Acidental Adventures

Piggystardust

For the first time in my life, I decided to go on holidays solo. Not so much because I'm a loser with no friends (although that may be parcially true!), moreso because it was a last minute decision and I felt it would be good for me to experience two full weeks on my tod. I enjoy my own company (I'm, like, so sound) and have no qualms sitting in a bar or by the pool alone provided I've got music or a good book.

Anyroad, I haven't gone too far afield, I'm only in Spain and so far it's been really great. I've been here for 10 days so far and while I'll admit that it's a tad lonely at times, particularly if I'm had a few drinks and feel like talking to someone but overall it's been really peaceful and relaxing. I always claim I'm too busy to read when I'm home but the reality is, I just don't do it. Here, however, with diminishing options, I've rediscovered my love of literature.

I digress..sorry.. so yesterday I decided to visit a different town about an hour away but stupidly got on the wrong bus and ended up 5 hours from my hotel in some remote village by the sea. The driver didn't speak a word of English and my pigeon Spanish made for a difficult conversation. Turns out there were no buses going back to where I'm staying. It was really hot and I was feeling really panicky. I get claustrphobic in intense heat and I was literally lost at sea!

I sat down on the side of the road as the bus pulled away and these two guys who had also been on the bus approached me. They didn't know each other. One was from London but lives in Spain, the other one was Spanish but spoke English. They said the had heard/seen what had just happened and told me not to worry. The Spanish guy said his grandmother lived in the village and I could come with him and stay there but first we'd go for tapas and canas. The English guy was there visting a friend and told me he'd look at buses back in the morning and would even come with me to make sure I was ok.

I ended up having a wonderful evening with two of the kindest, most genuine people I've ever met. They both went out of their way to make sure I was safe, happy and secure. We had tapas in this lovely little bar and I stayed in the Spainish guys grandmothers place. She was so welcoming the minute we arrived, she didn't even ask who I was, she just started shoving bread and olives and wine at us the minute we got there.

I'm back in my hotel since this afternoon and have just been reflecting on how the kindness of strangers is the most touching kindest of all. Also, how chance encounters or missed flights etc might atually be predestined or beneficial and how you should always try to flip a negative into a positive in all aspects of life and make the best of a potentially bad situation.

Anyone experience similar accidentail adventures or acts of sheer goodness?!

Ps... I realise I spelt accidential wrong but don't know how to edit the title!

hairyslug

Got absolutely buckled once in a nightclub, my hotel was a five minute walk from the club, walked out at closing, straight past the hotel and for the next 3 hours I had a lovely drunken stroll trying to find my hotel, I was too drunk to use my GPS but ok to call the wife at 5am to get her to direct me back to the hotel. I think I may have sat on a box of some sort during the night nearly crying cause I was tired and lost and drunk, fun times

Wild Garlic

Pat Hickey is having one as we speak, lucky him.

RobertKK

OP, that is a lovely story and we would live in a great world if we all could be like these two kind people who helped you.
It was the good Samaritan story.

I am going abroad on my own for the first time in about 7 weeks, so maybe I will have a story to add then.

Dr Turk Turkelton

Chapter two:
The fourballer...

MilesMorales1

The best adventures do start with being lost.

Tazio

.....and without GPS.. best times ever.

Thanks OP for this thread.

Your Face

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

Capt'n Midnight

jacksie66 wrote: »

an Irish bat

Was it a catholic bat or a protestant one ?

Duff

Went to visit it mate in San Diego, went out got absolutely ****faced on Harvey Wallbangers and woke up in border control in Tijuana wearing a sombrero. I wish I was joking.

NikoTopps

I was in Athens a good while back and decided I'd go have an explore on my own for the day. I wanted to visit the major tourist attractions but also the ones most wouldn't know about.

So off I trot taking pictures, visiting ruins, buying bits and bobs, having a great time. I was getting to see so many beautiful buildings and scenery anf I loved it. It was dark before long so I said I best find a metro station so I could make my way back.

I remember getting on the train, a few people jotted around the cab, I see my stop on the map and think grand, I'll get off in just a few and make my way back. I was knackered at that stage and I fell asleep. It was one of those where you feel like you've only closed your eyes for a split second and time has flown by.

I look up, still see my stop (because it's a nap, it's always there!), try to check my phone; Dead, so I get off and start walking. Walking walking walking. Once I realised I was lost a bit of panic set in because at this stage my Greek was very very basic so asking directions is a no go but I try my look anyway.

"Milas Agglika?" (do you speak English) I ask to a few people and I just get Oxi (no) and they walk away. Such a massive culture shock from how Irish people handle giving directions! Silence on the streets then I walk for a little bit more and I'm walking along a small street dotted with bars, I can hear music, people laughing and just general liveliness which is a nice feeling when you're lost!

By luck I hear something I never thought I'd be happy to hear, the Tallaght brogue "Man, I've bleedin' none left, I'm after tellin ya!" 2 lads, Dubliners, same age as me, I explain to them what's after happening and they tell me to come in for a pint. Irish pub right there, had a few, got a lend of a phone charger, sorted.

Turned on my phone and I'd umpteen missed calls and messages from my boyfriend, the poor man was worried sick and thought something bad had happened. They range from "hope you're having a fun time exploring without me!" to "babe I'm getting so worried now, can you please just let me know you're okay. I hope that it is just that your phone is out of battery." The sound of relief in his voice when I rang him was unreal!

Had a great conversation with the lads anyway, two very sound men, mostly about Ireland, work, and of course, the weather! We were chatting with the owner too. One of the lads I actually see out in Dublin on nights out and we still have a good laugh about it all.

Got back safely in the end with some great memories and lovely pics!

TL;DR: Got lost by myself in Athens, found 2 men from Tallaght and spent the night in an Irish pub.

Jaysus, I didn't mean for this to turn into such a long story!

Piggystardust

NikoTopps wrote: »

I was in Athens a good while back and decided I'd go have an explore on my own for the day. I wanted to visit the major tourist attractions but also the ones most wouldn't know about.

So off I trot taking pictures, visiting ruins, buying bits and bobs, having a great time. I was getting to see so many beautiful buildings and scenery anf I loved it. It was dark before long so I said I best find a metro station so I could make my way back.

I remember getting on the train, a few people jotted around the cab, I see my stop on the map and think grand, I'll get off in just a few and make my way back. I was knackered at that stage and I fell asleep. It was one of those where you feel like you've only closed your eyes for a split second and time has flown by.

I look up, still see my stop (because it's a nap, it's always there!), try to check my phone; Dead, so I get off and start walking. Walking walking walking. Once I realised I was lost a bit of panic set in because at this stage my Greek was very very basic so asking directions is a no go but I try my look anyway.

"Milas Agglika?" (do you speak English) I ask to a few people and I just get Oxi (no) and they walk away. Such a massive culture shock from how Irish people handle giving directions! Silence on the streets then I walk for a little bit more and I'm walking along a small street dotted with bars, I can hear music, people laughing and just general liveliness which is a nice feeling when you're lost!

By luck I hear something I never thought I'd be happy to hear, the Tallaght brogue "Man, I've bleedin' none left, I'm after tellin ya!" 2 lads, Dubliners, same age as me, I explain to them what's after happening and they tell me to come in for a pint. Irish pub right there, had a few, got a lend of a phone charger, sorted.

Turned on my phone and I'd umpteen missed calls and messages from my boyfriend, the poor man was worried sick and thought something bad had happened. They range from "hope you're having a fun time exploring without me!" to "babe I'm getting so worried now, can you please just let me know you're okay. I hope that it is just that your phone is out of battery." The sound of relief in his voice when I rang him was unreal!

Had a great conversation with the lads anyway, two very sound men, mostly about Ireland, work, and of course, the weather! We were chatting with the owner too. One of the lads I actually see out in Dublin on nights out and we still have a good laugh about it all.

Got back safely in the end with some great memories and lovely pics!

TL;DR: Got lost by myself in Athens, found 2 men from Tallaght and spent the night in an Irish pub.

Jaysus, I didn't mean for this to turn into such a long story!

This is exactly what I'm talking about!! I've travelled a lot and inevitably have wound up in some bizarre situations barricaded by lack of language and its so amazing to hear an Irish voice! On the luas I wish they'd blleeeeeedinnn shuuurrrupp but away it can be a life saver.. Literally!

Piggystardust

Duff wrote: »

Went to visit it mate in San Diego, went out got absolutely ****faced on Harvey Wallbangers and woke up in border control in Tijuana wearing a sombrero. I wish I was joking.

I was surfing in San Diego last Summer and also woke in on the border of Tijuana!! I wasn't wearing a sombrero or stinking of Wallbangers but I did have half a burrito stuck to my face and a tattoo that said 'Gringos Rule Ese' .... in white ink, I might add!... I also wish I was joking!

NikoTopps

Piggystardust wrote: »

This is exactly what I'm talking about!! I've travelled a lot and inevitably have wound up in some bizarre situations barricaded by lack of language and its so amazing to hear an Irish voice! On the luas I wish they'd blleeeeeedinnn shuuurrrupp but away it can be a life saver.. Literally!

It definitely won't be an experience I'll forget any time soon! I was even speaking Irish in there and it was just such a comforting feeling to hear familiar sounds. Even the bathrooms were miserable... Just like home!:pac::pac:

Hopefully we'll visit again in a few months time (preferably before Christmas!) but I've learnt my lesson not to venture too far alone in future!