Extricating yourself from a tight situation

This month’s winner is SONIA IBANEZ of Rego Park, New York:

Some time ago, my partner and I visited the Dominican Republic. Our resort by the beach was about 30 minutes from the capital, Santo Domingo. After an unpleasant incident with a taxi driver returning us from the downtown area, the next day we decided to try the public bus system, which had a stop right by our resort.

Since our destination was the last stop on the bus route, we sat in the very back seat, where we found another person already sitting by the window. As the bus was filling in with passengers, we noticed that in each row, by the aisle, there was a small folding seat that could be pulled out so people could sit when the rows were full rather than stand on the aisle. Even before we reached our final stop, the bus was packed.

Now and then, somebody would yell “Stop!”, and at the next stop, the driver would allow whomever wanted to get off to do so.

To our surprise, well before we reached the last stop, the person sitting next to us by the window called for the bus to stop. We wondered how on Earth this person was going to get through the packed bus to reach the front exit.

The bus stopped where it should, and our seat mate just stood up and jumped out the window.

Tell us about something humorous that happened to you while traveling outside the United States. There are no restrictions on length. ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Include your full mailing address. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.