She is the friendly face people turn to when in distress

Kish: Most 'guests' in the Farabi Hotel-1 know Fatima Mendoza, a Filipina who came to Kish on a visa change run and is now working at the hotel as a tour operator, nurse, receptionist and someone to whom they can turn for help.

Video: Click here to watch visa-runners stranded in Kish

There are 1,000 people living dormitory style in this hotel and Fatima has her hands full.

She says that most of her compatriots at the hotel have been "stranded" for a number of days. She informs us that nobody from the Philippines embassy has come so far to check on the Filipinos in distress.

Arguments

But the Iranian capital Tehran, which hosts most foreign missions, is some distance away from this island, though you can see the mountains of the mainland very clearly from the beach.

Mendoza worked in Sharjah for two-and-a-half years before coming here on a visa change and decided to stay. "I wanted to do something else for a change," she says. The Filipina welcomes her compatriots who come from the airport in bus loads throughout the day. The shuttle service does not stop even at 11pm.

As the Farabi Hotel fills up, the buses are sent to other hotels and this is when the arguments start. The one hotel they are sent to is a distance away from downtown and getting to the Kish Air office requires taking a cab.

The reason you need to be near the airline office is that you cannot book your return flight in Dubai as everything is uncertain in a visa run. The airline office is just next door to Farabi Hotel and you do not have to spend money to commute.

"I do not have any day off," says Mendoza with a smile.