There are times you know you’re Abroad with a capital A, and one of them is this:

One, some or all of your bathroom towels are made into Art. It might be a cute Valentine love heart, or perhaps a sort of cuddly origami teddy. It could be something more exotic, like a strangely shaped bear or any of these extraordinary creatures, snapped in India, a country that has a bit of a thing for Towel Art.

I remember a pair of majestic swans, propped up against each other, each with a chocolate nestled in the fold of their wings.

Then there was the time I found what I think might have been meant to be a hippo lying prostrate across my bed, though the rose petals scattered liberally around it had the unfortunate extra of looking as though it came with some sort of dire anti-poaching message.

Of course the main message of all of these fabric-folding art works is simple: ‘Hello I’m your chambermaid/chap, I’m a real human being, I get paid bugger-all, and I’d like a tip please.’