Bedfellow or Bandit?

Talk about doing crazy things when away from home is an understatement. Truly some of us leave our defences at home when we check-in at the airport. Many moons ago I spent two weeks in Venezuela where crime was high (trying to practice my mediocre spanish), this was my first trip travelling solo. As I strolled the blvd. I came across a cinema but couldn't understand what was showing. I turned to asked some strangers standing near and decided to go in with them (surprisingly the movie was in English and I would laugh at the jokes ahead of every else), suffice it to say, at the end of the film we were friends. Even though I had a nice hotel suite awaiting me, I accepted their invitation and went to their apartment where I spent the night clutching my purse (with all my valuables) and wondering if they were planning to rob me in my sleep. Since then my friend has visited, married a friend of mine and they have a little girl. Talk about connecting the dots. That was meant to be!

I just shared a bed, with a guy I didn't know, for a week and it was great. But then, I've done that before, and that was great, too.

I absolutely agree with Brie's assessment, and have probably gotten lucky -- in the sense of escaping a tragic fate -- a time or two myself! There is something about a foreign land that makes strangers seem like old friends.

I don't think you're crazy, I completely understand the situation. About 11 years ago my friend and I were standing in line at the Athens airport on our way to Cairo, Egypt and struck up a conversation with a fellow male traveler. By the time we got up to the ticket counter to get seat assignments, we were like old friends. He had hotel reservations while me and my friend did not, figuring we would just look for a youth hostel when we arrived. He helped us find a place to stay, but later that evening we all ended up back at his nice hotel (hot water in the showers!!) and stayed the night with him. Granted, not in the same bed, but he was basically a person we had not known 24 hours earlier. For the next three days we had the best time together and I will never forget him. Travel knocks down barriers that people put up around themselves and allows people to make connections with one another that can result in life-long memories.

Ted Bundy was southern too. I'm just sayin'.