Checkin/Checkout

We landed in Alaska on July 3rd at 7:00PM. Alaska, being the land of midnight sun was as bright as day at that hour. As we all know, check in time is usually around 3:00PM for most of the suites.I was happy 'coz we had booked a suite with full kitchen which translates to Sambar Rice even in Alaska.
They gave us our room keys , which was just a card to swipe. I started swiping my card...nope..didn't work...something was wrong there..after a few swipes, got it going. I dont know how they make these cards, but they always have to be swiped in an angle to open the door.
After our grand entry into the suite, I wanted to light it up to find out what was in store for us. Searched for the switch right next to the door..nope...not there..Suresh, the ever resourceful man in my life, found a switch near the kitchen. Hooray !! The switch in the kitchen switches on the light in the corridor. Now, one thing sorted out. I dont know how they come up with the layout for the rooms. Finding a light switch translates to a hide and seek game. I can understand that the hotel staff are eager to entertain us and come up with these wild schemes of hiding the switches or knobs. There was an amazing chandlier , whose switch was right under the dining table. Ofcourse, where else can it be?After finishing our game of hide and seek, I decided to freshen up.
Entered the restroom with my vanity bag and ofcourse, had forgtten my soap. No worries,I hope to find a decent soap there. Isn't it wonderful how the soap, body lotion, shampoo are all neatly laid out next to each other near the sink , though they are made for lilliputs in a country full of Gullivers. Have you ever wondered why those soaps never foam . The lotions usually kind of stink. I just dont understand how we never see these soaps and shampoos anywhere else other than hotels and airplanes. They are good for Keerthana's "Choppu Jaman" play though.
Decided to take a shower instead and now, thats a totally different game. You would have to find the correct position for getting the hot water. The "C" or "H" on the knob doesnot matter . They are there just to show that you can get both cold and hot water if you try hard enough.Finally, found that at an angle of 30deg, the shower can sputter warm water. And ofcourse, the angle at which it sprays water can almost never be changed. You have to be flexible enough, irrespective of your height and width, to bend in ridiculous angles to make sure that you are graced with water( like the spraying of rose water in weddings).
One good thing I like about hotels is the abundance of towels. Score one! You get all kinds , atleast two of each. I use them liberally and they do replace it everyday. It feels good when you can dirty the entire restroom and someone cleans it for you. On to the hair dryer !! Have you ever wondered why the dryers there are always noisier with lesser performance . I feel nostalgic when I listen to the racket ..We used to have a BPL vaccum cleaner back home , which was a very handy and cute one. It had a mode where it would blow air instead of suction. I, being the multi tasking queen ,was using it as my hair dryer.
Finally, I tried getting into bed for a good night's sleep. Yes..I mean what I say..I really tried getting into bed. Ofcourse, I am happy that someone else is doing the sheets and they are all set for you to just jump in. But, again, nothing can be easy..can it. Why do they tuck the blankets so tight that you feel like an egyptian mummy when you try to get into them. You have to tug and pull at the sides to get some breathing space , though the tugging does remind me of home where I have a tug-of-war with Suresh everyday to get hold of my share of the blanket.
Afterall, their motto is " We make you feel at home !!" SIGH !!