The interesting hotel

When the car stops I am taken back when our translator tells us to step out. Why? Where are we? I thought we were going to the hotel...apparently, this is the hotel. OK, no problem, we can deal. I'm not high maintenance. One bed, one pillow & a toilet that needs fixing- this is our first impression. We skip dinner & go straight to bed, it's 7:20pm. I'm up at 11pm. It looks like Corbin never fell asleep. He is watching Russian tv w/o volume. After 30 minutes, I decide that having one pillow for two people is just crazy. I don't want to wake up our translator so, I take the pillow & key w/ me. My plan is to point to the pillow & then hold up two fingers. Very creative, I know. 

I end up lost, half asleep, w/ my pillow, standing in front of elevator that doesn't work. I am unsure if I have gotten turned around or if the elevator let me out, but won't open in the lobby since it's after hours. There is music coming from a room down the hall. A little girl runs in & out dancing w/ balloons in her hands. I am too embarrassed to let anyone know I am lost. Besides, I don't know how to say that in Russian anyway. After a short time, the owner happens to come around the corner & sees me. I execute my plan A. She laughs & retrieves a pillow from another room. She walks me to my room & I manage to say thank you in Russian.

Morning comes although we've been up since 3am. The shower only has lukewarm water. Since we slept on the train last night, which had no shower, I can't skip it because I have no idea what the next night will hold. The pipe from the shower head dumps out into the sink. We figure out how to turn it on & it leaks all over. I get in & try to finish as fast as I can. Corbin flushes the toilet & all water to the shower ceases. He has to manually pull the plug in the toilet tank to get it to flush. It doesn't seem to fit exactly where it was prior as I stand there cold. Eventually, he is able to fill up the tank & get the water redirected to my shower. 

In the cafe, we eat hot rice cereal & tea. It seems tea is more popular than coffee here. Then it's time to check out. As we sit waiting, the elevator door opens. An elderly lady emerges. She shuffle through the lobby, moaning as she takes each step. She enters through a door across from the lobby desk. After a minute she returns, shuffles back to the elevator & is gone. They must have some long term residents here.

We notice several people come into the lobby, talk w/ the receptionist & then place blue covers over their shoes. A nurse walks through the lobby carrying a large jar. It's hard not to notice a number of leeches in the jar. I feel like we have just stepped back in time. Do people still use those things? Apparently, they must have some type of medical office here, too. By far, this has been the most interesting hotel we have ever stayed in.