Funniest Thing for May '10

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) There are no restrictions on length. The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.

This month’s winner is NED JOHNSON of Seneca, SC:

On our first trip to Hong Kong, we took a subway ride. Being a bit unsure about the subway system, we asked a fellow passenger if he was familiar with the system. After assurances that he rode it every day, we asked if we were on the correct train.

“No. No,” he exclaimed. “You are on a train that is going in the wrong direction.”

He proceeded to give us very detailed directions on how to get on the proper train — including going through tunnels and up stairs, crossing to the other side of the terminal and heading down more stairs, then looking for a train with a certain color code. He repeated the directions several times and had us repeat them back to him.

When we pulled into the station where we were supposed to do all this complicated maneuvering, he looked out of the train and exclaimed, “Oh, no! I am on the wrong train and you are on the correct one. Just get off in two stops.”

With that, he rapidly exited and when last seen was hurrying down the tunnel.