I love to travel, whether it’s to visit my siblings in their corners of the world, to go on a holiday with friends, business trips, or just those short getaways from my everyday life.  Wherever I go, I usually bring home presents for friends and family, goodies for me, shot glasses for my collection and of course a bunch of Inday photos for the whole world to see.

But in all my trips, I have also amassed a bunch of stories, that, when I share them with friends, all get the same reaction, “It could only happen to you, Inday!”  So now, on this stormy Wednesday morning, let me share them with you:

A CASE OF MISCOMMUNICATION

After the tour of the palace, we were given a few minutes to walk around the gardens.  I was taking a quiet stroll and a French man approached me and with his very thick accent and broken English asked if he could walk with me.  I was alone so I said, “Yes.” I don’t speak French and he spoke very little English, but somehow we managed to have a conversation.  Though really, all I got was he had some free time from a business trip and decided to tour the palace.    After a few minutes, he held my hand. I was a bit surprised, but okay.  A few more minutes of walking, I pointed to the other side of the garden and said, “Let’s go there.” I guess that part wasn’t so clear, cause he did the French air kiss on my cheeks and said goodbye.  So much for my afternoon with a Frenchman.

MAKING NEW FRIENDS

I was having lunch at a pizza restaurant in Venice when I heard the familiar sounds of people speaking Tagalog.  I approached them and said hi and introduced myself.  The group was very friendly and we started exchanging stories.  When we were about to go our separate ways, they invited me to dinner the following night, “Sama ka sa amin mag-dinner bukas,” one of them said, “Pagkatapos ng samba.”.  I was a bit confused.  So I said, “Worship?”  “Yes, El Shaddai.” They said.  And all I could say was, “Oh I didn’t know there was El Shaddai in Venice.” Not knowing what to say, I just replied, “Sure.” Unfortunately, our lines got crossed the next day and we weren’t able to meet up anymore.  But hey, who else can say they were invited to an El Shaddai worship in Venice?

JUST A SUGGESTION

After a tiring morning of playing tourist, I decided to take a short lunch break. I sat at a bench outside a souvenir shop near the Vatican.  I took out the sandwich I made from the breakfast buffet at my hotel.  (Inday was on a very strict budget!)  A Filipina sat next to me and after we got through the “Ay Pilipina ka pala” moments, we started exchanging stories.  Turns out she was working for a French diplomat who was being transferred to Russia.  She told me about how good her employers were and how lucky she was.  After a few minutes, she looked at me and asked, “Bakit di ka na lang mag-TNT dito.  I wasn’t really sure how to reply so I just said, “OK naman po ang trabaho ko sa Pilipinas.”

A KISS FROM A STRANGER  (No it’s not what you think.  It’s funnier than that!)

One afternoon, I was standing on 5^th Avenue having a cigarette when an African-American man approached me.  He asked if I had some spare change, and when I said no, he asked if he could have a cigarette.  So I gave him one.  He smiled and said, “You are a lifesaver.” Then kissed my neck and hugged me.  I was so taken aback all I could do was stand there.

AN OFFER I COULDN’T REFUSE

I had such a tight budget on my trip to Europe.  Food was at the bottom of my list of things to spend on (tours, entrance fees, souvenirs and Diet Coke were at the top of the said list).  I brought cup noodles, canned pate, crackers and even plastic containers and forks with me, so I could save on buying food.   Am not sure if this was obvious from my face though.  On the train ride from Venice to Florence, I sat next to this Irish man and woman who looked to be in their mid-60s.  Turns out they were brother and sister who were taking a vacation together.  We were getting along really well so when lunchtime came the sister said, “Would you like to join us for lunch?” Lunch was a set meal that cost 30 euro, so I was about to say no, when she added, “as our guest?”  Now how could I refuse such an offer? Especially since the option was eating the crackers I’d swiped from the hotel breakfast buffet table.

AN OFFER I SHOULD HAVE REFUSED

While on a group tour in Vienna, this Australian guy struck up a conversation with me.  When the tour finished shortly before lunch, he asked what my plans were for the rest of the day.  I said I was just going to visit other museums, he asked if he could join me.  I figured why not?  So we walked for a few minutes and he said we should stop for lunch and it’d be his treat.  I had been living on cup noodles and crackers for a week so this was an irresistible offer.  Once we had sat down for lunch, he asked me if he could have a cigarette.  I said yes, even though it was my last pack.  As the rest of the afternoon went on he kept getting cigarettes from me.

Around 5pm we parted ways.  And I was left wondering, “was the free lunch worth the half pack of cigarettes?” considering how blaaah that lunch was and how expensive cigarettes are in Europe, am still not sure if it was.

There are many more stories to tell, but I’ll save the others for future entries.

So that’s all for now…bow