Perception: in the eyes of the beholder?

         

          Recently I received one of those ‘forwarded to thousands’ supposedly hysterically funny emails.  Except in this case it actually was funny.  It was also sad and mind bogglingly frustrating because it purported to be true.

          The contents of the email were said to be the questions of would-be visitors to Australia with the answers provided by the Australian Tourism Authority.  The questions came from as far north as Sweden and the United Kingdom and as far east as the USA.  All left me speechless.

          Admittedly I laughed.  The way one does when a question is a little embarrassing and you’re not sure if the question is actually a serious one or someone poking fun.  But then I started thinking about the lack of plain common sense from the inquirers.  Or is it lack of education?  These days does anyone planning a trip outside their own country actually look at an atlas?

          One questioner asked if it was possible to walk from Perth, on the west coast, to Sydney on the east coast, by following the railway line.  A quick glance at a map would have shown that distance was about the same as the distance from Tallahassie, Florida to San Diego, California.  Quite a lovely little stroll!  ‘Just take plenty of water with you,’ advised the Tourism office.

          Surely today, with the internet at everyone’s fingertips, a rudimentary search for information on any country on the planet is just a few clicks away.  On the other hand, a look at the size of a country, establishing that there are real cities with tall buildings dotted along the horizon isn’t going to help with questions like these:  ‘Is English spoken in Australia?’ and ‘Should I bring my own cutlery?’

          Hmmm.  The question of English could be tricky.   Aussies do seem to have a language of their own.  One which bears only a slight resemblance to English as spoken by the English.  As spoken by Americans…well…that’s a whole different blog for another day.

          The use of cutlery however should be addressed here.  Do people planning a visit to Oz (that’s what Australians call their country) really think that because Australia is at the bottom of a spinning globe, it’s a nation of vegan/vegetarian hunters and gatherers?  People who still eat with their fingers?  Apparently so.

          So it all boils down to perception.  Unfortunately for most would-be travelers to Oz, from all parts of the planet, that perception seems to have stopped expanding somewhere between kindergarten and elementary school.  Many of the enquiries concerned countries other than Australia, although they did all start with the letter ‘A.’  Let me help with the following:

          Africa – where Tarzan swings from the trees;

          Austria – where the Von Trapp family are still yodeling in the Alps;

          America – where the streets are paved with gold; and

          Australia – where kangaroos can be seen hopping down the main street.  How many you see will depend on how much you’ve been drinking.

          The final question which is important to get right was:  ‘which direction is north in Australia?’  Tell you what, you crazy globetrotters you, once you land on Aussie soil, turn 180 degrees and then ask for further instructions.