5 Star Hotel

We are here serendipitously, as we were supposed to leave with the group on August 15, but the travel agent made a mistake with our ticket arrangements, so we are paying only half of a discounted rate to stay at a five star hotel. I have never stayed anywhere this nice before and it especially nice to stay in an American hotel after a month of struggling to speak Chinese. Here every staff member speaks English, and every staff member has been so pleasant to us, even though we are patently not their usual customers.

I am slightly embarrassed in my Wal-mart clothes and my $10 haircut. People here are dressed expensively. Most of them are here on business, they do not have kids in tow. The prices for everything are stratospheric. Internet connections are $18 a day so we’ve been waiting to find an internet café, but the neighborhood is too upscale to have one. The breakfast buffet is $29 (we get two breakfasts a day included with our room price – the third person has to eat at McDonald’s – we take turns).

But it is splendid. We ride up and down at night in the glass elevator. We hang around in the lobby and listen to the live classical music. We swim in the fabulous indoor pool and wrap ourselves in the luxurious towels. The staff is outstanding. The room is so clean it’s seems brand new. There is a fresh carnation in our bathroom. The maids give James candy.

James and Sarah are ready to go home, but as long as we’re here, I’m not sure I’m ready to go.