After all, some things might be better off untold.
But of course I will.
I came home Friday and was just hangin’ out in my room trying to decide should I go out for dinner or just stay here. I was tired and had no plans. It was 07:00 PM.
Should I stay or should I go?
Stay?
Go?
Stay?
Go?
Stay?
I couldn’t decide and had just about convinced myself to just stay in (actually, the lack of a decision is a decision) when the hotel power went off. Did you know it’s very dark without lights?
I couldn’t just hang out in the dark and I didn’t know what was happening (no fire alarms went off – assuming they have them), I figured I should leave, so I grabbed my shoes and headed out.
Just as the door was about to close behind me, I stopped realizing that with electric locks, once I leave, there is no returning until the power is back on. But since I didn’t know if there was a real emergency or just poor Chinese electrical systems, I left anyway (double checking to make sure the door was locked).
The hall was black.
Small green exit lights were lit, but no emergency flood lights (see picture).
As I approached the elevator banks and the stairwells (I’m on the 8th floor and have I mentioned anything about me and stairs?), I can hear the elevator alarm and somebody stuck inside on one of the floors hollering something which I am certain was Chinese cussing along with “get me outa here!” Several other guests were in the elevator area with their “flashlights”– Cell phones flipped open. We realized that two elevators were still operational (I assume they are on a separate emergency system?). We can’t talk to each other, but nobody wanted to walk 8 flights of stairs, so we cautiously entered and started down.
It stopped on the 3rd floor and some hotel guy (he had a radio, so must have been an important guy, you just don’t give a radio to anybody, you know). But he indicated we couldn’t ride the elevator and we had to get out. He led us around some halls to a door
and we passed through into a totally empty area that was never finished during construction (see picture). We wound around through unfinished, bare concrete halls to a stair well and headed down (I suddenly felt like I was in “The Poseidon Adventure”).
But of course I will.
I came home Friday and was just hangin’ out in my room trying to decide should I go out for dinner or just stay here. I was tired and had no plans. It was 07:00 PM.
Should I stay or should I go?
Stay?
Go?
Stay?
Go?
Stay?
I couldn’t decide and had just about convinced myself to just stay in (actually, the lack of a decision is a decision) when the hotel power went off. Did you know it’s very dark without lights?
I couldn’t just hang out in the dark and I didn’t know what was happening (no fire alarms went off – assuming they have them), I figured I should leave, so I grabbed my shoes and headed out.
Just as the door was about to close behind me, I stopped realizing that with electric locks, once I leave, there is no returning until the power is back on. But since I didn’t know if there was a real emergency or just poor Chinese electrical systems, I left anyway (double checking to make sure the door was locked).
The hall was black.
Small green exit lights were lit, but no emergency flood lights (see picture).
As I approached the elevator banks and the stairwells (I’m on the 8th floor and have I mentioned anything about me and stairs?), I can hear the elevator alarm and somebody stuck inside on one of the floors hollering something which I am certain was Chinese cussing along with “get me outa here!” Several other guests were in the elevator area with their “flashlights”– Cell phones flipped open. We realized that two elevators were still operational (I assume they are on a separate emergency system?). We can’t talk to each other, but nobody wanted to walk 8 flights of stairs, so we cautiously entered and started down.
It stopped on the 3rd floor and some hotel guy (he had a radio, so must have been an important guy, you just don’t give a radio to anybody, you know). But he indicated we couldn’t ride the elevator and we had to get out. He led us around some halls to a door
and we passed through into a totally empty area that was never finished during construction (see picture). We wound around through unfinished, bare concrete halls to a stair well and headed down (I suddenly felt like I was in “The Poseidon Adventure”). When we got to the bottom, we discovered the FIRE DOOR WAS CHAINED ON THE OTHER SIDE!!
If there IS a fire – this ain’t good!
So back up the stairs to another area and back down and out (still not sure why we had to get off a perfectly good elevator).
Nobody was talking about the power or answering questions, but since several employees know me pretty well, I did learn that only half the hotel was without power and it was just some sort of overloaded power grid. No big deal, but unknown when it would be corrected.
So I grabbed a taxi and headed out to dinner returning around 10:00.
Nobody was talking about the power or answering questions, but since several employees know me pretty well, I did learn that only half the hotel was without power and it was just some sort of overloaded power grid. No big deal, but unknown when it would be corrected.
So I grabbed a taxi and headed out to dinner returning around 10:00.
The power was back on and everything is fine.
Really.
Where is Georgia Power when you need them?
3 comments:
well, if it was the poseidon adventure, who was shelly winters?
Now, Mitch, somehow I think getting BACK on the elevator during the power outage would not have passed muster with BSA. ""Poseidon Adventure" or "Panic Room"? Stay out of small, dark places in foreign countries, dear!
Lynne B.
I was going to say the same thing S'Mitch. You ain't suppost to ride that darn elevater when thar's no power. Seem's to me - you know - that we also have a common friend that used to co-op for Ga Power - he's in Beijing now.
Hey another - unrelated: Please post a clip from maps.google.com to show us where the plant is. The address resulted in "not supported," but I figure you could zoom-in and then grab a snapshot to show us. I found the airport, also on the west side; you anywhere near there?
S.
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