Late night musings...

In retrospect I'm amazed at how lucky I've been up to this point. When you're sharing a room with seven to fifteen other people, how long can you expect to go without running into a snorer.  I don't mind people talking in the background or the expected rustling of fellow travelers (some more considerate of others) bumbling into bed after me or getting up before me and packing to check out, but that constant drone of loud snoring is too much for me.  I didn't think anybody could snore louder than my dad (uh, sorry dad) and my first roommate in college definitely seemed to try, but this guy is by far the loudest I've ever shared a room with! 

That brings us to the topic of hostels in general though.  My mom said the other day I should describe them a bit more for my cousin, who I think after hearing me compare them to college dorms is seriously reconsidering her academic future. Some of the hostels I've stayed in have been better than others.  My guide described the one I'm currently staying in as quite the party hostel and "not for the faint of heart".  Then again the very same guide also mixed up "men" and "women" in the estonian language section under bathroom -- forturnately my friend pointed out the error before any embarrassing situations ensued!  Personally I'd describe this hostel as relatively tame, quiet and clean.  Obviously the guests make all the difference, and it's only Tuesday night, so maybe it's much more of a happening place on the weekend, but at the moment that's not the case.  The kitchen gets a bit stuffy if you don't turn the vent on, but then the vent actually works which says something.  The showers have decent drainage.  Really, that last part is one of the most important things in my opinion.  And I think that may be one of the things in my description that scared my cousin the most -- I think I threw in stories of girls in the dorms habitually wiping the hair that got stuck in their hands on the shower wall.  I bought flip flops in stockholm because I really don't want to catch athletes foot. Given the number of showers I'll be sharing with any number of insurmountable travelers, I really don't want to end up with fungal growth on my feet.  It's a small price to pay.  So yes, I can understand where this aspect of budget travel would deter the faint of heart, but I do feel the need to point out -- without offending those to whose dwellings I'm about to allude -- that in many ways the hostels are often better accomodations than staying with a friend would be.  A lot of us (particularly in the USA) have led sheltered lives.  We grew up in new construction homes with showers that actually have curtains (or sometimes even doors) and a house with a central hot water tank.  You turn on the hot water and out comes hot water -- granted, sometimes you have to wait a bit before the pipes between you and the hot water tank heat up.  It's a lot easier to lay two pipes in brand new wood construction though.  Imagine a home or building with masonry walls that was built 80 or more years ago.  You get one water pipe -- one cold water pipe.  Then you put in a space heater real close to the shower or sink where you want hot water.  If nobody turns the water heater on, you have to wait before you get hot water.  Or, in some cases if it's automatic, there's little tricks -- like you have to turn the water on all the way before the heater registers it should heat the water.  Of course sometimes that means the waters splashing out of the sink...  Back the the showers though.  In older construction, bath tubs are more common.  Imagine showering in a bath tub with no curtain and a hand nosel. It's nothing to complain about, but if you're used to a shower that you can stand in, it's a bit of a challenge not to make a mess!  So in that respect, the showers at the hostels can seem luxurious.

Ok, I'm going to head back to bed now.  With any luck the snoring will have ceased for a bit. Besides, the constant coughing from the guy behind me is almost as bad =)