I’m in the Thai Airlines Royal Orchid lounge. It’s 3 am and there are only two other passengers in the lounge, both men, both sleeping. I wake from my nap, somewhat disoriented. Where am I? What time is it? Where’s the bathroom?

I stumble through the lounge. I see one of the exquisitely dressed employees, shiny black hair pulled back into a perfect bun, glowing skin, glossy lipstick, and a purple silk top and sarong that fit like a glove. I feel very disheveled.

I ask her where the rest room is. She looks at me and smiles. “The bathroom?” “Oh, yes,” I reply. I forget that when I’m in a foreign country restroom is generally not an understood term. She points. As I start to walk in that direction, she stops me. “Bathroom? Or toilet?” I smile and nod, not sure what she is asking.

“I think you need the bathroom. I think you need a shower.”

After being on two planes and in transit for 23 hours, there’s nothing like stating the obvious to bring you back to reality.