F2F-II_Interm_CD1-19

The speaker is a guide for a hiking tour company in the Canadian Rockies. They love their job despite the challenges, such as dealing with dangerous weather conditions and people who make poor choices. They recently had to rescue a hiker who got lost and broke their leg. The speaker's wife and they have been running a hotel in the Lake District since 2008, but they are becoming tired of it. Running a tourist hotel is stressful, especially when dealing with complaints. The speaker also mentions difficulties with guests not checking out on time and always having to be present at the hotel. However, they are excited to finally have a holiday in South America this December. Track 19. I'm a guide for a company that organizes hiking tours in the Rocky Mountains in Canada. I'm actually American, not Canadian, but I've lived in this country for about three years and I really love working here. I've worked in the USA and in Europe and I really enjoyed my time there too, but for me, there's nowhere like the Canadian Rockies. A lot of our customers have been hiking before, but when they get back to the hotel, they often say it's the best experience they've ever had, which is very satisfying. It's not always an easy job. You have to deal with difficult weather conditions and sometimes it can be quite dangerous. Also, I have to put up with a few people who do stupid things. For example, three days ago, a guy set off on his own into the mountains without telling anyone. He got lost, then fell and broke his leg. Luckily he had GPS on his phone and we were able to rescue him. Actually, I've just been to Bantz to pick him up from the hospital. He can't do any more hiking, of course, but at least he'll have a good story to tell his friends when he gets back home. My wife and I started working in the hotel industry 19 years ago, but this is the first time we've run a hotel in a touristy place like the Lake District. We've had this place since 2008 and I'm a bit fed up with it, to be honest. Running a tourist hotel is quite stressful, particularly when people complain about things. It can be difficult for tourists to get around in the summer because of all the cars, but I don't know why they complain to me about it. Also, some people think they can check in and out whenever they want. We have to clean the rooms, of course, so if guests don't check out on time it makes life very difficult for us. Another problem is that one of us always has to be here. For example, my wife's gone to see some friends off at Manchester Airport, so I have to stay and look after the hotel. And because we're open all year, it's difficult for us to have a holiday together. We've been away a few times, but each time there was a problem at the hotel, so we had to come back early. But this December we're closing the hotel and going to South America. We're really looking forward to it.