at home in opulence

back home! ... in tripoli, that is, at the corinthia. i'm getting far too attached to this hotel.

it initially seemed cruel to make us go from lavish indulgence to last night's well, let's be honest, dump in zliten (we were hunting for saran wrap to cover the beds.. i ended up making a cocoon out of a seemingly safe blanket from the closet). it just makes me appreciate this place even more.

and holy crap: i scored a junior suite this time. it's bigger than my apartment. just when you think it doesn't get any better... damn. let's compare:

zliten:
- cracked toilet seat
- stained bedspread
- no light bulb in the lamp
- dim, buzzing overhead lighting
- drip drop of hot water
- full stream of yellow cold water
- mosquitoes
- had to keep curtains wide open to get A/C, street light pouring in
- quarter-size dollop of sauce on my spaghetti

tripoli:
- TWO bathrooms
- TWO TVs, including a flat screen in the bedroom
- TWO seating areas beside giant picture windows with a 24th floor view of the sea
- L-shaped desk as big as my office
- high-class toiletries (all of which i will be stealing)
- real terrycloth bathrobes
- complimentary apples, nuts, and chocolates on the table

my job is hard sometimes.

this is really just to soften us up for what's to come: two night's of spartan accommodation before the camp out in the sahara.