What is living in Djibouti like? Here’s a slice of life.
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Last night Lucy tried to save me.
We had been out all afternoon and were heading to church. I needed to use the toilet.
This can be a challenge in the developing world. Where are the toilets? I could step behind the gas station. I could just pee on the sidewalk, no shame, like the men I see do this every day. If I needed to drop a number two, I could also do that right on the sidewalk. I could even do that while begging for money from people walking by.
Okay, maybe I couldn’t actually do those things but I have actually seen those things done, just not by women.
So, what to do? There are some pay-to-use toilets of which I am, um, wary. I’m kind of a toilet snob, I guess. I prefer clean, smell-free, bug-free, stain-free, private, and I like to be able to wash up after. What a diva.
Usually when caught in this rather awkward situation, I head for a hotel, preferably the Sheraton or the Kempinski. I said to my husband, who was driving, “Take me to the bathroom at the Kempinski, I’ll even get some nice lotion in there.” Lotion! I know, big time.
He didn’t want to drive that far (about 1.5 miles). So we headed straight to church.
Lucy said, “Mom, don’t worry. There’s no toilet paper but the bathrooms are really nice at church. They even have toilet seats.”
Toilet seats! Luxury.
Unfortunately, the fancy toilets with the seats but no paper were locked.
No problem, there is always a squatty potty somewhere nearby. I used the one in the back of the compound. The floor was wet, there was nowhere to set my bag, it stank like, well, you can imagine. But I had paper, we keep a roll in the car at all times, and I had running water.
Paper! Running water! These things, too, were luxurious. It is all relative.
LOL Looks pretty familiar 🙂 The country we’re in does have more places with “normal” toilets and facilities now, but we still come across the occasional hole-in-the-ground style — yours at least had a nice porcelain surround. We had friends visit once years ago and on a road trip we all had a good laugh when the only locked bathroom we encountered was the nastiest one: small hole in cement floor and that was it. We, too, never leave home without a roll!
Loved this. When I lived in China, I perfected the sport of “lobby hopping.” I know all the best (usually hotel) bathrooms in every district of Beijing!
Truth. So. Much. Truth. 🙂 this is also what life in Tanzania looks like!
What do you need paper for with that nice water spigot and bucket??
My worst was in an Albanian village when I was led to a “hole” in the ground a few feet from where the cow was tethered. Many people had obviously preceded me in that spot, so I knew I was in the right place.
Well…I question the water’s cleanliness, you know?! :O)
I don’t know which is more difficult, squatties that are flush to the tile floor, or those that are raised up a bit, which actually requires you to climb up onto them. I fell into a squattie like that once. I was thankful no locals were nearby to hear the words that spewed forth in the process.
No no! You fell in? How awful. I’m sure there were some choice (and appropriate) words!
While living in South Asia I developed the International Bathroom Rating Scale:
3 possible points for privacy
3 possible points for hygiene
3 points for style
and a bonus point to award at your discretion.
Half points are allowed.
This one looks like a 5, but I can’t smell it.
Even after living in DC for 5 years, I still get excited when I find a 10!
I LOVE this and might have to steal the idea. So great.
Rachel, I’m eyeballing the pipe as a possible handrail and giving the side-eye to that un identified bug on the wall.
I just have one word: GoGirl. Go ahead, Google it. 😉
Ah! Awesome. I did google it. Have you used it?!