ULOG DAY 26: "I ALMOST DIED WHEN I WAS PRANKED"

The hotel rooms are big and comfy including their shower and restroom. The architecture is in front of the green fields that is exhilarating to relax. The pool is divided located beside their building. One is for kids with the slider. The other pool is for adults with 5 feet deep.

I liked everything in the place excluding the swimming pool, the showers beside, and the comfort rooms because not sanitized. There is also a small canal at the right side that makes the place unclean, stinky, wet, and muddy. The tiles they use in their sidewalk flooring is terrible not just for kids because we can slide it as it is slippery when wet. There were also flies that flew at the top of the table. The hotel's name Grand Palace doesn't suit its title because it is not that grand palace. I also vomited when I swam to their pool because there were flies that floated, hair, and other craps.

Even though I had a bad experience at the pool area, it was not a big deal for us because my family and I had a blast together. No one was hungry because the hotel offers unlimited foods every Friday to Sunday also. The first night we were there was a Friday night, a lot of foods are served. There is an unlimited barbecue. On Saturdays and Sundays, the foods are only a few. We really enjoyed the Friday night because we always returned to the table to get many foods and it was funny because even if we were full, we always return to the counter.

As we relished those unlimited buffet dinner, my sister ordered special meals from the palace that don't belong in a buffet. This American type of recipe is wholesome and delightful. I don't know its name but there is a crisp if we eat the crust while tasting its luscious filling inside. My sister only ordered two serves because it is expensive.

After our bonding for half of the night, it was time to go home while they couple are left in the palace. They said that we will visit them again in the next day, but suddenly, Paul (her husband)decided that we will stay with them the whole night because they will fly to the US the next day. My sisters and cousin went back home to bring the leftover foods for our dog and they also took their clothes to wear on the next day we will go to the airport with the couple.

My sister paid one room with two beds. It was cleaned and extensive. There is the LED TV we can use if we like to watch a TV show the entire night, free kinds of toothpaste for two people, shampoo, ear cleaner, nail files, soap, tissue, fragrant towels and face towels, and slippers. The slippers cannot be used twice because it is very thin unlike the slippers from the other hotels that are strong and thick. Indeed, the place is not the grand one.

My sister chose a room nearby to them on the 2nd floor. We relaxed finally to our room. Later, I knocked my sister's neighboring door to get theirs over left foods. Even if I was full, I relished that dish because I never tasted that kind of food in my whole life, and then I brought it to my mother who watched TV in our room. Later, my mother went to the comfort room to pee. Suddenly, the telephone was ringing answered by my little sister. I was confused who called her because she was puzzled about the kind of voice she heard. The phone was ringing three times and she answered three times in confusion. As I was busy exploring the Internet on my phone screen, she annoyed me by telling that someone was calling over the phone with languages she cannot understand. At first, I ignored what she described, but I picked up the phone the next time it rang because maybe the employees had a concern.

"Hello," I said.

"Please be informed that the first floor is on fire. I request an immediate evacuation," the voice said.

I never knew what to do. My heart pounded louder that I can't breathe. I was nervous, but I thought, if I will be afraid without doing anything, my family and I will never be saved. I was also worried about my sister and her husband to another room, thinking that they cannot fly to the USA the next day because of the disaster. Then, I quickly knocked the comfort room where my mother peed, told her that we need to evacuate immediately because the hotel is on fire. She then freaked out, stopped her peeing, ran faster to the bed to get her bag, and carried my little sister in her right hand and holding my 3 years old nice in her left hand. I was also panicking to get my shoulder bag and never cared for the other things I missed. I thought that if only we went back home, never stayed at the hotel, then we will never be a fire victim.

As I kept my bag, I was uptight were my mother go out if the first floor of the building was on fire. Then, the phone was ringing again, but I hesitated to answer because I was fretted the fire will outrun me and I never had much time. While my mother outside waited for me in a crying and worrying voice, I also heard my little sister's cry. That moment when I informed my mother that we needed to evacuate, my sister was pale and nervous. She is scared of fire remembering that our neighbor's house was burning before that gave her trauma.

When I answered the phone, it was my sister who called asked how we are. Before I answered, I told her that they need to come out of the room to be saved from the fire because the first floor is burning. Then, she laughed over and over with Paul. Paul said it was him who called the phone feigning as an employee to prank us. I was relieved and I was laughing a lot too. I told my mother it was a prank, but even if she knew it was, she was still nervous thinking what if is true. But then she was calm when Paul apologized. They visited our room to laugh at us. My little sister and niece were calm too. Inside the bedroom, we laughed together. I never realized that we didn't notice the fire alert at the ceiling and outside the room. It was funny.

Camera used: Canon Dslr
Taken: 2018
Location: Butuan city
Photographer: Clare Blackburn

Disclaimer: The content and illustrations are original.