Yeah, I'm back in Ecuador.
Kind of had to write and blow off some steam.
This morning, I am at one of the Internet cafes checking to see if any of my cousins or friends are on the casualty lists for the Marines. Some woman, I think Aussie, sits at the computer nexts to me and reads her news and she says "Oh Sharon look! Marines injured in friendly fire incident." They both start laughing. Well, I restrained myself from smacking her in the damn head. But instead, I said, "Boy, hope it wasn't any of my cousins or friends." She looks at me and just turns stupid white. She says, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were an American." I said the only thing I could think of without letting my temper get the best of me, "shut up." They promptly left.
So, I am still a bit wound up about it, so I thought I would write about two hostals here in Quito. By the way, anyone else think the Galapagos Islands were closer to Australia? Never realized they were in Colombia and Ecuador's backyards.
Posada Del Maple: At first this was a cool hostel. Rooms were ok and there is a TV room and a couple of community area balconies. Your rent comes with breakfast which is actually pretty good, but they are a little greedy with the eggs. You get like one egg, maybe. They place is cleanand in a good neighborhood. Prices are reasonable. Something like $12.50 for a private room with bathroom. BUT............. Over the last week I was there I observed a few things. One, I stopped getting towels. So, there you are butt nekkid on the third floor and you have no towel. The towels are on the first floor. That happened a number of times. (In December 2002, for the entire month I only got a towel 5 times) When the cleaning people came into clean the room one time, Ihad my soap and Mach 3 razor in a plastic bag in the same area as my other hygiene gear. Yeah, they threw the bag away with my soap and razor. So,I tell the manager at the time and she was like, "oh well." Then I had a problem with the guy who stays over night and manages the place once or twice a week. I'm watching TV.The guy comes in and motions for the remote control. He proceeds to turn down the TV, then just plain turns it off. I am like, "What the Hell?" He just looks at me in shrugs. Not word of explanation, nothing. This is somewhere around 2pm, so noise was not an issue. I once again inform the manager and she is like "oh well." There's more to the story about this guy, but I will leave it that he is a bit abrasive towards the customers, not just me, and that does not cut it when you are in the people and customer service business. Now the next day, Idecide I am going to go find another hostel to stay at. But, the owner came back and she is a really nice lady. I talked to her and she said she wanted to talk to all her staff and she was going to put an end to it, because she has had the same complaints before. But, she would like me stay at their other hostel, Alcala. I agree and we go over the couple of blocks to the next hostel. I think this place is better built. No wooden floors so you can hear everyone walking around. This started to be a better choice, right up until I had to take a shower. No hot water. Apparently the pilot light went out or something on the hot water heater and there was no hot water. No big deal, but it's 4 pm and you would like to get a shower after you've helped your friend move and you want to go out and get something to eat. UGH! Ok, well things happen. About 10 pm that night, there was enough hot water for a shower. The same time I am staying there, there are about 5 Mexican students staying there. They were constantly being loud and just being pains in the butt. For example, you are in the TV room watching tv and they all come in and just talking loud and laughing and jumping up and down to make their point in their conversation, etc. You know, day time is day time, but when this crap is going on at 3 AM, well that's just rude. So,I complain to the manager there. I get,"Ah yeah." No more. Next morning, Idecide to go somewhere else, I get up to take a shower, get out of the shower, of course there is no towel. Well, that's what bed sheets are for, emergency towels. I don't think I would have been as peeved as I was, but the owner told them to make sure all the customers get towels eveytime they clean the rooms.
The point I make about Posada Del Maple and Alcala is they are nice places to stay and the staff, basically, are nice folks, but they tend to forget that the customer is how they get paid. The services are good when you get them, but you did not get them all the time and it appeared, and not just by me, that you do not get what you pay for, even though it's advertised that way. For example, they still list internet service, but they haven't had it in 5 months. They list having water and soda for sell, but haven't had either for 3 months. People can smile and say "good morning" every five seconds, but if you are not getting what you pay for, what's the point?
Jardin Del Sol:
I am now staying at Jardin Del Sol. A bit more pricey at $20 a night, but they have a bigger breakfast, if not better, but you won't starve. They have cable tv in the rooms. Private bathroom and telephone. They also have free internet service too. It's clean and the staff is nice, as well.
But.......................The noise. Every morning around 5:30AM they lift the security gates over the windows downstairs. Oh that's a lovely sound. Then you get to hear the cleaning staff around 6AM pulling their cleaning supplies up stairs. Kthunk, Kthunk, Kthunk up the stairs they go. Then, every morning so far, someone with some kind of wooden sole shoe runs upstairs. Clok, clok, clok! Then I think it is the acoustics of the building or something, you can easily hear the TV downstairs. So, when you have the front door bell, the phone, and the TV all going at the same time it gets annoyingwhen you are trying to sleep early in the AM. So, you have been out and you are sleeping in till around 8AM, it's always good to hear the sheep dog puppy barking downstairs to let you know he's awake.
The only other probelm I have with this place is I like to check my emails and well, since they have free internet service...... There is sign that reads Internet 7:30AM to 10PM. Well, usually I am up at 7AM anyway, courtesy of the dog, staff and TV, I eat breakfast and then want to check my emails. Well, the sign should read, Internet: When Monica shows up with the password to 10PM. Monica does not show up until 9:30 AM to 10 AM. After two days of waiting for Monica, I didn't even bother to ask today, I just ate breakfast then left for an internet cafe.
Which brings us back to where I started with the big mouth Aussie chick. I have stayed in a number of hostels here and they all haveratehr nice staffs and services for a day or two, then they seem to forget you are a paying customer and the shine starts to wear off. Just something you might look out for if you guys ever make it down this way.
If you read this, thanks for listening to my rants. (If some of my words ran together, I am using a 1972 keyboard)
Take it easy.
K...............................
