My hotel room faces EAST! I love that in a bedroom, actually. I left the curtains open a crack when I turned out the light. I'm drinking coffee (a little hot pot in room with instant). There's a teeny fridge with sodas and mineral water and beer to buy. The hotel really is equivalent to a Hampton Inn for amenities. It's a real key-lock (not the credit-card type) though, and you have to leave the key chain tag in a slot by the door or the power to the room shuts off.
The view is beautiful. Mist, city skylines. Several hints that it is an oreintal city though. Some temple rooftops in the ornate Thai style. And if you look down into them, some tenements -- open walls, no airconditioning, multistory walk-ups. Those look a bit like Hong Kong. The room has LAN cable for about $15 a day (I didn't bring a computer). There was an internet kiosk/cafe in the lobby but I bet cheaper on the street....
The hotel had an automated wake-up call, and it sounds like the tour will involve a daily one. The tour guide last night said he would give us 90 minutes each morning to get up and ready.
Last night as we drove in, of course it was dark and the middle of the night but "Chinatown" right around the hotel was bustling. Saw a couple of spirit houses. Can sound out only a few words on bill boards or road signs. NOT fast enough to drive though! There were tuk-tuks everywhere. The airport smelled faintly right. The room has a safe -- the usual electronic comination lock. It has a TV too, but I can't get it to turn on.
The sunrise is glorious. There is a lot of haze though. I am going to guess pollution, though I hear it cleared up a lot. I can see a corner of the river.
