25 hours later

I'm here in China 25 hours after I left home. It's good to be in something that isn't moving.

I have learnt a lesson about booking hotels - be a nag. This is my third stay at the Holiday Inn. The first time was perfect because the travel agent booked it for me. The second time I assumed they saved my profile and ended up getting two double beds instead of a king-size bed. This time, I booked the non-smoking king-size room so I didn't think needed to put NON-SMOKING on the special instructions. Sure enough I got a smoking room.

Grrrrh! I'm not going to make a fuss though because I'm moving into an apartment in two days. Yeah, the boss decided that instead of having everyone stay in hotels, it's cheaper to rent apartments. It is. One month rent is about the same as 7 nights stay for me at the hotel. They are 3 bedroom so it accmodates up to 3 people.

I don't know how I feel about it yet. On the one hand it'd be interesting and I'd feel more integrated into the community. On the other hand I can't order room service when I don't feel like going out or ask the concierge when I need to find something. Also, it takes time to meet people and make friends. Since I'll be sporadically coming and going at the apartment it's going to be even harder. We'll see. It'll be an experience for sure.