Travel Horror Stories is a column in which travellers submit scary, traumatizing, crazy or just flat out annoying tales from on the road. This Travel Horror Story is brought to you from Marcello at WanderingTrader. Check his site out! If you would like to share your horrific experience, please email lindsay@thetravellerworldguide.com

My Stalker from Argentina

Touring around town

Occasionally, travelling around the world, you run into one of those people who you know are somehow up to no good. While in South America recently, I ran across this dude. While I was walking around, viewing all the popular Argentina tourist attractions he was constantly on my tail. When I moved down a street he followed. When I stopped to take a picture he would stop as well. It makes you wonder what his intentions really were. Could it be he is after my new Canon Power-shot SX210 IS with 14.1 mega-pixels with an incredible zoom capacity? Does he want to talk to an obviously noticeable North American tourist? Maybe he fancied my pale white skin? Well, let me tell you, Mr. Creepy, this is not the way to do it. If you want to talk to someone, go right up and introduce yourself… don’t lurk in the shadows like some spooky spirit in a horror movie. If you want to rob someone, go ahead and try. There is no need to follow someone like you are an undercover agent out of a bad book that a former spook wrote after they left the government service. I might add, he was not a very good spy since I could monitor his every move by a quick glance.

My happy stalker

I snapped a picture of this kook because I thought that would let him know that I was on to him. It was to no availability the creepy crawler continued to follow me. I thought about going right up and confronting him about his bizarre and obvious behaviour but after taking another look, I decided against it. I approached some policemen thinking that would intimidate him. He dropped back, but returned a short time later. When I went into a shop he would enter or wait outside for me. I wish I could get this kind of meticulous attention from a girlfriend. My last girlfriend didn’t care where I went most of the time. She wouldn’t even follow me to the mailbox let alone down a street.

I stopped to watch some old geezers playing chess on the street. I wanted to wave to my new “companion” to come over and join me. But he kept his carcass just far enough away that I couldn’t talk to him without raising my voice. There are different stages you experience with a creep/stalker like this. First, you feel a bit of anxiety, then it becomes unsettling and finally, it is ridiculous and straight out annoying. You want to walk up and let your creeper know that you will pose so they can get a good look or snap a picture because that would last longer than the ghoulish stares.

I’ve heard crazy and weird stories from my friends in Argentina. In the end, you have to laugh these situations off and tell yourself ‘he is either a very poor thief because of the time he has foolishly invested’ or ‘he just finds you irresistible’. It is at this point, I decide to play with him. I dropped into a cafe for some lunch and as he passes by the window I just stuck my tongue out at him. I made sure my lunch was extra long. No problem down here – the millennium could pass and they wouldn’t bring you your bill unless you asked. That is, after waiting an eternity for some actual food to make it to your table.  Everything seems to be in slow motion once you enter one of these eateries. (By the way don’t eat the local mayonnaise it is absolutely revolting. Use the condiments licensed by Heinz or Hellman’s.) After spending a major portion of my life on lunch, the creepy guy has since moved on to a new victim.