Sochi Winter Olympics 2014

Feb 4, 2014 Washington Post story titled Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hilarious and gross hotel experiences

If these games were held in the U.S., I doubt those journalists would be cracking jokes if they experienced the same conditions.

Some journalists arriving in Sochi are describing appalling conditions in the housing there, where only six of nine media hotels are ready for guests.

Hotels are still under construction. Water, if it’s running, isn’t drinkable.

One German photographer told the AP over the weekend that his hotel still had stray dogs and construction workers wandering in and out of rooms.

The Sochi Olympics have run way over budget — to a record $51 billion — which seems particularly remarkable when you consider that some of the work isn’t actually done.

I suppose that people who travel a lot experience similar anomalies at times, such as stray dogs wandering their hotel.

That WaPo story contains numerous embedded Tweets. Here are a few:

Harry Reekie @HarryCNN

CNN booked 11 rooms in one @Sochi2014 media hotel five months ago. We have been here for a day and only one room is available. #cnnsochi

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Harry Reekie @HarryCNN

This is the one hotel room @Sochi2014 have given us so far. Shambles. #cnnsochi

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Shaun Walker @shaunwalker7

I have a room! No heating or internet, but it has a (single) bed at least...

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Rosa Hwang @RosaHwangCTV

Water main break means no water at our hotel in #Sochi. Could take awhile to fix. #CTVSochi

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Wayne Chow @wayne_chow

@bruce_arthur Hotel issues have been happening to a lot of people. Left out on the street, you risk being poisoned or trapped like the dogs.

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Mark MacKinnon @markmackinnon

For those of you asking, when there's no lobby in your hotel, you go to the owner's bedroom to check in. #Sochi2014

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Stacy St. Clair @StacyStClair

My hotel has no water. If restored, the front desk says, "do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous." #Sochi2014

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katiebakes @katiebakes

Made new pal from La Presse as we struggled to find hotel. When we got to our (temporary) rooms his doorknob came off in hand #roadtosochi

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Jo-Ann Barnas @JoAnnBarnas

Watch your step @Sochi2014 -- I've noticed on walkway and on sidewalks that not all man holes are always covered.

Related Feb 5, 2014 WaPo story titled 15 signs that Russia is not very ready for the Olympics

Only 15 reasons? Here are the reasons, days before the opening ceremonies:

1. The Olympic flame went out 44 times
2. An official Olympic hub isn't even finished
3. No one knows how bad the environmental damage is [from the construction]
4. Allegations of corruption with Olympic funds [you've got to be kidding me]
5. Woman displaced by construction mishap living in shack
6. Construction workers deported, possibly unpaid
7. The mass campaign to "dispose" of stray dogs
8. Political activists barred from even watching
9. Sochi filled with construction debris, unfinished buildings
10. Oh, and there may be loose terrorists
11. Athletes say snow jumps are dangerously steep
12. Photos of "Sochi problems" are going viral online
13. Journalists are live tweeting gross and hilarious hotel mishaps
14. At least one hotel has no floor. But it does have a prominent portrait of Vladimir Putin.
15. Russian Olympics officials are not really controlling the story