B1–1

Well, ... we felt very happy to be there because we had heard about the place, how beautiful it was. Er, ... some friends had told us how amazing it was but we’d never expected to see it ourselves. So, ...you know, ... it was very nice to see it in real life.

We walked for some hours and afterwards we just sat quietly. It was a very silent place, ... you see. We were absolutely alone.

Far below us there was a river. We could count some 10 sheep grazing in the valley.

Oh, ... then all of a sudden a car appeared from the middle of nowhere.

A man stopped and shouted : “Quick! You have to leave the place immediately.We are expecting a hurricane . I will give you a lift to the nearest town.”

Um,... we looked around but we could see only the hills covered with trees, the sun , and a blue sky stretching out as far as we could see. You know, ... not a sign of a hurricane. Er, ... but the man looked terrified. So, we decided to trust him and got into the car.

When we were going downhill the driver didn’t notice a hole in the road and the car got a puncture. Er, ...the man got out and opened the boot as if to look for a spare tyre. Unfortunately, it wasn’t there. Um, ... we started to feel uneasy when we noticed him telephoning somebody. The man said he had called the breakdown service.

While we were sitting and waiting for some help the wind became stronger and dark clouds appeared above us.

Oh, ... and then it started ...

When the service car finally arrived, you know, ... it was as dark as at night.

The men started hammering and banging something at the back of the car. I was so scared that I kept my eyes closed all the way down.

Yes, ... now I know that you can’t always believe stories about quiet places.

Strange things happen when you travel. A whale jumps out of water and on to your boat. What are the chances of that ?

A billion to one? There are 217 million square kilometres of ocean and the boat is only 9 metres long. But it happened last week when a family was sailing off the Australian coast. The boat overturned and the people nearly drowned.

Melissa has travelled to over 60 countries and published several books about her experiences. She has experienced numerous flight delays, got lost in deserts, has been attacked by wild animals, has felt a gun in her back and even found big cockroaches on her pillow .

Last year when she was flying to India her luggage was lost and when she finally arrived at the hotel absolutely exhausted and without her bags, she was given a double room overlooking a noisy car park. Though she requested for another room the next morning, it was unsuccessful as the hotel was fully booked. So, her dream about a suite with a sea view did’t come true.

In the evening when Melisa went out to enjoy the sights of the town, she was stopped by some teenagers and robbed. Her new camera was gone! It all happened so fast that she even didn’t notice how many they were.

Nevertheless, she still thinks it is exciting to discover new places. She is planning to climb Mount Everest.She is sure that tour guides can take her up and that she doesn’t need any special training. She thinks it is the greatest challenge for any traveller.