Russia allegedly spent more than $50 billion for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, the most ever spent to prepare for the Olympics. Yet the reports from the site of the games are not exactly what you call favorable. It has mostly been the media that is sending back reports of all sorts of things most westerners take for granted, like the ability to flush toilet paper or doorknobs, but of course they arrived earlier than most and like to complain.

While some “problems” may fall into the ugly American (or Brit) category, many of them are legitimate gripes, particularly when rooms booked months in advance at hotels charging fairly steep rates are in such disrepair. Here are some of my favorite issues, most of which have been chronicled on Twitter under the @SochiProblems account name.

Inability to Flush Toilet Paper

Missing or Non-Functional Toilets

Strange Bathrooms

Alleged Bathroom Surveillance

No Bathroom Stalls

No Shower Curtains or No Way to Hang Them

Urine-colored Water

No Hot Water

Limited or No Lighting

No Internet Access

No Furniture in Rooms

Missing or Broken Hotel Doorknobs

Incomplete Construction

Wild Dogs

This article appears in Valentine’s Day Guide 2014.

Jeff Balke is a writer, editor, photographer, tech expert and native Houstonian. He has written for a wide range of publications and co-authored the official 50th anniversary book for the Houston Rockets.