Moscow.
Betty, a Chinese-Australian retiree: "Boy,
what an easy job you have, that allows you to travel so much!" (Yes,
Betty, it's called unemployment).
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Bucharest.
The
receptionist in the hostel: "Do you snore? Are you sure? Because we
just had a Korean guy, yeah? Totally normal and skinny looking, but he
snored so loud, all nine other people in the room couldn't sleep."
Aki the Japanese guy: "What is snore?"
The receptionist and I had to demonstrate.
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Bucharest to Istanbul night train.
Mi-Hyun
the Korean student studying in Ireland: "Potatoes, that's all they eat
in Ireland! It's potato this, potato that, they don't have anything
other diet!"
On the same train, I changed wagon
compartments to hang out with friends, then the conductor of the second
wagon kicked me out. Back in the first wagon, a man started shouting at
me, "Do you think you own this wagon, and you can come and go as you
please? We don't work for you, I don't work for you! No, no, go back to
the other wagon, you are not allowed here!..." He went on and on, till I found out he was just a very drunk passenger.
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Istanbul.
Bob
and Eva, an American couple: "Why do they have to start praying so xxxx
early! Our hotel is right next to a mosque, and they have a loudspeaker
pointed at our room. Every day at five they start singing the prayer
song, the windows, our bed, everything would start shaking!"
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Istanbul to Sofia night train.
A man from the next compartment said to me: "Are you traveling to Sofia?"
Me: "Yes."
Him: "Is this your first time to visit Istanbul?"
Me: "Yes."
Him: "Is this your first time to visit Sofia?"
Me: "Yes."
Him: "Do you speak English?"
Me: "Yes."
Five minutes later, the woman sharing a compartment with me said: "Are you traveling to Sofia?"
Me: "Yes."
Her: "This is my first time on a night train in Eastern Europe, so I am a bit nervous."
Me: "Okay."
Her: "Is this your first time to visit Turkey?"
Me: "Yes."
Her: "Do you speak English?"
Me: "Yes."
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Bratislava to Warsaw night train.
My
compartment mate, a Polish woman, said to me: "Before we go to sleep,
we shut the door, yeah? And we be ready, yeah? So if a man breaks in
here, we will give him the quickest way, yeah?" waving her fist, "Okay?"
