Eat cheap, sleep cheap

Okay, staying in an overseas youth hostel is a new experience for us. Paul is naturally suspicious. But when he finds our private double room with bath is US$33.00 he relaxes. The room is spartan, but comfortable: no soap, no towels,etc. But we are prepared. We cautiously approach the communal kitchen with our dinner fixings. The space is huge and is a hive of activity with 3 stoves, 4 sinks and people in various stages of dinner prep. The shelves of dishes and pots look like the kitchen department of a thrift store. The middle aged couple near us sits down to a plate of food worth of a 4-star restaurant. I am kicking myself for not buying better food to prepare. No matter - we quickly prepare, wash up and stow our plastic bags with breakfast stuff in an overflowing frig. The guest were both young and older people. It was the quietest night I have ever spent in any lodging anywhere.