Check-in process
・Check-in felt like an RPG with no map: The building runs on two small lifts, both slow, both always crowded. Missing one means an unpredictable wait for the next. Our booking said check-in was on the 14th floor, where the desk turned out to be staffed by an Indian attendant. We were redirected to the 16th floor, and our actual room turned out to be on the 6th.
・The lift was its own world: The doors closed and the air went still, packed with people from a dozen different countries at once, a mix of strong spices, body heat, and air conditioning that had been running too long. The building is said to house residents from around 120 nations. In that moment, we were clearly the two who didn't quite belong.
・The first room they gave us was small enough that the backpack couldn't fully open: Jack ran after the staff at the last minute and managed to negotiate two single beds instead. Still not spacious, but at least there was room under the bed to stash the bags. Two electronic locks on the door, inside and out, offered a small sense of security. But the feeling of being inside that space, the sheer physical compression of it, was more real and more pressing than anything a movie could prepare you for.