RESTLESS IN BADEN POWELL INN BAGUIO(THE HOSTEL THAT ALMOST FRIED ME ALIVE

This hostel was highly recommended to me by one of my new found  friends in Sagada who is a professor in one of the big Univerisities in Manila.   He always  stay at one of the dormitory type rooms of  the Baden Powell Inn whenever he is in Baguio.  Because of its proximity to  Session Road and   the bus stations,I immediately paid for a bed.  Since I will be only staying for a night I choose the four double beds dormitory type room good for eight people.. True to what the professor told me ,the dormitory rooms never get full   and sometimes you're alone, the room was all by myself.

hallway

The room's only  window looks out to  SM Baguio. There were also  lockers for eight persons and  very basic toiletries.The bed?, I don't mind sleeping in a hard mattress or very thin foam but the plastic they used to cover the mattresses made sleeping very uncomfortable. The plastic makes annoying noise every time I move.  Thank goodness I was so tired from my  one day Sagada - Banaue - Baguio joy ride , I did  managed to get asleep  for couple of hours
 

very basic toiletries

 As expected, there was only common   bathroom available for the dormitory rooms.It didn't mind  even if the bathroom looks like it needs renovation. But something is not right(at least with me), the bathroom is so common that in just one room was the wash area and shower rooms for both male and female. The shower rooms doors were even right beside each other. Not to forget the female shower cabin's door lock was not functioning. While taking a bath I was thinking , what if a man or worst , men enters the bathroom  while a woman is taking a shower and he or they locked the main door?  I don't wanna know what will happen...Little did I know that that  thought would be the least of my worry.

bathroom, left door is for men right door is for women

I was taking a bath when suddenly there was no more hot water. I put on my dress again, went out of the shower room  and I went  down   to the  reception desk in the first floor  to inform them that about the water heater  in the common bathroom. The receptionist called the utility boy to fix it.  I patiently waited and  told  myself that this is   what I got for skimming on accommodation. Finally the utility boy said that its good to use already. Again, I went inside the bathroom and  took a shower. Not even  a minute passed, I heard something has sparked and when I looked at the shower head, lo and behold, there was smoke!

the all in one shower head  cum hot and cold water apparatus. for hot water you have to turn on the  main switch (white box) attached on  the wall

 I was so terrified that I didn't even knew then if I will put on my clothes or just wrapped myself with  towel. I didn't know too if I was so afraid that I might get electrocuted or suffocated or maybe both that   I can't open the old shower room door.

 How did I managed to get out? there was a small hole on the lower side of the door. I used that hole to pry open  the door. With only a shirt and a towel I run as fast as I could to the reception desk to inform them that  a smoke was coming out of the shower room.  But to my dismay the receptionist seems like she didn't care at all. She just called the utility boy to take a look at it again. I asked her if she could let me  used another bathroom to just take the soap off me but she told me that there   was no more available and  all the other rooms are private rooms.  I was trembling and still wet and dripping yet she didn't cared.  When the utility boy said that it can't be fixed, she  told me matter-of- factly to just used the boy's shower room instead.  I would never enter that bathroom again instead  I  begged her to let me  use another shower. She didn't even budge until the utility boy told her that there is a vacant room on the same floor

the very old filthy bathroom

  To add insult to  injury, I was about to leave when   I saw and overheard the staffs  talking and  laughing about what had happened to me. I was quite sure that I was their topic because they  stopped chattering  when they saw me. Instead of making fun of the incident they  should've   at least  offered an apology and asked me if I am ok.  A small glass of water would be nice  to ease my nervousness and not just let me stand there dripping and wet in the cold Baguio weather while waiting for the shower to be fixed.me.I hate to say this but they are a disgrace to the  hospitality industry.

 Before I left  this not-to-be-recommended- accomodation, I went to   the reception desk and asked for the manager   but they told me that he was not around. I  then told her that it's very important  that she should report the incident to her superiors or better yet the owners and  have their facilities fixed   to avoid any accidents. Who knows, God forbid, someone will not get away unscathed like me. She just simply replied, " Yes, I will tell the manager" without even offering an apology.

This is my entry to Pinoy Travel Blogger's Blog Carnival for the month of October , 2014with the theme "Worst Travel Moments"  hosted by Jona Branzuela Braning of Backing with a Book