about anjeet
we walk in to the tiny lobby of the hotel dragging behind us our suitcases on a drizzly afternoon. the woman sitting behind the desk is bereft of make-up which is a mistake because it certainly could do wonders to her hollow and sullen cheeks and haggard countenance. her black hair is loosely tied up with thick strands hanging haywire on the back of her ears. she is clad in a light blue cotton t-shirt slightly beat-up but i can’t see if she’s wearing pants or skirt.
she is not pleasant at all, and by that i don’t mean her physical appearance and the way she is dressed (although not looking like you’ve been wearing pippi longstocking’s outfit for 5 days straight without washing it won’t really hurt if you are manning the hotel frontdesk) but her behavior towards us from the moment her eyes met ours.
” you have to pay the bill now”, “here’s a map, i can only give you one so don’t lose it because it’s very expensive, 3 pounds “, “i can’t help you with your sightseeing tour bookings, you have to do them yourself”, “no, we don’t have internet connection in our hotel ( a lie because the website where we booked their hotel through included internet connection in their advert ”, etc. etc. etc. all these were said in a very condescending and irritating fashion.
and that is still fine by us.
( for a long while i debated with myself and tried to give her the botd - maybe she’s having a lousy day [she certainly is having a bad hair day, no doubt!], maybe she’s not feeling very well, maybe she’s naglilihi and in spite of she’s the only one available to receive the hotel guests (us) on whom she decided to take all her irate out).
until we see our room.
okay, that’s london and very expensive, but we paid accordingly. the room was filthy. the curtains were dusty, the bed covers smelled and looked as though they were only laundered every 5 years, the carpet didn’t look like a carpet but a worn-out maroon suede linoleum. and the supposedly white towels were yellowish and had seen better days.
beri beri bad. we wanted to change hotels but since we were demanded to pay right on the spot the very first day of our arrival, it was too late to cancel. we found a nicer hotel across the street cheaper by 30% even, also indian-owned but the guy at the front desk was very pleasant , helpful and accommodating. he helped us book the jack the ripper tour and he even allowed us to use their internet for 20 minutes for 50 pence.
yung isang buong row ng hotels sa street na yon ay pag-aari (siguro) ng mga bumbay. wala akong masamang tinapay sa bumbay so don’t get me wrong. may naging room mate akong bumbay nung nagdo-dorm pa ako nung nasa grad school ako at lab na lab ko sya dahil napakasipag napakaganda at napakalinis. yung isang best blog buddies ko ay mukang bumbay at laging napagkakamalang bumbay ng mga immigration officers at hotel securities at duty-free sales clerks, at may suspetsa ako na baka meron din akong lahing bumbay dahil sa mabalahibo kong balat mwehehe ; in other words at gusto kong liwanagin, hindi pag-iistiryotipikal sa bumbay itong pinagsasasabi ko dito. ito ay tungkol kay anjeet at sa mina-manage nyang hotel.
si anjit ay bumbay. isang may very unpleasant na ugali na bumbay na naka- krus namin ng landas. siguro minalas lang talaga kami noon.
pasensya na kayo sa syntax ko, may natitirang jetlag pa rin ako eh. minsan pag nagigising ako sa kalagitnaan ng gabi hindi ko alam kung nasaan ako. tinatanong ko lagi yung katabi ko ng, “where am i?” buti na lang at hindi “who am i?”.
me in my official uniform (in the hex and torture 
charlie is a real star.
i was thrilled to meet a direct descendant of one of the world’s greatest thinkers ( 
a Reuben’s masterpiece. Antwerp Cathedral.
yeah….but i didn’t inhale!
the 
the potter
magaling sumayaw ‘tong 2 !
the windmills! the windmills!
Cotswold village, English country side, we checked in at a 200 year- old hotel. so very peaceful. a gazillion miles away from the debaucheries in amsterdam.
birthday me dreaming and wishing at the Stonehenge
I met a new friend
2 of the coyote sisters 
full 
