Absolutely, they're so polite and considerate its why they're seen as snippy and over the top punctual

True, its bad to see how many people go and expect everyone knows English and then think they're stupid because they don't understand a foreigner in their own country
However I've found that people in other countries, especially in Europe, love "the Ozzies", lost track the amount of times I've been asked if I have a pet kangaroo :lol:

Edited by The Maco: 27/8/2014 03:49:20 PM

Germans have a bad rep because they're very direct (and that whole first half of the 20th century thing), but they're some of the most generous and most helpful people I have ever met.

Absolutely. Im not surprised that Aussies have a pretty bad rep as travellers these days because they complain when foreigners speak another language here in Australia and still complain when they go overseas to see that not everything is in English.
Some Aussies have this notion in their head that because Australia is a great place to live and the dollar is great here , that gives them a right to look down on people from 3rd world countries.

Edited by SocaWho: 27/8/2014 03:01:28 PM

Edited by SocaWho: 27/8/2014 03:01:48 PM

The key to getting help from locals is at least trying to speak to them in their language, even if you straight away ask if they speak English
My german is pretty good for a learned language (got a 46 atar score for it) but I found myself completely lost in some parts of Germany, but they smiled and straight away helped me

Its a good idea to go to the lesser known tourist havens like you said. You're right there are some gems out still unknown. I find that the bogans only stick to the main hub and don't bother to research the lesser known places.
I was in Hua Hin a year ago with my old man and its still a quiet place. At night although you have tourists flocking the bars, theres a bit of a nightlife etc , but on the whole its pretty low key and the vibe is just right.
I just liked laying by the pool during the day and it was pretty chill. Theres not a huge security presence at all since it attracts the right demographic of people...day or night.

Edited by SocaWho: 27/8/2014 02:00:31 PM

See even with Patong nearby, I still go to Phuket and enjoy it (in the north of the island) or slightly north in Khao Lak and i find it quite lovely. The place is big enough to still have nice spots away from the scummy places. Even if you're there to lie by a pool all week and indulge, places like Laguna or Mai Khao are great options and you can spend your whole time pretending Patong doesn't exist. I can get away with a bit of Thai language from when i lived there so i'm comfortable enough staying away from the western areas.

I also rate Hua Hin highly, although i haven't been back there for over a decade now. It was easy enough to get there from Bangkok for the weekend or if you had enough time you could drive from there to Kaeng Krachen national park which is just stunning.

Bali on the other hand is small enough that it feels like a prison, where it is impossible to escape the hordes of Bogan families and lads footy trips.

I probably should have rephrased that and what I meant was Phuket IS the new Bali and outside of it is ok.
But yeah I agree there are places which are nice and isn't overrun with tourists.
I've been to Hua Hin which is a quiet beach resort 2 hours drive south of Bangkok and because its home to the Royal Family , all the debauchery and drunken antics you find in Phuket is very minute and the tourists you get there are generally families with their kids. Its a really nice place to chill out if anything and the town isn't overrun with bogans but instead tourists who are there for some quiet time.
I've been to Thailand 6 times already and you're right, a little simple courtesy to the locals can go a long way.
Its a small price to pay but some Aussies think its too much of an effort which really shows how out of touch they are.

Edited by SocaWho: 27/8/2014 09:16:18 AM

^^^ wholeheartedly agree . I've seen the absolute worse from aussie "tourists" in the Phillipines , they treated my fellow countrymen like shit and expected them to be their slaves . No you want a person to help you , ask politely and don't say hey you gook boy get me a drink

Hardly. If you go to Phuket and never leave Patong then you might get that impression. The locals there have seen the worst of western society and I end up hating Australians too every time I go there. Get two minutes outside that shit hole and things become far more pleasant. Thailand has so much more to offer for visitors that is not often appreciated by the Bogans who go there. Respect is everything in Asia and taking your time to show it to your hosts can make all the difference in your interactions with the locals. You wouldn't believe how much a smile, polite "Sawadee Krub" and a wai (thai greeting) is worth until you've lived there. Even the most basic use of Thai phrases will earn you some kudos there, especially if you are in a more rural area.

Thailand is not called the "Land of Smiles" for nothing. If you insult them they'll still smile at you...but deep down inside they hate your guts.
I think Thaliand (especially Phuket and Koh Phagnan) has become the "New Bali".

Edited by SocaWho: 26/8/2014 09:54:35 PM

Been on holiday there, was in the inner west which is predominantly Portuguese/Italian, the city centre tries to be New York but for me ends up coming out looking like a Canadian melbourne, I will say it's more diverse, meaning walking around after 8 on a weeknight won't be 85% Chinese like in our cbd, the major ethnic areas also appear to be more authentic, various Chinatowns, koreatown, greektown etc, even Scarborough looks nice which is supposedly meant to be a dump...I must have visited the good part. All in all I was able to navigate the place with ease and I always felt cos it gave me a melbourne vibe, but that's just me.

how can this list be taken seriously when Adelaide is in the top 5

more a case of who paid the most for the listing

I think when you actually take time to talk to someone from any country like actual humans do they'll quickly realise you're not one of the Bintang singlet wearing fuckwits that give us a bad name, and maybe even change their perceptions a little.

+1. Yup. Been travelling overseas and witnessed the Australian typical boorish behaviour where they complain why some Asians don't speak English. Absolute arrogance to the nth degree.

and you can see it when you talk to locals. i really feel for the folk that live on the thai islands, they seem so jaded. if you're not buying anything from them they treat you with contempt. and it's fair enough considering what they have to put up with.

Rob Ford is a twat, an absolute twat.

Agreed about the city centre being boring. Zero culture.
The lakes up north are absolutely fantastic in the summer though. Amazing fishing.

Australians are looked at overseas the way we look at Americans. Nationalistic, arrogant, noisy, etc. Except Aussies are also rude assholes to all the locals and generally hated by everyone. I usually tell people I'm kiwi too.

The worst part is places like SE Asia where they go "nah man, the locals love us, they love how we party and are exciting". No champ, they hate you, they hate everything you are and everything you stand for, they're nice to you because they need your money. They'd kill you in your sleep if they could.

have you lived there?? where did you live? i was in little ethiopia on bloor and ossington.

i struggled in toronto for a bit to get adjusted. i think the city centre is pretty dull but the inner city suburbs are alright. looking back i did better there than i thought i was doing. i was studying the whole time so its no surprise i found it a bit off. i still think montreal is a much more happening place.

i was there for rob fords downfall. that was pretty spectacular. the guy is sensationally fucked up.

Edited by inala brah: 25/8/2014 10:03:01 PM

Professional junk removal company. Don't worry, when I applied for the job, I thought it was a phone sex hotline too.

Haven't done SE Asia, but Australians disgust me at times with the way they carry on. A complete lack of patience and way too much self importance.

As for older Aussie blokes who live overseas... In the Canadian ski fields, they're pretty bad. Just fucked up all the time living shocking lifestyles.

If toronto didn't have brutal winters it would be number 1 for mine, basically a slightly bigger and cleaner version of melbourne, and more multicultural.

it blows my mind seeing aussie backpackers in SE Asia carry on. ive been in shock so many times watching 18-25 year old dickheads in their singha singlets just treat locals like complete shit. its shameful. i tell people im from new zealand.

and then the older guys with their 12 year old girlfriends and hordes of hookers. fuck me it's terrible.

WTF was 1800-GOT-JUNK?

I'm with you about Aussies being rude. The rudest demographic I've encountered is middle aged Australian women. Particularly from Sydney. When I used to work for 1800-GOT-JUNK? Taking calls from women in Sydney was always the worst, even though we had 180 locations across North America and Australia.

yes french is not a race. but i think you dont understand the full meaning of racism.

french canadians - the quebecois (kabecwa) - are pretty staunchly self identified. i never had an issue with rudeness from the french in france or the quebecois.

most backpackers are pretty fucking rude though. especially australians in asia. actually aussies in europe and the americas can be pretty bad as well. i guess that its more common for aussie backpackers to treat asian people like shit.

how do you feel about the brisbane line? does that make australians surrender monkeys as well? ;)

FYI "Direct racial discrimination happens when someone is treated less fairly than someone else in a similar situation, because of their race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin"..

http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-resources/factsheets/9.html

Edited by inala brah: 25/8/2014 09:33:56 PM

My mate's girlfriend is French and all her friends are from Lyon and they're assholes.

French Canadians did my head for the most part. Lazy, aggressive, self entitled, stubborn.
A few good ones amongst them, but I enjoy the company of Germans far more.

French Canadians ≠ French People. I've never met nicer people on the planet than the people i met in Montreal and Quebec. They were incredibly polite and actually took their time to help me learn some french when they saw i was trying to give the native language a real go. In fact, the same could be said for a lot the actual french people i met in the south of France. It was only the Parisians who were arseholes. In fact, i bet all your backpackers were probably from Paris.