16 March 2005
Aaargh!
I've also been having exchanges with the Australian, Korean, Hong Kong, and Baltic tourism people about trips and stories, as well as completing the checking of the last set of proofs of Eyewitness China, due out later this year. Oh, and I've rattled off (which mostly means simply cutting back) a number of stories for syndication on disk to minor papers across Canada, and at least I've written briefs on Buenos Aires and Antarctica stories for one publication which wants them, but hasn't yet come back to me on what it wants exactly.
Having learned the lesson just over a year ago that despite a general lack of interest in writing on Canada I really should do more of it because it's convenient and profitable, I did accept an invitation to a launch one evening of a local tourism promotion at which I hoped to pick up some story ideas, but found almost nothing of use. Except for a pause to hear one of the dullest of speeches it was just an event for local journalists to drink for free (no stereotyping here) and gossip. Since I prefer to get on with it rather than mix there were only three people I recognised. The description of the even was very vague, but promised to be 'interactive'. The only usual conversation I had with any of the tiny number of exhibitors was with a man who does bear-watching tours in Whistler. Otherwise the whole event was a disorganised waste of tay-payers' dollars (including mine), and of the efforts of the few exhibitors, come to that.
The HKTB is irritating me a little. I've been trying to talk about stories since November or December last year, and getting very little response, although I've published stories on Hong Kong every year for the last few, and in a wide variety of different media. Now they hear I'm going to be in Hong Kong anyway, it's 'Can we have a meeting?' and 'How about doing something on ecotourism?' But I've allocated no time to Hong Kong and I'll just be passing through.
I had another of those 'you're not from the same planet of me conversations' the other day. Again, who needs to leave home to feel alienated. This was with a representative of Qantas in the U.S., and from the sound of his accent, somewhere in the deep south. Qantas web site was refusing to let me in to check points accumulated, and when I asked to be reminded of my password, refused to recognise that it even knew who I was, and advised me to call.
The first thing I was told on the phone (after layers of automation, of course) was that nothing could be done to help me over the phone if I couldn't provide the password. I wondered, since the web site wouldn't give me any help with retrieving it, what could be done about that, and I was told to write to a certain email address and explain the situation.
'Tell them the dog ate my password, for instance.'
There was a long pause before it was decided that this was funny, and I was put on hold. After a minute or two, the voice came back on the line and after asking me a few questions, told me my password.
'Not that I'm complaining,' I said, 'but why the change of heart?'
'Well; it sounded like you were getting a mite irritated.'
'I'm not irritated. I'm just European.'
Long silence.
Me: 'Well, thank you for your help. I'll go on-line now.'
'Thank you for calling Qantas. You have a nice day.'
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