At least it is peaceful Sunday through Wednesday. Serene. I get my morning coffee and drive down to one of my favourite look out points to drink it, overlooking the ocean and the mountains and the wild flowers, and all is right with the world.
Then Thursday rolls around and the first of the week's cruise ships roll into port, a kilometer from my house, making loud honks that make your stomach lurch, and producing an alarming stream of horses and carriages, pedicabs, coaches, and taxis, parading endlessly past the house en route to make some money off of those passengers.
And there are so many of them.
Three quarters appear to be very excitable Asian tourists, chattering, swarming, and carting giant cameras. They seem to enjoy it here, they travel en masse, and are particularly fond of standing right at crossings even though they're not crossing, making me stop for no reason, when all they're doing is looking at something across the street. Either that or I'm driving through and one decides to just jump in front of me without warning. Those guys are driving me to drink, I swear.
They also are extraordinarily fond of selfie sticks. You never see a white, black, Indian, or middle Eastern individual with a selfie stick. But almost all the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean ladies seem to carry one along with their lipstick. It's fascinating. Must be a cultural thing.
So from Thursday till Sunday it's touristville. Which is nice, seeing people in your town having fun and enjoying the scenery. Even when it's a little annoying at times.
Sadly, a lot of the tourists here are people like the woman I encountered this morning, who appeared to have some sort of problem driving over 25 kmph, turning me into a huge, sweary asshole inside my car, as I was trying to get somewhere on the narrow coast road, yelling to myself, "It's a 50 zone you fucks!" because clearly I'm some sort of unashamed speed demon, who probably hasn't had her coffee yet. But I get it. You're looking at the pretty view and it's lovely, good for you.
But good god woman, you're in a car, move your ass.
25 kmph, I ask you! May a crow shit on your head, ma'am.
Thank God it's Friday.
The dang tourists! The only solution for you is to move to an uglier place where people don’t feel like visiting. Yeah.
ReplyDeleteOur downtown (Chicago) is a huge tourist draw, too. And as the saying goes, "If it's tourist season, why can't you shoot them?"
ReplyDeleteBut then I think of all the taxes they are paying to help line the politician's pockets, and I feel a little bit better.
Scope: haha yes, those deserving politicians, man. 😂 Ours (tourists) bring in millions too, which is great, but gah, you're on vacation I get it, but I live here, stop getting shitfaced and screeching outside my house at two am thanks!
ReplyDeleteJust because you are on vacation does allow to drop all manners and respect for other people. My wife and I enjoy a slow ride through scenic areas but if a car is behind us for awhile we pull over to the side and let them pass. It actually allows us to enjoy the scenery better. Also from your post I noticed they have the option of hiring a driver or going on a tour bus. Good interactions with locals can make a trip a better memory too. Especially compared to getting read-ended or thrown into jail.
ReplyDeleteEllet: I've tried that :) That's why I moved here. Ha!! They're okay really, the majority of them. It's nice to see them having fun. Just stop getting in my way. It is ALL ABOUT ME.
ReplyDeleteI hear you, and I feel your pain!
ReplyDeleteThere is smallish valley and couple of hills that separates where I live, from Laguna Beach. It's an amazing little town that just happens to have one of the most amazing stretches of coastline anywhere. From June until the middle of September, we don't go anywhere near there. It is so crowded with tourists that you can't even get to the grocery store easily. I can't even imagine living there during the summer. I think that it's every bit as beautiful during the other parts of the year. One of the things I love most about being retired, is that we totally get to choose where we go, and when we go. You already know that I spend a lot of time in Joshua Tree NP. I don't go anywhere near there on the weekends (if I can help it). Maybe it's not so much tourists that bother me, it's people in general. I'm sure how this turned into my rant, sorry about that...
Pat: YES! You are right, it's people in general when they're being inconsiderate. I don't think tourists mean to be mostly, they're just excited to be on vacation, so vacation rules apply. Whereas I'm here going "GAH I NEED TO GET SOMEWHERE, TODAY PLEASE!" :) Winter here is just lovely. Quiet and serene and relaxing. Too bad it rains in winter. Ha!
ReplyDeleteStill envy your JT treks!
Hah. I think your assessment of things would mimic mine. I try to be a considerate tourist, but I am probably one of those slow movers in order to soak all the sites. When I lived in a tourist area, it was slightly annoying, but yes, they contribute to the economy. Could they just do it faster?
ReplyDeleteFargo: I Know, haha. I'm truly happy they enjoy coming here and enjoying the scenery, but man, don't do it on the road. Please. Pretty please. See that giant string of cars behind you? We're trying to get somewhere. GAH!
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