Getting Around in a Foreign City

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Novelangel
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Getting Around in a Foreign City

Postby Novelangel » Sat Feb 25, 2017 4:33 am

Finding your way around in a large city in a foreign country is a challenge, unless you have my personal secret weapon... a friend on the inside who speaks the language of travel and can help you find your way. You stand at a bus stop and there are 400 buses all heading more or less in the same direction. Only one of them is the correct bus that you want. Ack! Your first instinct is to say, "never mind. I'll stay home today," but then your friend steps up and directs you to the correct mode of transportation and gets you where you want to go.

This is what I encountered while traveling in the Philippines, and I'd still be there standing on that street corner, being stared at by a little old lady who apparently had never seen an idiot before, if it hadn't been for my friends who knew exactly what they were doing. (I would probably still have that same old lady staring at me too.) :shock: ;)

So here's my question... have you ever gone to another country and gotten yourself totally lost because you couldn't locate the correct bus, train, subway, taxi, motorcycle, etc. etc.? Was it a language issue, or was the system more complicated than you were used to? In my case, I own a car so I'm not used to public transportation at all. Riding around in a city here in the United States would probably confuse me just as fast.



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maxen57
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Re: Getting Around in a Foreign City

Postby maxen57 » Sat Feb 25, 2017 4:39 am

The first time I went to Quezon City alone was when I was pregnant and searching for a certain location in secret. I was able to get around with the help of security guards and vendors who are absolute glad to help since they've noticed how pregnant I was back then. I suppose one can do this if language won't be an issue. Giving directions would be tricky if you are talking to a local who barely knows the area. If I have extra money, I'd show the address to a taxi driver or a tricycle driver and he's just drop me off the place but I normally avoid that to save money.

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Novelangel
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Re: Getting Around in a Foreign City

Postby Novelangel » Sat Feb 25, 2017 4:41 am

Ah, yes. I remember Quezon City. That was around four hours of jumping into the back of a van, then hopping into a jeepney, then on to a bus, then back on a jeepney again for a ride out to a church retreat that was going on at the time. I never would have tried to make that journey alone as it seems like no one vehicle could do it all by itself. At any rate, we got there and it was a really fun weekend at the beach, but I'll never forget all those different rides on the way there. The way back seemed easier somehow though.

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lexinonomous
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Re: Getting Around in a Foreign City

Postby lexinonomous » Wed Mar 01, 2017 11:02 pm

I have not visited any other country aside from Canada, but the part of Canada I visited was very different than the USA. I visited Newfoundland when I was dating my ex. He lived in St. John's Newfoundland, which is a fairly small island. The people there were very secluded and didn't take to "different" people very well. My boyfriend was at work and I decided to walk to the mall a few blocks down the road. I ended up getting lost and had no idea what to do since my data plan didn't cover me outside of the US. I ended up asking a stranger for information on taxis and got a ride back to the house. It was a bit scary being in such a different place and not knowing anyone.

DR KOKIL AGARWAL
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Re: Getting Around in a Foreign City

Postby DR KOKIL AGARWAL » Sun Apr 02, 2017 10:41 pm

Language is the major problem while travelling in a foreign country. The major setback arises when you cannot express yourself nor can you understand what others want to say.

This happened with me once in Bangkok. It was pretty close to midnight and me and my husband hired a taxi to get back to the hotel. All that we had with us was our hotel card. It was pretty dark and lonely. We hired a taxi and showed him the address. While we were on our way it appeared that the way back was a bit unknown and different from the one we had previously taken. We tried asking him but both pf us did not understand each other's language. After half an hour of anxious travel we finally ended up at our hotel.

You could imagine our fear and anxiety. It was later that the hotel staff intervened and we came to know that the driver had taken an alternate route to the hotel which otherwise is very crowded in day time.

Since then I always make it a point to note down essential key words of the native language of the country I'm travelling to.

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jy76
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Re: Getting Around in a Foreign City

Postby jy76 » Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:16 am

English seems to be understood in so many nations that I cannot see how the language would be much a problem. Nonetheless, those who cannot speak English would have a tough time in other nations if they hadn't studied the native language. Oh, by the way, do you think foreign travelers should know the language of where they are going - and to what degree?

DR KOKIL AGARWAL
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Re: Getting Around in a Foreign City

Postby DR KOKIL AGARWAL » Tue Jul 18, 2017 9:11 pm

Such a thing happened with me when I traveled to Thailand a few years back. It was late in the night and me and my husband hired a taxi to get back to the hotel. It was our first day in Bangkok and all we had with us was the hotel card. The driver did not know English and we did not know Thai.

Somehow we stepped inside the cab and started with the journey. The driver took an unknown route which was completely different from what we had taken in the prior journey. On asking him about our whereabouts the lingual differences created big problems. He failed to understand and answer our questions. It was pretty dark and the roads were all deserted.

Those 20 minutes journey were no less than a roller coaster ride. Finally we ended up at the hotel gate and it was then I could breathe properly. It was later that we came to know that in the night taxi drivers opt for shortcuts and don't follow the regular main roads. But still this event has created a memory for the life time.

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Alexandoy
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Re: Getting Around in a Foreign City

Postby Alexandoy » Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:30 pm

On Monday, August 21, my wife and I are going to Jakarta for a 3-day vacation. It is our first time in Indonesia and I am bracing myself for the challenge. I didn't bother with learning the language because I am so busy with my work. What I did was to print the description of places to go that I found in the internet. That's what I did last March when we went to Japan for the first time. Having a list of places with description plus the food to eat is a good way of being armed with information about the place.

Mark Grill

Re: Getting Around in a Foreign City

Postby Mark Grill » Thu Sep 14, 2017 2:07 am

This is good that you have to shred your views about this trip and something about you aswell. I am happy after getting this stuff and now love to know from you how was your experience in Jakarta. Would you like to share with all of us?

acadia national park tour from new york city will be amazing for all.

blank629
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Re: Getting Around in a Foreign City

Postby blank629 » Sun Sep 24, 2017 1:31 am

Going to a foreign country is like going to another world. All are new in your surroundings. So for me, it is common to be lost sometimes. But you will get into it when you take some rounds in every places in that country.


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