Sucky Customers Abroad

[Misty]

I am currently on a 6-week tour of Southeast Asia and Australia (go ahead, hate me :P). It's been great, and most of the people I've met (locals and fellow tourists) have been great, but as always you can count on having a couple of sour apples in the bushel.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Cambodia. It's a fascinating country, and also very poor. Their currency is worthless. Everything is priced in U.S. dollars, and everything is super cheap. And tipping is not required.

I took a day tour with a group of people, and we all got along great. After the tour we went out to dinner, and then me and 2 other women decided to go get foot massages. The first place we went to offered a 30 minute foot massage for $3. Apparently that wasn't cheap enough for one of us, an older lady from France. "There are three of us, so how about a group discount? $2.50 each?" She asked. They refused, so she told them we'd take our business elsewhere.

We went to three other places, which all had the same prices, and the conversation repeated itself three times. Part of me wanted to say to her, "I can't believe you're haggling over fifty cents! Give me a break!" I think the other girl felt that way to, but we didn't know each other very well, and neither of us wanted to make waves. Finally the lady gave up, and we all went back to the original massage parlor for a $3 foot rub, which was amazing! In fact, it was so good, that the lady decided to pay another $3 for the full hour!

I guess that fifty cents wasn't such a big deal after all

[fireheart]

Where are you going to go (or have been) in Australia? Furthest I've been outside my state (South Australia) has been Queensland

[RetailWorkhorse]

(go ahead, hate me :P)

*Hates on Misty soooooooooooooo much*

BRING BACK PICTURES!

*Luffs on Misty sooooooooooooooooo much*

[tollbaby]

heh. I'd have told her "you go looking for a bargain if you want. Imma get my feet rubbed!"

[fireheart]

*Hates on Misty soooooooooooooo much*

BRING BACK PICTURES!

*Luffs on Misty sooooooooooooooooo much*

which part? i can give you pics of ausland for free

[TowelKing]

which part? i can give you pics of ausland for free

I have to ask....ever been to stradbrook island?

[raw456]

I have to ask....ever been to stradbrook island?

I went when I was about 11 or 12. Mum has a photo me skiing off the back of the boat on the way to the island. I dont remember much about it, we were only there for the day.

[fireheart]

I have to ask....ever been to stradbrook island?

Sadly no. I've been to Granite Island (name a South Aussie who hasn't ), Victor Harbor, Goolwa, Port Elliot (all South Australian towns), Horsham, Ballarat, Apollo Bay, Portland (all Victorian towns), Kingston (another SA town), Melbourne, Gold Coast and Brisbane.

Yeah I get around a lot

And if anyone ever comes down to Australia, aside from the Gold Coast having the obvious, if you want a bit of history, go to Ballarat and go to Sovereign Hill, it's a recreation of a mining village during the 1800's. You can pan for gold there (you actually can, they even sell bottles and whatnot so you can put your gold into it), get your photo taken in period costume and taken with period equipment and so on. It's actually quite entertaining. There's also a sound and light show called "Blood on the Southern Cross" which tells the story of the Eureka Stockade. Very good show I might add.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Stockade

[Sunshine]

ok...now i want to go to aus. *sigh*

[Mishi]

This is my favourite beach - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80-mile_beach
and this is my favourite reef - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ningaloo_Reef
Yes, I'm a traitor to my home/birth state of Qld!

[TowelKing]

I miss the Gold Coast I need to go back someitme. Hopefully soon.

[Seshat]

I have to ask....ever been to stradbrook island?

Straddie?

I grew up not far from there. So yeah, I have. My parents actually owned a small block of land on .. Russell Island. One of the smaller islands on Moreton Bay. There was a proposed bridge to Straddie that was going to use Russell Island as a stepping stone: they took a gamble on it as an investment piece.

If you want a small, quiet island in Moreton Bay that you can explore all of on foot, easily, try CoochieMudlo Island. During the weekdays is best: weekends the mainland locals occupy the best swimming beach.

My Nan lived on the Gold Coast almost all my life. Had a house on a canal. We used to go yabbying where the Gold Coast Civic Centre now is. (I remember it as wilderness.)

Yeah, I grew up a Queensland girl. Does it show?

As for where I've been: as far North as Mackay, to the southern tip of the mainland, east to the coast (or at least the coast road) for most of that stretch, and west along the inland roads for that stretch. (Okay; technically I've been as far north as New York State. Within Australia, however, I've been as far north as Mackay.)

Most of my travel has been by road; and stopoffs at places like Siding Springs Observatory and the Parkes Radio Telescope are kind of mandatory. :P


Edit: a yabby is a small, lobster-like crustacean; edible. They burrow in the sand near the edge of the water. You hunt them by using a yabby pump - a cylinder with a piston. Drive the cylinder into the sand, pull on the piston to grab a load of sand, squirt the sand onto the beach, grab anything that moves. Oh, and be careful: yabbies do have pincers.

[fireheart]

Edit: a yabby is a small, lobster-like crustacean; edible. They burrow in the sand near the edge of the water. You hunt them by using a yabby pump - a cylinder with a piston. Drive the cylinder into the sand, pull on the piston to grab a load of sand, squirt the sand onto the beach, grab anything that moves. Oh, and be careful: yabbies do have pincers.

They also apparaently make good pets as well provided that you keep ONE to a cage.

My dad once took me and my sister yabbying out around Normanville (small town located near Victor Habor) although we didn't catch anything

[SuperNat]

Fireheart, I live on the Gold Coast I've never been to Stradbroke Island but you can see it from my boyfriend's apartment...

[Misty]

Boy, did this thread ever get off topic! But as long as something good comes out of it, like helping a bunch of Aussies connect with each other in a spirit of community, I suppose it's ok

Speaking of Australia, right now this Yank is in Melbourne. I'm only in Australia for 8 days, so I don't have time to travel too far from the city; still, there's plenty to do around here. So far I have been to Phillips Island, where I hand-fed kangaroos and wallabies, petted a koala, and saw the penguin parade. Tomorrow I'm taking a 2-day tour of Great Ocean Road. After that I am going to Grampians National Park, and after that I'm taking a ride on Puffing Billy.

I was supposed to go on a balloon ride over the Yarra Valley at sunrise this morning, but it was cancelled due to the weather. It's been cold and rainy ever since I got here. I guess July isn't the best time to visit Australia