Now, this thread really isn't aimed at the level of the Hilton concierge booking your Mercedes for an hour later than you wanted it.
We're going way below that level.
This evening I find myself in a very small town on the outskirts of a small town - and the hotel is below even my own paltry standards. Now don't think I've been cheap - I've booked myself into the hotel's 'deluxe' suite - the finest suite it offers. It costs RMB120 a night.
The stench from the loo leaves little to the imagination as to what's been down it, and in terms of a shower there's apparently hot water in the morning.
The one redeeming feature, and a very surprising one is that the room actually has a computer complete with the latest flat-screen monitor. Which is a useful diversion given that the TV doesn't work.
And it's in the sort of territory where foreigners are very much a novelty. Walking into a suitable looking place for dinner I was instantly accosted by 3 pissed guys at a table, one who turned out to be the chef. My efforts to actually select something from the menu were thwarted when said chef snatched it from my hand and decided to make the decision as to what I would eat himself. It turned out to be stomach with a selection of incredibly spicy other things. The soup was good though.
And obviously I had a few shots of baijiu thrust into my hand.
The positive was that it only cost 17 British pence (literally - I gifted a few British coins and my efforts to actually pay for the dinner were refused). On making my excuses and heading to my 'deluxe' suite I was caught 5 minutes later by said guys (sans chef) and invited to eat some mutton (street stand). I politely declined the trotters that appeared, at which point they decided to order something they though would be more agreeable to a foreigners appetite. The sheep's brains soon appeared - easily identifiable as brains given that they were still inside the (somewhat charred) head. They were actually pretty good!
And having finally made it back to my room of the hotel I didn't tell them I was in - they've now been knocking on my door with 'something for the train tomorrow' - vacuum packed chicken's feet.
And in so many ways this is the kind of trip I absolutely love in China. Yes - the infrastructure can be shocking but the people, as ignorant as they are about foreigners, do so much to show their hospitality.
In terms of this thread I'm not sure about the title now - originally it was just going to be about the delights of the hotel. I guess now it's more a case of your own 'in the sticks' experiences.