(grin!)…Perhaps.
The Trump Slump
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Okay you win. …
Me too. 
Tear-gassed in France (1960-something), being in a British pub that was blown up by the IRA on the following day (1970s), being chucked into a Spanish jail (for arguing about a parking ticket - 1980s) and more but the only time I’ve been in danger of being shot was when I was enjoying a glass of wine sitting in my own backyard in good ol’ Fort Lauderdale.
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Just anecdotal: My cousin-in-law died this week at the age of 91. Her husband’s sister, my first cousin once removed, lives in London. On Monday she flew to the US to attender sister-in-law’s services tomorrow. She spend last night with me and reported that on the most popular non-stop flight from London to Boston, a flight she has taken hundreds of times, the plane was half empty. In her memory, she does not recall ever seeing this flight so empty. She is 83 and has lived in London since she was 24. Lots of years taking this flight.
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Egads! Those were close encounters!
I just thought of another (ahem) memorable experience. My husband and I flew to Bucaramanga, Colombia for lasik (eye) surgery by a renown surgeon who had performed 5,000 procedures at the time.
The area was lush, beautiful and remote. I will always remember flying over the canopy of trees and mountainous terrain. Absolutely gorgeous.
Our surgeries were so successful that the next day we were able to play golf on the course behind the medical facility…and we could see the ball without glasses!
What we also saw were armed guards all along the perimeter of the course watching us. They had those bullets holders across their chests and they held their guns at the ready in front of them rather than over their shoulder. It was frightening and we tried never to hit a ball toward them.
Our partners were a nice Columbian couple – she was beautiful and he was drop-dead handsome. They invited us to lunch after and then said they would pick up us later and take us to dinner in the town. How cool was that!
While we were getting dressed for dinner, someone knocked at our door and wanted to give us a message from the doctor’s office. They said we should not leave the property because they believed the couple we met were part of a group that abducted Americans and held them for ransom. The country was rife with abductions (and murders) at the time. We thought about the conversation we had with the couple at lunch and decided to heed the advice.
Needless to say, we stayed within the compound for the next couple of days before flying home…and without seeing the surrounding territory. : (
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May I ask when this was? The 80s? Or ?
I believe it was 1998…tho numbers are not my forte’.
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It sounds like you should consider writing a memoir too.
Why were you tear gassed in France? Were you protesting?
I think I got mine in 1997, in Juarez, Mexico. So awesome to go from 20/900 to 20/20 overnight!
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Believe it or not I was at a camp site! For once, I was an innocent bystander. Students had illegally occupied an adjacent field which was part of a massive ongoing demonstration. Early one morning we saw riot police heading up the track towards the field. Then all sorts of violence kicked off and a police tear gas canister came straight through the window of the caravan I was staying in. In the confined quarters of a four berth caravan, that tear gas was strong stuff.
And WE had to pay the caravan owner for the broken window!
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Wow. At the wrong place at the wrong time. What year was this?
For once?
Haha, yes, for once. 
I can’t remember the exact year but I think it was between 1969 and 1971. I was a long time ago. I was in my teens but not yet old enough to drive so I’m not even sure exactly how old I was, even.
Wow, your vision was almost off the charts! Mine wasn’t nearly that bad but it was life-changing to be able to see with 20/20 again. I recall being astounded to read the bedside clock from across the room.
There was a small group of us from the U.S. (maybe 8) who the doctor handled in assembly line fashion. One was a man from Hawaii and his daughter who took off from attending school at Stanford to have their eyes done. They wore coke-bottle thick glasses. He went in first and came out in about 15 min. grinning from ear to ear with white Spider-Man type orbs over his eyes (we all did). He said it was a breeze. Then his daughter went in. You can imagine how shocked we all were when she came out sobbing.
The doctor had examined her and said she was not a candidate for that type of surgery and he could do nothing for her. She had flown all that way at all that expense only to be given such devastating news. They left wrapped in each other’s arms and those of us awaiting our turn were dead silent wondering if we might be told the same thing.
Just curious why didn’t you both get the surgeries done in states? Was it not available at the time or something ?
Insurance will not cover it. This is usually an elective procedure that can cost thousands here,
Yeah it’s not available in countries where health care is free either (talking of the uk & nz here). It’s about nz$4k - I just had a friend get it done. Sounded absolutely terrifying.
That’s precisely it. It was not available where we were. Also, we would have had to fly a great distance to the nearest specialist and he had only performed about 200 procedures at the time, compared to the 5,000 performed by the famed Columbian doctor. Also, the U.S. doctors charged over twice the fee.
I have to ask - how did this couple become your golfing “partners” for the day? Were they assigned to you or they introduced themselves and invited you?
And how did the doctor’s office know about the golf outing?
The golf shop personnel put them with us and said they were locals who knew the course. That couple actually pointed out the armed guards to us who were flanking the course. They said if our ball goes out in the forest…don’t go after it, just leave it.
The doctor’s office informed us about the golf course being there and available. How they knew about us going to dinner with the couple is the mystery…maybe the waitress at lunch, maybe the room cleaner, who knows. We always felt a little “watched” anyway. Not a comforting feeling.
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