The room stuffy, we soon learned it had no air-conditioning. An overhead fan would have to do. But would it?
Mary decided to check out the pool before dinner. It was already close to 7:00 pm and I was adamant about not eating after 8:00. She planned to shower at the poor after a quick dip and promised to return by the time I got out of the shower.
Just my luck, nothing is simple when I expect it will be. I turned the shower lever but it wouldn’t budge. This way and that, I tugged. No luck. I was afraid to break something and walked away to have a think, then tried again. Nothing. The clock was ticking and I had to be ready when Mary returned. Swallowing my pride, I called the Front Desk for help.
It was pleasant, yet unnerving, to have someone call me by my surname, someone I hadn’t met or been introduced to. The young man on the line had a wonderful smile in his voice. I pictured brilliant, white teeth behind the smile. He promised to send someone up momentarily. Really? The hotel had 550 rooms. I did not expect to receive service momentarily in such a large hotel, but 10 to 15 minutes later, a maintenance guy knocked on the door. It might have been longer, but I was still impressed. One flick of the wrist and water gushed, the pressure amazing.
Duh. Who doesn’t know how to turn on a shower? Confused, I gaped and sputtered.” How’d you do that?”
He didn’t treat me like the idiot I felt. “Sometimes the seals are tight.”
Really? Why is it I had no trouble turning the shower back on after he left? Why weren’t the seals tight then?
I checked the time. Forget washing my hair. I changed and plugged in the curling iron instead. Mary returned. Already 8:00 pm, I was past ready to eat.
We wandered down to the lobby to check out a good place to ear. Unlike the Sheraton in Vancouver, we could eat at any of the seven restaurants in the hotel, only one of which accepted reservations up to seven days ahead.
We studied a menu in a glass case on the wall in the lobby. An attentive young man inquired if he might be of assistance and led us to a restaurant with a 30-minute wait. He pointed to another one at which he worked and had just finished his shift, positive he’d get us in. He did. We could not thank him enough for going over and above, especially at the end of his workday. I wished him a wonderful life and received the sweetest smile ever.
The service staff consisted of young women, a couple from Ontario. Our waitress originated in London, Ontario where my sister lives. What a small world.
Yikes, the prices on the menu. Glad we were not paying out-of-pocket, though we actually paid for our meals when we booked the trip. I chose the salmon. Mary inquired in such detail about the lobster Mac and Cheese, the waitress brought it instead of the salmon she later decided on. Our flatbread arrived but I thought it puny for the price. A throat-soothing tall glass of icy beer followed. Yum.
The waitress apologized and insisted on getting the changed order for Mary. She swept the dish off the table. Her fault, she said. Mary’s meal arrived in much less time than our original order.
Next on October 12th – Rocky Mountaineer: Gobsmacking Spaces
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