Hell Hath No Fury Like a Rocker Scorned
Trip Start
Nov 13, 2007
1
85
106
Trip End
Oct 08, 2008
Sydney Domestic Airport,
Australia
Saturday, July 19, 2008
well yesterday was really nice up til about 9pm. i had a great 14 hours sleep which was much needed after my 2-day marathon. got up around 11 and headed up to the train station where i got the red hop-on hop-off bus that does the city tours. the ticket selling man neglected to tell me that due to the stations of the cross (i kid you not) taking place at various key locations around the city that day that some places and streets were closed off which meant we didnt do the 3 stops in and around harbour bridge which was a bit annoying. but other than that and the skin-freezing wind that whistled around the open-top deck it was a lovely tour. lovely sunny (but cold) day and great views. i jumped off for half an hour at the opera house and got some pics but it was just mobbed with pilgrims as 3 of the stations were happening there so i didnt stay too long.
back to the start 2 hours later and i jumped on the other bus that did the bondi beach loop (same ticket worked on both so i was going to milk it!!) that was nice too though even colder than before. we got half an hour on bondi which was nice (though also mobbed by pilgrims) and i had a quick stroll on the beach and checked out the surfers, they werent much good and really only learners. its actually WAY smaller than i was expecting, i was thinking of something out of baywatch, not a little cove about the size of bray beach!!!
on the way back to the city i had the pleasure of some portuguese (sp?) pilgrims sitting behind me and it was here i learned of a new hate i have. people who chew chewing gum with their mouths open. it is truely one of the most annoying/disgusting/unattractive/irritating/uncool habits that people can have. sitting there and all i can hear behind me is "hack...hack hack......hack hack hack" of course with the occasional intermittant POP of a bubble. i was THIS close to turning around and asking them to close their blodoy mouths when they chew gum but in the end i did not and they got off anyway. urg.
and so to the debacle of last night. well not really a debacle just an example of Metaler Rudeness. in the afternoons in my hostel theres 2 rocker guys on reception who play the worst thrash metal music known to man at FULL volume (it can be heard on the 3rd floor, i checked.). when i came in around 7 i asked if i could print stuff cos i needed to print a boarding card and they said yes it would print in reception and i could come up and collect it. so i went downstairs and printed it, stayed online for about another hour and then went up to get it. only thing is it wasnt there. the first conversation went something like this:
Rocker 1: "oh i dont know where it is it was there earlier i think. someone must have taken it."
Nic: "what do you mean someone mustve taken it, where did you leave it?"
R1: "on the counter there. well im not sure. it was here i rmemeber seeing it and then i went for dinenr with wife (yes, someone married this ignoramous) and now im back and its gone"
N: "well where did you leave it? (to Rocker 2): "did you see it"?
R1: "no ive been busy here working on my computer" (if you could see the hack of this guy youd see how hilarious this outrageous statement was, he was no more "working on his computer" than his crusty hair had been washed within the last week.)
N: "well what do you mean? i told you i was printing it out how come you didnt just hang on to it?"
R1: "i wasnt here when you said that (not true he was there) i dont know anything about that. cant you print it again? we wont charge you for the second page (what a generous guy)"
N: "but whats happened the one i printed, who took it, how were they able to take it?:
R1: "i dont know i saw it around im not sure where it was but its not here anymroe. cant you jsut print another one?"
N: "im not sure, its a boarding pass so they might not let me but ill try anyway"
(this conversation actually went on for longer but it was the same thing being said over and over again).
*****************************
Conversation 2 (R1 is now busy serving another guest)
R1: (looking all triumphant) "oh there you are - look heres the original pass, someone handed it in"
N: "wheres the one i just printed out though cos this one is cropped"
R1: "oh i scrunched it up and threw it in the bin, hang on" (fishes round in the bin and unscrunches the second printout which is the same as the first)
N: "so where did the first one get found?"
R2: "oh im not sure, i think it maybe blew under the couch over there" (couch is located across from reception)
N: (in a very reasonable voice) "you know you probly just should be a little bit more careful of things like this and not just leave them lying around on the counter here. i told you i was printing it out so you shouldve left it behind the counter for me to collect" (i really wasnt being rude here, i was being very humble and reasonable but wanted to make a point nonetheless).
R1 at this point cuts short his discussion with the new guest and turns to R2
R1: "sorry whats going on here, am i getting SHIT over a piece of paper????????"
N: "im sorry but its not just a piece of paper its a boarding pass that i told you i was printing out so its actually quite important"
R1: "oh well im so so sorry....."
at this point i felt emotion kicking in so thought it best to walk way whilst Rocker 1 was still in mid-sarcastic-i-dont-give-a-shit-about-your-stupid-piece-of-paper rant.
but the bloody cheek. they seriously didnt give a crap between the pair of their greasy heads. i guess thats whats to be expected when you stop staying in hotels and end up stating in crappy hostels (that still cost 7 times as much per night as my own chalet in ko lanta *sobs*). i dont know how long i can do this hostelling thing!!! but i will not be staying in the 790 on george again and i recommend you do the same - remember - AVOID 790 on GEORGE IN SYDNEY - tell your friends.
and finally - does anyone know if a fast food outlet in australia called hungry jacks is the ozzy chain of burger king or is it just a very cheeky rip-off that happens to sell all the same identical food with the same fonts/packaging. im just curious.
anyway another day another flight - i calculated this is my 15th flight since leaving home (i was afraid to calculate before now cos i knew i was in and around the 13th and didnt want to find this out before i got on the flight). works out my 13th flight was the one from kunming to guilin with all the lunatic teachers going mental which is quite apt and im just i didnt find out til it was over.
and so on to brisbane where im meeting up with my intrepid travelling buddy lisa from the kumuka days in south america. looking forward to a couple of days catching up, drinking some wine, chilling out, going to see my first aussie rules game and generally just relaxing before my road trip up the east coast.
bye for now
xx
