(Source: www.daylife.com/photo/00Hp0eO4fM6lZ)
上星期旺角一間廉價酒店突然被查封，住客狼狽收拾行李被迫離開，一些剛抵達酒店的旅客發現酒店大門已上鎖。
來自內地的旅客向記者大聲疾呼：
「你們香港是怎麼搞的？」
「負責人在哪？我們今晚住在哪？快把錢還來！」
「我以為香港是法治之區，誰料會發生這種事。太無良！」
另一邊廂，剛抵達的法國遊客Marc吃了個閉門羹，他卻淡淡然向記者說：
「我來是為享受香港，沒什麼大問題。因為我不是要趕著做什麼，所以我沒有不高興喔。」
設身處地，給我碰上這情況也一定不好受，但洩憤還洩憤，讓負面情緒影響放假心情就真的不值。上個月我跟朋友到沖繩的假期也同樣有不快遭遇。寄運行李居然沒有跟我們的包機送到石垣島，度假村位處一方，附近沒商店，假期只有四天，首天我們在完全沒有旅行裝備情況下度過。度假村提供的支援又不足，男士每人只獲配給一件過小的T-shirt、一條用完即棄底褲和一片剃刀。初時我們也嘗試爭取多一點補給品，但度假村的態度強硬，我們只好收拾心情，放鬆自已，盡量享受假期餘下的時間，所有因此產生的怨氣和不滿，都留待回港後，在向度假村公司正式投訴時才適當地暄洩。經過一些討價還價，我們有幸獲得合理賠償。
當然，我的道行跟以上提到的法國遊客差得遠，他的隨遇而安和包容態度，只有在生長在追求活在當下的文化的人身上才比較容易找到。
A budget hotel in Mongkok, Hong Kong was suddenly closed last week as it was taken over by a bank over unpaid loans. Checked-in guests were asked to pack up their luggage and leave the hotel without prior notice. Some visitors did not know of the sudden closure and arrived to find the entrances locked.
Complaining to the reporters in a yelling tone, some guests from Mainland China said,
“Look at what you Hong Kong people have done.” “Where’s the person-in-charge? Where can we sleep tonight? I need a refund! I mean now!” “I thought Hong Kong was a civilised place. Who would have expected this to happen here? That’s disgraceful!”
Also speaking to the press was French visitor Marc who arrived at the hotel to discover the sudden closure:
“I just came here to enjoy Hong Kong. It is no big deal. I am not upset as I am not in a hurry.”
I can understand the frustration and anger of the affected guests in this kind of situation. But apart from letting off steam at the heat of the moment, there is really no use to let one’s negative emotions boil up to the extent that the holiday mood is spoiled. My holiday in Japan last month had a really bad start – the luggage had been wrongly sent to another place. We were left luggage-less for one whole day on the four-day holiday in a reclusive resort. Sadly, the courtesy help from the resort was disappointingly minimal – male guest was given only an undersized T-shirt, a disposable underwear and a razor to get through the night. After some futile wrestling with the resort for more support, we managed to focus back on how to make the best of the rest of our time there. We were also trying to hold back our anger and discontent until we were back home to lodge a formal complaint to the resort company. Eventually, we even had a satisfactory compensation offer after some negotiation.
Of course, my response to undesirable happenings is nothing comparable to the laid-back and accommodating attitude of the French visitor mentioned above. Such attitude comes naturally from someone born and bred in a culture that emphasises living for the here and now.
