Welcome to the Hotel Southeast Asia?

There's no "dark desert highway," but California seems to hold an important place in the hearts of several Southeast Asians I've encountered the past couple weeks. How else to explain the following phenomenon?:

Not once, not twice, but three times in the past week I've heard hilarious covers of The Eagles' "Hotel California." I expected to maybe hear The Beatles or crappy American Idols. But the Eagles are apparently where it's at.

First it was in a Spanish tapa bar last week. The red lights were dimmed, and a three-peice band complete with two Spanish guitars and an upright bass belted out "This could be Heaven or this could be Hell" while we sampled tapas and sipped a glass of wine.

Next, it was in Malaysia of all places, where a wizened old man, squinting in the sunlight in a church courtyard, strummed the famous chords while accepting donations in his plastic guitar case.

Finally, last night was maybe the most bizarre instance. A five-member neo-Peruvian band, with the melody played on some sort of panflute, crooned out the tune while on a sidewalk on Holland Drive--Singapore's bastion of consumerism comprised of seemingly endless miles of upscale shopping malls. An American song performed by Native South Americans in Southeast Asia. Hooray globalization!

In addition, "You can check in any time, but you can never leave" takes on a whole new meaning when you're in a semi-authoritarian nation.

Speaking of hotels, the music--not to mention the general experience--during the complimentary continental breakfast is hilarious. So far, they've piped in guitar/piano instrumentals of Sting, Green Day, Enya, and Osvaldo Farres.

Even better is the service. The hotel is essentially a college for prospective tourist industry workers. Thus the workers are especially polite and enthusiastic, but are learning their their craft on the go. One day I ordered sweet rolls with my breakfast (you get a choice of toast, sweet rolls, almond bread and danish pastries). What I got, by my smiling and attentive waitress, was a combination of toast, almond bread, and danish pastries. I ordered one--and got the other three!

At least it was service with a smile, which isn't always the case "In such a lovely place"