There’s nothing quite like arriving in a foreign land, alone, just after one o’clock in the morning — much later than anticipated — finding your way to the metered taxi line, then striking up a conversation with a fellow traveler, only to be told NOT to stay at your guesthouse of choice. It wasn’t what she said that made me second guess my decision, but the way in which she said it. And, of course, the sheer look of disapproval on her face when I mentioned the name. Had it been earlier in the night, I might have considered revising my plan, but no. Not this time. My pesos had been paid and, quite frankly, who want’s to go in search of a bed at that hour? Not this girl. Muggings, break-ins, bugs… I’ll take my chances this time. After all, it’s just one night, right? How bad can it be…
We traversed our way through Manila’s maze of streets, roadblocks and alleyways, before landing in the downtown area known as Malate. I was led up a few flights of stairs under flickering lights, passing room, after room, after room… all empty. After closing my door at the end of the hallway and taking a seat on my tiny bed, I realized that I might very well be the ONLY guest on the floor. Or in the building for that matter — cue those warm, fuzzy feelings.
After organizing my things, I crept down the hallway to survey the scene and see if I was in fact, alone. I was. So, with a quick brush of the teeth, I crawled into my bag liner, as to separate myself from whatever might be crawling around me, and it was lights out.
After four hours of much needed sleep, the universe decided that it was show time. And by universe, I mean the rooster on the rooftop outside my window. With groggy eyes, I made my way to the communal bathroom for a quick clean-up. While standing in front of the sink, watching the water run over my hands, my eyes widened. First there was one tiny bug shuffling down my arm, then two, then ten. My proverbial wall had been breached and I was now home to a million and one little creepy-crawlies.
So much for wanting to go back to bed.
