About those toilets..... ... - Thorn Tree travel forum

About those toilets.....

Replies: 106 - Last Post: 24-Sep-2005 11:11 Last Post By: loneeagle

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Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:48
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

About those toilets.....

How exactly are you supposed to use squat toilets? The tap, the little plastic jug....how's it all supposed to work? This is a serious question - please keep it clean!

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

1

Well, um.....
Basically, you do your best to create an impromptu bidet. Fill the jug with water, and use a combination of splashing and your hand (your LEFT hand) to wipe yourself clean. Then WASH your hands. Sounds a bit odd for those of us raised in the west, but the Indians can't believe that we consider using only paper as an effective way to get clean, and they probably have a point. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I guarantee you're gonna find yourself without paper sooner or later and have no choice. Enjoy. And don't offer to shake anyone's left hand.

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

2

but...
doesn't that leave you all wet?? That's the bit I don't get.

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

3

Wet indeed
Ann, Washing your ass rather than wiping it down does leave you a little damp. The trick would seem to be to keep the splashing down to a minimum and the gentle rubbing to as small an area as possible. The more natural posture of the squat and not standing to wipe seems to keep surrounding staining to a minimum. In warm hot India this isn't to bad and is often a good excuse for a quick shower. When the heat in on you will be surprised how many excuses for a quick sprinkle you will find. If you do cop a dose of the runs (increasingly rare as hygiene improves) you will find you ass a whole lot less sore with the little cup method than the paper method

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

4

The reason...
There's a reason why we Indians use water instead of toilet paper. The food we eat is so %^&^ing hot, paper catches fire.

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

5

wetness
Regarding the wetness, I carry a dishtowel around. Large enough to dry myself off, small enough to not take up much space. This is my solution for when I'm forced to use more public places. It's a lot easier if I'm in my own hotel (with or without my own WC). In those cases I might even take a complete wash. (takes some practice and experience to get the timing right).

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

6

indian toilets
i started washing up before i left for india. took a while, but then, it's just a mental block. after three months in india, i've quit being a wiper and switched to the washers camp!

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

7

Increasingly Rare?
Don't know where or when Yarra travelled in India, but iomproved hygiene or no, if you're there for any length of time you're gonna get a case or two of Delhi-Belly and some screaming runs. Nothing to ruin your trip, it's part of it all, but if you get through the sub-continent without intestinal trauma you're one for the books. And in reference to the post by 'deeps' (offered as a piss-taker I presume), there is some truth to the incidence of a pehnomenon known as 'chili-bottom' or 'ring-burn'. In layman's terms, be prepared that if it's hot going in, it can be just as hot going out....

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

8

Toilet
In three trips to India and Nepal I've carried Wash-up moist towelettes. They are a lot more compact than toilet-paper and were real handy for wiping off dust and sunsreen at the end of the day as well as wiping the tops of bottled water and my hands.On treks we bagged all paper until we could burn it. Namaste

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

9

Butt Care
Ann,this is how it's done. Put one foot on each of the pads on either side of the hole(or ditch). Squat and crap. Using your LEFT HAND, wet the hand with your water supply. This is so the crap doesn't stick to the hand. Wipe your anus clean with the wet fingers. Rinse off the feces from fingers with the water supply. This leaves you clean as paper at least and not wet like the timid splash method.

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

10

This is to much!
LOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!~!!!!!!!HA!HA! I AM REALLY SORRY I GOTTA STOP THE TEARS COMING DOWN

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

11

This is how Indians do it..
Hi Ann, Just wanted to reply after seeing Bill's response. We don't wet our fingers and do the deed with them. Take water in the mug, get your left hand near your anus, splash water from the mug in your right upwards towards your left hand. With practise, the water will hit at exactly the time when you're rubbing with your hand. (better still, start rubbing after the water hits.) The splash method will also do the trick, if the water supply is plentiful. You might not need to use your hand at all. Bill's method is rather extreme. Water gets you cleaner any day, and why bother using your hand when you can use Toilet paper for the same degree of cleanliness? Hope this helps

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

12

Advanced Wiping Techniques
Ravi, are you saying that rubbing with a handful of water is somehow more proper than using wet fingers? Is this not splitting hairs? Either way the hand is in contact with feces and the anus. I've tried both ways and have found I get a lot less wet and feel more comfortable with my method.

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

13

I had to...
Hi, I had to adopt when in India last year. I do it this way: fill the jug, bring it into position behind me, let some water flow down "my valley", wipe with the left hand, more water etc. This is very hygenical plus refreshing. And it would do a lot of good here in the West if people suffering from hemmoroids would use this method. I bought a few nice jugs in India (`ca. 10 Rs) and now I use them at here. One is my travel jug even and goes everywhere with me. Bon voyage!

Posted
16-Dec-2002 16:52
by: Ye Olde Thorn Tree

Posts: 45,919
Registered: 21/11/02

14

To each his own...
Hi Bill, You're right. Contact is inevitable. I try to minimize as much as possible, but to each his own in these manners. Whatever one can live with, I guess. I guess I've (and most other Indians have) tried most techniques, including that from Ella above. Again, whatever works..

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