For my last winter holidays, I was clueless about where to go, who to go with and I'm tired of the same routine - planning a student budget trip.
So when Mail & Dyna invited me to join them,I agreed right away. Because of what?
Accommodation - checked
Flight tickets - checked
Tour plan - checked
My job is only - to PAY for all the above (except for the tour plan, of course)
Our journey began with an 8 hour train ride to Moscow.
Reached at 730 pm, had dinner and took the Sheremetyevo Airport Aeroexpress to catch our flight at 1130pm to Riga.
By the time we reached Riga, it was about midnight, local time. Showed the driver a photocopy of our reservation at Riga Style Hostel and he brought us there.
Now funny story begins...
The hostel is located on the top of a 10 storey building. Rang the bell but weren't entertained. It was -10C at that moment so you should understand if we were angry and throwing tantrums. Finally, a guy from the pub across the street saw us and opened the main door using his own key. Alhamdulillah, we managed to get in. We didn't mind the 134 steps to climb while carrying our 10kg luggage because it was more than a blessing to actually be inside the building than frozen to death on the streets.
But that wasn't the end, because we didn't get to enter the hostel and live happily ever after.
10kg luggage + 4kg handbang, 134 steps, at 130am, all I can think of was a comfy bed!
We knocked on the door like mad, but it was fruitless.
I gave up and felt like sleeping on the staircase. Dyna, the all time over achiever persistently kept knocking. Mail, being concerned as usual, ran outside to look out for another hotel, as he claim to see one on our way here, which was just around the block.
To cut the story short, we did check in to another hotel, and after telling the receptionist our sad story, she gave us 30% off.
So we did stay happily ever after at Irina hotel, walked about around Riga's new city, had a breakfast buffet and headed to the airport just in time to catch our next flight, to Istanbul.
Riga city centre
Owh, I forgot to tell - actually, Riga Style Hostel wasn't the one to be blamed. Its not that they didn't entertain us or they did a mistake in our reservation. Truth is, we were the ones who went to the WRONG hostel. We booked a room at RSH to stay once we come back from Istanbul, not before going to Istanbul.
OMG, suffering in the cold, climbing 134 steps for three times, knocking till you get sore knuckles, walking to search for a hotel at 3am and telling your sad story to bargain - that is the price to pay for being CARELESS!
Lesson well learnt that day!
Lesson well learnt that day!
