I have been thinking about the blog and blogs in general. I wonder why all the blogs are happy blogs....? When people blog they always try to find the positive. No one is ever grumpy. Where is the REALITY? Who wants to hear the negative? Oh, sure.... I know who you are.... Well, today I have the juice..... I have to tell you what happened today.
Let me give you the background then you can weigh in, OK? We are anchored off of Thursday Island today. Thursday Island is a non stop really. No one knows why anyone stops here. We are in the Torres Strait, the far north of Queensland, a little island about a mile at most in diameter. Those in the know simply call it TI. Pleasant little island, Melanesian people. Started as and still is a fishing village. We were here last year but the waters were so rough we could not stop. There is one tour here. It lasts almost an hour. To see the island the whole ship takes turns using their two buses. They take us to the top of the hill. We then come down hill. There is a town and when you are in it you have to ask where it is.
Back to my gossip of the day. We were on the first tour. We ask for handicap seating on the bus and the ship places handicap signs with your cabin number in red magic marker on the first row or two of seats. They allow one or two saved seats per bus, spreading those with walking issues out. When we got on, the seat to the left had a handicap saved sign with cabin number on it. The seat to the right had our cabin number on it and someones purse. I will not sit in a seat that has another cabin number on it. Hmmm. I thought since so few buses and so many people.... maybe on this particular tour more handicap seats are needed on the bus... so I moved back to row 4 by myself and let David sit in the saved seat, no biggie.
I waited for the bus to fill thinking more handicap people were coming. When the bus door closed I saw no one was sitting next to David, I started up to go sit with him...in the first seat, first row.....nothing-island-tour. As soon as I started up a lady (quick as a whip) from the second row stepped right in front of me, plopped down next to David and barked 'You can sit here' and pointed to her seat in row 2 that she just vacated. Hmmm, OK. I thought she must be the tour guide.
Instead of sitting where she told me to sit, in the second row next to a man, I went back to my seat in row 4. Again, no biggie. Remember this is a 45 minute tour with one stop on an ant hill..... So I am listening to the bus driver/guide and taking in the site, enjoying the commentary. I glance at the lady sitting next to David. She wasn't giving commentary , the bus driver was. She was taking pictures. My first thought was maybe she is taking pictures so she can remember what she sees and what to say for when she does the tour..... I can be so naive.
Five minutes into the tour we stop at the top of the hill and everyone piles out. I move up to sit next to David. First thing I say is "Is she a guide?" Nicely, informational mind you....
Well, the world EXPLODED....The man in the seat in back of us started yelling at David and I.. Yelling! And David started yelling back. No one yells at David. I showed him the handicap reserved sign, explained nicely it was our cabin number, and he just kept blowing as people piled out. All but 3 got off the bus. He screamed his wife liked to take pictures and liked being in the first row and she had asked the bus driver if she could sit there. He steamed off. The driver got off after the man with the temper and said 'Don't worry, she has already caused trouble and made Cynthia, (the tour director) cry". Wow, I thought.
As I sat there another lady from the back came up and agreed with David and I about the seating. We gossip chatted while everyone was off the bus. She pointed out that in addition to the cabin number it said how many seats were held...two. I did not notice that before. So this seat was saved for two. I was Stayin.....principle. David wanted me to move back to 4 when she got on OR David wanted to ask if they wanted to change seats with us so they could sit in row 1. I nixed that. Principle led my now reasoning. She was obnoxious... She was wrong....and putting your purse on a seat? Come on..... stepping in front of me and BARKING AT ME????????????????????????????
OK Vote..... what do you guys think? This is my new interactive blog........
Oh Thursday Island, I forgot to tell you. The island is nicer then I thought it would be. We went through the town twice and both times I missed it. It is super hot and humid here. The water is amazing azure. No swimming on the beautiful beaches....salt water crocs and box jelly fish again..... Ten minute tender to town, board the bus, see the view, back to tender, within 70 minutes back to the wonderful air conditioning. They do have a bar here.....they boast the northern most pub in Australia.....I missed that too.
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| View of bay while getting on bus |
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| So this is what a CROCODILE looks like.... |
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I DID see the PUB.... didn't realize I got the shot!  |
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| Finally at the Top! |
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| Heading back to the ship |
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| Ship anchored off of Thursday Island |
Hmmm, that's a real dilemma, so let's break down the event.
ReplyDelete1. A mysterious purse left in an assigned handicap seat, first row, later to be known as the woman's purse from Row 2.
2. Obviously she can read as she knew that row was reserved, if she couldn't read she would have sat in the seat from the get-go.
3. She placed her purse there in the hopes that the person who needed/reserved the seat didn't get on the bus, and if not she was going to take the seat.
4. However by leaving the purse in the seat she's staking a claim, unfortunately for her there already is a claim on the seat, and it's fairly obvious from the reservation listed above the seat, the one she's already seen.
5. So this lady, knowing the two seats are reserved, sees only a man sit down, but she had to have see you come in with David, see you see the purse, see you look around to see whose purse it is, and then see you walk by to the 4th row. She HAS to know all of this at this point.
6. When you come up during the bus ride, by her telling you that you can sit in row 2, she's again knows exactly who you are, and that the seat she's sitting in is yours. Otherwise why would she say to a passenger who walked from the back of the bus, who obviously had a seat, that you could sit in row two? Had the seat really been an empty seat it's first come first served, not a discussion with a latecomer to the seat in question.
7. So aggressive man has to also know, but most likely has a miserable life defending his wife, who undoubtably has done this before. He was eavesdropping into your conversation, and defending his wife through aggressive means even before you accused him of being involved. SO this means he was also very aware of what was going on too. And instead of being apologetic, he turns it all the way up to 11 in defense. He must have read that the best defense is a better offense.
So to conclude, both the man and woman knew exactly what was going on, they've likely done similar things in the past, and by not apologizing or excusing their behavior, they are most likely people you or I would not want to fraternize with.
My initial reaction would be outrage and probably want to yell back too, being on a different continent and not involved gives me another view. While it might feel justified to be snarky in response, to give them the stink eye as you get on board first on the return trip and get your rightful seats, keep in mind that it's highly likely these two do not live a happy life, they steal handicap persons seats, yell at strangers over their stealing of handicap seats, and just don't appear to have a pleasant demeanor. So the minute you yell back you have to know that A) they aren't going to learn anything from this experience B) they've dug in, knowing they've wronged but will never admit to it, instead you are wrong for trying to do right. and C) you are wasting your breath and time on this planet in dealing with people like those two.
So, I think I'd do my best to enjoy my time on the small island, and figure out how to let the experience wash away. I'd also feel a little sorry for those two, as they had to go through all that just for a seat IN FRONT OF their own. I'm sure, the nice person you are, if she asked you politely, you might have actually switched seats. You did your best in the situation, were respectful, and in the end it's on them and how they deal with it.
I would board the bus when I was ready, if they were sitting in your seats, I'd find another. No, they didn't win, in fact they lost the minute she left her purse on your seat, as they have to live their lives. To be honest I hope my life is never like theirs. You win as who the heck cares about a seat in the grand scheme of life? You just walk on by knowing that it's a small deal in this huge world.
Love your comment and the logic! Problem simplified and resolved. The MBA really pays off! :)
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