Four years ago I went to a Mexican friend’s wedding in Cozumel and then a few days later in Belize I met a Finnish girl who was visiting the same CouchSurfing host as I was. Now they both work for the same company in Switzerland. Small world.
I live for these coincidences. Once I was in Bangkok and a girl came up to me to ask, “Were you in Greece last year?” And I was. Twice in South Africa I had guys stop me and ask if I went to UC-Santa Barbara. And I did. My favorite was two guys on a plane from the Middle East to Europe discovering that they had me in common as a friend.
I have run into an ex-classmate in the backstreets of Brussels, a cousin of a friend on a beach in Thailand, and even on this trip, a guy who found me from a comment on Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree said, “When you are in Ethiopia you might run into Eddie from New York.” It couldn’t sound more needle-in-a-haystack, but I did.
It is a small world indeed, but I always have the feeling that if anyone stands on Khao San Road in Bangkok long enough, they will see someone they know.
I’m leaning towards adding a Paypal button to my website, though I am still conflicted. I am looking for a subtle and tasteful way to present it, you know, classy. Something like this:
Let your readers vote between the above, and
“Please consider contributing towards the vaccinations I need to protect me from the next abominable, awful, beastly, crappy, cruddy, crummy, detestable, distasteful, exotic, foul, funky, gross, gruesome, hateful, hideous, horrid, horrific, icky, loathsome, lousy, macabre, nasty, nauseating, odious, offensive, raunchy, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, rotten. scuzzy, sickening, skanky, sleazy, stinking, surfeiting, vile, and vulgar diseases I will be exposing myself to, or, just to support my blog!”
Vaccinations! I knew I forgot something!
While researching my next trip I remembered your blog and managed to track it down. I’m the guy who told you to look out for my friend Eddie from NY in Ethiopia. I love these coincidences ( coincidii?) and have plenty myself. Some really incredible. Everytime it happens I wonder how many such run-ins I may have missed by looking one way rather than the other or pausing or not pausing to look at something for a few seconds.
BTW I had a great time in Syria but things were starting to really break down by the time I left. Next trip….Ethiopia.
What’s all the fuss?
I’m Eddie!
You guys need to get together!