Unique and unusual travel experiences

[drron]

We specialise in arriving at destinations soon after a coup.
The first was in October 1973 when we arrived in Bangkok the day after many students had been killed by the Army.Tanks in the Streets and all that.
We arrived in Fiji within a week after the 4 Fijian coups.The first time I met Col.Rabuka who was staying in the room above us at the Sheraton Denarau.
After the third coup PM Qaraise was meeting with the Australian and NZ consuls at the Sheraton.I assisted the PMs bodyguard at the buffet as he was finding it difficult to serve himself whilst still hanging on to his Uzi.The PM came over and thanked me and we had a few minutes conversation.
Fortunately it seems those days are over.But you heard it here first-we are going back to Fiji in December.

 

[LAH]

That's fantastic! I hope you have a great time. It is such a great way to see India. If we did it again, we would probably do a different route also. The Gentleman is quite keen on doing the Mongol Rally but we would need to wait until MasterC is a bit older first.

Oh yes! I was invited to go on the Mongol Rally lastyear - maybe next year and I may see you there! got to work out logistics, and have a handy 'mechanic' with me - happy to do all the driving - had a fabulous, flexible, solo drive in Morocco last year! And agreed, when you compare traveling in a rickshaw, I think it beats everything in India - as much as I like other modes of travel!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I drove a rickshaw (solo - as part of Rickshaw Challenge) 2017 from Mumbai to Chennai.

It is such a great way to see India.

Just to help this guys confusion, are you two ladies talking about a rickshaw or a trishaw? I could be wrong but I always though a rickshaw was pulled along by a person whereas a trishaw is a three wheeled cycle with pax seats. A trishaw I could almost understand to do India, but a rickshaw would be an extremely slow trip I would have thought?

 

[LAH]

Just to help this guys confusion, are you two ladies talking about a rickshaw or a trishaw? I could be wrong but I always though a rickshaw was pulled along by a person whereas a trishaw is a three wheeled cycle with pax seats. A trishaw I could almost understand to do India, but a rickshaw would be an extremely slow trip I would have thought?

Interesting you should say that because I always thought what I was driving was called a Tuk Tuk. I will clarify, they are called Auto Rickshaw in the main in India, though much to my dismay that didn't mean automatic (ha ha - mine was 15 years old, pull start and very dodgy, though I repainted and upholstered it - the type where you mix oil and water at every service station etc - a glorified lawnmower) Sorry for long answer.

 

[Hvr]

We specialise in arriving at destinations soon after a coup.

Have only arrived in a place with civil disobedience once but it was memorable. It was November 2008 and I had flown to BKK on QF1 with my upgrade from J-F successful as well as first J (in CBR) and F (in SYD) lounge visits. I have posted about this before but it is appropriate for this thread.


Anyway I travelled through Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Philippines and Hong Kong. I was travelling from HKG to BKK to catch my J flight home the next night. It was my first trip on RJ. While in Hong Kong I got a gut feeling that I needed to book a hotel at Bangkok Airport for my arrival. I had no idea why but I have learned to follow my gut when I get these feelings. Pity it wasn't to avoid BKK but...

As take off time approached in HKG I ambled towards to gate and an RJ person asked me if I was on the flight and upon confirmation asked me to hurry.

At the gate I was told my passport wasn't required, just the BP. I boarded the flight and settled down for the flight. As we approached BKK an announcement came over the PA advising that only six passengers were getting off and the rest of the passengers were asked to remain seated until a quick take off.

I got off and immigration seemed normal but at Customs there were way too many people who didn't seem to belong. I was tired and went to the meeting point for the Novatel. The person found a trolley, put or bags on it and ran us to the hotel.

At the hotel we were ushered to the head of the line and checked in. I went to my room and virtually straight to bed, I slept well. The next morning I turned on the television and saw that BKK AP had been overrun by the Yellow Shirts.

Thousands of people had slept in the airport and hotel ballroom whilst I was in comfort. Once I realised that flights were cancelled I rang my travel insurer and was assured that I was covered and to keep receipts.

I spent a couple of nights at the Novatel until the management advised that it may get dangerous and that I would be better off in town. On the second day I went to the airport and met some Australian consular staff. They were amazed that I had proper insurance that would pay out having met several people who were in financial stress.
Thailand protest strands thousands of tourists at airport

Once in the city I met several Thais who apologised for the problems and some even offered money which I declined. They were at imminent risk of losing significant amounts of money due to the inevitable shut down of the tourist industry.I kept in touch with Qantas and they eventually put on buses from Bangkok to coughet and from there flights to Singapore to Australia.

This was a convoy of seven buses with food and beverages provided along with a meal in a village restaurant en route. For people who were going to be in SIN for more than a few hours a day room was paid for by Qantas. I was on the first flight out of SIN (in J which I'd paid for) and slept for a few hours. Upon arrival in SYD I was on the last flight to CBR but missed it by seconds.

Qantas paid for a room for the night as well as taxi fares to/from SYD AP.

This was at the same time as Qantas was arranging evacuation flights from Mumbai after a terrorist attack. This was one of Qantas' finest hours but of course with a successful event it passed by unnoticed except by those involved.

My travel insurance paid all expenses very quickly.

Oh and a little bonus, I received the points and SCs for the cancelled flight at the end of my membership year and also for the actual flight in my new membership year.

 

[drron]

Hvr that was one that we missed.We were due to fly the next day to BKK.
Fortunately BA gave us the option of a full refund or later flights.The morning that would have been our flight mrsdrron slipped in the shower and fractured her patella.So we took the refund.

 

[OATEK]

As far as civil disobedience goes, we arrived in London at the end of March 1990, Mrs Oatek, 2 children under 10, and MIL. Went into central London on Sunday 31st, looking to have lunch at a Strikes restaurant, from a chain that produced a Knickerbocker Glory dessert that our girls loved. We arrived at the location in the Haymarket, but it was closed. So I looked up a telephone book in a telephone box (no Google back then) and found there was another from that chain near Trafalgar Square. But when we got there, tired and grumpy, it too was closed, and a notice indicated that the chain of restaurants was no more.

There were a lot of protesters arriving in the square, so we headed to the Cake House in St James's park and had lunch there, with the promise of some duck feeding time to counter the lack of Knickerbocker glories. We finished lunch and were feeding the ducks when the sounds of load chanting, some big bangs and then helicopters swooping over Admiralty Arch. Smoke rising, lots of sirens could be heard, and a flood of people running into the park from the square. We decided it was sensible to get the girls out of there, and headed towards Piccadilly to get a #19 bus home.

We soon discovered that the streets were at a standstill, and in Lower regent Street there were smashed windows, cars on fire, but luckily the Poll Tax Rioters had moved North and we were relatively safe apart from the possibility of petrol tank explosions. There were police cars and fire trucks trapped in the non-moving traffic, sirens going, but they were going nowhere. The staff were trying to close the entrances to Piccadilly station, but we managed to convince them we needed to get the girls out of there, and a train was the only option. We got back to our B&B about 2.5 hours after it all went off, and watched the events on the TV news:

The girls were terrified at first, as we walked through broken glass and past burning cars, but after a good night's sleep they were ready to get out and about, although not near Trafalgar Square.

 

[fifo]

I was in peru in 2010, hiking in the mountains. Hears of an impeding bus strike. Great. Jump on first bus back to lima. Bus is stopped halfway down the mtn to a hail of rocks smashing the windscreen. The other drivers were pissed at this 'scab' as we'd call him. They didn't care about us, offered to drive us back to town. I stayed and hiked some more. What a time.

 

[LadyC]

Just to help this guys confusion, are you two ladies talking about a rickshaw or a trishaw? I could be wrong but I always though a rickshaw was pulled along by a person whereas a trishaw is a three wheeled cycle with pax seats. A trishaw I could almost understand to do India, but a rickshaw would be an extremely slow trip I would have thought?

Interesting you should say that because I always thought what I was driving was called a Tuk Tuk. I will clarify, they are called Auto Rickshaw in the main in India, though much to my dismay that didn't mean automatic (ha ha - mine was 15 years old, pull start and very dodgy, though I repainted and upholstered it - the type where you mix oil and water at every service station etc - a glorified lawnmower) Sorry for long answer.

Yes, they are also known as Tuk tuks (more in Thailand I think) and Bajaj (which I believe is a brand name). A glorified lawnmower is a good description!

 

[bmam]

A rather unusual museum is one dedicated to the phallus in Reykjavik. So far there is not a human one there (amongst all the other species preserved in jars) but apparently one gentleman has left his to the museum in his will! Certainly different. LOL.

https://phallus.is/en/

 

[p--and--t]

A rather unusual museum is one dedicated to the phallus in Reykjavik. So far there is not a human one there (amongst all the other species preserved in jars) but apparently one gentleman has left his to the museum in his will! Certainly different. LOL.

The Icelandic Phallological Museum

Ah yes. Seemingly a recurring theme in various parts of the world.

In China, in the grounds of one of the palaces of the emperor north of Beijing was a replica of a tent of the style used in Mongolia. Inside were penises of several different species prepared or preserved in a variety of ways - dried, ground, in suspension etc etc. All allegedly medicinal preparations for various ailments available for sale and sampling.

In Italy, at the site of the ruins of Pompeii we were regaled with stories of how the inhabitants worshipped the cough and of the many huge statues, art pieces and frescoes found on the archaeological site in reverence of the organ and the many ways it and with whom it could be used for pleasure.

 

[JohnK]

We specialise in arriving at destinations soon after a coup.

I arrived in Bangkok in the middle of a coup. Wife came down from Chiang Mai and went to hotel and I arrived later that evening. Taxi got me close to hotel and wife met me and we walked to hotel together. Machine guns everywhere. Eerie scenes. From memory there was also a curfew and we went searching for some food but most places closed.

This may have been May 2014 and a week or 2 later we were engaged.

 

[RB]

Reading the Trip Report by Jacques Vert reminded me of our visit to India and a couple of "unique and unusual travel experiences.

Amritsar-spiritual & cultural centre for the Sikh's. The Golden Temple is amazing. We witnessed the kitchen where they feed about 50,000 pilgrims a day & produce about 20,000 chapattis an hour. First photo shows a few of the plates, then some of the cooking & part of the temple complex

 

[RB]

Not far from Amritsar we attended the Wagah Indian/Pakistan border gate ceremony. I am not sure how the recent tensions between the countries has impacted things but the ceremony was certainly memorable on the day we were there.As with a lot of India you need to be prepared for crowds