This was published 9 years ago
Traveller letters: The first time, I felt ashamed to be Australian
DOWNHILL ALL THE WAY
I travel to Japan every year to ski and, for the first time, felt ashamed to be Australian (Traveller Letters, February 27-28). We arrived in Niseko from Furano on Australia Day to see Australians throwing empty beer cans in the streets of the village, climbing onto the roof of the fire station, yelling and jumping off into the surrounding snow. That night, and for the next two, we were woken often by guys screaming, "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi" regularly. At the local supermarket we made an extra effort to greet the serving staff and thank them in Japanese because the lines of mostly Australians showed little respect. I respect the Japanese and their hospitality and wish to show them we're not all such horrible bogans.
Chris Hermely
Brian Gooch is not the only one to experience the "Ugly Australian" in the Japanese snow fields. I had occasion to reprimand a group of Australian young men for their use of foul language in public. I was met with a retort that I was not his father. I replied that had I been his father, I would have been disappointed with his performance as an ambassador for his country. The bus trip home was marred by an Australian who was upset that the Japanese coach driver could not speak English. His snide remarks for the benefit of his travel companions were intended to belittle the driver but reinforced other passenger's low opinion of him. One Japanese national said to me that Australians were "too big, too drunk and too noisy".
Kym Stock
NO CAPITAL GAINS
All I have to say to Lynsey Bradley (Traveller Letters, February 28-March 1) is that no time is good time to travel if you consider what is happening in other parts of the world. The general public are not responsible for the acts of politicians and we shouldn't make their lives more difficult by boycotting certain countries. I visited Russia last year within two months of the MH17 attack and Myanmar in 1998 when Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest and the whole world was pleading for her release. In both countries I met the loveliest and most generous people whose hospitality surpassed the language barrier. Was I visiting the politicians or the military? No!
Sriyani Perera
Lynsey Bradley, like you, I and most people abhor capital punishment but, given you will be boycotting Bali, will you also be boycotting the dozens of other countries that execute people, including the United States, Singapore and Malaysia, and writing letters to Traveller complaining about articles referring to these destinations?
Peter Baker
GLASS ACT
A big rave for Brian Johnston and his essay, "Window To The World", (Traveller, February 28-March 1). It reminded me of our tour of Europe some years ago. From the hotel window in London a serene walled garden, to views of the Eiffel Tower when in Paris, the sight of silent columns in Rome reminding of the long ago civilisations, and in Athens looking down on the Syntagma with the people going about their daily business, the Evzones guards peacock-like sentry duty in front of the parliament building and away on the skyline, The Parthenon, pure magic. However, the view from our hotel window in Florence was not of the Arno river but a vast railway marshalling yard. But even such an uninspiring sight did evoke thoughts of future travels to distant places.
David McAdam
CASE STUDY
How refreshing to read the comments by Barry Jones in Frequent Flyer (Traveller, February 28- March 1) that he doesn't have prestige luggage, and prefers learning about the world to staying in resorts. He is such an affable gentleman and so full of obscure knowledge I imagine joining him on the train journey from Tehran to Budapest would be a fascinating, eye-opening experience.
Joan Brown
CUBA CRISIS AVERTED
A tip for travellers from Australia: you do not need to pay for a visa to enter Cuba prior to leaving (Traveller, February 21-22). On our flight from Toronto to Havana out came the necessary documents from the cabin crew. It seems some Europeans and Aussies fall for the "buy before you go" scam.
Lesley Heffernan
LETTER OF THE WEEK
David Dale's article on Gaziantep (Traveller, February 28-March 1) brought back fond memories of our trip to south-east Turkey in late 2013 which included the cities of Gaziantep and Sanliurfa and several sites in the region. Gaziantep is a fascinating place, and not just for its foodie status. The Zeugma mosaic museum is a jaw-dropping stunner but there are many other museums in the city, some eclectic, including a culinary museum exploring the region's food and cooking heritage and a charming children's' toy museum. The broader region also has much to offer fans of ancient history and archaeology including: the actual site of Zeugma, half drowned by the dammed Euphrates River; Harran (Roman Carrhae), site of the first Islamic university; UNESCO-listed Mt Nemrut and the astonishing pre-history site at Gobekli Tepe, up to 12,000 years old. Conservationists would also be interested in the sanctuary at Birecik for the endangered Bald Ibis. And, of course, we had several meals at Imam Cagdas in Gaziantep, which is not only Baklava Central but a mind-blowing, tastebud expanding temple of culinary exploration and heritage. But, please allow this life-long fan of baklava to mention that I've also had baklava at the Anatolia Restaurant in Hobart, Tasmania, which is just as sublime as that at Imam Cagdas.
Chris Costas
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