Embarassing Travel Moments
Mar 17, 2014, 5:35 pm
#108
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: back to my roots in Scotland!
Programs: Tamsin - what else is there to say?
Posts: 47,843
Reminds me of the time I went to a Vietnamese restaurant and asked what the circular sheets of hard plastic were for, and also the finger-bowl water is far too hot for washing fingers.
They very kindly explained to us about the very thin rice paper that you dipped in the hot water to make flexible , wrapped round the vegies and meat and made your own spring rolls with...
They very kindly explained to us about the very thin rice paper that you dipped in the hot water to make flexible , wrapped round the vegies and meat and made your own spring rolls with...
And it was the kind of restaurant where if you even so much as looked at a waiter they came over to see what you wanted.
I cried towards my shoes for 5 minutes
Mar 17, 2014, 11:00 pm
#109
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: 대한민국 (South Korea) - ex-PVG (上海)
Programs: UA MM / LT Gold (LT UC), DL SM, AA PLT (AC), OZ, KE; GE and Korean SES (like GE); Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,995
My wife and I got on a train at Venice. She, noting a few minutes before departure, got off to buy some snacks for the trip. Just then, the train started moving; I almost panicked before finding out it was just changing platforms, but it did go over a bridge and then backed up. My fear then was that wife would also think the train had left and not look on another platform. Luckily, she boarded, and we thought all is good. I then asked for the change (this in 2001, last days of the lira), she gave me a few coins. I told her I gave her a 100,000 lira bill. She said, "There were too many zeros - I trusted the clerk". The bag of chips has cost almost $50!
Apr 10, 2014, 12:25 pm
#110
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
Back in 2004 I took a daytrip from New York to Washington to see the then new Udvar-Havzy Center. I hadn't started my summer job yet so my funds were minimal. I needed to ride both the Metro subway and bus and this was before the Smart Trip card. I put all my budgeted transit money on a fare card and when I went to give it to the 5A driver he said "that's for the subway". So I ended up using more cash.
I really wanted to go out to lunch at Hard Times Cafe which is my favorite burger spot in DC. I went and ordered a burger and a soda and realized I had about a dollar for the tip. I felt so awful, I've always been a good tipper and I had to give about 8%. I shouldn't have eaten the meal or skipped the soda but I didn't. I remember leaving the money and trying to run out as fast as possible
I really wanted to go out to lunch at Hard Times Cafe which is my favorite burger spot in DC. I went and ordered a burger and a soda and realized I had about a dollar for the tip. I felt so awful, I've always been a good tipper and I had to give about 8%. I shouldn't have eaten the meal or skipped the soda but I didn't. I remember leaving the money and trying to run out as fast as possible
Apr 10, 2014, 12:58 pm
#111
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,518
A few years ago, I flew EBL-VIE-ZAG, and woke up the next morning in Zagreb with some sort of intestinal mess from hell. Complete with seeing stars and hallucinating. Somehow, my ex managed to get me back home to London that day, where I more or less slept it off over the next 24 hrs in between frequent all-night dashes to the WC.
Felt good enough the next day (aka functional) that I made it to LHR for the flight back to DC. But not good enough, however, to even remotely consider airline food...business class or not.
About halfway through the flight (United 777) the pilot came back to me, and asked to have a word with me:
"The crew tells me you're not eating, and you're spending lots of time in the bathroom. What are you up to in there? You're not up to anything suspicious are you?"
I think he thought I was on some sort of crazy fast before I, um, committed a Richard Reid.
You should see the shade of red he turned when I explained to him what was really up....
Felt good enough the next day (aka functional) that I made it to LHR for the flight back to DC. But not good enough, however, to even remotely consider airline food...business class or not.
About halfway through the flight (United 777) the pilot came back to me, and asked to have a word with me:
"The crew tells me you're not eating, and you're spending lots of time in the bathroom. What are you up to in there? You're not up to anything suspicious are you?"
I think he thought I was on some sort of crazy fast before I, um, committed a Richard Reid.
You should see the shade of red he turned when I explained to him what was really up....