Funniest Thing

This month’s winner is ED SCHLENK of Marshalltown, Iowa:

Many years ago, when I was a young man traveling through India, I decided to visit the nearby kingdom of Sikkim. Sikkim was later absorbed by India, but in those days the small Himalayan nation maintained an air of mystery. For me, it promised to be a Shangri-la hidden in the mountains. 

I was in Darjeeling at the time and learned that the only way I could travel to Sikkim’s capital, Gangtok, was by hiring a taxi. Being young and on a tight budget, I was lucky to find two other travelers who wanted to make the same journey. They were two elderly ladies who lived near Los Angeles and, having retired, were roaming the world together.

Together, we hired a young Indian man about my age who drove a little Ambassador motorcar. The two ladies and I wedged ourselves into the backseat, with our bags overflowing onto the front passenger seat.  In spite of the altitude, it was a hot day, so I gave the ladies the windows and sat between them.

The drive along the narrow road through the hills was beautiful, but it gradually became more and more uncomfortable due to the heat. To my surprise, the very proper elderly lady on my left unbuttoned her blouse and, without saying a word, took it off. Then, also without saying a word, the very proper elderly lady on my right did the same.

For a while I tried to look straight ahead, avoiding any eye contact or inappropriate glances. Finally, I gave in and, without saying a word, took my shirt off as well.

There sat the three of us in the back of the little Ambassador — two topless elderly ladies and one shirtless young man — all of us enjoying relief from the heat.

Our silence must have intrigued the driver because soon he looked into his rear-view mirror. He was so shocked by the sight that, for an instant, he seemed to levitate. Unfortunately, while his eyes were glued to the tableau in the backseat, he failed to notice the car in front of us, which he gently but very definitely rear-ended. 

Of course, on those roads, even a minor car accident attracted a crowd, but by the time the crowd arrived, the three of us were fully dressed, still sitting quietly in the backseat.

In the end, we arrived safely in Gangtok and even gave the driver an extra tip to lighten his misfortune, but I doubt he ever forgave — or forgot — the three of us.

Tell us about the funniest thing that happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in 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.