Hope you know how to squat!!! - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Canadian Dude** · 08-20-2003, 05:57 PM

For those of you that will be making the trek to Europe, the middle east or Asia, at some point you will come across a hole in the floor that you will stare at with a very odd look on your face...it may look like this:

That boys and girls is where you will go to the bathroom..ya thats right #1 & #2 and the hole you will be throwning up in after a night of partying!!! ( Like me in France). Rest asured its not as easy as you think, you must have balance, aim, and no self respect becuase once you asume the position, its no holds barred...anyone standing outside that door will know what your up too in there.

I came across these "squaty" toilets in France, Italy and in Cuba, although they are not everywhere, they are not un common. My experience in Italy ended up costing me a very large sum of money to go to a fancey resturant to use their bathroom ( of course i had to be a customer)

after a VERY mortifying and tramatic event in a PUBLIC restroom

. Needless to say, the meal at the restaurant sucked, but the "North American" style toilets were worth every penny.

These toilet were the first toilets ever invented, which I have respect for, and some say that this is the way that people are "suppose" to be going to the bathroom, like the cave man, some say this is the reason for high cases fof colon cancer in western socities...but for me, I will take a high back toilet that goes BAAAWOOOSH over a squaty toilet any day of the week.

TUI · 08-21-2003, 09:32 AM

HAHA! I had my first squatting experience in Seoul Korea and it was almost a disaster! :P I will admit it was a bit fun at first but lost its flavor real quick! <_<

**voyd** · 08-21-2003, 12:28 PM

True, they say it's actually anatomically correct and healthier - I mean shyt, that's how you would do it in the woods naturally. I've used them - no huge deal.

**Diorama** · 08-21-2003, 03:06 PM

I squat all the time when i piss (besides at home). I aint' letting my beautiful ass touch the seat of a bacteria infested toilet seat. I'm the queen of pissing outside. anywhere, anytime..outhouses, squat toilets. don't bother me whatso ever. However when i take a shit I need to rest my cheeks! I feel for ya cd! I would friggin pay $20 to take a shit on a "normal" toilet. Especially when i travel because i always get upset stomachs and we er need to relieve myself. ..but anyhoo at least we get a workout when we relieve ourselves!

**Canadian Dude** · 08-21-2003, 03:29 PM

Ya see Dio, thats what I love about ya!!! Your all about the class!!!

TUI · 08-21-2003, 06:36 PM

DAYAMN DIO!!! I got a new respect for ya! :P

**voyd** · 08-22-2003, 05:42 AM

I've actually seen a woman pissing standing up though. Arced out about a foot or 2.

TUI · 08-22-2003, 06:55 AM

HAHAHA!! Voyd let me know what country you saw that in and I'll add to my list of places to see!

thats funny stuff

**llemus7** · 08-22-2003, 07:30 AM

what a discription of taking a squat dio. Hey if you have to go you have to go.

I personally have used them myself, and at first it looked weird, but ain't no little hole going to scare me from doing my job in the squat position!

**voyd** · 08-23-2003, 02:30 PM

TUI - USA.

But, there's more to that story that I prolly shouldn't go into here..

**Diorama** · 08-23-2003, 05:58 PM

geesh it's just piss and shit people! I very comfortable talking about relieving myself in front of people that i don't know. we all do it right?

and cd i am one classy girl don't cha worry about that!

butternut punkin · 08-24-2003, 12:30 AM

squat pots can also be found in Japan. Much to my embarraasment it was the only one available in the airport toilets and I had 4 layers of cloths on, a very nice japanese lady gave me a pamphlet on how to use it!

**travelpunk** · 08-24-2003, 05:02 AM

I laughed when I first saw one of those, but marveled at it´s simplicity. No frills there. Just do what you gotta do as long as it lands in the hole, it´s all good B) .

butternut punkin · 08-24-2003, 08:30 PM

I know in Bail and perhaps a lot of Indonesia they do not even have loo paper, they have a scoopy thing and water. Shaking hands or doing anything with the left hand is considered rude as that is the hand you wash with. :P More useless info for you!

ErinBC · 08-27-2003, 05:38 PM

Can you imagine me trying to get my toddlers to squat over thar?
We were on the freeway and Damian-who was 3 at the time, had to pee. He had no shoes on and refused to stand barefoot on the gravel. So there we are on the side of the freeway, with Damian standing on my feet while he peed.

Although, if we had one of those toilets, we wouldn't have toys stuck in them all the time

butternut punkin · 08-28-2003, 01:49 AM

Not nice if you have a case of Bali Belly and are slowly heaving yourself into a coma either!

**joanofarc** · 10-02-2003, 05:14 PM

yeah, i first encountered those toilets on my road trip across java and sumatra - and, sorry guys but i was with my grandma, ahahha - you all might kill me for this, but - okay - my grandma comes from this old generation, they don't really burp or fart aloud... so i had never heard a fart from my grandma... until we went to indonesia together, ahaha! that's all i'll say about those toilets!! and they stink - but, yes, they don't use toilet paper there in indo. - i'm guessing most of SEA too. butternut punkin is right, they just have these water buckets and the water they had for washing, well, all that i saw, was gross - i wouldn't have washed my hands with that let alone a mucus membrane. we had to buy some toilet tissue from the market there and carry it in our purses sans the cardboard tube. even though our hosts urged us not to put the paper down the hole - i said screw that - i'm surely not carrying around any shitty paper in my purse... and down it went.

**Mocassin** · 10-02-2003, 06:53 PM

Hahahah! First time I came across what we call a 'Turkish toilet', I was in a fancy restaurant and I had drunk a whole bottle of wine...Let me tell you I had trouble to pee right into the whole, since I had trouble just walking!!!! And I'm like the Queen of outdoors urination (worked in the forest for 4 summers). But I thought it was cleaner than normal toilets...

In Bulgaria and Greece, you always find a notice telling you NOT to throw your paper in the toilet, but to use the basket. Ewwww....Just imagine what it looks like when the basket is full of used toilet paper!!!! I was never able to do it and I cheated all the time and never used the basket...Sorry!

**Diorama** · 10-02-2003, 07:57 PM

Yeah in costa rica it;s like that too. yah can't throw the paper in the toilet. I got so used to doing that though! When I came home I actually kept throwing the toilet paper in the garbage wtf! it took me a month to readjust to the 'modern' toilets!

kerouacscabbie · 10-04-2003, 02:58 AM

what an insightful topic we have going here,

myself, i hate the fact that in most of europe you have to pay to use the WC (toilet). this seems a little insane to me and as a budget traveller i try to avoid it at all cost, if i have to take a leak, i find a tree. if i have to do the other i find the nicest hotel or restaurant, they are to high class to try and charge you.

i have also been grossly overcharged to use the toilet, in poland, i got confused about the conversion rate and paid like 1.50 USD, hence my reluctance to use them.

my theory is, if you can let your dog go in public why can't I.