It’s a Small World After All!

It doesn’t matter how far you travel on this massive planet of ours there are always unexpected, meet ups and surprises.

When I was 17, I went to Australia for six months spending my time grape picking in the Barossa Valley, South Australia. One evening I was in the local pub/tavern, sitting at the bar, and much to my surprise, I heard a voice behind me that made me turn my head for some reason.

Lo and behold, it was Sarah, a friend of mine from boarding school back in the 1970s. Here we were 10,000 miles from home in a small town and couldn’t quite believe our luck. She was also working as a seasonal worker, we excitedly hugged and caught up chatting for hours like two maniacs do in such crazy circumstances. What are the chances of this happening do you think?

Another unbelievable incident occurred, not so long ago. I was holidaying in Turkey and one day on a beach in Antalya I came across a couple of swimming and enjoying the holiday much like myself. We were both from the South of England and started chatting about our holiday and various other things. It was a nice afternoon, but that was not the end of the story, clearly only the beginning!

Many years later after landing in the capital of the Maldives, Male, I was waiting for the seaplane to take me to my resort island when I saw this same couple standing in line in front of me. We just so happened to be flying on the same 15-seater seaplane to the same tiny island out of 187 inhabited islands. Meedhupparu was idyllic, it took only 45 minutes to walk along the beach around the perimeter of the island and indeed it was paradise. 

We spent a few evenings together, eating, drinking, and discussing holiday destinations, and this time we exchanged contacts and subsequently kept in touch for quite a few years. As a result of this, we shared holidays that were spectacular and I have visited some of the destinations that they highly recommended and vice versa. It certainly is a small world!

I’m sure you’ve had similar experiences and we’d love to hear about your chance encounters. 

We'd love you to tell us your stories in the comments below.