Dumbest thing you've done in India

Nick-H

You think an Indian can't do anything dumb in India?

You are very welcome in this thread

loolee

I was pretty worried about using the loo when the bus stopped so I found out that i could hold on for eight hours. Any way on a twelve hour trip I became desperate and (descretely) peed in a chip packet and threw it out the window!!

santos_g15

This happened when i was waiting in agra railway station for my train.It was winter time and trains were atleast 2-4 hours late.As many people were stranded, we sat on floors of railway platform.The shatabthi arrived and Foreigner(elderly guy) walked out from it.As everybody was going towards exit ,he was heading in different direction towards one of the families sitting in platform.he had bottled water i guess offered in shatabthi and placed the waterbottle near a indian granny and turned back and walked.The granny puzzled started shouting in hindi and gentlemen started running.he ran atleast 25 mts while granny was shouting at him .The whole station burst into laughter. .It wasnt dumb but pretty funny to watch.

sa_ill

Lol. I can only imagine the scene in my mind. What a great scene it might have been. Wonderful.

__________________
I quote Nich - H, who quoted Chris

A Scotsman, an Irishman, and an Englishman walk into a bar.
The barman says,
"What is this? Some kind of a joke?"

mudpuppy

The gardener in our neighborhood killed a small snake. Turns out to be a Russel's Viper. (Poisonous)

I was riding my wife's bicycle at the time, and put the dead snake in the panniers (saddlebags) to show my kids later.

I arrived home and got distracted by something else.

Later, my wife came home from a shopping trip the grocery store and said "Did you put a dead snake in my bicycle bags?" She said she NEARLY had a heart attack when she opened the bag to put the groceries in there.

Photo:

Russel's Viper

newislander

This thread is so long. I can't read more than one page at a time. So i've jumped to the end to add my piece.

I've done a few dumb things.

1. Travelling by government bus so that I was on it for hours sitting wedged up against the window with a randy bloke next to me. And arriving at my destination at about 2am. AND not having booked a room in a guesthouse.

2. Eating the local pork specialty dish recommended by my guidebook at restaurant in Madikeri. This resulted in the only dose of the shits I had in four months of travel in india.

3. Not letting my friend book me a room in Mumbai so that I ended up in the crummiest dorm room in the city for too many days. There wasn't even glass in the window.

4. There are others but I will spare you for now.

newislander

loolee why didn't you ask the bus driver to stop?

Wombat

First, a small disclaimer - I am a planner type and for each hotel I stay at I have address, their phone number, directions and at least a small map. In this particular instance my travel companion's local friend was to pick us up at the airport so I had not done this. So, um, I am not as dumb as may appear.

Arrived at Delhi airport to find noone to pick us up, and upon calling her friend he said he had been waiting for her to confirm with him - so purchased pre paid cab to the youth hostel we were staying at (nice area but very quiet) - did all the usuals, in cab and off on our way. Quite promising to start with but once off the highway to airport driver became very hopelessly lost - stopping frequently for directions, setting off with confidence each time, and then shortly after getting that confused look on his face which I swear I will never forget.

Last directions were from a taxi stand. Set off again as usual...appeared lost again...when my friend saw on the left the sign of our hostel (she thought). We were already past it and after 10 seconds of observing his reversing skills in action we told him 'no problem, we will walk back'. Got bags, started walking, and off he went. Dusk now. Noone around on streets, and very infrequent traffic. Just us two pallid traveller types. Both female. Arrived at the 'hostel'. Looked at sign. 'Um, this is the 'International Youth Centre', not the 'Youth Hostel'... Panic...taxi gone...her friend a good hour away...

Fortunately, we have the number of an online friend, who arrives to our rescue within 5 minutes and takes us safely to our hostel (yes, I know this sounds dumb, but really this bit isn't...) Also turns out that the youth hostel had been just 200m past the last place the driver had asked for directions, on the same side of the road even...

But yes, we were dumb...and fortunately, lucky!

Nick-H

Hey, on an early visit to London (before I spent more than 30 years living there), I went to Edgware instead of Edgware Road, and Camden instead of Camden passage. At least the latter pair are not far off; the Edgeware excursion seemed to take hours. .

I'm like you with the planning though. I dread saying to driver in a far-off town, "Hotel, err _________". My brain blanks at the most inappropriate moments. I'd rather have the name, address, and a Google Maps printout in my hand!

(There's more than a few trips where I find I've left the paper at home, and there I am, driving around on inspired guesswork)

santos_g15

You can try googling "Who i am i at those time if you have access to net?"

I saw cartoon on paper few days before..In the cartoon the guy googles "Where is my car key". lol.

Nick-H

Oh, if I had to deliver to presentations to high-power, international management, my piece of paper always started, "My name is Nick H.....". I didn't forget yet, but better safe than sorry --- and I got a laugh once from a bunch of international directors by telling them that I wrote it down just in case I stood up and dried up.

National management meetings, I just woffled as usual.

santos_g15

My name is NicK H. arrgggh i forgot what to say. from audience.

Golden Chapati

Has to be buying a 25 year old Enfield 350 (in reality perhaps a 80cc) with no previous knowledge of motorbikes or mechanics.

Day 1 - bought bike, someone crashed into me.
Day 2 - took highest pass in the world, bike broke down 3 hours later.
Day 3 - Bike fixed. 1h after bike breaks again
Day 4 - Battery goes dead, bike dies.
Day 5 - Bike fixed but in terrible condition. Run out of petrol 500 meters from worls highest pass. Battery flat again, roll down to Leh in complete darkness.

Repeat more or less for Ladack, Zanksar, Kashmir and HP! Bike finally died in Dhara where I scrapped her for 7,000INR after already losing 28INR on repairs. Bike went through three pistons, two cylinders, 2 clutch wires, two clutch plates, 2 new heads, 2 rotary systems, three valves, one set of inlet rods, 1 front break, 2 sets of rear break pads + 1 set of front, one new paint job, one body rework, entire rewiring of electrics, two sets of wheels (buckled), two front bulbs, one battery, two sparkplugs and some other stuff I can't even remember

santos_g15

Must have been miserable.not very wise but not really dumb.it s one of teenage crazy stuff you do.

suricate

And all for just 28INR ?!! The Enfield is one cheap bike to maintain, I must say.