Travel

bellybabe · Post by **bellybabe** » 07 Sep 2005, 12:23

Eleven years ago this very day, I went to Ecuador. I'd only flown anywhere for the first time the week before, and the journey was one from hell. I seem to remember having said this before, but hey, I'm getting older and so am allowed to repeat myself more! On the flight from Paris to BogotÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¡ I was sat next to a very drunk (actually everyone on the place except me and the staff was very drunk) Norwegian, who saw I was reading Lord of the Rings and kept saying loudly, "BIL...BO....BAGGINS!" and laughing hysterically. When the cabin depressurised in BogotÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¡ I was swiftly overcome with altitude sickness which left me somewhate incapacitated for a while. Then I got lost in the airport, which was being rebuilt. Then they told me I had to go straight to the gate even though there were five hours before my next flight...not to the nice cafÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â©s. And then the security staff robbed me. They told me it must have been the fifty japanese business men who went through before me, and had they their bags checked by sniffer dogs

. I spent an hour in the police department, where the security chief told me I wouldn't believe how corrupt his staff were

, was given a bottle of water by him for my dehydration, and escorted to the gate, where I fell asleep and almost missed the flight to Quito.

Sometimes, when the buses are on strike, or my train is cancelled, or my flight a little delayed, it helps to remember going to Ecuador. It makes me a bit nicer to the staff when I remember they're not robbing me. Personally, anyway.

Just thought I'd share.
BB

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 07 Sep 2005, 13:19

We're glad you're back in one piece!

Did you get any snaps you want to show us? How was the food?

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 07 Sep 2005, 17:55

I had a bit of an eventful journey back from Budapest which I forgot to mention. About 10 minutes before boarding my name came over the tannoy (I had to be told that it was my name because I never listen to tannoys in airports or railway stations because, obviously, they are never going to be looking for me). I had to proceed IMMEDIATELY to gate 12, which I did and was met by a very stern looking man who assured me my family were not all dead but that I was to follow him because there was a "baggage problem". I duly followed him for miles through the airport (at least a 5 minute walk) into bits of airports the public don't normally see and he didn't say one word to me the whole way (and he took very long strides). He took me into a room in the bowels of the airport where I was met by two armed policemen, one who took my passport and the other took my tickets. At this point I wasn't really that bothered because I thought they had found the broom (don't ask) which I had in the suitcase. However, the suitcase they showed me wasn't mine, though it did have my name on it. It was also unlocked. Now I'm thinking somebody's put drugs in a suitcase which has my name on it. They obviously didn't believe me when I said it wasn't my suitcase and they asked me to open it. I gave up telling them it wasn't my suitcase and I opened it - at this point I need the loo. They raked right through it but thankfully didn't find anything untoward and the nice armed policeman escorted me back to the plane which by now had been delayed by 15 minutes. I wasn't popular with the other passengers when I did board! We got to Prague. The other 4 in my party sailed through boarding. I was stopped, passport scrutinised and told my seat had been changed so I was probably sitting next to two plain clothes officers all the way home! Was thinking of going back to Budapest soon but I might leave it a while

. (sorry, that was a long story!)

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 07 Sep 2005, 19:02

Epykat wrote:(sorry, that was a long story!)

I think this needs to be moved to your brother's Ramblin' thread.

I feel very disappointed and let down.

No robbery, no cabin depressurisation, not even a wee strip search or some police brutality and, worst of all, no explanation of "the broom", surely the most intriguing and potentially exciting element to your sorry story.

Go on, redeem yourself and tell us the broom story. You know you want to.

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 07 Sep 2005, 21:08

Epykat,I don't know why you were surprised at the events of your boarding at Budapest. You can't even go to Asda without some sort of furore happening around you.

One day your journals should be published, they will certainly make interesting reading.

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 07 Sep 2005, 22:45

TG clyped

You can't even go to Asda without some sort of furore happening around you.

What's that then? We're all agog

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 07 Sep 2005, 22:48

Oh, that's an old one and it's only one of many.

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 07 Sep 2005, 22:49

teddygirl wrote:Oh, that's an old one

You talkin' about Epy??!!!

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 07 Sep 2005, 22:51

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 08 Sep 2005, 21:32

teddygirl wrote:You can't even go to Asda without some sort of furore happening around you.

Was that the one where the nice woman behind me engaged me in conversation whilst her son robbed the till? I'd almost forgotten that one!

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 08 Sep 2005, 21:35

Or, my all time favourite - when I went to my friend's door, and on finding it open went in obviously expecting her to be in. She wasn't, the alarm went off, I couldn't stop it so was trapped in the kitchen and the neighbourhood watch phoned the Police?

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 08 Sep 2005, 21:37

Epykat wrote: I wasn't popular with the other passengers when I did board!

So a bit like when you get on a 26.

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 08 Sep 2005, 21:45

I'm not normally escorted by an armed Police Officer when I board the 26

Maybe if I was boarding a Tube train it would be a different story.....

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 09 Sep 2005, 07:02

Epykat wrote:
teddygirl wrote:You can't even go to Asda without some sort of furore happening around you.
Was that the one where the nice woman behind me engaged me in conversation whilst her son robbed the till? I'd almost forgotten that one!

Yes that's the one

didn't realise you would have so many to choose from

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 09 Sep 2005, 15:52

My sister used to have a lifesize cardboard cut out of John MacInroe in her bedroom. We went off on family holiday and one of our concerned (nosy) neigbours phoned the Police to say there was a man in the house, they broke in and found John.

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 10 Sep 2005, 14:53

The first night Mr E and I spent in our first flat we thought it would be dead romantic, and cheaper, to watch the telly with the light off. The people over the road thought somebody had broken in to the 'empty' flat and had a torch so the Police paid a visit. Since the only thing we had was the telly even they were a bit suspicious

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 11 Sep 2005, 21:22

Sandra wrote:My sister used to have a lifesize cardboard cut out of John MacInroe in her bedroom. We went off on family holiday and one of our concerned (nosy) neigbours phoned the Police to say there was a man in the house, they broke in and found John.

I used to have a life-sized cardboard Perry Como. I tell you, the fun I had with that was priceless.

I also know some people, occasional posters here, that are part of the Tartan Army. They take a tailors dummy with them when they go abroad to matches. They buy it drinks and apparently it is great as a topic to engage other people. These guys are funny, the send the dummy xmas cards each Year.

foxy · Post by **foxy** » 11 Sep 2005, 21:25

Porty wrote: I also know some people, occasional posters here, that are part of the Tartan Army. They take a tailors dummy with them when they go abroad to matches. They buy it drinks and apparently it is great as a topic to engage other people. These guys are funny, the send the dummy xmas cards each Year.

What pranksters