Travel broadens the mind they say, but it can also confirm your prejudices I find.
I have a theory that Western Australia has a problem with its service industry, specifically the fact that most of the people working in it seem to hate serving. It happens all the time in Perth. Rude waitresses, disinterested check-out chicks and indifferent shop assistants are pretty much the norm. In fact when you come across a person who wants to help, smiles and says "thank you" it's a cause for celebration and makes you make a note to go back again. It happens even more in country towns. Kalgoorlie was renowned for its hopeless staff and spit-in-your-drink waiters; but that can almost be understood if you are on $8 an hour and the drop-kick tradesman you are serving is earning $150,000 per annum. However what stuns me the most is when you get rude or hopeless service in a tourist town!.
Here in Exmouth I would imagine that quite a lot of businesses depend on the tourist dollar, after all most towns of 1000 people can't support multiple pubs, restaurants and bottle shops. Yet the people in these business feel than can be incredibly rude to you. Well to me anyway, they may be great to you for all I know. For example the other day I went into one of the bottle shops in town to get some wine and beer. There was a offer on for two bottles for $25 which listed a few different wines. All I wanted to know was if I needed to buy two bottles the same or was it mix and match? Pretty easy and simply answered with "It's mix and match" or "they both need to be the same". But this was not the answer. First I got a look like I was speaking Swahili, then I had to repeat my question twice more, both times the answer was "what does it say on the label". Sadly there's no emoticon for sarcastic fukwit. I tried to explain that it was not clear on the label but this just got more sighing and eye rolling. Eventually the miserable git came from behind his counter and deigned to read the label on the fridge door. "Oh it's mix and match". What was so hard about that? It's not as though there was anyone's else in the shop that he needed to serve. If I'd realized that there was another liquor shop in town I'd have walked out. Needless to say I won't name the outlet in question (it was Cellarbrations) but if you are ever in Exmouth, WA,then get your booze at Thirsty Camel. It's a stupid name but has friendly staff.
It happened again the next day at the visitor centre at Myerling in the National Park. The place was pretty deserted, that is to say we were the only people for miles around, and you would have thought the woman working in there might have been pleased to have someone to talk too, but no. Firstly we were totally ignored in the information area, then when we moved across to the shop, making the bitch manning the place have to get up and walk four paces, she was totally disinterested. When my dad tried to make polite conversation about how quiet it was the silly cow may as well have told him to "get fu##ed". If you don't like tourists then you probably shouldn't work in a tourist information centre. Or am I just being narrow minded? Luckily the staff at the hotel have been great, and the waitress at the pub last night was lovely too. I'd mention that they were all young and generally not from WA but that would just prove my theory.
The rest of the holiday has been going quite well. I haven't drowned the folks and blamed the snorkeling so that's a good thing. The hotel is great but seems to have a shortage of working light globes. I had to get them to come replace five the day we arrived as we were sitting in the dark. I suppose they never really check the rooms in the dark so don't really know if globes are blown but I does seem a bit half arsed for a five star "resort". This place also suffers from the flaw that drives me mad in hotels. No power outlet by the bed to charge your phone up. Why is that? Loads of places I've stayed are like this. You can sort of let them off if it's an old building or a bit cheap, but any hotel built since 1990 must realize that lots of travelers have mobile equipment that needs charging. This one thing should have a separate section on tripadvisor so you're not left charging your phone by unplugging the minibar.
There are also a lot of kids here. I sort of expected that as its school holidays, and these are hotel rooms with kitchens, but is also very expensive so not generally the place I'd expect to see families. Although there doesn't seem to be any shortage of cash here, which is just as well as dinner at the hotel on Monday night came to $200. It was very nice, but I could've eaten a big pile of chips after as it was a bit nouvelle on the portion size.
The only real blot has been the weather. There's a cyclone up the coast at Port Headland and it's been giving us funny weather. Unpredictable might be a better word. The boat trip today was cancelled and the forecast is for rain and possible storms tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be clear enough for us to get out to sea but we'll have to wait and see.
Until then here is a shot of the hotel pool. I suppose if we do get stuck in the room it's not the end of the world.
