One weekend in May 2018, I went to Toronto to attend my friend’s wedding. Because my budget was tight and hotels in Toronto were expensive, I went for my familiar solution: stay at a youth hostel. After a quick online search, I found one in Greektown close to a subway station. The location was accessible both from downtown bus terminal and to the wedding venue in The Beaches – perfect for my travel purpose!
On Friday evening, I arrived at the address with my weekend luggage, tired from five-hour bus ride from Ottawa and the following subway trip to the neighbourhood. I was so ready to drop my bags, take shower and change into my room wear.
As I approached the address, however, I couldn’t find the hostel. Instead, what I found was a pub – a packed Friday night pub. How strange…
After going back and forth in front of the building, I finally decided to go inside. At least, I could ask someone. The moment I walked in, the loud music blasted through my ears.
“Excuse me,” I shouted to a woman behind the counter. “I’m looking for a youth hostel. It should be around here…”
The woman nodded and pointed to a backdoor. “It’s here. My colleague will show you in a second.”
I thought I’d heard her wrong. But the next moment, a man motioned me to the door, and I followed him with my luggage into…a corridor with colourful walls. We climbed up the staircase and came to a reception desk. The hallway clearly had a youth hostel vibe. I was relieved to know I’d arrived at the right address.
After checking in, a friendly staff showed me around the common area and gave me the key to my room. The room was a mixed dorm for six people facing the street, directly above the pub. Other people in the room were friendly, and I heaved another sigh of relief. I was going to stay there for two nights. I’d better feel comfortable in the room.
Unpacking my luggage, I went to take shower and changed into my room wear. Then, since it was already late and I had to get up early the following morning, I decided to go to bed.
The lights were off. I climbed up to the top bed of a bunkbed and pulled up my blanket. I closed my eyes. Despite my physical exhaustion, however, sleep didn’t find me. Instead, I heard the loud music coming from downstairs as if I were in the pub.
The music music have become even louder over the past few hours. The beat of the drums and the booming sound of the base blasted through whatever material the floor was made of, and they shook the room. In fact, the sound even travelled up the bunkbed and vibrated the mattress I was lying upon.
I don’t consider myself to be someone sensitive to noise. I can easily fall asleep even when someone is talking right next to me. But that night, I learned that the drums and the base were actually capable of disrupting my sleep. Badly.
It was past midnight, and I was still tossing and turning. 1 am, the music was still going on. 2 am, 3 am… I opened my phone and checked the time. I couldn’t believe it. The party was still going on at this hour? Movements on the other beds told me that I wasn’t the only one suffering. Everybody was tossing and turning, trying to escape the noise in vain.
It wasn’t until 4 am when the music finally stopped and the room stopped vibrating, leaving everybody in peace for the first time. The only regret was that I would only have four hours of sleep instead of nine as I had planned.
Despite the sleepless night, my Saturday went well, attending the wedding ceremony followed by a party at a restaurant. By the time I came back to the hostel in the evening, I was exhausted from the full active day, ready for a goodnight sleep.
To my great disappointment, however, the pub was again packed with people. Of course, it was Saturday night. As I walked in, the loud music blasted through my ears. It was clear what kind of night awaited me upstairs, and I solemnly braced myself for another sleepless night.
This time, the difference was that I’d expected it. Knowing that the noise would probably last until 4 am, I lay in my bed with the attitude of a student listening to a never-ending speech of a school headmaster. I just waited and waited, until finally, the room stopped vibrating and sleep found me.
Never again, I would book a lodging over a pub. That’s the oath I made to myself as I fell asleep on the bus trip back home.