You normally associate annoying tourists with Americans. Stereotypical? Yes. Unfair? Probably, but I don't know every single person in America, so I suppose I can't judge.
But what I do know for a fact is that we shared a carriage on the Eurostar down to Paris with a bunch of Aussies. I told you we are everywhere ... it's like we're the new black plague or something here. Anyways, these bunch of Aussies were the most rude, loud, immature and annoying bunch of tourists I have ever met.
They were basically making drunken d!ckheads of themselves, disturbing everyone else on the train (even after a French gentleman twice asked them nicely if they could keep the noise down) ... "why should we keep it down, it's a Friday night and we're aussie and we're proud so we're entitled to have a good time ... aussie aussie oi oi oi, waltzing maltilda, waltzing matilda ...". Oh please.
Yes dear, you're entitled to have a good loud drunken time ... if you're at home, at the pub, at the footy, but not on a public cross-country train late at night. And to top it all off, this girl had a kiwi accent!! WTF?!?! First time I've heard a sheep herder call them self Australian. I knew we had a habit of claiming kiwi actors and musicians, but not their local dim wits as well?
Towards the end of the trip one lady basically had enough and gave them a nice dressing down. Of course they didn't listen and started mocking her. I haven't seen behaviour like this since kindergarten.
By that time I had lost my patience and basically told them I was embarrassed to be an Aussie ... (secretly I was hoping they would make some remark about me being of asian origin so I would have a reason to get into a big argument ... it's been awhile since I got some proper racial abuse. God bless the good old school days ...).
So our first Eurotrip (still have to see the movie ...) was off to a fine start.
Just like Monkey, I am on a quest too. It's a mission to find some decent asian food here in London. I think it's going to be a recurring theme that I will be whinging about.
In our short time here we have had some really bad stuff. I don't think the iron chef's here have heard of the word "flavour". I mean, either all the dishes taste the same as each other (ie. bland), or they get the ingredients totally wrong. Passing off egg noodle/soba noodle type thing in salty water as ramen is just not on (tip: don't go to Taro). I mean it was that bad I couldn't eat it. And what's the deal with cutting the chicken feet in half at yum cha (they do that at every place we have been too). Ripped off!
So we've come to lower our standards now ... if it tastes average then it is really good. We've found a few places that are pretty good: this thai place in Angel, japanese place at Piccadilly Circus and a Superbowl type place on the edge of chinatown in the city.
In the end, I am pretty sure I know where this quest will end ... in our own kitchen eating the food that we've cooked ourselves. Time to ask my parents for all those seclet Ly Inn recipes ...
What's the deal? Back in Sydney, half the people on my team at any company I work at are from the UK (the other half are normally gopals).
I come over here and their are aussies everywhere:
- Here in Fulham there's a big convict colony
- Most of the new friends we have made are aussies
- Almost everyone at work on the project I am on is Australian (and also all ex-consultants as well. Talk about inbreeding ...)
- Apparently at any one time, 5% of the australian population is here in London. Must be weather that brings us all over
- Can't even escape the australian celeb either ... we saw Mr Hugh Jackman tonight at the premiere of The Prestige (saw Scarlett (.)(.), Andy Circus and Rachel Hunter as well ... man she is tall)
When it is a working holiday.
Things we've had to do in the past couple of weeks - pick up debit card for bank account we had set up from home, apply for credit card, set up limited company and other stuff for contracting, applying for jobs, going to job interviews, looking for place to rent, get a UK SIM card etc. Work work work work. As you're told when you were a kid ... gotta finish you homework first before play.
Good news is now that work is behind us we can start playing now. Holidays have been booked, and need to get some tickets to see all the shows that are in town. Everyone comes through here ... not like back home when you wait ten years for some rock band to come out, queue up overnight for tickets, and then find out the shows cancelled ...
Only the poms would celebrate a failed bombing attack on their city. I guess they're not as smug nowadays.
Fireworks have been going off all night. Walking home just then, it felt like we were in a warzone with the explosions right above us and the smell of smoke in the air. I was waiting for something to land on my head. There are gonna be a few kids making trips to the doctors tonight with missing fingers/eyeballs/noses/ ...
You normally associate annoying tourists with Americans. Stereotypical? Yes. Unfair? Probably, but I don't know every single person in America, so I suppose I can't judge.
