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The old hotel is impressive from
the outside, standing near the square
of the dusty town of Todos Santos
in Baja, California. I took a breath
and walked though the front door into
the dim lobby. As I crossed the threshold
I felt prickly fingers dance like
ice down my spine as the hairs stood
up on the back of my neck. I had felt
this before but only in places infested
with ghosts. I knew at once that the
stories of spirits in the hotel were
real. The lobby was graced with a
lofty chandelier and a tiled floor.
It reminded me of a Spanish Mission
without the saints. I walked over
to the beautiful Latina behind the
ancient desk and tried to speak with
her. I discovered her English was
worse than my Spanish. We were reduced
to conversing in sign language and
a few commonly understood terms. Yes,
she nodded when I spoke of Espitius
and Muertas. I could see the spark
of understanding in her eyes. When
I mentioned room five (Cinco) her
face changed to one of fear and she
glanced up where I assumed the haunted
room was located. The room was haunted
by a phantom woman who may, or may
not have been the daughter of a former
owner, who may or may not have been
murdered there. She seemed unable
to tell me more. I continued my wanders
finding a cook in the restaurant that
is attached to the hotel who said
he always felt a presence there. Others
told of shadowy figures. A tour guide
named “Vickie” said that
the hotel was the subject of an investigation
done by a team from Mexico City. They
brought all sorts of gear along and
picked up some strange readings. They
were convinced the old place was haunted.
Some believe that room 15 is almost
as haunted as room 5. . The place
is the Hotel California. It is rumored
to be the inspiration for the 1976
song, “Hotel California.”
Research indicates that there isn’t
a single link to the singing group
and they never set foot in the hotel.
Still, the legend persists—but,
the idea that it might be haunted
seems to have more validity.
"Hotel California" is the
title song from the Eagles' album
of the same name, and was released
as a single in early 1977 in Todos
Santos, Baja California Sur. It is
one of the best-known songs of the
album-oriented rock era. Writing credits
for the song are shared by Don Henley,
Glenn Frey and Don Felder.
The lyrics of the song describe the
title establishment, a hotel where
"you can check out anytime you
like, but you can never leave."
On the surface, the song is a tale
of a weary traveler who becomes trapped
in a nightmarish hotel that at first
appeared tempting. There are many
urban legends about the meaning of
this metaphor (see Lyrics Interpretations
below). The song is generally thought
to be about the hedonism and self-destruction
in the Hollywood music industry; the
idea is that Hollywood is likened
to a luxury hotel which is initially
welcoming, but which ends up trapping
its residents through their own self-destructive
wiles ("we are all just prisoners
here of our own device").
On a dark desert
highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas rising up
through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw
a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight
grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood
in the doorway; I heard the mission
bell
And I was thinking to myself this
could be heaven or this could be
hell
Then she lit up a candle, and she
showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say
Welcome to the
Hotel California
Such a lovely place, such a lovely
face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of year)
you can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany
twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty
boys that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard,
sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember, some dance
to forget
So I called up
the captain; please bring me my
wine
We haven't had that spirit here
since nineteen sixty-nine
And still those voices are calling
from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the
night, just to hear them say
Welcome to the
Hotel California
Such a lovely place, such a lovely
face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice
surprise) bring your alibis
Mirrors on the
ceiling, the pink champagne on ice
And she said we are all just prisoners
here of our own device
And in the master's chambers, they
gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
but they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember
I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to
the place I was before
Relax said the nightman We are programmed
to receive
You can check out anytime you like
but you can never leave
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20
QUESTIONS WITH Richard Senate
One of the top ghost investigators
of our generation. He is an "Historian
And Ghost Stalker" author of
several prominent books on ghosts
and paranormal phenomenon, and has
appeared on just about every paranormal
television and radio show there is.
PLEASE VISIT TO
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The Real Haunted
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