el crispito

We went down on Wednesday (16 November) to make reservations at the Hotel Villa de Zaragoza for Friday night (18 November). We asked for a room with one bed and the clerk seemed to think we were mistaken, two men wanting only one bed, so he asked us if we were sure we wanted only one bed. I repeated that we wanted only one bed.

We got a ride down there from Brian and Nicole, who had decided to spend the night in Tijuana. They figured they'd get another room at the same hotel.

When we arrived, we were given a room with two beds, and a higher class of room than we had reserved. The desk clerk had written all the information down on a Post-It note on Wednesday, and I had not thought it would be important to look at it to be sure it was correct. I told him that it was okay, that we would take the room with two beds because it ended up that we needed them. He kept insisting after this that I had asked for a room with two beds, but I know I didn't. My Spanish isn't so rusty that I'd not know the difference. I certainly didn't ask for the more expensive handicapped room. He said that we could change to a room with one bed in the morning, and that was fine by us.

However, upon going to the desk in the morning, I was informed that they didn't have any rooms with one bed available. We'd have to stay where we were if we wanted to stay in the hotel. That made me feel like they'd really pulled the old bait-and-switch on us, so we opted to come back to San Diego, and after a bit of looking, settled in at the Super 8 Bayside, which was about what you would expect, but I did find the staff there to be very friendly and super helpful.

Now we've returned to the W San Diego because they're running a special during this Thanksgiving week. I guess they don't get many business customers over the holidays. We will spend Thanksgiving at the house of Brian's mother Jinny, along with that clan.

I'm not as mad about our Tijuana hotel experience as I am disappointed. It is annoying to me that so many Americans think that everyone in Mexico is out to con tourists, and it's a bummer to have an experience that puts evidence behind that argument. Oh well. It was an isolated incident, and I've been the victim of much worse rip-offs in the United States. But I feel pressure, just as I feel pressure to make things work out in Mexico for Shawn and me because we've been so often told how crazy it is for us to move there, to have Mexicans not live up to all the prejudiced stereotypes that people in the United States have of them.

I've put all my faith in you, mexicanos. Don't let me down.