China
We arrived in Fujhou expecting to book into a multi-star hotel but my "helper" insisted that he could get us free accomodation and good hospitality. It turned out to be the barracks in a naval base.

The room was shocking. The carpet looked decades old, was crunchy underfoot, full of cigarette burns and was stained with, well I didn't want to think about it. All the soft furnishings were very crusty.

The bathroom was full of mould and hadn't been cleaned for decades. I showered in a pair of socks.

The bedding was alive. It was jumping with fleas.

Then the music started. The naval band practiced for hours at a time right outside our window. Totally out of tune.

All of these things are the usual that you'd expect with this QOTW but can anyone beat the "gob buckets" that were placed outside every room?

We couldn't work out what these buckets were for but soon found out. As people passed by and the urge to clear their throats became too much, they simply gobbed into the buckets. Loudly.

There began the lessons of my Chinese diplomacy skills. Trying to get the hell out of a situation in China without the host losing face and without me losing my lunch in a projectile fashion.
( Flowerpot No longer has the vapours thanks to DTH, Thu 17 Jan 2008, 17:33, Reply)