Buddy Check

I don't know if all tour companies do this, but on both of our Rick Steves' tours, we've had "buddies." We choose our buddies during our first group meeting, someone you don't already know. A buddy's main task is to make sure your buddy is in the hotel lobby, on the bus after WC stops, or at the appointed gathering station whenever the group is going somewhere. "Buddy check," announces the guides, and we pop up and down in our seats, or look around the group, checking to make sure our buddy is there. It's a good system, and also a fun way to get to know other group members.

Our buddies for this trip are Alan and Kim. They live in Steiner Ranch, in Austin, a place we are very familiar with. Kim is a school district speech pathologist and she enjoys writing, too, so she and I are a good match. Alan works in the computer software industry and is quiet like Tom so they are a good match, too. We've enjoyed getting to know each other.

Last night, we introduced our buddies to the rest of the group after dinner and included a fact or "something few people know" while doing so. Some buddies were very creative with their introductions - fabricating elaborate, funny stories. Tom explained how Alan learned to ride a unicycle when he was a young boy and told him if we saw a unicycle during the trip, then Alan would have to show us how to ride one.

Then today, as we were walking through Lindau, what did Tom spy? Lo and behold, there was a unicycle leaning against a pole along the waterfront. He immediately found Alan and said, "Hey buddy, there's your unicycle - show us how to do it." How random is that?? Not surprisingly, Alan had no intention of getting on that tall unicycle while on vacation - but we all had a good laugh about it and he was a good sport. YOLO!!