Worldly Toilets

I finally got the building owner to agree to install a new toilet in the women's bathroom in our office.  The three of us gals were getting sick of having to plunge it on a regular basis. 

But we finally got the new toilet last week.  One of those fancy two-buttoners.  Now we just have to figure out which button is which.  Being in marketing I'm NOT impressed with the icons on the buttons.  NOT intuitive.  The designer needs to be fired.  I should call Home Depot and tell them this is precisely why they are losing marketing share to Lowes....  (toilet is a Glacier Bay, HD private label brand)  I digress....

While the three of us were determining the proper uses for each button we started discussing toilets in other parts of the world. 

In Egypt I continually encountered a toilet that had a hole in the bottom with a very small plastic or rubber tube (smaller diameter of a pencil) attached under the seat that ran a small stream of water into the bowl.  There were no flushing mechanisms.  You went and the water rinsed any "extras" down to the hole.  Where did the hole lead??  I have no idea.  I encountered these types of toilets at touristy places.  However "western-type" hotels had "western-type" toilets.

My greatest toilet story ever -  Mainland China after having gone through customs via Hong Kong.  Our only woman Asian host was waiting at the car while the other men made their own pit stops or grabbed a snack before we carried on further into the mainland.  For some reason now that I can't recall I had my computer backpack on while I was standing in line at the ladies room.  I was easily a head taller than all the tiny Chinese women waiting in line with me.  When it was my turn I walked up to the stall, opened the door and shut it behind me before I even took notice of what was in the stall.  Or rather, what wasn't in the stall.

It was a hole in the floor.  Literally.  Just a hole in the floor.

I was standing there with a computer in a backpack over my shoulders staring at a hole in the floor and I was about to pee myself.  My first thought "This is why I have these quads, baby!!  Limber up!"

So I do what any American would probably do.  I faced the door, dropped my pants and did the most amazing camping squat I have ever done in my entire life.  Not a drop out of place, thank you very much!

When I got back to the car our female host, Helen, looked mortified.  She began to apologize profusely as she must have realized, too late, to give me a heads up as to what to expect.  (especially when she saw I still had my backpack on!!  I thought all the funny looks I was getting in the bathroom was because I was a tall American.  It was probably more because I obviously had a really heavy bag on my back.  Little did I know....)  She also explained that it's customary in this type of stall to walk in and continue to face the wall while "going".  Makes sense.  If someone were to accidentally walk in on you would you rather them see you all splayed out or just catch your back side???

In all fairness I should note that while in Hong Kong I only experienced "western" toilets.  And even while in mainland China - out at our factory, essentially in the "sticks", out hotel had "western-style" toilets as well.  Customs was the only place I encountered the "hole in the floor" variety. 

Of course in Europe I recall having to pay-to-pee.  Do they still do that for public restrooms?  The last few times I was in Europe I was there for work and did not have the "privledge" of having to use a public WC.

And as I'm writing this I'm wondernig if MadHatter made it all the way through this post...