Half-time

Beautifully made up bed in a dirty room

I can hardly believe I've been traveling for over three months already which marks my half-time. It seems both as if I've only started yesterday as well as like I've been on the road forever. I've fallen into a steady rhythm, going slowly, not trying to do too much too quickly but just enjoying the amazing places I discover.

I've stayed in various hotels/hostels/guesthouses/inns/lodges so far and some stories related to my accommodations have accumulated. I won't discuss how dirty the rooms are as we all know that Asia is dirty by default. Here are a few stories that stand out.

Bedbugs

I've encountered bedbugs only once. I can't say whether this is good in the sense that it happened only once or bad in the sense that it happened at all. They say that a bedbug bite doesn't kill you. This may be true as compared to mosquito bites that could give you malaria or dengue fever. But a bedbug bite itch is worse than anything I have ever experienced, it just goes on itching excessively for days. No more bedbugs, please.

Drugs

Many hotels display signs that drugs are not allowed. In Malaysia, being caught with illicit drugs carries the death penalty. In Laos, drugs are not allowed in hotel rooms but the managers remind travelers that if they must smoke something illegal, to please do it discreetly. In Cambodia, drugs are officially illegal as well, but are readily available, even advertised in the more touristy places. Police in Cambodia are so corrupt that they welcome the supplemental income of taking bribes for looking the other way when drugs are concerned.

Durian

No durian is allowed in hotel rooms or on public transport in most of southeast Asia. It's funny how a local guy commented: "When tourists come to southeast Asia, they say that durian smells bad. But what about French cheese?" Yes, he has a point.

Plastic bags

This one is my favorite. A sign in a dorm room said "No plastic bags allowed in dorm. Activities with plastic bags should be performed outside." I couldn't agree more. It's happened so many times, not only recently, but whenever I slept in shared bedrooms, there's always someone who gets up early and needs to pack and unpack and re-pack and rumble plastic bags to no end. I agree that activities with plastic bags in dorm rooms should be outlawed.

Showers

I found it hilarious when I read an online hotel review where a tourist complained about wet floors in bathrooms. What did they expect, don't they know that a shower in Asia means that a shower head is mounted above the toilet? Of course the floor is always wet as people shower in there. That's why everyone in Asia wears flip-flops.

Which brings me to the question: how can you tell the difference between an amateur and a professional Asia traveler? The pro knows from experience that toilet paper must be moved to a safe place before showering, otherwise it gets soggy.