The long-awaited vacation is a time to relax, recharge, and have a great time. However, the heroes of this article probably didn’t plan to have adventures of this magnitude. But now they have stories they will tell their grandchildren someday.
I arrive at a secluded, coastal hotel around 2 a.m. When the taxi pulls up to the hotel… it’s on fire. When the owner, standing out front sees us, he opens the taxi door excitedly, “You come. I have nice room for you!” I point out that the hotel is on fire but he simply gestures and says, “Small fire. No problem. You come.” I. Am. Utterly. Exhausted. I find myself following the owner into the hotel, stepping over fire hoses, waving away smoke, passing fire fighters as they run up and down a very nice staircase. We pause at the second floor landing and the owner tells me, “See. Fire only on this side of hotel. This side no fire. You come.”