The 'how screwed have you been' thread

[Rocsteady]

So, I'm hoping this thread might provide some funny/shocking stories and cheer me up a little.

Went to a gay pride march earlier, then on to a pool party and was planning to hit a club after - thought I'd be sensible for once and stay nice and sober. Got outside the club, realised I'd lost my wallet. Which contains all my money, cards, ID, etc.

I'm now stuck in Budapest without a cent to my name to even make it to work, without a bank card (had just opened an account here and was to pick up the card on Monday, but you pay for them here and I don't have the money) and my girlfriend's out the country and without wifi and so can't help.

Finally got home and figured I'd try to chill out a little, whereupon I realised I seem to have a cockroach infestation.

Someone just shoot me now.

I'm not even sure if this my worst situation, I'll try to think of other times I've been equally strawberry floated - when's your worst situation been?

[Corazon de Leon]

Christ that sucks Ian, good luck with that one.

I've had one or two belters while abroad. My favourite one, and I probably posted extensively about it at the time, is this one;

Was in a few locations in the States for research purposes a few years back. On my last night in Austin I got properly strawberry floated up with two Canadian girls, a Kiwi girl and a big burly Aussie bloke from the backpacker's hostel I was staying at, shot to the airport on two hours sleep and still drunk. Somehow I left my passport on the damn plane.

This was fine though, I was flying to D.C and there's an embassy/consulate or whatever there. Phoned them up and it was all good, someone was gonna phone me back and I had two weeks to sit and work in the Library of Congress while this all got sorted out. So ten days into my stay there, four days before I was due to fly home with no passport I still hadn't heard anything after numerous call backs to the embassy call centre. By this point I was essentially panicking like strawberry float, and also down to my last $120/$130 or so. I thought I'd better save some cash in case there were any admin fees to pay to get me back home again so I walked the four miles from where I was staying to the British embassy on the other side of the city.

The staff there were adamant someone had been trying to contact me urgently all week - I showed them my phone records and there were no missed calls. Ended up I had to pay $100 for a temporary passport, leaving me with $20-$30 in change to last four days(including getting to the airport), so I essentially spent the last four days of my trip eating a small box of cookies per day from the local Wal-Mart because I literally couldn't afford anything else, nicking from the free food box in the hostel and taking advantage of their nightly free beer offer.

To top it all off when I got home and connected to 4G again, my phone immediately buzzed with about 10 missed calls from the British embassy in Washington.

[Lex-Man]

Man good luck with everything. I would really try and contact the UK embassy.

I've never had any massive problems. The worst was earlier this year when I miss timed the length of time it'd take to cross Tokyo to pick up my connecting flight to Nagasaki. I arrived at Narita Airport just as my plane was boarding. I ran to the check in desk and they called the departure gate and then escorted me to the plane. So it was fine.

[Lex-Man]

Oh yeah that was also the trip where I decided to forego a connecting flight to stay at a friends wedding. I left the wedding at 10, rented a car drove about 500 miles to find that my flight back to Japan had been cancelled because I missed the connecting flight. I told them I needed to get back to Japan for work and they fortunately reinstated it.

[Rocsteady]

That is a good one Cora, sounds stressful as.

I hate getting to airports late, had to sprint for a plane in Dublin before - try to get there with hours to spare now, just makes it so much more chilled.

I have a good mate who lives across the city - couple hours walk in 38C sunshine - who I think I'm going to have to visit to chuck me a little money to prop me up for a few days. Unfortunately he's poor as so won't be able to lend me loads but should mean I can make it to work and live off bread for a few days. God I hope my wages clear quickly hard times

[Rocsteady]

Well, that's my faith in humanity more than restored. Got a message from a guy on Facebook saying he'd found my wallet - lovely Muslim bloke, wouldn't even have me traipse across the city but rather cycled to me in the boiling heat despite still observing Ramadan. Still had every note in there too (plus half a Xanax he only gave to me when he realised i wasn't a cop ) wouldn't have even minded if he'd just claimed the money was gone - it was only about a tenner but in a country such as this that can go a long way; wouldn't have begrudged him taking it at all even if I personally wouldn't have. Tried to offer it to him as thanks but he wouldn't take it. Quite glad it happened now even if it did give me a sleepless night, think I'll go grab a tea with him once Ramadan's done.

Still post up more tales if anyone's got some, strawberry floated up situations are always entertaining

[<]:^D]

that is lovely! what a guy

[Knoyleo]

Well, that's my faith in humanity more than restored. Got a message from a guy on Facebook saying he'd found my wallet - lovely Muslim bloke, wouldn't even have me traipse across the city but rather cycled to me in the boiling heat despite still observing Ramadan. Still had every note in there too (plus half a Xanax he only gave to me when he realised i wasn't a cop ) wouldn't have even minded if he'd just claimed the money was gone - it was only about a tenner but in a country such as this that can go a long way; wouldn't have begrudged him taking it at all even if I personally wouldn't have. Tried to offer it to him as thanks but he wouldn't take it. Quite glad it happened now even if it did give me a sleepless night, think I'll go grab a tea with him once Ramadan's done.

Still post up more tales if anyone's got some, strawberry floated up situations are always entertaining

That's lovely.

[Corazon de Leon]

Good stuff mate, glad it got sorted for you.

[bigcheez2k3]

Those damn Muslims, returning wallets and not stealing from them. Awful

[Rocsteady]

Those damn Muslims, returning wallets and not stealing from them. Awful

That was my thinking as well.

[SEP]

I do love a happy ending!

[Rocsteady]

A journalist mate has just told me he'll be able to get me into a few of the days of Sziget festival (one of the biggest in Europe) for free as well. This has been a quick turnaround in fortunes

[Lagamorph]

I do love a happy ending!

As we've all seen.

[Herdanos]

Bloody immigrants, staying over there, returning our wallets.

[Corazon de Leon]

Those damn Muslims, returning wallets and not stealing from them. Awful

That was my thinking as well.

Reminded me of "Bloody Foreigner, coming here, demanding to know what love is!"

[Ironhide]

Those damn Muslims, returning wallets and not stealing from them. Awful

That was my thinking as well.

Reminded me of "Bloody Foreigner, coming here, demanding to know what love is!"

You can't just tell them either, you have to show them.

[Curls]

Surely you still have cockroaches though, right? Right!? We can't have a super happy ending here, this isn't strawberry floating disney.

[Corazon de Leon]

All the cockroaches packed their bags and strawberry floated off. Everything worked out amazingly.

[zXe]

Fair play to that guy for returning it and making the effort to come and bring it to you. That's really cool of them and I bet a huge relief.