Australia is awash with backpackers, with the number of annual visits increasing by half a million in the past year along with an additional half a million in spending (largely on beer, I imagine). Apparently, new agreements secured at APEC will allow even more backpackers from the US and Canada to hitch-hike their way around Oz. Super - because nothing makes be happier that seeing little Canadian flags emblazoned on backpacks (and they say Americans are nationalistic. . . ).
Speaking of Canada, today's MX newspaper featured a reader's letter, who publicly outed herself:
"After years of travelling under the guise of a Canadian, I fell it's time to come out of the closet. I am an American".
She goes on to express her constant disappointment at meeting Australians who are surprised to find Americans that are actually critical of US foreign policy, the Bush administration, etc. Granted, I've had my own experience with Australians who seem happy to unload on an American - strangers who say things like "you know what's wrong with America" and proceed to list everything they observed while backpacking for a couple of weeks last year. I think it's a fair assumption that most Americans have a much better understanding of what's wrong with America than non-Americans. Yet generally I've found that if you've bothered to leave the US and, better yet, opted to spend some time in Australia ("the greatest country in the world"), most Australians will assume you must have some good sense.
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