I?m not sure whether I?ve been in survival situations as you meant but to me they feel alike.

Here?s the recent of my storys:

Late spring last year I?ve been on a business-trip to an middle asian country.
One of the meetings with my "counterpartys" didn?t developed as I?ve hoped ... <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />(no further comments on this) ... In the end I?ve found myself thrown into a river with my hands tied up with cable ties. <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

I?ve learned to swim whithout using my hands some years ago when changing from canoeing to hydrospeeding (kind of swimming in whitewater). I drift down the stream out of the view of my opponents and reached the bank without swallowing too much water.
So I was sitting on a rock dressed in a tree piece suit, soaked with cold water, deprived of my pocketknife, my cellphone, my wallet (passport and visa !) and with my hands tied. Real bull***t, especially with such guys on your heals in a country that language you can?t speak or understand <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />. OK, I?ve took some SERE-like trainings by a government institution some times ago but they were only speaking about "getting back to your unit through the enemy lines". Between me and my "unit" (my wife) were a few thousand miles and some borders. ... No, Germany didn?t have a consulship in that country... <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
I succeed to get rid of the wire ties and were lucky to wear a woolen suit (keeps some warmth even when wet) and handcrafted leather shoes (smoothly to wear).
Anything that have been left to me were my watch, my weddingband and a small capsual that hasn?t been found by my opponents. This capsual (I?ve writen elsewere about it before) contains my "deep-core-psk. It?s with me at any(!) time. The capsual contains amongst other things a flintrod, a compass and some cash. Unfortunatly that time it weren?t the local currency. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
I didn?t used major roads and tried to travel as stealthy as possible. It seamed that the poorer the population the less feasible the garbage they dump to the countryside: I couldn?t seek and pick up what I lacked so I were forced to practice "farmlifting". <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
In the beginning the biggest problem to me was to get some more clothings and to shelter propperly, especially during the first days because I didn?t have the heart to light a fire <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />. I made an impromptu stone blade that I tied with a shoelace to a branch (a half lace will close a shoe as well). Later I upgraded to a steelblade made from a piece of a car door.
It took me roughly 500 miles in 22 days to get to a friend of mine in a neighbor country. I lost 18 lbs., get some trouble with hypothermia and blisters on my feet but at least I get home to my wife and that?s all that counts to me. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Summary:
- First of all it?s a question of mindset.
- The ability to start a fire gives so much hope.
- Some practice in lockpicking, stealth movement and such couldn?t be wrong.
- It?s important to know the map of the area by heart.
- Have friends all over the world!
- Local currency at hand would make things easier.

This year I?ll have to go there again ... <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Molf