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Escape sling instructions

I'll have to upload the picture for this, but these are the instructions for how to lower ourselves from our hotel room window in Taipei, should the need suddenly present itself. We're on the fifth floor, facing the street. There's a metal frame behind the window curtains, and a black, hard plastic box under the counter with the rest of the gear. The misspellings are intentional (on my part, not sure about on the part of the person who wrote them):

Step 1: Hang the speed-conteroller on the frame and fasten.

Step 2: Make sure nobody outside the window , release the belt reel.

Step 3: Encircle the belt to both armpits, the spring belt in one armpit, pull the rope (long side) to the end.

Step 4: Grip both belt and rope,climb out of the window, Facce to wall, loosen the rope and descend.

Step 5: During descending with arms downward clamping the rope. And keen hands against the wall for balance.

Step 6: Before landing, bend knees to decrease the shock.

Note: as landed, loosen the buckle, quikly take off the belt for next person to use.


Kinda sounds like fun.

The hotel room is very clean and well designed, albeit with a couple of things that baffled me at first. For instance, there are light switches that don't work. Why? Because you have to put your RFID room key in a special container on the wall. Then everything DOES work. And you also know where your key is.

Also, I couldn't figure out how to let water out of the bathroom sink. Answer: unscrew the stopper and lift it out. (Actually, this is what you do when it isn't immediately obvious that all you have to do is push it down, and it pops up.)

Beyond that, the staff are wonderful, friendly, efficient, and speak enough English to conduct necessary transactions. Breakfast is delivered to your door from next door's McDonald's -- you fill out your request when you check in at night.

Where there would be an ice machine in an American hotel, there's a boiling hot water dispenser by the elevator. My room has a little tea pot with packets of green or oolong tea. And of course, there's free wifi, and a very newish looking flat screen monitor.

The prices - for everything, so far - are just unbelievably low. $50 American per night for the hotel. The public transit is fast, sparkling clean, and works out to something like a $1.50 a ride. Last night my son and I took my daughter and a couple of her friends for a wonderful Indian meal. That would be 5 people. The cost was around $50.

I don't know why I haven't heard of more people visiting here. A fascinating place. Highly recommended.

Comments

Suzanne said…
I imagine the sling is for times such as earthquakes when you want to leave the building immediately but don't necessarily want to just jump to your death.

The bit about leaving your room key in the slot also means you can't leave things on (lights, tv) etc when you're not in the room. No wasting of electricity! The hotels in Bulgaria had that, too. :)

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