If you cling to Victorian sensibilities and believe some things just should not be talked about, I would recommend that you don’t read this post. Despite my worry that it might offend some, I decided that some might appreciate a more complete view of my experience on this trip. This post is therefore about toilet facilities.
I can only speak from my own experience on this issue, so this post is from the my perspective as a woman. I have no insight into men’s facilities.
Our bathroom on the Insignia meets all of my Western expectations. It is cleaned twice a day, provided with great lotion and all the toiletries. Some complain that it is a bit small, but I quite like it. This is one of the good aspects of cruise travel. You get to go back each night to a known situation, a very comfortable one.
The challenge is when we go off the ship to tour. I won’t spend time in this post documenting lack of cleanliness. That exists for sure, but mostly there have been facilities that locals tried to keep up as best they could for tourists.
While I didn’t know exactly what to expect, I would have been better prepared for what I’ve found if I had read this article titled What Bathrooms Look Like Around the World first. I provides a great overview to what I’ve found on this trip.
My first piece of advice to would-be-women world travelers is to keep up on your squat exercises. This is a picture of a typical public toilet found in many areas of the Middle East and Asia. Sometimes there are alternatives. In those places, you can find long queues for the western style toilets, but can breeze right through if you are willing to use the squat toilet. Other times, it the only alternative.
Another feature of many locations is the inclusion of a bidet spray in the toilet. In many places one is expected to use this in lieu of toilet tissue (which is often not provided). In this case, both were provided.
Overall, so far, my experience has not been too bad in these practical matters. I have yet to arrive in Japan, where I understand toilets have been elevated to an art form. Advice: be prepared and you will be able to navigate it, at least most times.
Hi Cathy
You are very brave. Great article accompanying your post. And one of your photos reminded me of Pamplona, Spain, where I once attended the “running of the bulls.” I camped out with some unknown people in some sort of stadium one night (I might have been over-served, I was still college age) and the next morning the only relief stations were holes with two places for one’s feet. Open air above. Unforgettable for an innocent child of the West. Nice breeze, though. L, JV
Laughingly, I enjoyed this entry. In the 90s when I was in Paris in a restaurant along the Champs Élysées, believe it or not, I had to use one of those squat toilets. In other places, they did not surprise me, but in Paris, I was surprised.