Crazy Stories Thread

[Deleted member 149562]

This is a long one, so be warned

Eyjafjallajökull eruption disruption, an earthquake, a tsunami warning and a few pirates thrown in for good measure.

2010 was an eventful year and a truly unforgetable one for many people. I was lucky enough to go on a bucket list cruise from Singapore to Savona (Italy), with a week pre-cruise in Singapore, the entire holiday lasted 6 wonderful weeks. The ship was the Costa Allegra



On the 4th day of the cruise we arrived at Belawan, the port district of Medan in North Sumatra. The port doesn't have many cruise ship visits so they had pushed the proverbial boat out a bit to welcome us



The area was still suffering from the huge earthquake and tsunami of December 2004, many of the buildings quite badly damaged around the port. It was a lovely day to visit the city of Medan, everything went to plan and we left at the scheduled time of 5pm.

Everyone sat for their evening meal on board when the ship's tannoy sparked into life. The captain announced that an earthquake had struck close to Medan about an hour after we left and that as of then we would be under tsunami watch. Evening meal and the subsequent night was a little bit nervy cos we all remembered what had happened in 2004.

The next morning we arrived safely at Langkawi. The captain updated us on the situation in Medan and it was not good. The day was spent exploring the region around Langkawi, but thoughts were with those in and around Medan.



As we left Langkawi for Phuket, word started coming through that an Icelandic volcano was causing concern for air travel. The cruise was a two part, I was doing both parts but Mumbai was the changeover port for those leaving the ship and those joining it.

Several days and port stops later we arrived in Mumbai for a 3 day stay. The Icelandic volcano by this time had grounded all air traffic across the northern hemisphere. This meant that those leaving the ship would have to stay in Mumbai hotels (with Costa paying the bill) until the airspace reopened or they could remain on board ship and only pay the service charge and fly home from Italy when we were due to arrive in 24 days time.

Most stayed on board. Those passengers expecting to join the ship in Mumbai were unable to do so unless flying from Australia or New Zealand. We sailed from Mumbai with half the number of passengers that we should have had.

We visited Sharjah, Muscat & Salalah. Salalah was a mainly industrial port and where warships would berth who were on Gulf of Aden anti-piracy duty. That night, and after many precautions had been made such as metal cages welded to the ship to prevent boarding from boats, we left Salalah under escort. This also meant that all portholes were covered and external lighting turned off except for navigation lighting

Armed crewmembers patrolled the open decks throughout the passage and the constant hum from military helicopters as they flew overhead checking on our convoy of ships. The escorting naval warships for us seemed quite ironic....North Korean, South Korean and Saudi all working together to protect shipping



Early morning brought us into the port of Aden, Yemen. We were to be the last cruise ship to ever call into the port due to both security issues and the ongoing civil war.

Once we left Aden that night the ship sailed up the length of the Red Sea, calling at Jordan and Suez before making a full Suez transit



Finally we entered the Mediterranean and as if to remind us that the Earth was in charge, to volcanic island of Stromboli gave us a little puff....



So there we have it...an Icelandic volcano, an earthquake, a tsunami warning and piracy....all in the space of 6 weeks

 

[Caesar]

I was almost beaten/killed by random guys that were out in the prowl for someone to hurt.

It was like 12am and transit closed early because it was a stat. I had forgotten this and left my girlfriends house and walked to the SkyTrain Station, only to find it closed. I decided to just walk home along the SkyTrain path since I was young and stupid.

It's a very popular commercial area with a big mall, but if you walk a few blocks under the SkyTrain it becomes a poorly lit industrial area for a few blocks. It's been somewhat gentrified since then and the area isn't the same now.

I was walking down the street instead of the path because it was paved and there was no traffic. At the intersection ahead I heard the engine of a diesel truck and instantly got a bad feeling, so I paused apprehensively. It slowly drove through the intersection and had hunter high beams on the roof rack so just to be safe I dropped down to my knee and lowered my head. The kept driving and I waited till I couldn't hear them anymore and then kept walking. When I reached the intersection I looked around and saw no sign of the truck, so my mind was at ease and I kept walking.

Suddenly, I hear the disease engine again and they're now turning into the street I'm walking on. So I decide to just keep walking regularly to avoid showing fear. The keep driving behind me at the same pace, but after a little bit I guess they got impatient waiting for a reaction and started speeding up. I tried to remain calm and nonreactive, but pretty soon the high beams light had engulfed me and I felt like I could see the truck in my peripheral almost, so I just started sprinting. That only lasted a few seconds as I could tell they were still going to hit me, so I made a split second judgement call and ran into the overgrown cottonwood and bramble that the city/TransLink let grow.

I remember the bramble cutting my race and the truck slamming on its breaks. Then I reached the fence. I then recall multiple guys getting out of the truck, yelling about getting baseball bats and trying to find me. I remember thinking about how this is what people who are murdered feel before they die, and kind of coming to terms with it and accepting whatever was going to happen. They couldn't find where I went into the wooded area and were getting frustrated trying to find me, so they eventually gave up, got into the truck, and left.

I remained hidden for at least 20 minutes, spending my time scanning for them, checking for them on the other side of the fence behind me, and marveling how survival instincts completely trumped my phobia of spiders. When I could no longer handle being covered in spider web and feeling things walking on me, I stood up and fought my way out (it was insanely difficult to get out compared to sprinting in). I kept low and moved slowly, eventually reaching the gravel path beside the road.

I crept up to one of pillars that supports the SkyTrain and slowly peered around it. To my horror, the truck was sitting at the side of the road, near the intersection with its engine and lights off. They were waiting for me and hoping to catch me off guard. I backed up slowly and once I was at the border of the brambles, I began running the other way. The grassy area, where the gravel path was, slowly narrowed as the fence and road grew closer together. Eventually, the grass ended and I was forced to go onto the road and into their line of sight. Almost immediately they started driving after me.

Thankfully, the alley ended with a small footpath between a backyard and fence and the road turned to the right, so just as they were upon me, I was able to run into the footpath. They sped off to the right while I kept running. I made it to the other side, ran across the street and dived into a ditch-like area. The truck went ripping by insanely fast and kept going, I guess worried since I escaped I'd call the police in hindsight.

After some time I got up, my heart pounding so hard my chest hurt, and snuck home. I got home after 2am. It should've taken me maybe 25 minutes.

As a stupid teenager, I never reported it. I was scared of getting in trouble with my parents for being unsafe. But honestly, the thought never even crossed my mind to report it till much later anyways. I had mild ptsd whenever I heard trucks for a few years after.

 

[NannaLou]

My youngest son, now 23, was born completely encased in the intact amniotic sack - I was really poorly with Eclampsia so I had a consultant delivering him and he said that it was, “an auspicious birth”! Anyway, as a small boy he was always a bit odd, and one evening as I was putting him to bed (he’d have been a little under 3) he asked if his friend could sleepover. I asked who (he was still a bit young for sleepovers) and he replied, “my friend from the cemi, he says his bed is cold and it’s got worms in it”…so matter of fact (the cemi was the cemetery that backed onto out garden). My initial thoughts can’t be typed here, but I said yes, as long as he was good and if he started any mischief he’d have to go home. The next morning my son said, “my friend said thank you for the sleepover…” He would regularly talk to people, full blown conversations and he’d be puzzled that I didn’t know who he was talking to…I sort of missed it when I realised it wasn’t happening any more when he was about 5 or 6 and at school…

 

[Rocky998]

Did it look like this?

Not that big... But still super large

 

[Rocky998]

I was almost beaten/killed by random guys that were out in the prowl for someone to hurt.

It was like 12am and transit closed early because it was a stat. I had forgotten this and left my girlfriends house and walked to the SkyTrain Station, only to find it closed. I decided to just walk home along the SkyTrain path since I was young and stupid.

It's a very popular commercial area with a big mall, but if you walk a few blocks under the SkyTrain it becomes a poorly lit industrial area for a few blocks. It's been somewhat gentrified since then and the area isn't the same now.

I was walking down the street instead of the path because it was paved and there was no traffic. At the intersection ahead I heard the engine of a diesel truck and instantly got a bad feeling, so I paused apprehensively. It slowly drove through the intersection and had hunter high beams on the roof rack so just to be safe I dropped down to my knee and lowered my head. The kept driving and I waited till I couldn't hear them anymore and then kept walking. When I reached the intersection I looked around and saw no sign of the truck, so my mind was at ease and I kept walking.

Suddenly, I hear the disease engine again and they're now turning into the street I'm walking on. So I decide to just keep walking regularly to avoid showing fear. The keep driving behind me at the same pace, but after a little bit I guess they got impatient waiting for a reaction and started speeding up. I tried to remain calm and nonreactive, but pretty soon the high beams light had engulfed me and I felt like I could see the truck in my peripheral almost, so I just started sprinting. That only lasted a few seconds as I could tell they were still going to hit me, so I made a split second judgement call and ran into the overgrown cottonwood and bramble that the city/TransLink let grow.

I remember the bramble cutting my race and the truck slamming on its breaks. Then I reached the fence. I then recall multiple guys getting out of the truck, yelling about getting baseball bats and trying to find me. I remember thinking about how this is what people who are murdered feel before they die, and kind of coming to terms with it and accepting whatever was going to happen. They couldn't find where I went into the wooded area and were getting frustrated trying to find me, so they eventually gave up, got into the truck, and left.

I remained hidden for at least 20 minutes, spending my time scanning for them, checking for them on the other side of the fence behind me, and marveling how survival instincts completely trumped my phobia of spiders. When I could no longer handle being covered in spider web and feeling things walking on me, I stood up and fought my way out (it was insanely difficult to get out compared to sprinting in). I kept low and moved slowly, eventually reaching the gravel path beside the road.

I crept up to one of pillars that supports the SkyTrain and slowly peered around it. To my horror, the truck was sitting at the side of the road, near the intersection with its engine and lights off. They were waiting for me and hoping to catch me off guard. I backed up slowly and once I was at the border of the brambles, I began running the other way. The grassy area, where the gravel path was, slowly narrowed as the fence and road grew closer together. Eventually, the grass ended and I was forced to go onto the road and into their line of sight. Almost immediately they started driving after me.

Thankfully, the alley ended with a small footpath between a backyard and fence and the road turned to the right, so just as they were upon me, I was able to run into the footpath. They sped off to the right while I kept running. I made it to the other side, ran across the street and dived into a ditch-like area. The truck went ripping by insanely fast and kept going, I guess worried since I escaped I'd call the police in hindsight.

After some time I got up, my heart pounding so hard my chest hurt, and snuck home. I got home after 2am. It should've taken me maybe 25 minutes.

As a stupid teenager, I never reported it. I was scared of getting in trouble with my parents for being unsafe. But honestly, the thought never even crossed my mind to report it till much later anyways. I had mild ptsd whenever I heard trucks for a few years after.

OMG I'm glad you're ok!!

 

[Caesar]

OMG I'm glad you're ok!!

Thanks! It's crazy now, years later, looking back and thinking "wow, that actually happened?"

 

[OliveFish05]

Thanks! It's crazy now, years later, looking back and thinking "wow, that actually happened?"

It must’ve been terrifying! I don’t think anyone imagines themself as that missing person you hear about in the news

 

[Rocky998]

It must’ve been terrifying! I don’t think anyone imagines themself as that missing person you hear about in the news

I think about that a lot... Any time I see a missing person that got killed (take for instance the Gabby Petito icident) I think: "What were their last thoughts... How did they view that person?" And other questions also seem to come up for me as well...

 

[OliveFish05]

I think about that a lot... Any time I see a missing person that got killed (take for instance the Gabby Petito icident) I think: "What were their last thoughts... How did they view that person?" And other questions also seem to come up for me as well...

Ugh I know what you mean. That whole thing was horrible. My family was actually in Sarasota Florida when that whole thing went down, when they thought he was on the run in the area.

 

[Rocky998]

Ugh I know what you mean. That whole thing was horrible. My family was actually in Sarasota Florida when that whole thing went down, when they thought he was on the run in the area.

Did you hear that they found the guy? Oh, whats his name?... Agh! I literally forgot!

 

[OliveFish05]

Did you hear that they found the guy? Oh, whats his name?... Agh! I literally forgot!

Yeah, they found his remains. Brian Laundrie

 

[WhistlingBadger]

How about a nice story?

11 years ago, I had the great honor of being present when my daughter discovered her hands. She was playing on her floor gym--those little mats with toys that hang down above the baby. At ten weeks old, playing meant thrashing her arms and legs around randomly. While thus busily engaged, her hand happened to bump against a little turtle toy hanging down above her. It swung out a bit than bumped back against her hand.

She froze, did a perfect double take, looked at her hand, then back at the turtle. I could almost see her thought process: "Well, I'll be danged! I can make that hand thing move when I want to! When I do that, it hits that thing, and when I hit that thing, it moves!" So she hit it again. And again. For fifteen minutes, she was completely enraptured as her hand smacked the daylights out of that poor little turtle. She was happy for hours afterward, no doubt overwhelmed with the thrill of scientific discovery.

It was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced.

 

[OliveFish05]

How about a nice story?

11 years ago, I had the great honor of being present when my daughter discovered her hands. She was playing on her floor gym--those little mats with toys that hang down above the baby. At ten weeks old, playing meant thrashing her arms and legs around randomly. While thus busily engaged, her hand happened to bump against a little turtle toy hanging down above her. It swung out a bit than bumped back against her hand.

She froze, did a perfect double take, looked at her hand, then back at the turtle. I could almost see her thought process: "Well, I'll be danged! I can make that hand thing move when I want to! When I do that, it hits that thing, and when I hit that thing, it moves!" So she hit it again. And again. For fifteen minutes, she was completely enraptured as her hand smacked the daylights out of that poor little turtle. She was happy for hours afterward, no doubt overwhelmed with the thrill of scientific discovery.

It was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww that is so sweet.

 

[Rocky998]

Yeah, they found his remains. Brian Laundrie

Yes! Thats his name... They also found a notebook with him that the officials still havent looked at for reasons I forget... It makes me wonder though... What if he was afraid? Not afraid that he'd get caught, but afraid he'd be blamed... I mean with all honesty he is very suspicious and I think most everyone would blame him for the death but he could have ran away due to worries of being blamed and couldnt handle the stress... Someone may have stalked them... Truth is, we dont know a thing (even though its obvious) but I try to keep my mind open... If you think about the case from a 3rd person pov its his doing... BUT, thinking about it from his point of view he may have just been a scared man, not sure what to do or say...

 

[Caesar]

It must’ve been terrifying! I don’t think anyone imagines themself as that missing person you hear about in the news

It was! Although at the same time, the survival instincts that take over really are incredible. I was mentally sharp, incredibly calm, and the adrenaline removed any limits I'd place on myself. I'm sure without that, I would've been crippled by fear.