While We're Discussing Fixtures...

Hannah and I have had two major bathroom adventures in the last few days.  While we've grown used to the ever-present bidets and added hand-held squirters that are in every bathroom in the country, we were both a little surprised to go to a restaurant serving Western food and find NO TOILET PAPER.  No toilet paper roller. No hand towels.  No tissue paper.  Nada.  Toilet + squirter + sink + soap.  The reason for visiting the ladies loo was not to be dismissed, so we had to deal with the situation head-on.  I won't go into details, but suffice to say it was awkward.

BUT

NOT

AS 

AWKWARD 

AS

THIS

also found in a very Western-style mall:

One of my friends, who is American but grew up in this region, calls this a squat pot.  I believe they are common in Asian countries, but I'm not sure.   It is made of porcelain, and you put one foot on each side of the opening, squat down, and do your business.  There was no clear bar or rope or any means of keeping your balance (the small while tube you see on the back right had to do with keeping the facilities clean). On the far left is on of the hand-held sprayers I mentioned above.

So we were in the mall, and Hannah declared that a potty trip was necessary.  I took her to the mall's restroom, and upon entering the stall, this is what we found.  She had to go RIGHT NOW, so we did not pause to wait for another stall to come open.  Instead, I just whispered the procedure in her ear, and she looked at me incredulously.  Even at home, we very very rarely stop for kids to pee on the side of the road.  Even on long road trips, they know to hold it until the next town.

So we attended to the task without further discussion. Of course, then I had to grab my new smart phone and take a picture, because I'm just tacky and adventurous enough to find it important.

We still don't know why there was a fresh green bean on the floor on the right...