The Notebook
Locals who help lost tourists are the 'angels' of the travel industry
Small acts of kindess can make a traveller's day, writes Neville Green
During our trips all over the world, my wife and I have met many "travel angels" - those kind folks who will see some floundering tourist and offer to help. Encounters with such angels are brief, and yet so profound as they restore one's faith in humanity and represent all that is good in the world.
There was, for example, that young French girl, who noticed our anxious state after we'd clambered onto the last train out of Versailles one night.
The brief conversation she initiated will always be remembered."Sorry for the rain. Aah, you are from South Africa? They say it is very beautiful there. A kind of Dutch language is spoken, non?"
When we said that we were heading to Brittany she replied, "Oh Brittany? It always rains in Brittany."
Then she bade farewell and was gone.
'WALK WITH ME'
And there was a young father, son on his shoulders, who saw us perplexed in Paris and pointed us in the right direction.
They too wafted off into the night.
The lady who approached us at a busy intersection as we searched for the Gare de Lyon."Walk with me. Look out for our own Big Ben on the left," she said. And with a cheerful wave, she was gone. We soon saw a high tower with a giant clock behind the busy Métro station.Then there are those travel angels who offer to photograph you, whether it be in Mont Saint Michel or on Paris's oldest standing bridge, Pont Neuf. A quick snap and they too melt into the crowds.
Paris is full of "beware of pickpockets" signs, so when a man sidled up to me in the Place de la Bastille, I turned angrily - to find that he was returning my dropped map.
KEEP IN TOUCH
On our next trip, I will carry cards with my contact details, which we can hand to these angels. If, by some chance they visit South Africa, they should look us up. We could return the favour.
• "The Notebook" is about chance meetings and unforgettable encounters people have had on their travels. Send us your story - no more than 400 words - and, if published, you'll receive R500. Mail travelmag@sundaytimes.co.za with the word Notebook in the subject line...
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