You knew it was just a matter of time before I got on my soapbox to preach about the unhygienic toilets .... or lack of toilets here in China. I traveled through China with my friend Margaret many years ago and I never thought I have seen anything so abominable. Fast forward, I move to China for this assignment and thought that the toilet situation would have improved after such a long period of time. WRONG. The only toilets I will go to are located at the Ritz Carlton, Western style restaurants and other trusted establishments. Anything else .... you're really taking a chance.China has started to build new public toilets... you know the ones that you have to pay to get in. Located apparently every 300 meters (uh no, I fail to see them in the city), one would think it would be kept in pristine conditions. WRONG. Then again, what did I expect to find when you find the locals literally standing off the road and just sprinkling the ground in full view. Sometimes, if you're "lucky" you'll get full frontal. Seriously. Man, woman, child, it doesn't matter . . . they'll just relieve the call anywhere. My friend Andrea told me the other day, she was absolutely desperate and decided to utilize the "pay" toilets. She paid, walked in and turned around and walked out because the conditions were absolutely FILTHY. The smell within was overwhelming enough to have your bladder shut down and say "NO NO NO". Top that with squat style and you get the picture. She returned home and promptly threw the shoes she had on right into the trash. Do you get the picture?
So, I've seen it all. The majority of the toilets here are squat style toilets. Traveling through Xiamen and through the Hakka villages, only proved that ... Western style seated toilets are ... rare. Forget about the cool Japanese toilets with the fancy bidet built in that I found in Tokyo. NOT AVAILABLE.
People just urinate into a hole in the ground and don't clean. You can't imagine the smell and the overwhelming urge to throw up. On our way to the Hakka area, our tour guide stopped at a gas station and announced it was a "clean" toilet. If you don't already know, I have a major phobia about public toilets so, I don't do public toilets. Tony decided to go. He came out and announced that the smell of urine was stronger than ammonia. Don't these people know that they need to clean the area with CLEAN WATER and some disinfectant? Obviously not. They use the dirty water that's wiped everything in a ten mile area and then use the same water again. They don't boil the towels after they use it or bleach it at all. They just hang it to dry and wipe it around all over the place. I've even seen some mothers clean their kids mouths with the dirty towel. GROSS.
I've decided that if I decide to visit any rural area where the toilets will be an issue, I'm just going to start wearing the Depends undergarments. It's like reverting back to my infancy. Yeah, that's it. That ought to eliminate the issue of having to hold my bladder in for 12 straight hours like I did in Xiamen. I won't have to worry about whether my bladder will cooperate. I acknowledge that I'm not getting any younger and will openly admit that I will use a Depend if absolutely necessary when I'm traveling.So, my advice to you. If you plan to travel through any area where there are questionable toilets, consider using a Depend. I know that I sound like an infomercial. The Kimberly-Clark company should be thanking me for this endorsement.
