On Using Airplane Bathrooms & More

When you travel, you have to do many things you wouldn't ordinarily do at home. I know some women who refuse to use public toilets, but lets face it, 13 hours on a plane means you can't wait. But those damn small stalls with the sticky floors and bright lights....and doors that close in a counter-intuitive are unpleasant at best. I usually try to get in there before a meal is served since it's not as sticky and often no waiting.

We flew 12 hours to Hong Kong for the first leg of our trip today...then another 3 to Kuala Lumpur. Cathy Pacific is a better airlines than most, and now they've changed their seats to make it even better. Instead of having the person in front of you almost land in your lap when they recline, the new seats move the bottom cushion forward. So much better! They also have to on-demand movies in a screen on the back of the seat ahead of you, which is so great. I started watching Alfred Nodd with Glenn Close today (great movie, btw)., and fell asleep half-way through, so stopped it and began it later when I woke. I did several times with the 2 ½ movies I saw. Watched the Descendants too....and part of We Bought A Zoo on one flight...then finished it on the next.

On the second flight, I decided to watch some Bollywood type movie, but had to read the subtitles so was concentrating on that while also working on a Kumihimo braided and beaded necklace. All of a sudden I felt like someone was watching me, and at the end of my aisle were three older Asian women conferring about what they thought I was doing and smiling and nodding at me. I stopped the movie to show them what I was making and they noticed the disk is from Japan. We communicated mostly through sign, but they got it and thanked me for explaining. They seemed excited about the process, and it was fun showing them.

We're now at the Palace of the Golden Horses, and like many old palaces, looks can be deceiving. The place is enormous with high ceilings and huge windows/doors and sculptures, mostly of horses. In the carousel restaurant they have old carousel horses all over the room. Our room wasn't ready, so we had an hour to kill...had a light lunch and checked out what's here. I headed for the spa because I opted not to get a pedicure before we left since I knew I could get one here. It's about $38 here and I pay $22 at home. I'm going at 5:30 today, so will report back. She said it would be an hour.

When we did get into our room, it took about an hour for the bell boy to bring our luggage, plus when I washed my hands, I realized we weren't given one towel. When they did bring them up, the guy handed me two bath towels....no hand towels and nothing for the floor. The desk lamp doesn't seem to work, but the air con does—I'm freezing! It is better than not having any in this humidity, but I didn't bring anything warm to wear, so am layering myself in the room. The room itself is a good size, as is the bathroom with a full tub and separate shower. BUT Matthew just came out of there with a wet pant leg because the toilet leaks!

Admittedly, I've read some reviews that said similar things, but others were the opposite. I can see where things are 'tired' here, but they do note they're going through renovations, so be patient. That would explain the hammering we've been hearing since we arrived in our room.,

It always takes awhile to get acclimated to a new environment, especially one so different from your own. The people are warm and friendly...and the women are beautiful. Even the Muslims with their head-scarves are very stylish and well-dressed.

My camera was highjacked with my luggage by the concierge when we arrived, so I haven't taken any pictures yet to add here. Well that isn't totally true—I took some with my iPhone, but now can't get them off and onto the netbook, so forget it.