Well usually, I just let things go. But this did CMO and I stewed over it last night.
So I need to get it off my chest. Warning it is a long story.
Let’s start at the beginning. Went for a swim in the resort pool. A lady floats by and started chatting to us. She was a good talker and we heard a lot of her history, she was friendly enough. Was here with her son, still sleeping at midday, he had a big night! (Maybe should have been a red flag to us).
We started talking local things to do here. Long story short she said they were going to a beach bar and fire show that night. Would we like to come with them. So we thought ok.
Met at the dock, she said too far to walk let’s share a taxi. Her son negotiated a price, get in local old van and took off, pool lady’s 15 minute journey was actually took 45 minutes along some rough roads.
Get to venue, taxi driver says don’t pay me now I will pick you up when the show is finished. The venue is packed, waitress says all tables booked, but we can sit at the lounge. Ok order food and first drinks shout. Son, (who is a very BIG boy) says he’ll have two beers and mum two wines, they need a drink! My husband goes to buy drinks his shout ( we just get a beer each)
The place is busy, son does next shout with mums wise card, again they get double drinks. Mum tells me more life history, ripped off in divorce etc. She says she is a savvy traveler, has a wise card, cash and credit card
Pizzas and burgers come my husband does another shout, same again 2 x drinks for them.
Son wants more drinks, I pass, mums wise card is maxed out so uses mums cash.
The attraction of this place is the free fire show( mum tells us that it is free and they pass the bucket around at the end. Seats are filling up down by the water, mum says I can’t stand, so I will need a seat. They have another couple of drinks at the bar, Husband and I go down and find seats among some nice German kids who move along to fit us in. Husband shouts young boy a beer.
The mum and son finally come down just before the show starts more drinks in hand. Son says he needs to sit closer to the middle as he needs to video it on his go pro, we move so he can have the best seat.
Just before the show starts, the mum asks my husband do I have enough money to pay the taxi back as they have used their cash. I say yes I have enough.
Show is fantastic, very clever performers. Bucket is passed around, I put money in, guess who don’t.
Time to go although son said he would like another drink, but we have to be back to catch last ferry back before closing.
Of forgot to mention on the way son says to taxi driver, get me some kava to drink , so we have to wait while he drinks Kava with the locals!
I won’t bore you with the journey home . Other than we had to stop for the son to buy cigarettes, whilst he drinks kava out of and empty plastic coke bottle. And son says he has the best YouTube video of the fire show and will get a lot of likes.
Get out of taxi I pay the equivalent of $84 taxi fare.
It pours down rain we run for the ferry drenched.
I say to the mum on the ferry, just as well I had the taxi fare as it was the last of my cash.
No mention of reimbursement. Get off ferry, walk drenched back up past the bar. They say I think we need a couple of drinks, mum says I guess I will have to use my credit card. No offer to shout us a drink as we paid the taxi fare.
We just said we will head on back as we were soaking wet. Again no mention of paying us back.
We don’t mind shouting for drinks etc, but if I ran out of cash to pay my share of the local taxi, I would be falling over myself to organise paying the person back. And again if I knew I was using up my last cash( which was needed) I would stop drinking.
They did not surface at breakfast, but they told me last night, that today they were shopping and booking massages.
Were we taken advantage off, I guess so. But I feel sad and cheesed off
Rant over! Sorry!