American tourists have a reputation for being loud, but they are not the worst. That dubious honour goes to throngs of Italian tourists, always in large and vocal groups, yelling at each other like they're all on the other end of a mobile phone.
The quietest? Japanese. I watched one tour group led by a woman speaking seemingly to herself, followed by a silent train of tourists with wireless receivers stuck in their ears.
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Mainland Chinese (esp Shanghaiese) complete that deafening trifecta! Even a few words used to peacefully offer food across a table sound like a pigfight.
And a tirade from Silvio Berlusconi's Chief-of-Staff (as displayed on "Foreign Correspondent" recently) could have demolished The Twin Towers (again).
Speaking of decibels, it was always fun to contrast the levels generated by the Oz and Japanese Call Centres. The Oz centre almost shook with undisciplined barkings and roars. Upstairs, the Japanese centre - containing the same number of people performing exactly the same task - was an atmosphere of almost zen-like calm, soothing placidity, redolent of a State Of Grace...
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