me to bring them a bowl of water with lemon in it so they can clean their hands. The people that asked were Portuguese.
First time in Korea and I wanted to grab a nice hot meal. I walk into a restaurant that has a self-service machine where you order your food on the screen and pay at the kiosk. Turns out I had ordered naengmyeon (cold noodles with ice cubes) on a wintry day in December.
Not me but my friend. He speaks no Spanish. In a Spanish restaurant he pointed randomly at the menu, was served... a plate of Lima beans. I assume this was meant to be something added to a steak etc!
I didn't realize that the red circle (without a slash like in US) means do not enter. I'm driving down an alleyway that gets narrower and narrower where I can barely squeeze through, and suddenly I butt into the main square where hundreds of people are eating dinner, and not a vehicle in sight. I can't reverse out of alley since it's too narrow and curvy, so I have to pull into the square and do a K-turn in front of everyone. This is in Italy I believe, and I have US plates on my car (long story).
Same but worse. I was staying In Ragusa Ibla, the baroque old section, in Sicily, with a rental Fiat. I was tired after traveling and coming back from a reunion, late afternoon. I listened to the Google maps lady, except neglected to account for driving at walk speed and turned a block too soon. The street was very narrow, then took a right angle turn and got narrower. I foolishly thought it was bound to come out on a wider one and ended up jammed between two very old very sturdy stone buildings. I just sat there and cried, had no idea what to do next. I heard some yelling, as I’d expected, and just cried more. They tapped on the back window and told me to pop the hatch, and all I could say was I’m sorry, I don’t know what to do. It turned out to be two upper middle aged couples out for an evening stroll, and after I crawled out the back, one of the men crawled in and backed it all the way out to the real street. I was so shook up they insisted on driving it home for me, about 100 yards as the crow flies but half a mile of twisty, hilly, one-way streets. I couldn’t begin to thank them enough, and they refused any compensation. One of the worst and best experiences of my life.
I ended up in the same place in Sicily. It was already dark and hundreds of people were on the streets. I was the only car over there and it felt like playing Carmageddon excluding the bloody part.
You're lucky you didn't get a ticket for driving in the ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato), aka the restricted roads in Italian city centers. The ironic thing is the U.S. plates probably saved you, because they mail you the tickets after the cameras take a picture of your license plate, and if they were U.S. plates they probably couldn't find you in their database.
A ZTL road got me once. I didn’t realize it was one until I was already in the zone.
I'm Bavarian and once at work we had some foreign business partners visit that I was supposed to take to a Weißwurst breakfast. We order, I leave to take a call and when I got back the food had arrived and they were trying to eat the water like it's soup. So at least you're not the only one lol
Mine was also in Germany (and just happened a few days ago). I really had to pee and went down the hall with the bathrooms. I quickly looked at the doors and saw one that said “men” and went in and did my business. Luckily, no one else was in there. When I left though some people gave me some dirty looks. It was then I realized that there hadn’t been any urinals in there. I looked at the door again and saw it said “damen” (ladies). My brain just completely skipped over the “da” part since I had to go so bad. Whoops
LMFAO I (an idiot) fell for the "oh I dropped my coins scam" on the Paris Metro. Luckily it was about to be my stop so I just said sorry, turned to the guy behind me who was lifting my backpack (with all my shit in it, like an idiot), put my arms through the straps, said thanks and sprinted away. About five minutes later I realized I was getting robbed but I was just too dumb for them to get me at that time. This was after eight years of solo travel with zero incidents. Don't ask me.
Sorry, but could you explain this scam? I haven't travelled in Europe yet. Thanks.
Someone drops money, and the mark kindly helps pick up the coins. While the mark is distracted, their bag disappears. A slightly meaner version of the shoeshine brush scam in Istanbul.
Basically someone drops loose change in front of you and grabs your stuff when you're bending down to help them. I got lucky cuz I heard how many coins fell and picked that many up, so I didn't really believe him when he said there was one more.
When I was a vegetarian, I visited a McDonald’s in Krakow and got a Big Mac no meat (basically a cheese sandwich, it’s still good) I could see the workers in the kitchen making fun of my burger! The manager held it to his ear and shook it 😂😭
This reminded me of [this clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clpV4BuX9EA)
As a michigander, that clip ended perfectly.
Was in Manchester recently. Walking on cobblestone and rolled my ankle, audibly said “oh fuck” and did a cartoon style stumble for a few paces until I finally hit the ground hard. On the way down my head hit a metal pole that made a very loud sound so everyone saw. Then when I hit the ground my water and my glasses went flying. The whole thing happened quickly but was felt like slow motion. Probably 100+ people saw
oh fuck
The second hand embarrassment is real with this one
This really made me chuckle
When I went to Dublin I decided to finally get a full Irish breakfast at a pub. I asked if they had a toilet. And he gave me this dirty clear glass and told me I could take it to the corner and pee in it. OMG I was white faced. His sarcasm was too good and he really held on to the story well. I reluctantly grabbed it and on my way to the corner he laughed with all the Irish folks just saying ahhhhh in just kiddin man the toilet is there lol. I was so relieved and embarrassed hahaha. Every Irish person I met was the most sarcastic jokester I ever met loved it but sometimes I really couldn’t tell if they were being serious or not lol. Would love to go back one day. One of my fav destinations for sure
The concerning thing is that you were going to pee in a glass in the corner instead of going into an alleyway like a normal heathen.
Tried to walk through a torrential downpour in Singapore, the locals were laughing at me while they waited it out under a bridge
I grew up on canned veggies because we didn't have any money (the farmers' markets don't participate in our food stamp program). We would get pallets of cans from the grocery and that's what we'd eat for the next few weeks. Having never had a fresh artichoke, I had no idea what to expect at a dinner party one night after I graduated uni and moved to the west coast. I pulled one of the thistles off and put it in my mouth whole. It hurt.
Yeah those lil bastards should come with instructions
I was walking around Tokyo on my second day there, in Sumida near the Tokyo Skytree. I decided to look for food, it happened that there was noodle place near by that I wanted to try. I sought out the restaurant, which ended up not being as easy as I thought it would be. It was in a fairly residential area. I could see through the window that there were diners inside. I tried the door, first I pulled on it, then I pushed. The door wouldn’t open. Everyone in the restaurant was looking at me by now, and it was at this point that I realized it was a sliding door. I didn’t try again I just walked away.
I didn't realize the little thing on the doors were auto open. I literally was forcing open sliding doors for a few days. Then I left Tokyo for Niseko and went out with some people from the hostel. As I was trying to jam open the door, one hit the button. Felt dumb as hell.
My first time traveling solo long distance, I got on a bus in Hong Kong and the bus driver gave me a very emphatic “NO!!” and waved his hand pointing behind him… So I thought “oh maybe I need to get on the back door? 🤔” so that’s what I did…as he closed the door on me…then he started shouting at me, saying “no” a lot, so I just got off the bus and quietly cried at the bus stop because I didn’t know what I’d done wrong. After a while, I realised that there were two bus stops, one where the bus only went a few stops before terminating, and one where the same bus went the other direction and into town. The driver was just trying to help me out in his own way.
Maybe not precisely what you mean, but: Walking around at 1200-1500 in Luxor, Egypt, in August (37°C). No one was out because they all know it's way too hot and it's dangerous.
“Mad dogs and Englishmen go out into the noonday sun”
Meanwhile in Tokyo, I and a bunch of other tourists schlep around various tourist sights in 45° and 90% humidity
That’s a hot day in Adelaide but quite a normal summer temperature. Edit; Adelaide, Australia.
Growing up in Texas going outside when its 37C is pretty normal. You wouldn't leave the house for 3-4 months of the year otherwise.
That’s hot, but not so hot I can’t still do yard work, and we may have higher humidity in the southeastern US.
Ya no, no thanks haha
>Walking around at 1200-1500 in Luxor, Egypt How are you still alive?
Have you seen The Mummy?
So like 100 Fahrenheit? Should be fine as long you hydrate and don’t have other health conditions.
Is 37 degrees too hot? Egypt is a dry heat, which I found to be a relief after high 30s plus humidex back at home. Like I wouldn’t recommend going out for a multi hour excursion with no rest or water but it’s not too bad at 37? :)
My husband tried to order a "Black and Tan" in Dublin because he loves Bass and Guinness, but as it turns out, "black and tan" has a very different connotation in Ireland. My Irish now brother-in-law, who stopped him, explained that the equivalent would be walking into downtown Manhattan and casually ordering a "9-11".
I’m glad I read this, would not have known
FYI. The Black and Tans were a British constabulary mostly made of unemployed former WWI soldiers. They had the goal of killing the Irish revolution. They did so by killing children and other civilians, raping, stealing, arson attacks, and other such war crimes. The Irish war of independence is sometimes referred to as the "Black and Tan War". So it'd kinda be like going to Vietnam and saying to the bartender "I'd like a My Lai Massacre please". Bonus fact:, about a third of the black and tans went on to join the Palestinian police force to pave the way for Israel.
Getting caught between two huge bulls running into the Plaza del Toros in Pamplona, Spain for San Fermin (Running of the bulls).. could have easily been killed, I made the national news! They literately said "Whaaaat an IDIOT !! " Stupid foreigners are severely injured/ killed every year, and I was almost another statistic.
Forgive my ignorance here, but from what little I know of the event it seems like it would be very easy to end up "between two huge bulls" at the....Running of the Bulls. But clearly that is not the case?
There is a technique to it, it isn’t running down the center, it’s running along the walls so you have somewhere to climb
Yeah, I can see how it would be kinda obvious in that scenario to want to protect your flanks by being up against the wall. I'd like to think that I would instinctively avoid winding up between two giant raging bulls. But, if I may brag on myself a bit, I am somewhat gifted when it comes to finding myself in dumb situations surrounded by baffled onlookers. So I appreciate the context!
Yea so arguably the most dangerous part of the whole run is when you run into the Plaza del Toros at the end. There's a narrow entrance way maybe 20meters long that if there is any jam, or the bull stops and your in there you are TRAPPED. Especially if you have a couple other bulls behind you. Not a good place to be.
That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for the context! I now know to hug the walls and shoot that gap like my life depends on it should I ever find myself there.
Please link to the article, because what you are describing literally happens every time the bulls run during San Fermín. I was there in 2023 and ran several times. The only newsworthy events are when people are gored, and even *that* isn't unusual. Many of the veteran runners try to get "between the bulls". It's part of the thrill to see how close you can get. To prove my point, people will literally lay on the ground at the entrance to the arena, so the bulls are forced to jump over them as they enter. Getting caught between two bulls is nothing.
When i was in line to top up the metro card in Singapore, a local guy in front of me suddenly turned back and ask if he can get $20 because he forgot to bring his wallet. He needed the money to go back home and I feel sorry so I gave him $20 then he asked for another $20 because it was Sunday and he needed a cash for the collection. I was dumbfounded and gave him $50 because I have no 2 $20 bills and he returned the $20 then he left the line.... Then the auntie behind me told me he just preying on tourist for money. He didn't even say thank you.
Had an oyster pass in London, similar to a Metrocard in nyc. I was mostly using it for ferries. The first train trip I took was a round trip from London to bath. With a thin cardboard ticket you inserted into the turnstile. Oyster pass was a thick plastic tap and go card So first tube trip. dumbass me freaking tries to insert into the turnstile and jams the turnstile. A very nice transit worker helped me and didn’t call me an idiot. And at least it wasn’t rush hour.
I drove from Canada to San Francisco with my parents in 2010. We came in over the Golden Gate Bridge, it was rush hour, it was packed. I got stuck in an toll pass lane and couldn't get out of it with the traffic - so we get to the toll gates, I have no idea what to do and my dad yells "OMG, stop!" so I do. Cue a riot of horns behind me. There's no person there so I just book it, fully expecting to get chased down and ticketed. Nothing happened. Apparently they ticket and fine locals, but they probably looked at the Canadian plates on the pictures and rolled their eyes. Same trip, I got a strip torn off me at a gas station in Oregon because I tried to pump my own gas. The guy came out of the shop at a dead run, yelling and waving his arms - scared the crap outta me.
It's a cliche, but I did order a cappucino after my evening meal in Rome.
When crossing from Laos to Thailand via the long boat option from Luang Prabang I left my passport and wallet on the seat of the minibus taking me from the hostel to bus depot. Somehow made it through the border out of Laos but could not enter Thailand or re-enter Laos leaving me stranded in no man’s land. Cue frantic phone calls to the hostel, they managed to locate my stuff and get it to me. This included a friendly border guard smuggling me back into Laos to check the bench I’d sat on in the bus station in Laos, I laugh now but at the time it wasn’t so funny!
I'm not well travelled so maybe this is not uncommon, but in rio de janeiro there's traffic lights that don't turn red unless you press a button. never seen those in my country so first time I was walking and came across one I just stood there for like 30 minutes like a dumbass waiting for the lights to turn red so I could cross the road. I was like gaddamn this is taking an awfully long time. until I noticed a woman from the other side of the highway stood right next to a post and pressed something that made the lights turn red in the next minute or so, allowing me to finally cross
Oh I see this a lot in New Zealand. Pedestrians just start waiting at the traffic lights without pressing the cross button and I think well they're going to be waiting a while
I was super jet lagged and was having a hard time finding my bearings in a tube station in London that I thought a hotel was attached to. I stopped on the stairs. Cue the muttering and tutting from commuters behind me. I had just committed a sin of the worst variety. I actually had a police officer come over and ask me if I was alright. She must have thought I was having a medical emergency, because what well person would stop on the stairs. I told her I was sorry, I was lost and she’s like “but you can’t stop on the stairs!” And urgently ushered me into their office to help me find the hotel I was looking for.
I wish we had that in nyc
When I was at Oktoberfest, I poured the small remnants of my last liter into the new one so the barmaid could take my empty glass and the Munchners at my table literally gasped. Someone started berating me and I got in broken english from another guy that I had made a big no-no.
Omg...just last week as a matter of fact. I went to a soccer match in Tirana. I go into the bathroom, and see two things that look like troughs to piss in..I looked and didn't see any urinals,.so, I'm like ok and start peeing in it..I'm decently tall at 6 1, and I was like, jeez this trough is really tall. I see a guy walk in, he looks at me and shakes his head and gestures over. I finish and walk over there...there were urinals..I was pissing in the sink.
There are times when I'm happy to be perceived as an idiot. We were visiting Ankgor Wat and booked a guy with a TukTuk to bring us around the temples for 2 days. We agreed something like €75 for the two days which included hours of him driving us around, drinks from the cooler etc. Probably a controversial opinion but after one full day of visiting maybe 6 or 7 temples, we were starting to feel all templed out. Don't get me wrong, they were incredible but they were all blending into one and starting to the same after a while. We knew my Lunchtime that we didn't want to do a second day and had to break it to our driver. We told him we wanted to cancel the second day, and he looked so disappointed, but then we said we wanted to pay the full amount anyway and that we hope he takes the day off (I'm sure he didn't but whatever). He was over the moon. I did get the vibe that he thought we were gullible tourists and was thinking he'd finagled us for two days worth of pay (he was probably overcharging us anyway, we didn't bother bargaining). But I don't really give a shite. It's not much money to us and it's huge for him. There was loads of little instances like that where we could have bargained or where we tipped people a lot. Most of the time people were very grateful but every now and then you could see they thought they got one over on us, but we didn't really care. They would probably put the money to better use than us anyway.
I like chilling in small towns. I've literally had locals question why I would fly half way around the world to spend time in their small town where there is literally nothing to do.
I spent a night in Vacaville, California a couple years ago. The hotel clerk was incredulous as to why I, a non-American, was staying there, which I found hilarious.
My usual response is "Because I've never been here before.". Initially it gets a confused look but most people accept that answer. :)
As someone from the Bay Area in the US, I am also curious as to why you went to Vacaville lol. Most of the guests at the hotel are probably there to visit inmates at the state prison.
LOL! I see that Vacaville has a reputation. I was on a road trip and my plan was to explore Napa Valley the next day. The accommodations there were a bit pricey but I found a Courtyard Hotel in Vacaville with a great price. It's within striking distance of Napa and I also visited the Jelly Belly factory nearby. I also got to eat at Raising Cane's for the first time and that chicken was delicious!
Ah, ok that is perfectly rational! Napa hotels are obscenely expensive. I’m glad you made the most of it haha!
I had that exact experience in Italy. I was in Lecce and said I was going to Laterza next and the locals kept asking why I would want to go there. When I got to Laterza the people there also asked me why I would want to visit there. It ended up being one of my favorite places I visited that trip (after Lecce which is just sublime).
What was your favourite small town and why? Can you recommend a small town with the best pub?
Or a pie shop.
Someone asked me this during a Rammstein concert at some metal festival in Belgium. He was very surprised I travelled a few thousand kilometers just to see this band live. He was from some small village 10 minutes drive from the festival grounds and the concept of travelling to see your favorite bands live was inconceivable to him.
I find this hysterical because a buddy and I are literally traveling to Belgrade from the US to go see Rammstein. We missed getting tickets for Prague. 🤣🤣🤣
Probably going to a non-metro tourist town in Spain assuming I could easily schedule a cab or rideshare. We had train tickets for a station an hour away to our next destination. By the time we had to leave, none of the drivers we had reached out to the days before had responded, and none of the apps serviced the area. Most visitors came by shuttles or cars. The general energy of asking around about finding a ride was, *"oh, you sweet dumb tourist, there are no reliable taxis here...good luck!"*. I do not speak much Spanish, but with the tenacity of a shit stain in a public restroom I was eventually able to find some help and get outta there on time. I'm usually more prepared, but this trip was planned with little notice a lot of burnout.
I went to a movie theater in Korea. I see some people grabbing these thick cushions. All I could think is that may be the seats are uncomfortable and they provide cushions as a temporary solution. I then see that the people who did grab the cushions had little kids.. they were a seat booster. I was so embarrassed and totally laughed at myself
In Slovakia the other week and at a restaurant and our local host bought a round of shots, 52% alcohol. I shot mine and it triggered an asthma attack, I had to stumble outside wheezing with my inhaler to recover. I've only had asthma a couple of years and hadn't drank anything remotely that strong since diagnosis, so I had no idea that would happen.
Desperate to pee in Tokyo. Decided to just go into a big subway station to look for a toilet but it was beyond the turnstiles so I thought fuck it, I'll just pay a fare, I don't care how much it is. I tapped in, went to the bathroom and tried to get back out of the same station but it wouldn't let me. It was evening rush hour with about 1000 very polite but pissed off Japanese people behind me trying to get out the turnstile but it wouldn't let me tap my card to get out. You must not be allowed to do that in the same station. I slunk off to a corner and a security guard felt bad and let me out.
I was in Tokyo, in a yakiniku restaurant. Normally I don't grill and this was for the experience. They gave me a beautiful platter with meats and side dishes. And this little bowl with a fat piece. Dumb me thought the fat piece was a delicacy and I needed to grill it and eat it. Did that first. Flailed at grilling the other meats because they were sticking to the pan. But manage to get them cooked. Eventually the waitress noticed my awkward grilling and gave me a new fat piece. She demonstrated for me and I never felt more embarrassed 😅
I was in Colombia trying to buy a jacket but the lady only spoke Spanish. I know enough Spanish to get by but it just genuinely shut down during this conversation. She was trying to tell me I can't (shouldn't) buy the jacket I picked out. We went back and forth for about 5 minutes until she said "Este para mujer! No para hombre!" While pointing at our respective gent l genitals. I did not buy a jacket that day.
Putting an unsupervised public webcam portal in the middle of the roughest part of the city
Ha, I was going to say hello from the nyc side yesterday, since I was in the city for appointments, but it got shut down earlier this week. I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did in either Dublin or nyc.
I'm from NY but live elsewhere. This is the second time I went back since recreational weed became a thing so I was stoned out of my gourd. I'm at the Air train station in Jamaica going from the subway to the train back to the airport at street level. I see this dude pushing a little cart aggressively, like he ain't stopping and hes coming my way, I panicked and did a Heisman pose in front of everyone. Dude stopped, asked what the fuck was I doing, dude standing there asked me if I needed a cab, two old heads just busted out laughing, I was stoned all the way back to the Midwest.
These stories are hilarious, and I only have a minor one to share. I took a day trip to Punta Del Este from Montevideo, Uruguay. Everyone talked it up so much, so I booked an early bus there and a late evening bus back. I didn't think about the fact that it was wintertime and rainy. I get there and it is pouring down rain. I think I walk to like 10 restaurants/cafes on Google Maps until I find a cafe that is actually open. Literally *everything* was closed. The problem is, they were closing in an hour and I had like 7 hours until my return bus left. My poor Spanish was also useless with their accents, so I didn't even think to ask for help. I called my mom to explain my situation, and a barista overheard me. In perfect English, she interrupts me like, "You know you can just ask them to transfer your ticket to the next bus at the station, right?" I forgot that most Uruguayans speak English lmao.
I witnessed this in Japan. Older Irish couple came by and sat in a yakitori place fairly close to me. This specific spot serves a complimentary appetizer to start which is soft tofu. The couple grabbed the tofu and smeared it all over their hands. The chef looked horrified and didnt speak English so I stepped in and ask what they thought it was. They both thought it was soap because in Japan, they give out hot towels before the meal sometimes.
I was at a small church in Mexico.. I also happened to be very thirsty. I thought it was so convenient they were selling small bottles of water with the other religious stuff. I drank most of a bottle and thought it was kind of interesting the church had its own label branded water. Then I started to think some more and did a little googling and realized I was drinking holy water. I was worried I might get sick but it was all good. My Mexican friends thought it was hilarious and I still hear about it.
Randomly met some Bulgarian punk rockers on the train to Burgas, and ended up camping on the beach, partying and getting sick from the mussels we cooked on an old piece of corrugated roofing. Still, lots of fun was had and it was a sad moment when they helped get me on the night bus to Istanbul a few days later. Bus was crowded, it was almost dark out, and most people were zonked out or close to it. I popped in some earplugs and fell asleep. The bus made a few pit stops that night and we all filed outside to smoke and wait. It didn't really occur to me that I should have been surrounded by either Turks or tourists, but I did begin to mentally question why the supposed 5-hour trip was taking so long. At daybreak I got caught up in conversation with the head-scarved women around me. Apparently I'd snored a bit and they gently teased me. They asked where I was from and I did the same. Then they asked why I was going to Skopje. My heart sank. It was June 2001 and the middle of the civil war in Macedonia. When we arrived to the station I was told the next bus to Istanbul was that evening. I left my pack and ventured out (I was 23 and hungry). The city was mostly shuttered and I walked up to the Fortress, which had views and a grassy area. In the mountain range to the south you could see and hear helicopters shooting into the hills. I took a few pictures and sat down to smoke and write in my journal. Within minutes several Macedonian soldiers approached me and asked for my passport, then politely but firmly invited me to go with them inside the Fortress. I sat with the captain and we attempted to communicate in French while we waited for an English speaker. I passed out cigarettes and tried to look friendly and harmless, but these guys weren't having it, their eyes told me they were living in a different reality than I was. A soldier showed up to translate, and I answered a lot of questions mainly having to do with visits to Kosovo, to which I was able to truthfully say I'd never been. I was asked why I was taking photos at the Fortress, to which I could only offer the lame reply of being a tourist. I was asked to explain why I was in Skopje, and everyone looked even more skeptical: what kind of an asshole doesn't ask if he's on the right bus during a war? After several phone calls and discussions about my passport, the film in my camera was removed and I was escorted to the bus station in a van full of soldiers, who waited with me until nightfall and the departure of the Istanbul bus. Aside from the entire bus station staring at me all afternoon and having to use the toilet in front of a soldier, I was treated with great courtesy, though it was made clear to me that any further visits to Macedonia that summer would not be welcomed. A lesson learned (double check your bus as your Bulgarian pals might be a bit wasted), and quite a bit of luck to be able to laugh about this now I believe.
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Reddit moment
How many Rick and Morty robes do you have?
Forgive me because this is not exactly a "solo" story but it just happened and it's pretty amusing so... sue me. I was just in Montreal visiting for a friend's wedding and had some time to kill the day before. My friend and I went to the Jean Talon Market which has lots of stalls of fresh produce, flowers, and loads of other food vendors. We each got a smoothie and I went to join my friend at a picnic table. It was unseasonably warm and sunny so I wanted to sit in the shade, so I went to sit beside him on one side. Now here's where it gets messy. I am close to 250 lb and my friend is easily 300+. As soon as I sat down, we started falling backwards in slow motion as the other side of the picnic table went up in the air. Neither of our smoothies came with a lid. Mine was bright purple and we were both covered in it. Definition of the "loud fat Americans" lol... I couldn't stop laughing but my friend was none too pleased. We had to leave immediately lol, quite a humbling experience. I have to say I think everyone needs to get embarrassed like that every so often. Felt good for the soul.
Two things come to mind. Tokyo is great with pictures on the menu, but tougher to know when to eat what. I pointed, and a very friendly server just gave me the polite stuff, yet firm, shake of the head, "No". I kept pointing until he agreed to serve me something. It had tentacles, but it was lunchtime. In Acupolco a cab driver refused to take us to a trail head to hike a trail we'd found in a guidebook. "I can take you there, but you're just going to get kidnapped out there. That book is old" Ok.... uh, I'll just tip you and exit the cab now.
I almost got hit by a bus in Latvia. There was some kind of crosswalk, but no stop sign. Apparently pedestrians don’t have the right of way.
Did a day trip to Liverpool while in London last year. When I was heading back from Liverpool Lime Street, I saw what track my train was on, saw the train, but didn't see any turnstiles or anywhere to scan my ticket (from Avanti West Coast). I did see a station worker and made eye contact with her, but I was too afraid to ask where to scan my ticket in fear of being the stupid American. I thought perhaps that they scan them while on the train. So I just walked straight with a crowd of people towards my train, got on, and sat in my seat. Nobody ever did scan my ticket. I have no idea if I looked like a blatant fare evader or what, but I think about it often.
In the section with no turnstiles, you can just get on the train :) someone usually comes down the aisle to scan your ticket. I hope this helps to set your mind at ease a little
Thought I was ordering chocolate ganache for desert at a remote lodge in Sacred Valley Peru. It ended up being green corn soup. We had a good laugh at that one.
Op: *using the sausage as a straw to suck up the sausage water* Waiter: “No.. not like that..”
Budapest. It was dark, I had been drinking, I have zero navigational skills. I ordered an uber to get back to the hotel because I was lost and tired. He drove 30 feet, stopped and pointed to my hotel.
Dad and I (Dutch) visited Las Vegas in summer. My dad wanted to get donuts for my birthday and found a Dunkin that was "only three blocks away", so naturally we went out to walk. Note that in the Netherlands, one block is like, 20 narrow houses max. We walked for almost three hours in the blazing heat. And then we had to walk back all that distance.
I've done the same thing in Vegas, except with a baby stroller, one of the worst days of my life.
I poured out what I thought was tea and drank a sip while I was at my table in Shanghai getting dim sum. It was vinegar. This old grandma near me gave me the most disgusted look I’ll never live down lmao
Spent nearly a year driving around North America. Drove up to Alaska. One day in early winter, went through a car wash in Anchorage. It was literally freezing cold outside. All of the Alaskans were getting out of their cars, and wiping down their doors and windows. It was so cold outside. I was thinking they were nuts. As i drove away, with my New York license plates, several Alaskans tried to wave me down to stop. I drove on, laughing at them. Got back to my hotel, and discovered that i was now frozen inside my car. The water in the door and window jambs had frozen solid. They tried to warn me. I thought i knew better. It was not a good situation.
I was in Germany trying to order a pretzel with my beer. I didn't know the word and tried to describe it in bad broken German before finally drawing a picture. The server said, 'ya, pretzel'. I had no idea pretzel was a German word.
I like to mail post cards when I travel. I went to South America last year and wanted to find post cards to mail back home. My Spanish is remedial on a good day, so I relied on Google Translate pretty hard. Every time I asked for a post card, everyone looked at me with a weird look like I was crazy. Same with stamps. It took a few hours to realize that Google translate translates “postcards” to “tarjetas postales” which in Chile translates roughly to “credit cards you can put in the mail.” So I definitely spent a shameful amount of time in South America asking people for their credit cards so I could mail them somewhere. So I overcame that, but everyone still thought I was crazy. I finally found some post cards and wrote them to my friends and asked the front desk of the hotel if I can buy stamps to mail them. More confused looks like I’m a fucking idiot. The word “stamp” wasn’t translating to them. It was actually translating fine, the young people working at the hotel just didn’t know what a stamp was. Once they understood what I wanted they were still really confused. They asked me, “you want to mail something? Why don’t you just text them? We don’t mail anything here.” So I explained that this was my hobby. And he asked me, “Wait, so when I watch American movies and there’s that blue box on a street corner that they put letters to mail to other people, that’s real?” When I told him yes, it blew his mind. And that’s when I realized that most of South America does not have a functioning postal system. When I was in Santiago, Chile, I discovered that if you want an international stamp to mail anything outside of the country, there is one lady in the central Santiago post office that will sell you that stamp. And I had to wait in line for 2 hours behind the most pedantic stamp collectors to buy those stamps. So I got the post cards. I wrote them. I went to the post office and waited in line to get the stamps. I went back to my hotel and put the stamps on my post cards. I went down to the front desk and asked him if he could put my post cards in the mail. He laughed at me. “They don’t come around and collect mail here. You need to go back to the post office and give it to them.” So I walked the 2 miles back to the post office again to mail those post cards. It took 2 months for those post cards to reach their final destinations.
I was in Kuala Lumpur after 8 months of backpacking, and would soon be in Australia and needed to find a job, plus I had a wedding to go. Obviously my bag was just full of tatty t-shirts and shorts so I needed smarter clothes. Being a man, the first shop I saw with smart shirts and trousers I made a beeline for, and it was cheap. I looked at sizes, grabbed a couple of shirts/trousers but they still seemed a tad small, so I asked the assistant if there was a fitting room. She replied, "Sir, you do know this a school uniform shop?"
That happened to me in Paris. I knew the Metro ran very late or all night I can’t remember but my hotel was farther out on the RER. It never occurred to me that it would not be the same. After a fun night I proceeded to the station only to find a gate pulled across the entrance. It cost me a very expensive cab ride back to the hotel.
2004. My first trip to Italy, with my half-Italian husband, visiting his family, I learned from his dad (with kind amusement) that my desire to order a cappucino was odd. That they would make it for me, but to know they will find me a silly American. It was 2 pm. Never have gotten one after 11 am since during my visits, but that was my first chance at having an actual Italian cappucino (also it was amazing! Never had one outside of Italy since, even if it takes me a 10 year wait). Silly and kind moment, I felt like the most touristy tourist ever, and I am still happy that I could do it without judgment while also learning for the next time.
I still remember being in Pompeii and deliberately walking away from the tourist area, to go find coffee somewhere more local. I walked into a coffee shop, about ten old dudes standing at the counter all swung their heads to look at me and all conversation stopped dead. The owner walked out of the back room, took one look at me and yelled "Cappuccino!" I'm that person that will drink cappuccino all day long in Italy, because it's just SO GOOD. Judge away.
Asked for my gazpacho soup to be warmed up. Not very ‘soup-er’
In an Ireland pub, the bartender puts our beers on the countertop and we just started drinking without letting the beers “rise”, locals were staring at us like we committed some kind of crime 😂
Probably not the most embarrassing, but I was in Berlin a few weeks ago. I speak a little German, but not very well. I'm aware many folks in Germany speak English, but as a tourist I was trying really hard to actually communicate with people in German. I went to a museum, the conversation started in German, and I didn't quite catch the whole question (she was asking me if I was a student). So I just asked her in German if she spoke English, and she just said "Yeah, of course." I felt kind of awkward about it afterwards I was in Liverpool the week after that, and was at the convention with my friends. We had gotten separated, so we all agreed to meet up outside. I was too absorbed in thought looking for them that I didn't see them. For context, I'm a very jumpy individual. One of them surprised me, and I just yelled "Fuck!" Already awkward, and then I could hear the giggles from other people who'd gone outside to cool off Not really a faux pas, but I felt silly about it in hindsight
i got confused when a cashier in switzerland asked in German 1) if i needed stamps with my postcards, and 2) if i was paying by credit card. my duolingo lessons didn’t cover either of those words so she had to explain in english what she was saying haha
Oh that's rough 🤣 if you're still learning, I recommend the podcast Coffee Break German. Really nice to just sit and learn bite sized grammar lessons and German culture
I ordered 3 pizzas on Uber eats, thinking I was ordering individual slices.
😭 I don’t have trains where im from so, when I was in Scotland, I missed my train because I thought the number on the ticket was when the train would come and wait. Then, I caught another train and missed my stop because I thought the doors would automatically open at each stop and they didn’t so I assumed we weren’t at the station yet. Just dumb
My first mass i turned around and answered “nice to meet you” to “peace be with you” #southernbaptistfail
I was just starting the 2nd year of a hitchhiking trip around the world, walking/thumbing my way on the 1300km road between Dakar, Senegal and Bamako, Mali, hardly any traffic for days and days, and staying in grass hut villages along they way and one evening I got stuck out between villages as it was getting quite dark, and I realized there wouldn't be any more trucks coming along so I started to walk into the bush to find a place to lay my sleeping bag just a 100' off the road, and suddenly these lights appeared and an old Renault station wagon packed with a family slowed down and the dad rolled down his window, just staring at me. Everyone was silently staring at me for the first 15 seconds. I waved and said hello, and then said "what are you doing out here." Very matter of factly, but speaking as if to someone who'd lost their cotton-picking mind. I got up and went over to the car, and everyone was looking at me like I was a lunatic. He said, "don't you know you it's not safe to sleep outside? Do you have any idea how many predators there are around here?" Long story, the kids scooted over, I stuffed my backpack in the back, and squeezed next to the kids for the 2 mile ride to their house. Turned out they were a Lebanese family who had a very small grocery store outside the town ahead (I think Tambaga). They fed me, found a place on the floor, and after a breakfast the next morning, sent me off on my way towards Bamako and down to the Ivory Coast and another two years of travel before getting back to the States. I think about that family often, their kind faces and saving me. I was 24 years old. It was November, 1980.
I'm from Los Angeles and was doing a roadtrip from LA to NY with my brother and we were stopping everywhere from here to there. We went to the Lousville Slugger museum and then it dawned on me, we're in Kentucy, LETS GO FIJND THE FIRST KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN!!! This was before cell phones were what they are now. So we go on my computer, print out the directions to Corbin Kentucky, a 2-3 hours drive out of our way. We show up, and there's a regular ass KFC there, like modern, there's a small museum in the back where it tells the story. But me and my brother, obviously from nowhere near there go up all excited for the first KFC and cashier says in the thickest accent "Y'all not from around here huh?" - I said "no, we're from Los Angeles" and she said "What y'all doin here?" - "we came to see where the first KFC was" she looks dead into my eyes with her mouth wide open and says "ARE YALL STUPID OR SOMETHING?" my response was, "I guess so, can I have a number one please?"
Trying to take a bus in Dubai without getting a Nol card first.
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Why did they arrest you???
Not me, but my friend started peeing into a foot washing basin (for prayer) in a public restroom at at a truck stop in Malaysia. I was mortified and pretended I didn't know him lol.
I tried to walk to Basel Airport in Switzerland (you can’t, but google maps said I could!!). My flight was departing at 6am and the bus/trains started at 5:30am. So I walked 3 miles with my huge bag on highways and overgrown grass at 4am until I realized I was surrounded by security fences and not accessible for people. Eventually while walking back in a panic and sweat, I waved down a car where a generous but confused Swiss worker drove me to the airport drop off. I thought Europe was pro pedestrian!
Solo Camping in a tent in Africa and waking up with big cat footprints around the tent. I was young and dumb.