Re: Auckland to Sydney on the Diamond Princess


Don Thorne wrote:
> On 23 Jan 2006 11:17:55 -0800, "Reef Fish"
> <Large_Nassau_Grouper@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> >It was an assumption based on my travel experience, specifically on
> >the acceptance of USD on cabs from the airport to hotels and cruise
> >ships. Why is that arrogance if it's common practice by countries
> >which I have travelled to, AT LEAST 75 different countries by last
> >count.
>
> If you cannot understand that it is arrogant to *expect* other
> countries to pander to *one* country, then it's a little sad. The fact
> that 75 countries happen to do so isn't relevant.

That's your arrogance and ignorance!

> Would you expect US
> taxis to cater for Aussie dollars .... and if not, why not?

I would not expect anything in that case because I have no experience
about the acceptance of Aussie dollars by other countries, in cities
frequented by tourists from other countries.

I would venture to guess that not many of the airport cabs in foreign
cities accept Aussie dollars because few Aussies (in absolute count
or relative count) travel to foreign countries, compared to the USA
citizens. That's why.


> >It's merely a matter of convenience of not having to change at the
> >airport at the usually poor exchange rates until getting to a bank -- if
> >needed, later.
>
> Good grief .... of course it would be convenient. It would be
> "convenient" if you landed in France and everyone spoke English;

It's your gratuitous speculation, just as your gratuitous leap to your
unwarranted American-bashing on the mention of currency
acceptance by airport cabbies.

I not only do not expect foreign citizens to speak English, I know
enough simple phrases for travelling (as opposed to the French and
German I had to show profiency for my Ph.D degree) in those
languages, as well as in Spanish (which passes as Portuguese,
as in Rio de Janeiro). I also have had occasions to use Cantonese
(that's Chinese) in London, Paris, Rome, Tahiti, and a few other
unexpected places when English, French, German, and Spanish
failed for those special occasions.

As for expectation, I DID expect the ticket sellers at the bullet train
stations in Tokyo to understand a bit of English, if not some other
foreign language. But all they could do was point me to a 4-inch
thick directory, in Japanese. Now THAT's stupidity on the part
of the Japanese -- to expect travellers to be able to READ, if not
speak Japanese! Fortunately, the stupidity of the transportation
officials were saved (and I've had many similar anecdotal tales
by friends from Europe) by the polite and helpful Japanese
citizens -- a lady realized our predicament, and said she had a
little time to spare, and gave us all the help we needed to buy
the correct tickets and go to the correct train.

it
> would be "convenient" if you landed in Australia and we all started
> driving on the right-hand side of the road.

Not at all. Those few bloody obnoxious Australians such as yourself
would be the same, no matter what currency you use or which side
of the roat you drive.


> >payment for cab fares for the tourist's initial ride, in countries in
> >the WORLD, of which New Zealand and Australia are not exactly the
> >model or standard.
>
> and the US is I suppose ??
> If the US is the standard, then we're doomed .....

That's YOUR fallacious speculation, just like the rest of the nonsense
you spew about world travelling.

>
> >For Australia, I could have gotten a visa with the name Bin Laden,
> >if I could have purchased an airline ticket with the name Bin Laden.
> >(Of course one would have to have passport by that name too. :-))
> >But the point is that the visa for Australia is nothing but a JOKE, for
> >collecting $20 USD for the entry fee.
>
> So what? $20 isn't going to break the bank - seems pretty trifling to
> me.

Besides being obnoxious from ignorance, you completely failed to
recognize the difference between $20 and whatever PRINCIPLE
those $20 may violate, against common practice or commonsense.

You think I give a whit about the $20? If it's 20 cents, or even 2
cents,
I would raise the SAME objection, as to why none of the other 72
countries I've been to, many of which are much poorer than the
Aussies, don't forgo the inconvenience for the TRAVELLERS who
greatly help the economy of their country, but the Aussies have to
resort to this bit of extortion using the excuse of visa processing
fee?

That's what TAXES are for. Or ask for DONATION. If you want to
raise funds from foreign visitors, use VAT.

>
> >I've been to Rome several times. That's one of the many civilized
> >countries in which cabbies accept the US dollars. Even the gypsy
> >pick-pockets were eager to pick the USD out of my pocket.
>
> All of which ignores the fact that you have an *expectation* that the
> everyone in the world should accept the US dollar - that it is somehow
> better than any other currency.

All you said were based on YOUR ignorance about where I have
travelled, which country I expect the US dollar may be accepted by
airport cabbies and which I don't.


> >
> >When I am in Sydney, I'll NOT be in somebody's home. I'll be in a
> >country that charged me $20 USD for entry, or any American citizen
> >for entry (on that piece of toilet paper called Australian visa).
>
> Sorry ... we colonial peasants should have used US dollars for our
> visa paper - we'll try to do better. By the way, you *will* be in
> someone else's home - we call it Australia.

If that's the case, you're calling a brothel a home. ANYONE who
can pay the fare to go to Australia, and pay the visa fees, is admitted
to this mercenary country of yours. You can call it Australia. I and
anyone else can call it Oz.


> If you don't want to
> adjust to our culture or pay $20 to enter, then feel free to go back
> to your own home.

Of course I am free to come and go, you bloody ignoramus. That's the
whole point. Australia is a country open to foreign visitors just like
any
other "free" country. Just because YOU've not seen enough of the
world and have no idea what to expect and what not, you try to impose
your own ignorance on others.

> >
> > I don't need any bloody pommie *** named Bob T
> >to give me his anti-American lecture.
>
> Ahem ... Poms are actually Englsih, but I guess you don't know that.

I know more about Poms that YOU ever know. We've had long
discussions of the origin of the term "pom", when and how it's used,
among my FRIENDS in UK and Australia, who discuss such as
friends. The term Pom is hardly restricted to only those in UK, or
English, because many of those poms immigrate to Oz. Once a
pom, always a pom is the accepted view of my UK/OZ friends.


> >It's newsgroup posters like Bob T, who had an axe to grind against
> >ALL Americans, took a simple remark about the payment of cab fare
> >and blew it all out of proportion in their gratuitous indictment of all
> >Americans.
> >
> >What you've shown, Bob T, is an example of an Ugly Foreigner.
> >
> Actually, I have met some very nice Americans - and in fact some who
> pretended to be Canadians so that they wouldn't be associated with the
> "Ugly American" phenomenon.

A nice American would not have to pretend to be of some other
nationality just to please some misguided anti-American Aussies.


> Next time you travel, try researching the country you visit - try
> learning a few words of their language (if not english);

How many different countries have YOU been? How many different
languages other than English and Aussie English (for which I have
a 3-inch thick Dinkum Dictionary to explain how you Aussies
butchered the English language) do you know or speak?

If you wish to come back with more of your impertinence, answer
those two questions in the preceding paragraph FIRST, before you
start your sanctimonious preaching to the wrong choir in the wrong
church!


> Ask yourself why it would be unreasonable of me to turn up in New York
> and expect my Australian dollars to be accepted,

That's the stupid assumption of YOURS, not mine!

> Bob T.

-- Reef Fish Bob.

.

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