November 26, 2018
Let’s talk about toilets.
I rode up on the Cambodian Post Van (yes, that’s right the mail truck) to Siem Reap. The ride is always love, smooth, fast and only legit stops—none of this stopping so the driver can buy some meat that is hanging on a hook at the road side meat stand. Anyway, back to the toilets.
Toilets in Cambodia come in many shapes and sizes. You have the classic “squat urinal” and the porcelain throne - some with a seat, some without. With all those options you never really know what you will get, but you can almost always guarantee that you will need to bring your own tp (that’s toilet paper for you Aussies). I always travel with a lovely packet of pocket tissues in my backpack—never leave home without them! So the threat of no tissues at a toilet place isn’t to big. My motto with tp is if you see a trash can, use it. I don’t mind “squat urinals”, I call them that because they look like a urinal that is laid facing up and cemented into the ground waiting for you to squat over it. In Tchad I got quite used to squat toilets, they offer better gravity assistance if you know what I mean. . .
A good toilet stop here will have a functioning lock, a good source of water, a clean seat or clean place to put your feet, running water to wash hands with soap (but if not —never leave home without the hand sanitizer and now that I mention it you probably should just use it anyway after you wash your hands).
The toilet in question had all the classic things, lock, running water, seat etc. Only it had extra things— a giant puddle of water around the toilet, side note never put ANYTHING on the floor around the toilet. That put me on high alert but when ya gotta pee ya gotta pee. I didn’t know how much longer till our big stop and didn’t want to risk it. I entered cautiously and as I used the toilet with my feet lightly touching the water, I felt a drip, drip, drip from above. I looked up and only saw the lights and a gross old fly catcher. Then I realised there was water dripping in from the rain into my bathroom stall. Yikes. I had to shimmy over to the side to finish my business. Thank goodness I wasn’t wearing my overalls!! Gross, those are tricky to wear while trailing in Cambodia. I did my thang and skidadled out of there with a spritz of hand sanitizer for good luck and good riddance.
And now you have a better picture of a toilet stop.
You are welcome.
Enjoy sitting on your toilet tonight and flush some 16 ply toilet paper for me please.
Boy do I miss that stuff.
I rode up on the Cambodian Post Van (yes, that’s right the mail truck) to Siem Reap. The ride is always love, smooth, fast and only legit stops—none of this stopping so the driver can buy some meat that is hanging on a hook at the road side meat stand. Anyway, back to the toilets.
Toilets in Cambodia come in many shapes and sizes. You have the classic “squat urinal” and the porcelain throne - some with a seat, some without. With all those options you never really know what you will get, but you can almost always guarantee that you will need to bring your own tp (that’s toilet paper for you Aussies). I always travel with a lovely packet of pocket tissues in my backpack—never leave home without them! So the threat of no tissues at a toilet place isn’t to big. My motto with tp is if you see a trash can, use it. I don’t mind “squat urinals”, I call them that because they look like a urinal that is laid facing up and cemented into the ground waiting for you to squat over it. In Tchad I got quite used to squat toilets, they offer better gravity assistance if you know what I mean. . .
A good toilet stop here will have a functioning lock, a good source of water, a clean seat or clean place to put your feet, running water to wash hands with soap (but if not —never leave home without the hand sanitizer and now that I mention it you probably should just use it anyway after you wash your hands).
The toilet in question had all the classic things, lock, running water, seat etc. Only it had extra things— a giant puddle of water around the toilet, side note never put ANYTHING on the floor around the toilet. That put me on high alert but when ya gotta pee ya gotta pee. I didn’t know how much longer till our big stop and didn’t want to risk it. I entered cautiously and as I used the toilet with my feet lightly touching the water, I felt a drip, drip, drip from above. I looked up and only saw the lights and a gross old fly catcher. Then I realised there was water dripping in from the rain into my bathroom stall. Yikes. I had to shimmy over to the side to finish my business. Thank goodness I wasn’t wearing my overalls!! Gross, those are tricky to wear while trailing in Cambodia. I did my thang and skidadled out of there with a spritz of hand sanitizer for good luck and good riddance.
And now you have a better picture of a toilet stop.
You are welcome.
Enjoy sitting on your toilet tonight and flush some 16 ply toilet paper for me please.
Boy do I miss that stuff.
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