First night in Rome

25th June 2006

So, we were dropped along Via Marsala next to Termini station by the Terravision bus. We got off, took our luggage, and looked around - completely directionless. Because Termini station is a huge huge building with a bus terminal at one end, we really did not know which corner to start our search of our hostel. So, I upped and asked our Terravision bus driver if he knew where "Via Milazzo" was. He shrugged and replied "I don't know!". I was quite taken aback at the rudeness, but we decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, thinking that he couldn't speak English and therefore couldn't direct us.

We trudged into Termini station - which was hot like crazy, no air-conditioning (something we had to get used to thru-out our Italian stay), full of people, and most of all, we clutched tight to our luggage because of Termini being a notoriously-known petty-crime place. We asked a policeman / security official where was Via Milazzo, and can you believe it, the response was the same as that Terravision bus driver's! All 4 of us were beginning to think "I don't know" is the staple English phrase of all Italians.

So, left with no other options, we walked back out to where the bus left us, and trudged up and down, finally finding the Laundromat, which our hostel is affiliated to. I stepped into the laundromat, someone asked what I wanted, I asked if anyone knew where "Friendship Place" was, and Babu - the one I corresponded my booking with - asked if I was Amy. Good. This is where we all breathed a sigh of relief.

Because we were being cautious, we decided not to pay the whole lump sum of one-week's accommodation to him. Rather, we asked to see the rooms first. A nice girl came and we walked down the block and took a really quaint lift to this flat, which was named "Sun & Moon B&B". The flat had a little living room, which opened out to 2 common bathrooms. There were 4 bedrooms in the flat. We saw air-conditioners as well, but apparently they all don't work. Having trudged around Termini with heavy luggage under the hot Italian weather, we were not very happy with this. Someone from the laundromat brought up stand fans.

But it wasn't enough. You see, because this flat is on the top floor, our windows open up to this concrete flat roof that allows you to walk around outside the windows around the outside of the entire top floor. So, because it was our first night in a foreign country, especially in the "notorious" neighbourhood of Termini, we slept with our windows closed, and woke up practically suffocating. Not a good first night.

But before that. We checked our rooms and thinking that we could live here for one night, we went downstairs to pay at the laundromat. Then we proceeded to look for dinner. Bear in mind that KF and I had travelled all the way from KL without any proper sleep. So, we found an Italian restaurant facing Termini, on Via Marsala, and hopped in. It had a front counter which showed all kinds of pizzas and pastas - the display was similar to the Malaysian version of mixed rice. The four of us ordered one large pizza and a pasta to share - to the astonishment of the Italian waiter. We found out later that one large pizza is usually the first course for a normal adult. Hmm. However, the pizza was good - thin crust, lots of toppings. It's called Pizza Boscaiola, or something like that, lotsa mushrooms, ham, meat, cheese, tomato. Yummy! After that, we went out in search of bottled water, which cost us about 2.50euros each - the water had better be made of gold, I thought.

Then finally, we went back to settle down to a rather uncomfortable first night in Rome. Shower wasn't that great, because of the low pressure and the erratic hot-and-cold water. The grime in the bathroom wasn't appetizing either. I was thankful I had brought pillow covers, and we used those gratefully to lace the pillows. 36 hours after leaving KL, we fell asleep in a hot room in Termini, determined to find a new room the next morning.