The Third World...in our Backyard

We had an incident (which I will not go into detail about) that involved the release of LOTS of potentially dangerous gas from the lease next to us. It took a little time, but the powers to be thought it would be best if we evacuated-NOW! Luckily, I had had the foresight to put our truck outside the gate because the gager put a lock and tag on our gate before I knew it. I ran inside and told Missy to grab the "go bag" and off we went. It soon became apparent that we would be "homeless" for at least the night. We made arrangements to pick up the dogs; left food and water for the cats, and headed to a hotel in Cuero. It was called the Wildflower Inn and was the cheapest and closest hotel that would take us and the dogs.

 

Let me digress just a bit so you have a little perspective. I am a Air Force brat and a former Marine. I have travelled extensively and have slept in a lot of places; from out under the stars to some of the fanciest establishments you can imagine. So, I have a lot of tolerance for room conditions. The worst "room" I ever had was in a little village in Brazil. It was a mud hut with holes knocked in the side for ventilation and leather flaps to cover them. Light was provided by a single bulb in a socket attached to a wire that was strung across the ceiling. When you turned on the light it illuminated hundreds of cockroaches which geckos were chasing and eating. The beds were of rough wood with straw filled burlap as mattresses. My father slept much better than I did that night.

 

Now back to the Wildflower Inn which, though not a mud hut, has made my top ten list for awful hotel rooms. I do not mean anything prejudicial so please do not send hate mail. The owner checked me in and was obviously from a third world country. That might explain the condition of the room and property. In his country if a room had running water it probably sufficed for luxury accommodations. I'll let the e-mail I sent him describe our accommodations.

 .

We checked in on the 13th and left the next day and stayed in room 120. I have lived in many countries and seen my share of motel rooms, but this was one of the worst. First, the room was filthy, with trash strewn about. Additionally we found numerous problems which included: the lamp shade was off and the attaching hardware was missing, the carpet was sticky and filthy, the fluorescent lamp wouldn't work, the bed linens were stained, the hot water was barely hot, the tub leaked and; along with the sink, was rust stained and covered with calcium deposits, the floor leading into the bathroom was weak and soft, the divider strip into the bathroom had sharp edges and hurt your feet, the toilet was difficult to flush, and there was a floor "repair" in the bathroom made out of electrical tape. There may have been a few other things, but that about sums it up.

I dealt with the owner while checking in and found him to be a very nice gentleman. It was surprising to find he owned a hotel as bad as this one. This room at half the price would not have been worth it and we'll not return.

 

Suffice it to say that we do not recommend the Wildflower Inn in Cuero, Texas.

In fairness let me say that the owner of the Wildflower Inn called me to discuss my complaints. It is as I suspected; very much a cultural issue. He was very grateful-not apologetic-for my e-mail and promised to do better as money allowed. He went into a long winded explanation about how he started as a worker there and ended up taking it over in an owner financed deal. His explanation for the hotel conditions was purely financial. I realized that trying to explain our standards to him would be futile and allowed him to repeatedly thank me for my e-mail. He also asked that I pray for him in his endeavor. I might pray for him, but  unless he obtains and accepts outside advice, I think he is doomed. He surely won't last after the oil boom.