Saturday, September 29, 2007

Necessary

Today I paid the equivalent of six cents each for the girls and I to use a public restroom. What I didn't realize until it was too late was that they were also selling toilet paper at the entrance to the restroom. Shame on me, I should have had my own anyway... most public bathrooms in China do not supply toilet paper. This one featured what are nicknamed "squatty potties" by Westerners, because although they flush like your typical toilet, they are flat to the ground, making balancing a small girl properly over the designated spot while still keeping her clothes dry quite a challenge. Some public restrooms will have western style toilets on one side, and the stalls on the other side will all be The Other Kind of Toilet. In my experience, public bathrooms here are not very pleasant (read: clean), unless they are in a nice hotel or restaurant.

At least the one we paid to use today had a stick of incense burning in the corner. I wonder who's idea that was?

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