Author: Eric Grundhauser / Source: Atlas Obscura
Visiting someplace new is an inherent thrill, but very often, the strongest memories we take away from our travels are the people we meet along the way.
A chance encounter while far from home can result in an unforgettable night, or even an unexpected friendship.Recently we asked Atlas Obscura readers to tell us about the most memorable people they’d ever met while traveling. In response, we received an incredible number of tales, each one making a convincing case for talking to strangers. You told us about everything from touching encounters at museums to aimless nights with dentists and dogs alike. Throughout these recollections, you made it clear how a sense of openness and adventure have helped turn your travels into something much more human, and frankly, more exciting.
Below, we’ve collected a selection of our favorite reader responses. Sit back and enjoy these amazing tales from strangers about meeting strangers—perhaps you’ll make a surprising connection of your own.
A Sculpture Comes to Life
“My husband and I were on a bicycle tour across the Kibi Plain near Okayama, Japan, which is studded with prehistoric tombs and other historical features. We stopped at Tsukuriyama Kofun, which is an enormous 5th-century keyhole tomb mound (the fourth biggest in Japan). Before the climb, we noticed a striking modern sculpture called the King of Kibi, an imagining of the ruler buried in the mound. As we were wandering around on top, we ran into an older Japanese couple and started chatting with them—only to discover that the gentleman was the sculptor! He was happy to run into two Americans interested in ancient Japanese history and showed us all over the mound, including the tomb chamber itself. Then when we descended, he invited us around the corner to his workshop, where he gave us each a copy of a hand-drawn map of the mound and the village as he imagined it looked in the 5th century.” — Ellen, Centreville, Virginia
Witness to History
“Striking up a conversation in Tibetan with an older Tibetan man sitting near me, he noticed that I was obviously a foreigner and asked me where I was from. When I told him I was an American, he immediately launched into a story from his childhood in a remote village outside Lhasa, where an American airplane crashed and his family took in the U.S. pilots who were stranded there. Teahouses in Lhasa are places where folks sit all day and drink tea and noodle soup and tell (sometimes tall) tales. Since his story seemed so far-fetched, I listened with interest but discounted it as a completely made-up tale meant to entertain, make a connection with, or even tease me as a foreigner. Years later, after returning home from years living in Asia, I came across the book, Lost in Tibet: The Untold Story of Five American Airmen, A Doomed Plane, and the Will to Survive, and as I read, the memory of this gentleman and all the matching details returned to my mind, and I realized he had been telling the absolute truth! The time period, his age, the village, the descriptions all matched. I was amazed that I had met this person who had experienced this historical event in a remote location on the roof of the world first hand.” — Erin O’Neill, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Who Says There’s No Crying at a Viking Museum?
“In June 2016, my husband and I visited the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark. It is the national museum for ships, seafaring, and boatbuilding in the prehistoric and medieval periods. The museum is spread across several buildings, harbors, and fields. My husband and I were fortunate to be able to row a Viking boat from a small harbor into a fjord, where the wind was really whipping. It was an awesome experience! However, I was most touched that day when I met Bjorn. He was demonstrating how to make sailing rope from lime tree raffia. I asked Bjorn if he had been making rope for a long time and why he started doing it. Before he answered, he looked at the ground, thought for several minutes and then told me the most lovely story about how he never really learned to make rope but occasionally helped a friend—who often crafted large sailing rope—bind his completed projects. Bjorn said he and his friend met more than 30 years ago and had a connection. They traveled together. Raised their families together. They shared a long, happy friendship, he said. Sadly, Bjorn’s friend was diagnosed with leukemia and died. Although Bjorn never truly learned how to make rope, he was asked by the Viking Ship Museum if he would give it a try and take over demonstrations for his friend. ‘I never knew how to do this but when I sat down here, my hands just knew what to do,’ he said. It’s not cool to cry at a Viking museum, but I almost did that day.” — Kelley King, Superior, Colorado
A Sense of Adventure Is Contagious
“Her name is Keira and she is from Australia. We were both traveling alone and a couch-surfer agreed to pick me up from the airport in Menorca. She happened to be in the car. We decided to meet up every day to explore together. We were about the same age (28) at the time and she was already retired. I was in awe! She had worked very hard as a young adult and was able to save up enough to own some properties in Melbourne. She used the money that her renters paid to travel the world. She told me a story about riding a moped through Asia and how after an accident, some locals stuffed tobacco leaves into her wound. Once she finally got to a doctor, they were upset that she had allowed anyone to do that to her. She had a gnarly scar from the experience, but embraced it from beginning to end. She was the kind of person who could talk to anyone and was so easy to get along with. She made me realize how short life is, and why not spend it doing what you love?” — Allie, Lexington, Kentucky
The Monk Who Clocked In
“I was at a large Buddhist temple and began chatting with one of the monks. He introduced himself as Mister Hiska….
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