Tourists... laugh

Yesterday I was outside talking with a friend on the corner and this little old lady with a "name tag" walks by a few steps behind her another elderly lady appears and says "I think we're lost".

Then she sees my friend and I and approaches us. She is from the southern U.S. she says "Do y'all speak English?"

I'm thinking um, you are in Canada and debate saying to her, no, we speak Canadian but hey, I'm all about helping people out so I tell her "Yes, of course, can I help you with something?"

She says "Can y'all tell me where the tourist information building is?"

I say "No problem, it's down a block and over a block right on the boardwalk on the water"

She says "No it's not, I was told it was up this way"

I said, "Nope, it's just back there in behind the Museum"

She gets agitated and says "NO, they told us when we got off the bus that the building was a block up this way"

I take a breath and say "The bus drop off is right in front of the museum and the information place is right in behind it"

She pretty near cuts me off and starts to walk away saying "No, you don't know what you are talking about it's not on the water I know, you're wrong."

As she is stalking off (as much as little old ladies do) she sees her bus drive down the next street and she's waving at it like a mad woman... "that's our bus, they'll know"

I shake my head and think, man, if you don't want my help, don't ask... lol

What an experience.

I hope that when I go to another country to travel I at least have enough sense to a) read up on the place and b) take the advice of the locals.

Do y'all speak English? I do.

I speak some french too.

And some polish (just the bad words my father & uncles taught me).

Why don't the tourist companies let them know what to expect? Might help get rid of the stereotypes we all hold if we educate ourselves on other countries & cultures.