According to the voice over system they were now one stop away before the final one. Taking stock of things around her, she saw that she was still holding on to her backpack. And the lady beside her in the train was still talking to her friend via a videocall.
At her stop, Bella got out of the train. She saw a few signs for exits but she was uncertain about which one to take. She decided to try going up an escalator. From there, she saw a few more exit signs. Still not sure where to go, she tried this one exit. It led to a mall. Seeing a few stalls, Bella entered one that served food.
"Perfect time as any to grab a bite.", she thought as she approached a middle-aged Taiwanese man at the till.
"Hi! Do you speak English? I'd like to order something to eat please." she smiled at him. He looked at her, blinked twice and said something in Mandarin. A few seconds later, a younger man approached them and smiled.
"Hi, may I take your order?" he said, wiping his hands on his apron.
"Yes," Bella smiled again. "I'd like meal number five please."
"Okay, that's one order of Wonton Soup. It comes with a free drink, by the way."
"Great! Could I add one bottled water as well please?"
He nodded and Bella handed him the payment.
He rang her up and gave her a receipt and a number.
"Please be seated. We'll serve your order very soon."
"XieXie." (Thanks) Bella said and went to wait for her order.
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Once it arrived, she dug into the soup and felt grateful for that heat in her tummy.
It was now a little after 11:00 am. All she had since 6:00 that morning was half a ham and cheese sandwich and after moving about for the last few hours, that sandwich had certainly long since lost its energy giving properties.
Energized by the meal, Bella approached the counter and asked the younger attendant for help on how to get to her hotel. He gave her instructions and Bella tried her best to remember them.
Thanking him, she left the shop and walked back to where she was earlier. This time, she tried looking for the exit number the younger attendant mentioned. Leaving through exit number 5, Bella found herself on the street level. "Oh, thank goodness.", she said in a silent cry of victory.
Whipping out her phone, she entrusted herself over to Google Maps. Punching in her hotel name, she followed the instructions Google gave her. She turned left when told to do so and turned right when told to do so as well.
After seeing the same food stall twice, she decided to go off course and just wing it. Bella turned left and went to cross a street. And there it was! Packer's Hotel.
She eagerly entered the lobby and approached the front desk.
There were two receptionists on duty. One was a female, the other one was a male. The female smiled at Bella but it was the male receptionist who greeted her. "Hello, welcome to Packer's Hotel! My name is Roger. Do you have a reservation?"
"Hi! Yes, I do!" Bella answered, grateful that they spoke English. She handed him her Agoda booking confirmation and her passport.
He received it and started punching keys into the computer. "Alright. Ms. Leila Ysabelle Torres? You will be staying with us for four days starting today. You've booked a single room with a shared bathroom. Correct?"
Bella nodded in acquiescence.
"And that's it, you are checked in. Your room will be available by 3pm. In the meantime, you may relax in our lounge. Do you have luggage with you?" He asked.
"Thanks. And no, just this backpack." Bella pointed to her backpack.
"Traveling light?" He smiled, all-knowing. Bella laughed and nodded.
"We have a locker that you can use for free if you would like to use the time to look around the area." Roger offered.
"That would be awesome! I actually have a tour scheduled for 1pm so that locker will come in handy.", Bella said. "Could you maybe help me with it after I get myself ready for the tour?"
The male receptionist smiled. "Of course. Just approach me here at the front desk when you need assistance."
Bella nodded and thanked him and proceeded to make her way to the lounge.
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It was quite spacious and looked very cozy. There was a long couch against the wall that could definitely become a bed for Bella. On the opposite side of the couch were two rectangular tables. In front of one of the tables, the TV was tuned in to a sports channel. Seated at one of the tables was a tourist typing away on his laptop. He appeared to be Asian but Bella was not sure of his ethnicity.
He did not look up when Bella entered the lounge. He did however get up and make his way to the coffee-tea-and-water station on one corner of the lounge just a few steps away from a closed door which Bella assumed was the washroom. Across the washroom was a little corner that housed the lockers.
Bella entered the washroom and began to freshen up. She combed her natural light brown hair and gently parted it down the middle. Adding a little bit of styling gel to hide the pesky little baby hairs, she gathered her shoulder-length hair into a bun and fastened it in place with a scrunchie. She brushed her teeth and applied her favorite lip tint. Not really one to use face powder anymore, she took out her oil blotting paper and gently patted her face with it. She found that using this particular brand of tea tree oil blotting paper had a calming effect on her face and kept her pimples well behaved. Well, for the most part.
Once she was done, she exited the washroom and took up a spot on the couch.
The other tourist was still focused on his laptop.
Bella crossed her legs under her and started preparing her sling bag for her first tour.
Wallet, check.
Selfie stick, check.
Mobile phone, check.
Passport, check.
Klook voucher, check.
Glasses, check.
Earphones, double check.
She arranged them neatly into her sling bag and sealed up her backpack.
Bella then got up and went back to the male receptionist.
"Hello again!", She told him. "May I use one of the free lockers now?"
He smiled at her, retrieved a key and got up to follow behind her. "Of course," Roger replied.
They both made their way back to the lounge and he chose locker number 15 for her. He showed her how to set the lock and once her backpack was safely stored inside, he went back up to the front desk. Bella walked over to the couch and relaxed for a few more minutes.
