Moving in
(View from the flat window: apartment blocks to the left, canal at the bottom, almost underneath us and in the distance, more city and cranes on the horizon)
Apologies if you were waiting on an installment – this weekend was the move from hotel room 3138 to our new home in the East of the city. Internet was installed about 10 minutes ago, so I’m taking the opportunity to update this!
Moving in has been an odd experience, as I’m not used to living far out, away from the centre of a city, but also, I’ve never lived in a tower block before. We’re on the third floor of a fifteen-storey block, but others have thirty, even fifty floors. Our block sits among a set of others, all similar inside a compound with security at the gates and gardens inside. Now, more than ever I realise that Asia is so very different from the West. It was even more apparent when we were handed the keys; we were expected to make demands on the flat – if there was something we didn’t want or like, or vice versa, it seems perfectly reasonable to demand it at no extra cost. I’m not familiar with this concept at all! I am also aware this may only be the case for this type of housing.
yes, you may ask for extra thing or request to remove certain
items that you don’t need. i suppose this is the practice for this type of rental. but there is a limitation. beyond that they may not entertain.
So did you make any demands? Mini-Bar, steam room, fridge with an ice despencer, hot tub? though saying that if you demanded too much they might stick a web cam in your bathroom to recoupe some of the costs on some kind of rude tube web site. (smoke alarm sensors aparently are common hiding place for such devices along with air vents)