You continue to make this arrogant assumption that the whole world speaks English. They do not!
When trying to make an emergency call in a foreign country where you do not speak the language, just one of the very sensible reasons for finding someone who does is mentioned in the following statement.
"We walked towards the supermarket and ended up at the 24 hour reception where some men tried to speak to some Portuguese employees in the attempt to make a phone call, but communication became complicated because the employee did not speak English and the man did not speak Portuguese."
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/STEPHEN-CARPENTER.htm
When a child is missing, the couple of minutes spent running to reception where you know you will be able to communicate with someone who will contact the emergency services without delay far outweighs wasting a lot of time sobbing into a handset to someone who hasn't a clue what you are on about.
We have done this subject to death in another thread ... and you still don't get it?
Of course Spammie knows, Brietta. He is just trying to wind us up and spread suspicion about The Mccanns at the same time.
IIRC it was 268 metres to the Main Recption and downhill. That could have been run by a fit man like Matt in well under a minute including the corners that had to be negotiated. So seconds rather than minutes .... and such a fuss about less than a minute
Really, you would not believe what some of you keep pushing had you not read all the rubbish you guys have spieled out.about going to the main reception.
Much better to spend less than a minute going to the main reception with its ever present reception staff, and with its knowledge of contacting the Police and language fluencies, than even consider running to the Tapas restaurant and hoping to find Jeronimo easily. Anyone who hotels regularly KNOWS that the recption is their first porrt of call in emergency.
And it was a matter of seconds, less than a minute, away.
Jeez !
What bigotted rot some of you talk.