Funniest Thing

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the US, Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.) The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.

This month’s winner is STAN C. KIMER of Raleigh, NC:

About 20 other travelers and I went on a 16-day “Conservation and Culture” tour of China with the US National Wildlife Federation in April ’08. We did all the normal sightseeing but added time at five different nature reserves.

During a city tour in Kunming, the local Chinese guide, who obviously had been briefed about our touring with the National Wildlife Federation, asked if we all were professional zoologists.

When we explained that we were just normal tourists who also were interested in nature, she looked enlightened and exclaimed, “I see. You are all wild lovers!”

We all laughed loudly in agreement and confirmed that that was exactly what we were.