A bad start that got better

I jotted down a few notes last night because I didn't trust myself to remember the first hideous day of travel. I was so tired I was fairly sure my brain would go into automatic erase mode. Before I start, let me tell you we had a lovely day today, aside from being too cold most of the time, so don't worry about us. We are just fine. At least we are now. Yesterday it was a different story.

Here are my notes.

Hideous thing #1:
I teach The Man (and myself) about something we didn't know before. We learn what happens to a foreigner if she turns up at the airport without a valid re-entry visa. This turns out to be no problem at all, because they simply issue another one, but it gives us some VERY BAD MOMENTS. The Man does not appreciate these bad moments. Neither do I, but since I caused them I am apparently not allowed to express my feelings. Offering to commit hara kiri does not help, and there is no sensible response to "YOU SAID YOU CHECKED!" when the the answer, "I thought I did, too! How could I be so stupid!" is not acceptable.

Hideous thing #2: We had decided to try out a different hotel in Chinatown, which opened a month ago. We thought that since it was new it would probably still be nice. Arrive at 9pm, go to our room. It is all right without being all that wonderful. Go to have a shower. Been traveling all day and want to feel refreshed. Four taps in bathroom. Two for shower, one for hose thingy next to toilet, the other in basin. I turn a shower tap. It falls off. A little water dribbles out. Pick up bits, carefully put them back together. Turn the second tap. It falls off. Replace carefully. Try turning both taps the other way, very slowly. Water continues to dribble out. Nothing changes.

Try hose thingy tap. It falls off. Look around nervously. Is there a hidden camera? Water now dribbling everywhere.

Plumber comes. Replaces all taps. Does something complicated in ceiling and leaves, telling us to wait 20-30 minutes for tank to refill.

Go out to eat. Wander around, decide don't like hotel much and want to move tomorrow. Check out hotel we used before, negotiate good price. Drink teh tarik, go back to hotel, go to check water. Taps no longer fall off, but there is no water.

Have discussion with receptionist, then manager (via phone) and eventually move to other hotel, around midnight. Prefer to forfeit some money than to find out what other bits of the new hotel we can break.

Sometimes we are not adventurous AT ALL.

As I said, things have improved. We are now comfortable, slept well last night, and have had a lovely day.

More soon. I have some more notes but they are not about hideous things, so they can wait for another day.