Meeting People

I meet people in the most random places or circumstances. Some of my best friendships were forged from random meetings, and I just think, wow, how lucky to be there in that exact place and time.

When I was a travel agent, I became good friends with some of my co-workers, of course, and some of my clients who were trying to go to some crazy place that I've never heard of in middle-of-nowhere Africa (Matt) or just to Dallas to buy a motorcycle (Bradley) or just stayed in Gainesville forever (Christos) so I was bound to help them out with very specific travel requests (George, haha) and become their friends.

Then there are the random meetings around town through bizarre hobbies like roller-skating, where you meet someone five times before they finally remember your name but end up becoming an important fixture in your life for years (Gregg) or you just say the word roller-skating and they say “sign me up” and wind up being your pseudo-family ever since (Claudia).

But the most random stories are those that occur on the road:
Paloma = working at Hard Rock Cafe in London in 1997, becoming flatmates for three months in 1999, and somehow managing to stay in touch and travel together to Spain, Peru and Thailand over a span of 10 years.
Tony, Anthony and Fred = on a Nile cruise with my mom in 1997. They were the only other people under the age of 50 on the cruise: "I must talk to them!!!" We stayed in touch, visited, and even went to Tony's wedding in Australia in 2002.
Tim and Dean = Terry's Top Hat Tour of Berlin whilst travelling in 1999. Tim had a fancy camera so I thought, right, he must be the one I ask to take my photo. Again, friends ever since. Tim came to visit when I lived in New Mexico, Dean is my saviour and lets me stay at his place in Melbourne and even cooks for me. Angel!
Windsor = brushing our teeth in a Bangkok guesthouse bathroom. Don't you often strike up conversations with a mouth full of toothpaste???
Laura by way of Sandra = met Sandra on a night train in Eastern Europe in 1999, stayed in touch via email for a little while, both coincidentally moved to New Mexico at the exact same time in 2000, and met her new flatmate Laura. Don’t know what ever happened to Sandra, but Laura and I kept each other sane in NM and even managed to escape at the same time a year later.
And now I am in Lakes Entrance, Victoria, Australia, on an alpaca and horse farm belonging to Josie and Rick, who I met when they were just passing through New Mexico in 2000. They needed to change their flight, I was their travel agent, heard the Australian accent and told them how I missed Australia and boom, insta-invitation to visit and stay. So this is my second visit (and soon to be next blog post) to hang out with them and then alpacas and horses, a fantastic family whilst mine is so far away.

Why we choose to stay in touch with some of the bazillions of people we meet, I have no idea. But when I look back over my years of travel and the fabulous people I have met and stayed in touch with, it just makes me smile. So ... faithful readers, what is your strangest meeting with someone you are still in touch with? Inquiring minds (well, my mind anyway) would like to know.

And of course, a big THANK YOU to those of you I have since imposed myself on whist travelling. What would I do without you???!!!???!!! :)