Five Weirdest Travel Stories: Snakes in Toilets, Beach Gigolos, and Shih Tzus

It's time for April's Five Weirdest Travel Stories! And this month I had a lot of weirdness to choose from, but I picked just five.

5. Bali Cracks Down on Beach Gigolos, Arrests 28 - Police on Indonesia's resort island of Bali arrested 28 in a beach gigolo crackdown April 27. The gigolos, or muscular and tanned men on the prowl for foreign female tourists, were arrested this week after the release of a documentary movie trailer about the Kuta beach surfers who romance foreign tourists in exchange for swag. This gives new meaning to the term "surf pro."

4. Hotel Uses Guests to Power Hotel, Pays Them in Food - Guests at the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers can now pedal exercise bikes hooked up to generators, and if they produce 10 watt hours guests receive a $45 meal on the hotel. It's the hotel's attempt to reduce its carbon footprint. If the human generators/free meals are successful, it could be expanded to other properties in the InterContinental Hotels Group. Could this work in the U.S., home of the Double Down?

3. Two Women Attempt to Sneak Dead Relative on Plane - Two British women who allegedly tried to sneak a dead relative onto a flight out of England earlier this month were arrested for failing to notify the authorities of his death. Police said the two, the widow and daughter of the dead man, Kurt Willi Jarant, 91, had placed him in wheelchair and put sunglasses over his closed eyes "Weekend at Bernie's"-style as they attempted to check him in at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The two denied knowing he was dead and said they thought he was just sleeping. Both were released on bail.

2. Train Runs Over Shih Tzu Twice, Dog Adopted by Guilt-Ridden Engineer - Fred Krause of the Utah Railway Co. said he spotted a stray, cream-colored Shih Tzu on the tracks in Clinton, Utah earlier this month. He was unable to stop but the dog was unharmed. On his way back, Krause, who was operating the train, saw the dog again just before it was hit by the train's snowplow. The train engineer later drove back to the tracks and found the little dog injured and in a daze. Krause and his family are now caring for the dog, now called "Little Guy." Awwwww.

And our number one is actually a two-fer . . .

1. Snakes in a Mother$%@# Motel - At the Executive Inn in Rock Hill, S.C. one guest whacked another in the head with a pet python after an argument about loud music on April 14, according to police. The man, Tony Smith, 29, surrendered the snake to family members before being arrested by police and held on $1,000 bail. Not to be outdone, another python was found in the toilet of a Hampton Inn in La Vista, Neb. by a guest on April 16. Apparently the snake's owner panicked after losing his pet and left the hotel in late March not telling anyone about the reptilian surprise that awaited other guests - sitting on the toilet, no less.

Photo: ChromaticOrb