Everyone assumes that our travels are all fun and adventure. They see our pretty photographs on Facebook and read our blog and think “Wow, those Ramblers have quite the life!” Well, we do. However, we do have our bad moments just like everyone else. Our blog and social media acts as a highlight real of sorts. Here are a few examples of Ramblin’ moments where things didn’t go quite as planned. After all, we are human and err just as much as anyone else.
The Toe Incident
While in the Smoky Mountains, I decided I wanted to play in the river. I took my shoes off and started hopping around the rocks and splashing around like a little kid. It was fun and exhilarating. “Join me Kenin, take your shoes off and get in.” “No Lauren, my giant feet aren’t made to hop on those rocks. I’ll hurt myself.” Was his reply, I thought he was being boring and pragmatic so I egged him on. “Don’t be such a pansy! You’ll be fine.” Those were my famous last words. Kenin joined me all fun and fancy-free, slipped on a tiny rock, and broke a toe. I still hear about this from time to time when I ask him to join in my free-spirited fun.
That Time We Almost Died…
Driving through Alaska is very doable in the late fall, but you still need to take certain precautions. We put some winter tires on the car and made it through the entire state (over a period of two weeks) without any incident. Then, while on our way out of the state, this happened. We were casually driving through some fresh snow while going down a mountain and of course, being Alaska, there are no guard rails. Suddenly, we hit a patch of ice and the car starts to slide out of control towards the edge of the mountain we’re on. We are a couple thousand feet up and nothing Ken is doing is changing the trajectory. He’s tapping brakes, turning the wheel, pumping the clutch, anything just to get the car turned back onto the road and absolutely nothing is working. The car just keeps sliding sideways heading towards the side of the mountain. Just when I close my eyes and think my life is over it hits us…a stop sign. We are saved from sliding off the edge of a mountain by a stop sign! We get out of the car and Kenin curses loud enough to start an avalanche, realizes we are alive and not hurt, gets back in the car and we continue to make our way back to Florida. Whew!
The Dog Days of Summer
Camping is great and we don’t get to do it often enough for me. The last time we camped, we took our two dogs with us. Ever sleep in a tent with two dogs? How about sleeping in a tent with two dogs when one of them eats something that gives him diarrhea? That’s right. We were awoken by Punkin trying to get out of the tent and poop everywhere. This is nothing like when a dog poops in the house at home. There is poop on the tent, on the sleeping bags, all over the dogs. It was horrible and the worst way to wake up EVER.
Shit Really Does Happen
Speaking of diarrhea, we spent five weeks in India. We didn’t drink tap water, we were extremely careful about the conditions of restaurants, and we still got sick…very sick. For almost two weeks Kenin and I were stuck by the Maharastra’s Revenge (aka Gandhi’s Revenge, Delhi Belly, The Rangoon Runs, Bombay Belly). Anyone who has visited this part of the world knows what public bathrooms are like. You basically get to poop in a hole in the ground and toilet paper is a luxury most can’t afford. This meant that Kenin and I were trapped in our hotel (where we had proper facilities) and ventured out only when necessary. Traveling is great, but shit happens! :(
The Time We Almost Died Again…
We pulled an overnighter while driving the Al-Can not too long ago. There was no pet-friendly place to stay so we decided to just drive all night and stop when we needed to rest. It’s dark, the roads are deserted, it’s lightly snowing and quiet as ever then what in the world!?! A mountain goat decided that this was the perfect time to moon-walk across the road. Now, Kenin has a thing for goats. He loves them! He yearned for so long to see a mountain goat, but they are elusive bastards. And here was this guy just happily prancing and doing a goat boogie in the middle of the road. Didn’t even seem to notice the car behind him that almost turned him into lamb chops. This guy, this goat right here, this suicidal bastard …almost killed us, but he was cute as a button and the sighting was worth the danger.
I know we make it look glamorous and fun, and it is pretty great, but we do have those moments when the unexpected and unplanned hits. You just have to learn to brush it off and keep trucking. Life happens and sometimes it can be unpleasant. Eventually, you can look back on these times and laugh. Now, on to the next adventure!
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Oh yikes! I agree with you, travelling is not all about fun! I am terrified reading your almost dying situations – hope you never have to deal with that kind of situation again! Safe travels always you two x
Aggy, if there were never danger involved then it wouldn’t really be an adventure. :) Life happens!
Those are some hair raising stories! Glad you made it out alive. How fortunate (and ironic) to be stopped from falling off a cliff by a stop sign. The poop in the tent – yuck! LOL I once had a dog with diarrhea soil the back of my car and that was bad enough. May your future travels be smooth sailing.
Debbie, irony seems to follow us everywhere in life. I will never be angry at having to stop at a stop sign ever again. :)
“Elusive bastards” – that’s exactly what I think of when I think of goats!!! So awesome! Our scariest “we could have died” moment came when our car suddenly died while we were idling on the highway with several hundred other cars in a snowstorm, waiting for another accident to be cleared. 5 minutes before the road ahead of us finally cleared and we could get on our way, our car just… died. Totally died. As in we couldn’t even put on hazard lights or interior lights. So the traffic starts up again and we are a dead silver car in the middle of a snowstorm when it’s minus 30 degrees Celsius and the police will not come because they are so busy with the aftermath of the accident that had us stopped in the first place. In the end, we wrapped an iPhone in a mitten, stuck it in the snow on the back of our car, and put it on the strobe light function. Terrifying. We could have been killed. Someone else swerving around our car could have slid right off the road. In the end, a ministry of transportation guy passed our car, then radioed for some of his truck operators to come and block the highway (ie Canada’s busiest road, the highway that leads to Toronto) so we would be safe until a tow truck came. Harrowing. We now have a $100 emergency kit in our car, complete with flares and signals!
I read the post you did on that Vanessa :) You should have linked to it here.
It is easy to forget that travel isn’t all sunshine and excitement. Though looking back on the downside does make for some good stories later on. Thanks for sharing!
Bev, Stories aren’t ever exciting without a bit o’ drama. While we try not to be drama llamas life still does manage to throw a curveball or two in our direction every once in a while.
Thanks for sharing those mishaps with us! You are right, we do tend to think that it is purely idyllic!
Those are some awesome stories! So glad you survived! I always write about all the fun things I do, but you know what this is a great insight to the REAL life of a travel writer! I’m still laughing though at the thought of the tent and 2 dogs! LOL.
That accident in Alaska sounds terrifying! Glad you made it out ok. Great post–although traveling is amazing, it’s nice when people share the not so amazing parts, too! :)
We’ve all got a few of those – not funny at the time, but great to write about! Like my close encounter with a tiger (my guide said it was a good thing it was male as the female has cubs and would have attacked us. As if that was meant to make me feel any better!)
I feel you on the toe incident because there was once I was a smarty pant who tried to climb rocks with my slipper, fell and sprain my toes.
Those near death experience… Sounds terrifying. Glad you survived the incidents and hope none of these will happen again.
Safe travels! :)
You’ve had some unique experiences! You’re right traveling isn’t always perfect. Things go wrong sometimes, hopefully not too wrong, but it makes a story later for sure!
LOL. Your post made me laugh. “doing a goat boogie.”