Ten Things I Haven't Done While Wandering (But In Some Cases, Probably Should Have)

I have been tagged by Wasteland Fan, who took up this meme and rather cleverly modified it for his blog. The delightful thing about this is how many interesting memories it's brought, kicking and screaming, to the surface of my consciousness.

And what wonderful blogfodder! I fear, six dear readers, that I may bore you into an early grave with the stories behind these ten items. But it must be done. I simply cannot help myself. If you have a problem, take it up with Wasteland Fan, whose fault this is to begin with.

So, Coming Soon: Why it sometimes pays to smell very, very bad. Putative kidnappers can't stand the stench any more than normal people, and will often abandon their nefarious plans and let you out of the car.

Incidentally, I have only the sketchiest understanding of this whole meme thing. I have modified it to suit myself as well. So here goes. Ten things I have not done while traveling, but probably should have. Or should be thankful that I did not:

1. Told a homeless guy who approached me at a sidewalk cafe in Madrid that, no, he may not eat my leftover paella.

2. Gotten kidnapped and murdered by a creepy taxi driver in Smalltown, Vermont.

3. Eaten a grape dropped by a dayhiker onto a trail in Adirondack Park.

4. Had a bad bowl of conch chowder in the Florida Keys.

5. Encountered a rude New Yorker. (Except lawyers.)

6. Encountered a Bahamian who wasn't rude. (In the restaurant industry, at least.)

7. Gotten my rented Daewoo so badly stuck on a beach that the incoming tide washed it away.

8. Not been horrified by Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

9. Been robbed by two Italian teenagers on the Gran Via.

10. Thrown up into my regulator while scuba diving.