Yes, this post is actually about toilets, something most of us don’t find a reason to talk about. However, if you are traveling, toilets can be a big deal. Knowing what to expect can help you when you have to find that toilet. My unexpected encounter in the Taipei airport is an example of what might happen. We had a layover in Taipei for a few hours, and I had to use a toilet. I found a bathroom after wandering around, but no stalls were available. So I waited. I might note that the stalls are fully enclosed here with doors from floor to ceiling, totally private. Finally the last stall became available, and I walked down to take it. As I opened the door my heart sank. It was a squat toilet.
If you have never traveled outside the US or Europe, you have probably never heard of or seen a squat toilet aka squatty potty. However, squat toilets are quite common in many parts of Asia. I was first exposed to one in 1971 when I stayed in India. Our beds were in a dormitory, and the bathrooms only had squat toilets. Back then I was young and much more agile so I adjusted to using one, but facing one at my age now was a bit daunting. However, I managed to do what I needed to do and survived.
So a squat toilet is just what it sounds like. Instead of sitting on the toilet as we do in the US, one squats over the toilet. This is a picture my daughter took of a squatty potty in Dubai. You can note the grooved area which indicates where you put your feet. Then one just squats over the basin. Many people argue that a squat toilet is actually healthier than our typical American one. It will certainly help keep your leg muscles stronger. But they argue that the angle of squatting is better for elimination and helps to prevent hemorrhoids. I really doubt that squat toilets will ever catch on in the US, but there is a company making them for the US market. If you are interested check out this YouTube video.
Here’s a hint to help avoid a squat toilet: when you enter a public bathroom, look at the stall doors . Most of them will have a symbol indicating what kind of toilet is inside. A squat toilet is usually almost just a line, while a seated toilet is obviously taller. As we traveled In Taiwan and Hong Kong, I noted that usually squat toilets were in the last stalls so that might help you as well. My wife photographed the signs below in Taiwan indicating the type of commode. These are a little more complete than others that we saw which had no human figures on them.
While we Americans may find squat toilets strange, imagine if you are someone encountering a sit down toilet for the first time. My wife thought this sign in Switzerland was pretty funny and took a picture. However, if this is a new situation for you, the information might be very helpful.
How one uses the facilities can also vary from country to country. When I lived in the Dominican Republic, the typical Dominican threw their used toilet paper in a waste basket in the bathroom rather than flush it down the toilet. I’m not sure why. Perhaps they were afraid of clogging the pipes. It might seem unhealthy to us, but to them it was perfectly normal. Other countries as well have this custom. Note the waste basket behind the squat toilet above. The poster below was found in the same bathroom as the one above. It rather graphically assist travelers in understanding Swiss expectations regarding toilet paper.
Another bathroom fixture you might encounter is a bidet. It was actually in the Dominican Republic where I first saw a bidet in a home. I thought it was a strange looking toilet and couldn’t understand why there would be two toilets in the bathroom. I had to ask someone what it was. In case you are not familiar with one, one basically sits on it, and water will shoot up to clean you after using the toilet. I have never actually used a bidet. I am curious about them, but the opportunity has never arisen for me to use one. None of the hotels I have stayed in have featured a bidet, but I suppose in a high end hotel they might exist.
We can’t leave the topic of toilets without mentioning the other side of Asian toilets which is the Japanese movement to smart toilet seats. In our hotel in Taipei we did have a smart toilet seat. It had a number of buttons on it which I’m sure did quite a few things. The problem for me was it was all indicated by Chinese characters so I had no idea what the button would do. I was afraid to try it. I did wish that I could have used the full power of that toilet seat, but the language barrier prohibited it. Maybe another time there will be one with English, and I can get the full toilet treatment.
In some travel situations you will have the opposite of the full toilet treatment which is no toilet at all. In that situation you may find yourself squatting with no toilet underneath you. Women usually find this more challenging than men, but if you are in a rural setting, you should always be prepared by having tissues of some kind with you as well as hand sanitizer. It’s better to be safe than sorry. When I traveled with a group of high school students in Zambia, the students used the bushes on more than one occasion. They took it in stride. I managed to wait.
One other uncommon element I have encountered in my travels is a chamber pot. This was back when I lived in the Dominican Republic. One of my friends lived in a very rural area where there was no electricity. There was also no bathroom in the house so we used an outhouse. The chamber pot was used at night. If you had to go to the bathroom during the night, rather than go outside in the dark, you grabbed and used the chamber pot. Again much easier for us guys than women, but for me, anyway, it worked. Since this was over 40 years ago, I can’t say that they are still in use anywhere today, but one must always be prepared for unexpected situations when traveling.
Using a toilet is a human need that we all face every day. When traveling we may encounter less than ideal situations which may make us uncomfortable. However, knowing what to expect can help to prepare us and remove some of the anxiety.
Before I leave this topic I want to recommend to you the first episode of the Netflix documentary Inside Bill’s Brain. Among other things this episode talks about how the Gate’s Foundation focused on creating toilets that would help improve sanitation around the world with the hope of cutting down the deaths of children in particular. This will really open your eyes to the significance of the toilet in the world today.
Have you encountered unusual toilet situations in your travels. I’d love to have you share your experience in the comment section below.
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