Travel Coincidences

Everyone has their travel coincidence stories. It was quite common to meet someone on one side of a continent and then not knowing anything about their trip plans meet them by accident in a cafe 4000 km and 3 months later. However this can be explained by math. Even when my good friend Dave Strobl who had lunch with someone in India, parts way, and then meets the same traveller in a Mexican canteen 7 years later. Impressive but still borderline math dealing with people, habits, culture, guide books, etc.


Airlie beach

Snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef






One coincidence, pushing the math, happened on my first trip to Australia. Getting off the midnight bus, Airlie beach was full, only a few hawkers were around, one from a cheap motel far outside the “beach” area, doubling as a hostel, so I went there. The next day I was talking to the group of guys at the next table (this hostel/motel was only 25% full). I asked him where he was from. He said I wouldn’t know it, as he thought I was from the UK. I told him to try me. He said Canada, I said that I know it well. He said Ottawa, Yea know it. He said a small village outside Ottawa called Navan. Yes know it - What street? Yes it was my street. Where on the street? Where else but next door! He was the son of my next door neighbour. I didn’t know him, as he moved from his mom’s house to his fathers while I was living in the UK. He said “oh you’re that guy who travels”. Freaked me out a bit.

Another strange one was when I was camping on the lawn of a boat club in Kariba, Zimbabwe. At the bar, that night, there was only one guy other than my group. He was Canadian, it was the first Canadian I talked to in a couple of months. He was from New Brunswick. It was his first trip abroad. He wasn’t a regular traveler, he fact he rarely left New Brunswick, he was visiting relatives. He didn’t know anyone in Ottawa. He knew only ONE guy in Montreal though. Yes I knew the guy too! Then when we talked briefly about the guy, he promptly told me a story about another guy who worked with this Montrealer previously. Yes, it was a story about me.

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/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/index.rss?sort=modifiedDate&sortDirection=reverse&tag=crimelist/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/?sort=modifiedDate&sortDirection=reverse&tag=crimeBe careful out there!CustomTagSidebarCustomTagSidebar?sort=modifiedDate&sortDirection=reverse&tag=crime0/groups/jeffstravelstories/sidebar/CustomTagSidebarmodifiedDate5CustomTagSidebarreversecrimeBe careful out there!custom/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/index.rss?tag=hotlist/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/?tag=hotWhat’s HotHotListHot!?tag=hot5/groups/jeffstravelstories/sidebar/HotListjeffjeff2011-01-25 20:57:02+00:002011-01-25 20:57:02updated4Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-12 20:49:16+00:002011-01-12 20:49:16addTag3jeffjeff2011-01-12 20:48:44+00:002011-01-12 20:48:44updated2First createdjeffjeff2011-01-12 20:48:29+00:002011-01-12 20:48:29created1weblog2011-01-25T20:57:02+00:00groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/6ec66FalseSome Favorite Travel Photos/groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/6ec66/Some_Favorite_Travel_Photos.htmljeff4 updatesSome Favorite Travel Photos Falsejeff2011-01-25T20:57:02+00:00jeffjeff2011-01-09 18:13:44+00:002011-01-09 18:13:44updated9jeffjeff2011-01-07 15:33:10+00:002011-01-07 15:33:10updated8Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-07 15:33:08+00:002011-01-07 15:33:08addTag7Added tag - turkeyjeffjeff2011-01-05 21:44:26+00:002011-01-05 21:44:26addTag6jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:48:03+00:002011-01-01 16:48:03updated5jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:47:48+00:002011-01-01 16:47:48updated4jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:46:03+00:002011-01-01 16:46:03updated3jeffjeff2011-01-01 15:58:42+00:002011-01-01 15:58:42updated2First createdjeffjeff2011-01-01 15:57:33+00:002011-01-01 15:57:33created1weblog2011-01-09T18:13:44+00:00groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/a5bc0FalseTurkish Drunk Driving Test/groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/a5bc0/Turkish_Drunk_Driving_Test.htmljeff9 updatesTurkish Drunk Driving Test A Tourist Steam Engine in Turkey [image] [image]While living in Istanbul, I need...Falsejeff2011-01-09T18:13:44+00:00jeffjeff2011-01-06 23:02:06+00:002011-01-06 23:02:06updated17Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-06 01:05:34+00:002011-01-06 01:05:34addTag16Removed tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-06 01:04:45+00:002011-01-06 01:04:45removeTag15jeffjeff2011-01-06 01:04:45+00:002011-01-06 01:04:45updated14Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-06 01:04:44+00:002011-01-06 01:04:44addTag13Added tag - indiajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:44:09+00:002011-01-05 21:44:09addTag12Added tag - south americajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:44:05+00:002011-01-05 21:44:05addTag11Added tag - illnessjeffjeff2011-01-05 21:43:46+00:002011-01-05 21:43:46addTag10Added tag - sarsjeffjeff2011-01-05 21:43:35+00:002011-01-05 21:43:35addTag9Added tag - asiajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:43:32+00:002011-01-05 21:43:32addTag8Added tag - africajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:43:28+00:002011-01-05 21:43:28addTag7jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:44:28+00:002011-01-01 16:44:28updated6jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:26:37+00:002011-01-01 16:26:37updated5jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:26:01+00:002011-01-01 16:26:01updated4jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:24:41+00:002011-01-01 16:24:41updated3jeffjeff2011-01-01 15:58:18+00:002011-01-01 15:58:18updated2First createdjeffjeff2011-01-01 15:57:45+00:002011-01-01 15:57:45created1weblog2011-01-06T23:02:06+00:00groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/678d9FalseOf Lice and Flem (Phlegm)/groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/678d9/Of_Lice_and_Flem_Phlegm.htmljeff17 updatesOf Lice and Flem (Phlegm) [shapeimage_1.png]Travel can be tough, different food, different bugs, different diseases. To me this is what makes travel interesting. ...Falsejeff2011-01-06T23:02:06+00:00jeffjeff2011-01-06 22:22:29+00:002011-01-06 22:22:29updated10Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-06 22:22:28+00:002011-01-06 22:22:28addTag9jeffjeff2011-01-05 21:25:05+00:002011-01-05 21:25:05updated8Added tag - indonesiajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:25:02+00:002011-01-05 21:25:02addTag7Added tag - lesothojeffjeff2011-01-05 21:24:58+00:002011-01-05 21:24:58addTag6Added tag - visajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:24:54+00:002011-01-05 21:24:54addTag5Added tag - bribejeffjeff2011-01-05 21:24:50+00:002011-01-05 21:24:50addTag4Added tag - central americajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:24:46+00:002011-01-05 21:24:46addTag3jeffjeff2011-01-05 21:24:26+00:002011-01-05 21:24:26updated2First createdjeffjeff2011-01-05 21:17:23+00:002011-01-05 21:17:23created1weblog2011-01-06T22:22:29+00:00groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/01cf1FalseEntries, Exits & Bribes/groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/01cf1/Entries_Exits__Bribes.htmljeff10 updatesEntries, Exits & Bribes I have been involved with quite a few bribes while traveling. I remember always having bribe money tucked in my sock for the year I lived in Turk...Falsejeff2011-01-06T22:22:29+00:00Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-06 01:04:56+00:002011-01-06 01:04:56addTag7jeffjeff2011-01-05 21:36:41+00:002011-01-05 21:36:41updated6Added tag - zimbabwejeffjeff2011-01-05 21:36:40+00:002011-01-05 21:36:40addTag5Added tag - coincidencejeffjeff2011-01-05 21:36:21+00:002011-01-05 21:36:21addTag4Added tag - australiajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:36:14+00:002011-01-05 21:36:14addTag3jeffjeff2011-01-05 21:34:09+00:002011-01-05 21:34:09updated2First createdjeffjeff2011-01-05 21:31:02+00:002011-01-05 21:31:02created1weblog2011-01-05T21:36:41+00:00groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/3cc1eFalseTravel Coincidences/groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/3cc1e/Travel_Coincidences.htmljeff7 updatesTravel Coincidences Everyone has their travel coincidence stories. It was quite common to meet someone on one side of a continent and then not knowing anything abou...Falsejeff2011-01-05T21:36:41+00:00hot/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/index.rss?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomelist/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomeRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdates?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcome0/groups/jeffstravelstories/sidebar/RecentChangesListmodifiedDateallRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdateswiki/welcomeNo recent changes.reverse5search