An accommodation comparison...

Sitting outside a small cafe downtown Sydney sipping my second flat white coffee of the day, it wasn`t long before the washroom was calling my name! Now it must be said that it is very rare to come across a coffee shop in the downtown precinct that actually has their own washroom--- shared communal toilets seem to be the norm. The particular coffee shop I found myself in offered toilet facilities to its patrons inside the Marriot Hotel, located just next door.

Let me tell you--- walking into the Marriott hotel was a complete reality check! A shock to the system almost as extreme as that of walking off a plane from North America into a swarm of Asian dwellers!... (Not a word of a lie!)

You see, upon entering my hostel for the first time three months ago, my initial impression was "Oh my--- what a friggin` dive!" The truth, however, is that the creatures that we are, we adapt to our surroundings. If someone were to come into the hostel and pick it apart, I would probably be unable to understand where they were coming from! The curtains aren`t so bad. The washrooms aren`t so scummy. The kitchen isn`t so poorly equipped. What on earth are you talking about?

A simple trip into the city from the beach/backpacker suburb of Coogee and a visit to a 4- star hotel is culture shock at its best! Men in suits? Is this for real? Don`t all men walk around barefoot and in sloppy tees and ragged surf shorts? A sink without a grimy layer of soap scum? Can I please just look at it for awhile? A framed painting? I forgot that such art existed! These days, the closest thing to art I see is graffiti! A stall equipped with two rolls of double ply toilet tissue to choose from? How absolutely heavenly! I may never peel my rear end off of this magnificent surface! I`m used to picking up the remnants of cardboard- like tolet paper off of the floor! A rubbish bin(Aussie word for garbage can! How proper...) that is lined with a piece of fabric and not sick or beer? How is this possible? A gold plated sign???? Shall I dare touch it?

Bahaha! The pictures speak for themselves....