My room in the guest hostel was much better than I expected (though I admit that my expectations were pretty low). The first thing that I checked out when I walked in was the bed. It looked pretty comfortable, but when I bounded onto it, I discovered that it had as much give as a wrought iron park bench. Stellar.
Then I checked out the bathroom. To my surprise, there was toilet paper and an ordinary Western toilet (thus far, my room is the only place on campus that I have discovered with such amenities -- I carry TP around with me now).
There was also a showerhead in the bathroom; however, when I turned it on, I was only able to get between one and three streams of water (maybe four if I really jacked up the pressure). But next to the shower were a bucket and a cup, so I filled the bucket using a tap from the wall and dumped cups of water all over me in order to wash. Since it was warm outside, taking a hot shower wasn’t really necessary, so this worked pretty well.
But then the toilet only flushed after the first time that I used it. This concerned me, so I decided to look under the hood. Apparently there was no water in the thing because each flush completely drains the tank, so I have to refill it upon each use. I’m growing pretty attached to this bucket, let me tell you.
I tried not to pack too many clothes for this trip, so everything fits easily into my closet. It was just a little depressing that the rod fell down after I put my first hanger on it. I think that I’ve balanced it out so that it stays put now…
Most importantly, yes, my room has air conditioning and a ceiling fan! (It also has electrical outlets that didn’t blow out my iPod when I plugged it into the international adapter that I bought at BestBuy.) There is also a small terrace, three chairs, and a desk. The only things that I’m missing here at the Kampur Ritz are a clock radio and a Bible in the nightstand drawer. I guess not even the Gideons could make it all the way to Kampur.
Posted by Michael at June 9, 2004 03:41 PM