Tale of two toilets

it was the worst of times (or toilets) and the best of times (or the very best of toilets). When I landed in Beijing yesterday afternoon, Lillian, one of the Tauck local guides, met me and made the offer that I should perhaps use the public toilet since it was about an hour drive to the hotel. After standing in line, a door opened and I climbed a step to see that I could use a hole in the floor. I declined.  So when I arrived at the Waldorf Astoria and checked in, I was “ready”.  As I approached, my very polite  toilet automatically raised its lid and I sat down on a heated seat and reviewed its several controls, including different streams for different areas and then a dry cycle!  What an auspicious beginning to my China odyssey (or actually a clean “end”).