The room I stayed in with pull-out sofa-bed.
The cute little dining room with living area behind me, tiny galley kitchen to the right as well as a little bathroom with shower and the master bedroom.
This is the exterior door of the apartment. Another wooden door is behind this. It took four keys to unlock three doors, the first one being down the main set of stairs.
This sort of stairway didn't make me feel confident about my coice. She lives on the fifth floor. There is no elevator. My legs were killing me at the beginning but complained less on the day I left.Erica bills this place as the "local experience" and by that she means living like many of the local people live. Of course the locals have more than one person living in an apartment. Still, it's a building made out of concrete so it's solid. There is construction going on across the street and the noise from that is a nuisance but ear plugs helped a great deal. Public transportation can be found close-by and there are numerous places to eat. I felt safe here are she was a delightful host, though busy busy busy.
Her internet service was having problems, which for me was a royal pain since I was trying to stay connected and work on the blog. In the end, I had to visit a cafe across the street so I could get free wi-fi. I don't think I've ever drank so much coffee in my life.
Overall it was a good experience; certainly different from staying at the new Four Seasons on Hong Kong Island (I imagine, anyway).
