The Best/Worst Hotel Story

I only shared this with a very small group when it happened but have decided to post it here in spite of the embarassing nature of this story.  I said that I felt like we stuck out like a sore thumb at this hotel before this happened and then it got much worse!  I decided to take the kids swimming so we got ready and went to the pool.  There were no other children there so we were loud and attracted attention from the beginning.  There was tile all around the pool and these little tile floor sitting areas.  The walkways around the pool had floor mats to keep people from slipping and guys who sole job seemed to be mopping up where people dripped water.  My kids kept them busy mopping.  I was trying to keep everyone coralled in the pool since they had all slipped and fallen at least once on the pool deck.  It started to sprinkle and Ryan was worried and didn't like getting rained on.  I let him get out and then the rain started coming down harder so Scott, Ashley and I went over to one of the tile sitting areas where Ryan was wrapped up in his towel. 

They had fish ponds on either side of the walkway into the pool area and a little teak "bridge" that you walked over and the fish swam under.  All the kids were fascinated with watching the fish.  Some of the pool guys had shown Scott how to wiggle your fingers and get the fish to move back and forth between the 2 pools.  Then Scott decided that if wiggling your fingers was good, sticking your mask in the fish pond would be even better.  I had asked him to stop so that we didn't have to reach in to rescue his mask.  Ashley started copying him and was dipping her goggles in the pond.  I told her to stop this 2 or 3 times and she didn't.  So I got up out of my chair and started to walk towards her to take the goggles away.

Then, in spite of trying to walk very carefully,I slipped and fell.  I think (didn't know for sure because it was such a blur) that my feet going out from under me knocked Ashley into the fish pond.  A fully clothed (long pants and shoes) pool guy jumped into the fish pond and got her out.  I was not hurt except for a bruise on the hand and seriously bruised pride.  Ashley wasn't hurt either-just scared by ending up in the pond with the fish.  They offered to call us a doctor.  Shortly after it all happened a man in a suit came to the pool and was trying not to stare at us while the wet pool guy was whispering to him about what had happened.  We sat by the fish pond, Ashley in my lap, for a little while, swam a little more, and then went back to our room to hide.  We did NOT go back to the pool the next day.  I had heard there was a pool in the other hotel tower and we tried to go visit it, but it was under renovation so we did go back eventually.  However I told the kids before we left that no one would be sticking anything in the fish pond and no one would be walking on any tile.

For the next several days after this, the hotel staff people asked Greg about us any time he went by the desk and one even mentioned hearing that something had happened at the pool.  The staff were all so kind to us and talked to the kids anytime we went through the lobby but I felt sure that our stories about the crazy American family entertained all of their families at dinner time while we were there.