No one was seven minutes late

This item appears on page 20 of the May 2009 issue.

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 J.P. WILLIAMS of San Jose, California:

Traveling with Viking River Cruises in Romania in 2004, we had an excellent young guide while on bus excursions. Right away she set down the rules for returns to the bus:

1. If you’re three minutes late, you have to stand at the front of the bus and sing a song.

2. If you’re five minutes late, you have to sing a song and do a little dance.

3. If you’re seven minutes late, you have to sing a song, do a little dance and wave good-bye to the bus as it drives off down the road.

No one was seven minutes late.