Stupid travel tales from other backpackers

Having been bitten by an ant (which then became inflamed and very sore) whilst hitching on the East Coast of Australia, I was shocked to discover our room was full of them in Airlie Beach. So I set about the little sods with my shoe, whacking them into the middle of next week, all over the walls. Very satisfied I looked around to find one left heading for the ceiling (well, I was a bit handy with the shoe and had destroyed many of his mates... so wouldn't you?). I jumped on top of the bunk bed and with a resounding smack, sent its teeth through its ass. I then turned round into the ceiling fan which, doing about warp 7, struck me in the head and knocked me to the floor. So deep it dented my skull: I could've lost an eye had I turned round just a smidgen more. To this day, I'm sure one of those little skitters that I hadn't got pushed me into it. Ants... don't trust them. Tom Griffiths

Gotta be careful walking home in a third world country! I was on the island of Langkowi in Malaysia. Had a few cocktails during happy hour, then a few beers, then a few shots, then it got dark... So I was very merrily sauntering off along the pavement wondering whether to go straight to the late night bar or get some food first, when suddenly BAM - down I fall! I'd fallen six feet down a storm drain, just open in the middle of the pavement. No cones or tape round this bad boy. The beauty of being that wasted though is you don't feel the pain, not until you wake up the next morning and can't walk that is! Fortunately I didn't break any bones and now I'm forever known on that island as the Drain-dropper! Adrian Slack

Click here >> if you've got any traveller's tales and post them on the messageboard. We're always on the look-out for travel tale gems - it's great to read about others' experiences.