Checking in
Now where did I leave off……… Aah yes, I have arrived at the hotel…..
Weherwayhun? …. For you? ……Name? Vatble……hands me a piece of paper and a pen, and gives me a pleading look. As I start writing my name, she asks; Compaly?
EDS I reply, to which she breaks into her best, we love business tourist, smiles and says something along the lines of….Aah, EDS, we have EDS here, we know EDS…….
OK!!!! I am in the right place. First problem solved. Now, do they have a reservation?
While I am basking in the glory of my success, all be it small, she is beavering away at a computer but seems to be getting more and more concentrated by the key stroke.
It would appear my “glory” is going to be short lived, especially when she says “hold on”, and scampers off to find help!........
Appears a middle aged woman…….probably the first one I had seen who had not greeted me in a manner befitting a visitor to the “land of smiles”. A stern woman, but one I am placing my faith in to get the job done, that is, give me somewhere to put my bags down, take a shower, have a cold beer and change out of clothes that are not suited to the outdoors of a hot and humid climate.
She starts to clatter away at the keyboard. You make weherwayhun? She quizzes.
No, EDS make.
Aah, EDS! OK! (haven’t we just been there!!!) Relax Al.
Clatter, clatter, stare at screen, frown…….Who make wehewayhun?
This is not going well and the approach is not working. Time to change tack, it is Sunday afternoon and I can always sort the room reservations and payments out tomorrow morning, from the office.
OK! Wait! Do you have room for tonight? I start out, (clever hey?!)
”No, full”, she says; and is that a look of despair in her eyes?
There is a long pause in the proceedings as both of us ponder our positions. I need somewhere to shack, she needs to accommodate me because EDS and GM are good customers. It turns out
GM have a full time block booking of 20 rooms at this establishment.
Panic? Not Big Al!
OK? You help me? Is that a pleading tone I hear as I now go back to trying to find a place to shack up.
She starts clattering the keyboard again. Frown, clatter, clatter, frown, frown………
OK! She says looking up. I give room tonight. Tomorrow you go Bella Villa, stay, then come Bella Villa, stay.
HUH!?!? You have room I enquire, starting at the beginning of that statement to unravel the message. In essence, they can accommodate me for Sunday night. Monday morning I must pack up and check out, leave my bags at the Bella Villa Prima and go to work. After work, return to Bella Villa Prima, collect my bags and they will transport me to another Bella Villa in Pattaya, where I am to spend Monday night. Then, check out of the other Bella Villa on Tuesday morning and return for the rest of my stay in Pattaya at the Bella Villa Prima!
Simple right?
Not so fast. All works according to plan. Monday I take my bags down and they put them in storage, all good. I return Monday evening, they take me to storage and I retrieve my bags. Down to reception and I am handed a set of keys.
Sheez they are organised. I have the keys to my room at the other Bella, issued form this Bella, impressive.
The porter arrives to assist with my bags and escorts me to the elevator………???
I go back to reception.
? Where I go? I ask in my slowest, simplest English.
You go room, she says, probably thinking I have become a little more insane than I was yesterday.
You….. mean…… room…….here……..Bella Villa…….Prima? says I now searching for the funny side of the situation.
Yes! She responds.
How long? I enquire.
14 November, is the comeback, but what she really wanted to say was probably, 14 November you stupid twit! When else?! Damned “Falang” (Thai word for foreigner)
So, I am now accommodated…….
PS:
I had been staying at the Bella Villa for a week.
When I hand my key in on Monday morning, the lady at reception hands me an orange receipt and indicates that I must sign it.
What is this for?
Foh bwekhast!
But I have breakfast in my room, I bought cereal, milk, yoghurt, coffee, etc, coz my accommodation is room only!
No, you loom have blekhast!
Cool, so what about the last week? But hey, thanks for telling me.
Blekhast now consists of some fruit, watermelon and pineapple (I skip on the paw-paw), orange or pineapple juice, 2 x toast and a ham and tomato omelette.
Sometimes I have the bacon, coz it looks cooked ok! Other times it simply doesn’t look to appetising, either crisped beyond edible, but mostly it looks pale and uncooked.
The rest of the buffet does not sit with me, but if I am still peckish after my toast and omelette, they have croissants, which can be washed down with filter coffee. Oh yes, they also have the regular cereal thing, so the choice is not bad and one beetles off to work with a satisfied tummy.
Weherwayhun? …. For you? ……Name? Vatble……hands me a piece of paper and a pen, and gives me a pleading look. As I start writing my name, she asks; Compaly?
EDS I reply, to which she breaks into her best, we love business tourist, smiles and says something along the lines of….Aah, EDS, we have EDS here, we know EDS…….
OK!!!! I am in the right place. First problem solved. Now, do they have a reservation?
While I am basking in the glory of my success, all be it small, she is beavering away at a computer but seems to be getting more and more concentrated by the key stroke.
It would appear my “glory” is going to be short lived, especially when she says “hold on”, and scampers off to find help!........
Appears a middle aged woman…….probably the first one I had seen who had not greeted me in a manner befitting a visitor to the “land of smiles”. A stern woman, but one I am placing my faith in to get the job done, that is, give me somewhere to put my bags down, take a shower, have a cold beer and change out of clothes that are not suited to the outdoors of a hot and humid climate.
She starts to clatter away at the keyboard. You make weherwayhun? She quizzes.
No, EDS make.
Aah, EDS! OK! (haven’t we just been there!!!) Relax Al.
Clatter, clatter, stare at screen, frown…….Who make wehewayhun?
This is not going well and the approach is not working. Time to change tack, it is Sunday afternoon and I can always sort the room reservations and payments out tomorrow morning, from the office.
OK! Wait! Do you have room for tonight? I start out, (clever hey?!)
”No, full”, she says; and is that a look of despair in her eyes?
There is a long pause in the proceedings as both of us ponder our positions. I need somewhere to shack, she needs to accommodate me because EDS and GM are good customers. It turns out
GM have a full time block booking of 20 rooms at this establishment.
Panic? Not Big Al!
OK? You help me? Is that a pleading tone I hear as I now go back to trying to find a place to shack up.
She starts clattering the keyboard again. Frown, clatter, clatter, frown, frown………
OK! She says looking up. I give room tonight. Tomorrow you go Bella Villa, stay, then come Bella Villa, stay.
HUH!?!? You have room I enquire, starting at the beginning of that statement to unravel the message. In essence, they can accommodate me for Sunday night. Monday morning I must pack up and check out, leave my bags at the Bella Villa Prima and go to work. After work, return to Bella Villa Prima, collect my bags and they will transport me to another Bella Villa in Pattaya, where I am to spend Monday night. Then, check out of the other Bella Villa on Tuesday morning and return for the rest of my stay in Pattaya at the Bella Villa Prima!
Simple right?
Not so fast. All works according to plan. Monday I take my bags down and they put them in storage, all good. I return Monday evening, they take me to storage and I retrieve my bags. Down to reception and I am handed a set of keys.
Sheez they are organised. I have the keys to my room at the other Bella, issued form this Bella, impressive.
The porter arrives to assist with my bags and escorts me to the elevator………???
I go back to reception.
? Where I go? I ask in my slowest, simplest English.
You go room, she says, probably thinking I have become a little more insane than I was yesterday.
You….. mean…… room…….here……..Bella Villa…….Prima? says I now searching for the funny side of the situation.
Yes! She responds.
How long? I enquire.
14 November, is the comeback, but what she really wanted to say was probably, 14 November you stupid twit! When else?! Damned “Falang” (Thai word for foreigner)
So, I am now accommodated…….
PS:
I had been staying at the Bella Villa for a week.
When I hand my key in on Monday morning, the lady at reception hands me an orange receipt and indicates that I must sign it.
What is this for?
Foh bwekhast!
But I have breakfast in my room, I bought cereal, milk, yoghurt, coffee, etc, coz my accommodation is room only!
No, you loom have blekhast!
Cool, so what about the last week? But hey, thanks for telling me.
Blekhast now consists of some fruit, watermelon and pineapple (I skip on the paw-paw), orange or pineapple juice, 2 x toast and a ham and tomato omelette.
Sometimes I have the bacon, coz it looks cooked ok! Other times it simply doesn’t look to appetising, either crisped beyond edible, but mostly it looks pale and uncooked.
The rest of the buffet does not sit with me, but if I am still peckish after my toast and omelette, they have croissants, which can be washed down with filter coffee. Oh yes, they also have the regular cereal thing, so the choice is not bad and one beetles off to work with a satisfied tummy.