No smoking - not in Portugal

Most countries have imposed a smoking ban, meaning no smoking in restaurants, bars, nightclubs, supermarkets etc... Well most countries except Portugal that is. Let me start this blog entry by admitting that I do smoke cigarettes, but that these free for all smokers over here are driving me to distraction! You can smoke pretty much anywhere you want here, in hotels, there are ash trays by all the lifts. You can smoke in the shopping centres, in the food courts and in the supermarkets although you are not meant to smoke in the store itself, this is not stopping them. Car parks, petrol stations, bars, restaurants and toilets, you can smoke anywhere you want.. In most of the public toilets I've seen, there are little cigarette holders so you can put your cigarette down while you have a pee! 

What makes me angry is when people smoke in my face at the hotel where I live and work. I have set 'visiting times' where  guests can come and see me in reception. I doll up as best I can in my horrid uniform which it is bright pink polyester, horrific! I'm working for a different branch of the company which has this disgusting bright pink suit and pastel floral shirt... There are a few lounges in the lobby, and the other travel reps and I set the same visiting times, so we can chat when often no clients visit us. Without fail, non-client people will come and sit by me, sit practically on top of me and light up a cigarette, blowing smoke in my face. These rude people are not my guests, they can see I am working and there are plenty of other chairs, but no, they have to sit and blow smoke all over my bright pink suit. The number of times I am waiting for a lift down from my floor to reception and there are people chain smoking as they wait...quickly stubbing out the cigarette when the lift comes, and then exhaling their smoke once the door seals shut behind us. Can they not smoke in their room? Or wait till they have finished with the lift? Are they that desperate for a cigarette they cannot wait 2 more minutes. Apparently next year the cigarette ban is coming and I cannot wait. I am well aware I won't be here and that I am a smoker, but it's really putting me off. That and the distance I have to drive to actually by cigarettes!