10 most disgusting, annoying or bizzare experiences

Here is a list of things that I have personally experienced that still make me shudder. Sorry if it makes you cringe too. For me it is a case of problem shared, problem halved. Good therapy.

1. In a taxi in Hong Kong on rainy day – the smell of cigarette smoke was so overpowering it was obvious the driver smoked with the windows up. The trouble was it was raining so heavily it was not possible to open the window and getting off was not an option either. Have you ever tried getting a taxi in Central on a red rainstorm day?
   
   
2. Underground train in London – a lady sitting across from me kept making strange sounds and then would tell herself “Stop it, stop it”. After a couple of minutes I realized she was probably not possessed or schizophrenic but suffering from Tourette’s Syndrome.
   
   
3. At the Louvre Museum - someone standing behind me coughed into the back of my head.
   
   
4. At the Louvre Museum, in front of the painting of Mona Lisa – a lady rested her arm on my shoulder to take numerous pictures of her daughter standing in front of me; then, she shoved my daughter out of the way so her daughter could take a picture of her. (Yes, I ended up losing my cool and giving her a piece of my mind.)
   
   
5. Travelling in the Ngong Ping 360 cable car – my husband and I got into a car and were joined by a group of three and a couple. One of the group of three was afraid of heights and kept moaning all the way. The couple turned out to be two staff on their way to work at the Ngong Ping Village and was making the most of their break by having a big McDonald’s meal (even though a sign specified no eating) and catching up on gossip. (All in all, a very stressful, smelly ride on a warm day.)
   
   
6. In a sushi restaurant – a woman in the next table spat out a piece of what looked like mussel that she did not want to swallow in my direction. (Fortunately, the offensive piece of food landed on the floor.)
   
   
7. In a toilet in a shopping centre - someone with projectile diarrhea decided that there was point flushing. I guess she had a point, flushing wasn’t going to clean up anywhere near the entire mess anyway.
   
   
8. In a local noodle shop in Malaysia (1984) – I pointed out to the waitress that there was a maggot in the pot of chilli sauce on the table. She promptly scooped it out with the little condiment spoon and put the chilli sauce back on the table.
   
   
9. Staff canteen in Adelaide (1993) – I extracted a 2 inch piece of dark wiry hair from my salad. The consensus was that it was pubic hair – the good news was, I hadn’t eaten it.
   
   The one that still makes me gag:
   
10. In a taxi in Hong Kong – the taxi driver coughed up some phlegm and reached for a clear plastic bag to spit into. The bag was already partially filled. (Aaaargh!!!!)
    

Thank God It's Friday! Have a great weekend everyone. Smile and the whole world smiles with you.

Here's a photo of the Monal Lisa painting at the Louvre Museum - not very good, but the best I could manage with a crowd pushing from behind:

Photograph of the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre Museum