I was in Egypt about 30 years ago as a young backpacker. I met up with some other travellers and on on one occasion we shared a cab to the market in Cairo. One of those great old extended wheelbase Mercedes with the jump seats in the rear.

We agreed on the rate with the driver but when we got to the market, he demanded a different fee.

One of my new travelling friends was a feisty Scottish woman who confidently restated the agreed price. The verbal battle went back and forth for a minute or so before the Scottish woman emphatically restated the agreed price while simultaneously opening the door of the taxi. On the traffic side of the car.

Instantly the door of the taxi was torn off by another car - also a taxi.

We looked at each other like this was the end for us. Midnight Express played in my mind.

To our surprise, the other driver stopped, got out of his taxi and started to argue with our taxi driver. Nobody was paying any attention to us.

We looked at each other and the five of us ran for as fast as we could into the market. We hid out in there for hours adrenalin pumping, certain that we were going to be caught.

We didn’t get caught and to this day it’s at the top of my ‘crazy travel’ story list.