Oh the stories I could tell about tourist-rudeness! We've travelled quite a bit over the years and I could write a whole book on tourist-rudeness! It astounds me how people think they can treat service people and other tourists the way they do (not to mention the environment) just because they're away from home.

One of the very worst was in Bermuda. Very tiny country, but very courteous and polite people. We were on a bus, only one door to get in and out. The bus was packed with cruise-ship tourists and Bermudians trying to get to work. There was a guy standing near the front and others in his party near the back, so they were YELLING back and forth such rude and nasty comments about the people, the countryside, the bus...oh it was humiliating and embarrassing to have to sit there and witness this behaviour. (The guy in front was also blocking the way for people to get off the bus). Finally my husband stood up and told the guy to shut-up and gave him a piece of his mind and told him if he didn't like being there to go back home. All the Bermudians on the bus clapped and turned around to thank him. The guy shut up, and they DID get off the bus at the next stop and everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The things they were shouting back and forth are unrepeatable - racist (most Bermudians are black), foul and indescribably intolerably hateful. And when you know how beautiful, peaceful and kind the Bermudians are, it hurts even more.