{"id":819,"date":"2017-05-08T21:09:12","date_gmt":"2017-05-08T21:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.fau.edu\/lifelongexchange\/?p=819"},"modified":"2017-05-09T18:47:08","modified_gmt":"2017-05-09T18:47:08","slug":"travel-disasters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.fau.edu\/lifelongexchange\/2017\/05\/08\/travel-disasters\/","title":{"rendered":"TRAVEL DISASTERS"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sandi<\/a>

By Sandi Page, LLS Jupiter Marketing Committee Member<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like the lyrics of a famous song, faraway places with strange-sounding names have always called to me.\u00a0 The people, languages, sights, cuisines, colors and smells I encountered during my travels have made an indelible mark and constitute the rich, patchwork quilt of experiences that is my life.\u00a0 Most of the memories of those trips are wonderful, many almost sublime.\u00a0 Inevitably, a few near-disaster travel adventures peppered the route.\u00a0 One of them took place in Greece, a country I have visited many times and that feels like a second home.<\/p>\n

We always passed through Athens on each of our trips to Greece because I needed a few days to see the Acropolis yet again and to revisit my favorite museum exhibitions, not to mention the obligatory pilgrimages to the wonderful little non-tourist restaurants that we had discovered and where we were treated each year like returning family, in part because we took care to greet them and order our meals in Greek.<\/p>\n

One year, we decided to finally visit Delphi to commune with the oracle and to feel the influence of the Delphic maxims “Nothing in excess” and “Know thyself\u201d, sayings which had forever fascinated me and which seemed to be excellent words to live by.\u00a0 We arrived very early in the morning at the Athens bus station, each armed with a book, and bought our reserved seat tickets.\u00a0 As we climbed onto the bus, my eyes met the bus driver’s and a cold chill ran down my spine. My gift of ESP had never kicked in as strongly as it did that day.\u00a0 I turned to my companion and told him that we couldn’t take the trip, that something terrible would happen if we did.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0He was surprised at such an odd declaration coming from me but, nevertheless, gently said that I was being irrational.\u00a0 I reluctantly tried to put my premonition aside.\u00a0 We sat down and were settling in when I noticed that our seat numbers were not those marked on our tickets. \u00a0\u00a0Feeling danger once again, I insisted that we switch to our assigned seats.\u00a0 The bus filled with other passengers while I was filled with dread.\u00a0 As the bus driver started the three-hour trip, I buried myself in my book so as not to see what I knew was impending disaster.\u00a0\u00a0 Halfway through the trip, our driver fell asleep at the wheel, the bus swerved and we crashed into an oncoming bus.\u00a0\u00a0 In my shock, I noted that the driver of the other bus, slumped over the wheel, was not moving.\u00a0 The scene was horrendous, the smell of gas overpowering, the silence eerie. The people sitting in our original seats had been hurt worse than us. As we were trying to evacuate the bus, one of the passengers, an old Greek man, nervously lit a cigarette.\u00a0 I broke the silence by screaming “No!”\u00a0 in Greek, and although he was dazed like the rest of us, he immediately put it out.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0After we were a safe distance from the bus, I realized that I had left my book on the bus and inexplicably ran back to get it! \u00a0\u00a0We were transported to the hospital where I kept telling the doctor treating me that people had been killed.\u00a0\u00a0 The doctor kept telling me that everyone was fine.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I couldn’t understand why he switched from Greek to English to French and finally settled on speaking in Spanish to my companion who was in better shape than I was.\u00a0 I spent the rest of the day hooked up to an IV.\u00a0 When I was finally released, I found out that the doctor had been speaking in Spanish because he didn’t want me to know that three people had indeed been killed, including the other bus driver.\u00a0 When we saw the pictures of the crash on the front page of the Athenian newspapers the next day, we couldn’t believe that we had survived.\u00a0 Although we grieved for the lives lost, we felt the renewed sweetness of our own lives for years after.\u00a0 My ESP powers were not put in doubt again but we never attempted another trip to Delphi.\u00a0 The oracle had spoken.<\/p>\n

Read on to discover other travel disaster stories from your fellow LLS students, staff and professors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Barbara DePalma, Student<\/u><\/strong>
\n<\/u>Our two-week trip to explore the Canadian Rockies was off to a great start. We had just landed in Calgary and were headed to Customs when a beautiful black dog bounded up to our
\n15-year-old son, Mike.\u00a0 As Mike was petting the dog, we were suddenly surrounded by Customs officials. They quickly separated Mike from us and escorted him behind closed doors. My husband insisted on being with Mike, while I waited in confusion and shock with a Customs agent who told me that the dog had sniffed drugs on Mike. Patiently explaining that the parents are the last ones to know, she tried to convince me that it was better that we found out. It seemed forever before the agents came out and said that they could find no trace of drugs on Mike and that the dog was only interested in his sneakers. They had taken his shoes apart and found nothing. A light suddenly went on in my head! I explained that the previous weekend, we had gone to an outdoor Metallica concert where drugs were rampant. Was it possible that drug residue was on his sneakers? The agent confirmed that made sense because the soles were the only area the dog identified. Mike was released and we were again on our way. Later that night, Mike asked us if we had any doubts as the dog had been so positive. The look of gratitude on his face when we answered “No doubts at all” made the horrible ordeal almost worth it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paul and\u00a0Christine Newton, Students
\n<\/u><\/strong>Many years ago,\u00a0Paul and I were in the security line\u00a0of a Central American airport\u00a0on\u00a0our\u00a0way to a scuba\u00a0trip\u00a0when disaster almost struck. \u00a0We could definitely tell that we were in a Third World country. \u00a0As my carry-on bag went through security, the attendant repeatedly passed the bag through the X-ray and kept asking\u00a0me\u00a0if I\u00a0had\u00a0a knife in it. \u00a0 Confidently, I denied having one. \u00a0She continued to ask and Paul wondered aloud if I had packed our dive knives in the carry-on but I knew that they were\u00a0in the checked baggage.
\nThe attendant asked a final time, as if to give me one last chance to confess, and I said no. \u00a0The attendant\u00a0abruptly removed my bag from the line and started to search it. \u00a0Within 30 seconds,\u00a0she\u00a0removed\u00a0a steak knife with a five-inch blade\u00a0and a fork\u00a0from one of the side pockets of my bag. \u00a0I almost fainted\u00a0as\u00a0my life flashed before me. \u00a0I\u2019ve seen \u201cLocked Up Abroad\u201d!\u00a0\u00a0I imagined Paul and me being handcuffed\u00a0and\u00a0separated, never\u00a0to see each other or our families\u00a0again.\u00a0\u00a0Was there even a US embassy there??\u00a0\u00a0By this time,\u00a0there were\u00a0several uniformed personnel\u00a0inspecting my bag. \u00a0Much to our\u00a0relief, they believed\u00a0that I did not know\u00a0that\u00a0the knife and fork were in the bag\u00a0and let\u00a0us\u00a0proceed\u00a0with\u00a0our trip after confiscating\u00a0the utensils. \u00a0A noteworthy fact: \u00a0We had passed through security in\u00a0two major US airports\u00a0earlier in the day\u00a0with the\u00a0knife and fork undetected!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Richard Ren\u00e9 Silvin, LLS Lecturer
\n<\/u><\/strong>Some twenty years ago, I was booked on\u00a0Cunard\u2019s\u00a0SS\u00a0Vistafjord\u00a0for a two-week \u201crepositioning crossing\u201d from Fort Lauderdale to Malta.<\/p>\n

Around midnight of\u00a0the first\u00a0day,\u00a0I noticed the engine vibration had stopped and I went out on the balcony to find the ship was dead in the water with flames flying out of the funnel.\u00a0Within minutes, the alarms rang and the Captain addressed the ship,\u00a0explaining that this was no drill. We were ordered to get our life preservers and proceed to our assigned \u201cmuster stations\u201d at our designated lifeboats. There, an officer explained what we already knew: there was a fire. It had\u00a0started in the engine room and the ship\u2019s firefighters were trying to put it out.<\/p>\n

Shortly thereafter, we were asked to get into our lifeboats, which had been lowered into boarding position. We remained in them for two hours,\u00a0while news helicopters and Coast Guard planes circled the ship. Eventually, we were informed that\u00a0the fire had been put out, and that we could now gather on deck (the ship was full of smoke) where hot soup and coffee would be served.<\/p>\n

Several hours later, we were allowed to go back to our cabins, but the ship was inoperative and would be towed to Nassau. From there, we were removed from the ship, taken to the airport and flown by chartered plane to either Fort Lauderdale or London.<\/p>\n

Sadly, one sailor was killed. The ship was rehabilitated and rechristened the Caronia.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paul Brown, Student
\n<\/u><\/strong>It had been quite some time since we had been to London so we were very excited, especially as we were traveling on the Concorde.\u00a0 Although the seats were rather narrow and the window seat had a warm wall, the meal and the service were handled quite well. The trip from JFK to Heathrow was scheduled to take only three hours and nineteen minutes.<\/p>\n

Right on time, we touched down on a cool rainy night.\u00a0 But before the plane stopped, we were informed that there was a fire in the wheel well and we would have to make an immediate emergency exit from the plane.\u00a0 An announcement was made that all personal belongings should be left at the seat and would be collected in the terminal.<\/p>\n

The exit was to be by the slides at the front of the plane.\u00a0 Unfortunately, there was a problem with the slide on the right side which did not deploy.\u00a0 This left the approximately 85 passengers and crew the one slide on the front left side.\u00a0 Everyone was orderly and not concerned.\u00a0 Why should we be?\u00a0 We were already on the ground.\u00a0 What could go wrong?\u00a0 Regrettably, neither the cabin crew nor cockpit staff notified the women to remove their high-heeled shoes before jumping onto the slide.\u00a0 Sure enough, the first woman with heels tore the slide and fell to the tarmac.\u00a0 Thereafter, all passengers had to be caught before hitting the ground.<\/p>\n

The trip to the terminal was uneventful.\u00a0\u00a0 We were allowed back onto the plane (which had been subsequently towed to the gate) row by row to prevent any thefts and then offered a complimentary drink in the lounge.\u00a0 Interestingly, we heard no talk of suing the airline, but we were sent a complimentary round trip ticket to continue using the Concorde. This trip, when combined with others we have taken, clearly indicates that it is in your best interests not to travel with us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Francia Trosty, Student
\n<\/u><\/strong>In the mid-nineties, the Chinese government was offering travel incentives to academics and so I went with a group of colleagues to Beijing. My friend Sally discovered upon arrival that her luggage was missing and she had absolutely nothing to wear.\u00a0No problem, we thought.\u00a0We\u00a0were\u00a0in a beautiful hotel\u00a0in a downtown area\u00a0with boutiques and\u00a0fashionable\u00a0stores nearby so we went shopping!\u00a0However, it quickly became\u00a0apparent, to our\u00a0surprise, that all those garments made in China and mass marketed all over the world were not available to the locals. Sally,\u00a0at\u00a05\u20196\u201d\u00a0and a size 12, was way off the body proportion scale for local Chinese women. Nothing in her size was available anywhere at any price. \u00a0Undaunted,\u00a0about 10 of us women in the group convened in Sally\u2019s room with offerings from our\u00a0personal\u00a0belongings and she was able to cobble together a temporary wardrobe until her luggage arrived a few days later.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Peter Lippman, Student
\n<\/u><\/strong>It was 2012.\u00a0 Our youngest son, Andrew, had been touring the world with Johnny Hallyday \u2014 the French Sinatra \u2014 and had announced two scheduled North American performances, one in New York City and one in Montreal.\u00a0 Montreal made better sense for us, since a trip there would also facilitate a visit with family and friends.\u00a0 We drove up to the Paris of Qu\u00e9bec and, on the designated chilly October evening, joined the Bell Center box office line to collect the tickets that Andrew had secured for us and other family members.\u00a0 It was a long line, which inched forward only laboriously, so, to pass the time, we chatted with each other.\u00a0 It seemed a little peculiar that our in-line neighbors soon began to eye us somewhat quizzically, first one set, then another.\u00a0 Finally, we could contain ourselves no further.\u00a0 \u201cIs there something that we can help you with?\u201d we asked.\u00a0 \u201cYes\u201d, one lady responded, \u201cWe\u2019re all wondering what you Anglophones (English-speakers) are doing at a Johnny Hallyday (i.e. French language) concert.\u201d\u00a0 We explained that a) Unlike many English-speaking Montrealers, we do speak French and b) that our son was one of the principal performers.\u00a0 WOW!\u00a0 We became instant heroes on both counts.\u00a0 The concert volume and incessantly flashing strobe lights turned out to be less appreciable for those of us over fifty, but the preamble remains memorable.\u00a0 (Incidentally, “L’homme du Train\u201d (\u201cMan on the Train\u201d),\u00a0a <\/em>movie starring Johnny Hallyday, was included in Katie Muldoon\u2019s LLS Spring course<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emily Morton, Staff
\n<\/u><\/strong>When I was about thirteen years old, my family and I took a trip to New Orleans. We spent time walking around the city, visiting the old French Quarter with its tantalizing aroma of Cajun cuisine. We also ventured into the swamp, wandering by airboat through great cypress trees on the Mississippi River. When it was time to go home, we boarded our plane. As we began to take off, the plane suddenly screeched to a halt on the runway, jolting us forward in our seats. I tried to look out the window to see what had happened but there was something red smeared on the glass. The flight attendant got on the plane\u2019s intercom and explained that birds, which had suddenly appeared on the runway, had gotten caught in the engine during takeoff. I remember the heavy smell of burnt asphalt as we exited the plane. Aside from that experience, New Orleans remains one of my favorite cities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ginny Higgins, Student<\/u><\/strong>
\n<\/u>I was in Nepal 3 weeks before the earthquake, was in New Zealand this past year during their earthquake (we were not too close but had just left Wellington and visited buildings where there was damage), and I slept in JFK airport one night while our Air China plane was being repaired after leaking fuel twice while we were on and off it (still can’t believe I got on it a third time the next morning). There are too many bathroom, or lack thereof, stories from my younger years that I will NOT share with anyone!<\/p>\n

But the most ridiculous thing that happened was when Jim and I were flying to Australia with a layover in Los Angeles.\u00a0 We almost ALWAYS travel with only carry-on and we are VERY used to getting off a plane, grabbing our luggage from the overhead bin, putting our backpacks on, and we are off and running.\u00a0 So, naturally, when we landed in LA, we did just that.\u00a0 We were so excited that we made the shuttle in record time and got to the hotel feeling terrific about our fabulous traveling expertise.\u00a0 As we started to check in, we, of course, now realized that we had no luggage for a month-long trip.\u00a0 So, I laughed, told the clerk we would return, and off we went back to the airport.\u00a0 This time we took and PAID for a cab rather than wait for 1\/2 hour for another free shuttle!\u00a0 When we got to the airport, we were astonished to find that our luggage (and ONLY OUR luggage) was still circling around just waiting for us. By the way, the Australia\/New Zealand trip was amazing.\u00a0 If you have been there, you know.\u00a0 If you haven’t, GO!!!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Benito Rakower, Professor
\n<\/u><\/strong>It was late July and we\u00a0were in Lugano.\u00a0I suggested\u00a0to my wife that\u00a0we hitch-hike back to Paris instead of taking the\u00a0train. \u00a0Heike\u00a0was reluctant\u00a0at\u00a0first<\/em>,\u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t\u00a0like to\u00a0entertain\u00a0strange people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day, we were outside Basel,\u00a0by\u00a0the road to Burgundy. \u00a0A\u00a0tan Citroen\u00a0stopped to pick us up. \u00a0The driver\u00a0was\u00a0French\u00a0and worked in museum painting restoration.\u00a0\u00a0We got into\u00a0a conversation about the\u00a0asperities of\u00a0Villon\u2019s poetry.\u00a0\u00a0Tall, dark-haired and handsome,\u00a0Daniel had the\u00a0languid calme<\/em>\u00a0of an aristocrat.\u00a0\u00a0He\u00a0wore\u00a0no watch on his wrist. Daniel\u00a0suggested we\u00a0detour to\u00a0the\u00a0Loire\u00a0and visit\u00a0the\u00a0Chateaux.\u00a0\u00a0We were all game for it.\u00a0\u00a0At Blois,\u00a0we\u00a0found\u00a0a quaint\u00a0hotel for the night and spent the next day visiting Chambord\u00a0and Amboise. \u00a0Daniel had a\u00a0Michelin<\/em>\u00a0Guide<\/em>, which he never consulted.\u00a0He knew everything.<\/p>\n

Dinner was\u00a0at\u00a0an expensive restaurant\u00a0seated outside.\u00a0\u00a0Heike wore\u00a0a\u00a0dark blue\u00a0skirt and matching\u00a0pullover sweater –\u00a0her lethal color.\u00a0\u00a0All we ordered was lobster,\u00a0with\u00a0a rich\u00a0sauce, ripe\u00a0cantaloupe, and white wine. \u00a0At a certain moment,\u00a0Daniel toasted Heike silently over\u00a0the sparkling rim of his\u00a0gleaming\u00a0wine glass. \u00a0Heike toasted\u00a0him\u00a0back. \u00a0I had never before seen the expression on her face.<\/p>\n

Later,\u00a0in our hotel room alone,\u00a0I asked, \u201cHave you fallen in love with\u00a0Daniel?\u201d \u00a0Heike\u00a0had an aversion to direct questions.\u00a0\u00a0She\u00a0said, \u201cI didn\u2019t want to hitch-hike.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Each word hit the mark.\u00a0\u00a0For the rest of the trip,\u00a0Heike sat in front.\u00a0\u00a0In Paris,\u00a0there was a farewell drink. \u00a0Daniel gave us his business card\u00a0and we parted friends.<\/p>\n

Heike and I\u00a0found\u00a0a hotel on Rue Jacob and went for a\u00a0stroll.\u00a0\u00a0At the Caf\u00e9 Flore, I\u00a0recognized Rosemary, a\u00a0once\u00a0legendary English major from Radcliffe.\u00a0I introduced myself and Heike.\u00a0\u00a0It was odd that she was seated alone.<\/p>\n

Twenty years later,\u00a0we met again\u00a0by chance\u00a0in the middle of a\u00a0sun-drenched road\u00a0in Cambridge. \u00a0Rosemary remembered me. \u00a0We were both divorced. One night, we were\u00a0walking\u00a0up Avon Hill Road\u00a0discussing\u00a0Seventeen<\/em>. \u00a0Swept up by the warm night, Rosemary\u2019s beauty, and glimpses into homes with bookcases, I said, \u201cWhy don\u2019t we live together?\u201d \u00a0Rosemary\u00a0responded, \u201cI think we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Suzanna (Suzie) Wells, Staff
\n<\/u><\/strong>This\u00a0makes me feel\u00a0anxious\u00a0even now, six years\u00a0on,\u00a0having to write about it.\u00a0In July 2011,\u00a0just before I moved to Florida,\u00a0my\u00a0mum, my\u00a0sister, my then 18-year-old\u00a0twin\u00a0girls\u00a0and I\u00a0treated\u00a0ourselves\u00a0to a holiday in the South\u00a0of France.\u00a0We had the loan of a wonderful private villa that belonged to\u00a0my\u00a0sister\u2019s\u00a0boss at the time,\u00a0the CEO of\u00a0Credit Suisse. The villa was\u00a0idyllic. \u00a0Even\u00a0Nicolas Sarkozy had a villa just up the street and we would see his\u00a0helicopter\u00a0from time to time flying over the beach\u00a0which we overlooked.\u00a0One day, while\u00a0lying\u00a0on the beach, my sister,\u00a0the\u00a0girls\u00a0and I decided to rent some kayaks. \u00a0I went with Jo as she was the keen rower, having\u00a0rowed for her school and\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0the weakest swimmer.\u00a0Most\u00a0of the\u00a0kayaks\u00a0were out that day\u00a0so\u00a0we\u00a0ended up with only one\u00a0oar\u00a0each\u00a0and, of\u00a0course,\u00a0no life jackets were offered or even thought about! \u00a0That was my naive city way of thinking in play!<\/p>\n

We\u00a0started off\u00a0keeping close to the harbor, but then\u00a0decided to venture beyond the\u00a0small fishing boats\u00a0and yachts\u00a0that were docked there.\u00a0It was then that the weather took a turn for the\u00a0worse\u00a0and the\u00a0waters\u00a0started to\u00a0get rough. It\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0long\u00a0before we\u00a0lost sight of my sister Bee\u00a0who was with\u00a0my other daughter Dixie.\u00a0 Little did we know that they had been knocked out of their\u00a0kayak\u00a0by an overly\u00a0enthusiastic\u00a0speedboater\u00a0and were clinging\u00a0on in\u00a0very deep water.<\/p>\n

By this\u00a0time,\u00a0the sea\u00a0was\u00a0so rough that we couldn’t row back so we started shouting for help. When a big wave came along,\u00a0we\u00a0got tipped out. \u00a0I\u00a0drank more seawater\u00a0than I did red wine on that trip,\u00a0that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n

Jo managed to\u00a0climb\u00a0onto a\u00a0small\u00a0fishing\u00a0boat that passed her. It was manned by an elderly French couple\u00a0but the waters were too rough for them to reach me\u00a0and, to be honest, they seemed more interested in saving the kayak! Knowing\u00a0I wasn\u2019t a great swimmer,\u00a0Jo\u00a0panicked and threw\u00a0me\u00a0a long\u00a0rope that was on board.\u00a0 This part would have been funny if\u00a0I\u00a0hadn\u2019t\u00a0felt\u00a0so near death, but as I\u00a0kept\u00a0pulling the rope towards me, I\u00a0reached the end of it.\u00a0Jo hadn\u2019t\u00a0realized\u00a0it wasn\u2019t tied on anywhere!!!\u00a0So, there I was in deep,\u00a0deep\u00a0water, no life jacket,\u00a0tangled up in a rope, drinking so much sea water\u00a0and\u00a0getting\u00a0weaker by the minute.\u00a0\u00a0It was at that point I thought I was a\u00a0gonna\u00a0(English term here meaning done for).\u00a0 If the cold water didn\u2019t kill me off, the sharks certainly would. Meanwhile,\u00a0the others had luckily been picked up by a passing boat\u00a0(I\u2019m\u00a0glad they are such good swimmers).<\/p>\n

Just as I had given up and started feeling that calmness you hear about in drowning accidents,\u00a0out of\u00a0nowhere\u00a0this big luxury speedboat came along and scooped me out of the water (in my one and only James Bond moment).\u00a0It was owned by a young German\u00a0guy, which would have been romantic if I hadn\u2019t lost my bikini top and looked like a drowned rat!\u00a0Not even sure when I lost that (but I guess who cares in the South of France)!
\nSo,\u00a0this\u00a0kind German\u00a0wrapped me in a towel and gave me water and rushed me to the shore where the police\u00a0& medics\u00a0picked me up.\u00a0Bee and Dixie were\u00a0also\u00a0there waiting with the police.\u00a0I was wrapped in an\u00a0aluminum\u00a0blanket and given hot\u00a0chocolate\u00a0to drink.\u00a0They wanted to take me to hospital, but now I was worried about Jo. I knew she was on a fishing boat with an\u00a0elderly\u00a0French\u00a0couple. \u00a0I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0know if\u00a0she had seen me get picked up or not, so a search boat\u00a0was sent out for her.\u00a0She\u00a0was eventually found\u00a0by the police\u00a0running\u00a0around the beach with a bag\u00a0of\u00a0fresh\u00a0clothes\u00a0and water\u00a0looking for us,\u00a0bless her.\u00a0\u00a0We\u00a0were kept\u00a0with the police and medics\u00a0for hours until we were all reunited,\u00a0and they felt we were well enough to\u00a0leave. Needless to say, we\u00a0stuck to the pool for the rest of that holiday! So, lesson learnt here,\u00a0never do any water sports without a life jacket! That was the last time\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0been on\u00a0a kayak! Even living in a beautiful place like Jupiter,\u00a0I just break out in a cold sweat at the thought of it!<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Like the lyrics of a famous song, faraway places with strange-sounding names have always called to me.\u00a0 The people, languages, sights, cuisines, colors and smells I encountered during my travels have made an indelible mark and constitute the rich,…<\/span><\/p>\n

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