How exactly are you supposed to use squat toilets? The
tap, the little plastic jug....how's it all supposed to
work?
This is a serious question - please keep it clean!
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Basically, you do your best to create an impromptu bidet.
Fill the jug with water, and use a combination of splashing
and your hand (your LEFT hand) to wipe yourself clean. Then
WASH your hands. Sounds a bit odd for those of us raised in
the west, but the Indians can't believe that we consider
using only paper as an effective way to get clean, and they
probably have a point. It takes a bit of getting used to,
but I guarantee you're gonna find yourself without paper
sooner or later and have no choice. Enjoy. And don't offer
to shake anyone's left hand.
doesn't that leave you all wet?? That's the bit I don't
get.
Ann,
Washing your ass rather than wiping it down does leave you a
little damp. The trick would seem to be to keep the
splashing down to a minimum and the gentle rubbing to as
small an area as possible. The more natural posture of the
squat and not standing to wipe seems to keep surrounding
staining to a minimum. In warm hot India this isn't to bad
and is often a good excuse for a quick shower. When the heat
in on you will be surprised how many excuses for a quick
sprinkle you will find.
If you do cop a dose of the runs (increasingly rare as
hygiene improves) you will find you ass a whole lot less
sore with the little cup method than the paper method
There's a reason why we Indians use water instead of toilet
paper. The food we eat is so %^&^ing hot, paper catches
fire.
Regarding the wetness, I carry a dishtowel around.
Large enough to dry myself off, small enough to not take up
much space.
This is my solution for when I'm forced to use more public
places. It's a lot easier if I'm in my own hotel (with or
without my own WC). In those cases I might even take a
complete wash. (takes some practice and experience to get
the timing right).
i started washing up before i left for india. took a while,
but then, it's just a mental block. after three months in
india, i've quit being a wiper and switched to the washers
camp!
Don't know where or when Yarra travelled in India, but
iomproved hygiene or no, if you're there for any length of
time you're gonna get a case or two of Delhi-Belly and some
screaming runs. Nothing to ruin your trip, it's part of it
all, but if you get through the sub-continent without
intestinal trauma you're one for the books. And in
reference to the post by 'deeps' (offered as a piss-taker I
presume), there is some truth to the incidence of
a pehnomenon known as 'chili-bottom' or 'ring-burn'. In
layman's terms, be prepared that if it's hot going in, it
can be just as hot going out....
In three trips to India and Nepal I've carried Wash-up moist
towelettes. They are a lot more compact than toilet-paper
and were real handy for wiping off dust and sunsreen at the
end of the day as well as wiping the tops of bottled water
and my hands.On treks we bagged all paper until we could
burn it. Namaste
Ann,this is how it's done. Put one foot on each of the pads
on either side of the hole(or ditch). Squat and crap. Using
your LEFT HAND, wet the hand with your water supply. This is
so the crap doesn't stick to the hand. Wipe your anus clean
with the wet fingers. Rinse off the feces from fingers with
the water supply. This leaves you clean as paper at least
and not wet like the timid splash method.
LOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!~!!!!!!!HA!HA!
I AM REALLY SORRY I GOTTA STOP THE TEARS COMING DOWN
Hi Ann,
Just wanted to reply after seeing Bill's response. We don't wet our fingers and do the deed with them. Take water in the mug, get your left hand near your anus, splash water from the mug in your right upwards towards your left hand. With practise, the water will hit at exactly the time when you're rubbing with your hand. (better still, start rubbing after the water hits.) The splash method will also do the trick, if the water supply is plentiful. You might not need to use your hand at all. Bill's method is rather extreme. Water gets you cleaner any day, and why bother using your hand when you can use Toilet paper for the same degree of cleanliness?
Hope this helps
Ravi, are you saying that rubbing with a handful of water is
somehow more proper than using wet fingers? Is this not
splitting hairs? Either way the hand is in contact with
feces and the anus. I've tried both ways and have found I
get a lot less wet and feel more comfortable with my method.
Hi, I had to adopt when in India last year. I do it this
way: fill the jug, bring it into position behind me, let
some water flow down "my valley", wipe with the left hand,
more water etc. This is very hygenical plus refreshing. And
it would do a lot of good here in the West if people
suffering from hemmoroids would use this method.
I bought a few nice jugs in India (`ca. 10 Rs) and now I use
them at here. One is my travel jug even and goes everywhere
with me. Bon voyage!
Hi Bill,
You're right. Contact is inevitable. I try to minimize as
much as possible, but to each his own in these manners.
Whatever one can live with, I guess. I guess I've (and most
other Indians have) tried most techniques, including that
from Ella above. Again, whatever works..
Q. What is the heaviest thing on earth?
A. Shit, because even I had to drop it.
on the same topic, i had to laugh in malaysia (where there
is both western style and squat toilets) when on a western
style toilet i saw footprints on the toilet seat!!
apparantly our western "style" isn't as obvious either as we
might think, so there are never any stupid questions -
interesting post ann, i must admit after 3 years in asia
thats one question i never asked anyone
Thanks Ann for asking this one. I am about to embark on my first backpacking trip and I have to confess that the toilets are the most worrying part. I too have been struggling with the exact method. thanks again.
I was just as confused as you, Ann, and frankly a little bit
horrified, before visiting my first non-toilet-paper-using
country. But I soon began to prefer water over paper,
especially after my first case of the runs (paper tends to
tear you apart with frequent use).
.
In addition to the excellent advise given in the previous
posts, you might want to consider practising squatting a few
weeks before you leave. This might sound like ridiculous
advice to an Indian, but as a Westerner, we do not find
ourselves (at least I don't) in the squat position very
frequently. I know that my leg and knee muscles needed a
lot of strengthening and stretching before this position
became comfortable. I started about a month before I left
for India squatting (while reading the paper or whatever)
for 5 minutes a day, finally graduating to 20. Trust me,
this will help as you're more than likely to suffer at least
one serious case of dysentery where you'll need that kind of
endurance.
I am an Indian - but have lived in England for most of my life. I go to India every year - I don't have family there and try to see a different part each time I go. I don't know where you people go but in all the years I have been travelling to India I have never ever ever had to use a jug of water! Toilet paper is readily available and whilst I admit, toilets are harder to come by, Iv'e always managed to find one before having an accident.
I guess we're going to be "real travellers" from now on -
now more toilet paper for us!!!!!!
I'm quite limber so squatting is not a problem but you might
want to get in shape.
I prefer the Indian squat toilets- I wish I had one at home.
Its better for elimination-much more natural position. At
home I have a pitcher and continue to use the water method.
Think about it:if you had shit on your face , would you wipe
it off or wash it off? Water feels cleaner, smells cleaner,
IS cleaner. Wash your hands thoproughly afterwards, but you
should be doing that anyway even with paper . I'll tell you
what is dirty, the doorhandle of any mens toilet- quick
survey of the men in my life points to the fact that men
arent so conscientious about washing hands after holding
their penis for a wee. Women arent much better , but as a
rule they dont touch themselves to aim properly. If you are
in India for any length of time,get in touch with yourself,
its better for the environment. Indias climate makes the
dampness unoticeable. Using water works in hot climates
better than winter in Montreal
Ella's post (#13) did a pretty good job at (delicately)
explaining the method that worked for me (while a student in
Nepal). I would add one more point, that seems obvious but
isn't necessarily: squat *all* the way down. When I
was growing up, my mother taught me to squat partially over
toilet seats in dirty public bathrooms, and it's far more of
a strain on the leg muscles (and you're a lot more likely to
miss and hit your clothes). After a couple of weeks in
Nepal, we would complain about dirty bathrooms equipped with
western-style toilets, because it's so much easier to squat
when provided with a standard squat toilet.
One other thing: although pitchers are provided by many
establishments in Nepal, for getting the water to flow
properly through the "valley," bottles or jugs work somewhat
better.
Incidentally - I've eaten at an Indian restaurant in the
U.S. where the bathrooms are equipped for guests (or staff?)
who prefer the water route to T.P. Since the jugs used for
that purpose are not sold in the U.S., they had equipped
each bathroom with a small watering can with most of the
pipe clipped off. I laughed when I saw it. My husband
(who's never been to South Asia) didn't even notice it.
For trekkers in Nepal, though, I highly recommend the water
route. To be a responsible TP user, you must *burn*, not
just bury, the paper. Just *try* burning used TP a few
times, and you'll see why I quickly learned to "clean with
water," as guidebooks so delicately put it. (Incidentally,
I think the L.P. guidebooks to those parts of the world
where this is an issue should provide explicit, even
illustrated instructions for this. LP Nepal recommends
"cleaning with water" in the section on trekking, but
nowhere did I find instructions...)
Anybody out there want useful suggestions to wipe ass.
Also I have Laser guided water squirting Rubber hands for
sale. Also I'll send detailed ass washing booklets any non
ass wasing people of da world. Especially Europeans,
Americans and the lot Of Pacific.
Also I'll show u how to use water first and pea later.
The few times I have had to use TP instead of water, I have
somehow felt very unclean and have invariably, on reaching
home, used water to do the needful. Tell me, how do you guys
use TP? Do you fold the paper many times before using it?
How are you sure it does a clean job?
First of all: Bill has got the right method!!!!
The biggest advantage is that you don't get wet all over.
I've been travelling in Asia for about three years. The hardest when going back to the west is the toilet paper. Our toilets are just not designed for squatting. I always tell people this: if you pick up a fresh pile of shit from the floor, squeeze it (like your anus does) and than wipe your fingers with some toilet paper, they are not clean at all. If, in stead, you use water to get your fingers clean............
I know it sounds all a bit over the top; talking about toilet habits, but soon you'll find out when travelling in India that it is one of the main topics of converstion between travellers (have you got the shits? how many times a day? Did it smell eggy? etc.)
I always carry a tiny little plastic box with a tiny bit of desinfecting soap in it to wash my hands afterwards. And squatting? Try to put your armpits OVER your knees and see, you can s(h)it for hours.
this is a true story:
the great mogul emperor akbar held a huge feast one
day. as the wine flowed and beauties danced, akbar
asked his adviser birbal a rhetorical question -- what
greater pleasure could there be?
without batting an eyelid, birbal replied, "shitting."
the king was upset and asked birbal to leave the room
immediately.
hurt, birbal decided to teach the king a lesson. he invited
akbar to a feast at his house the next day. birbal secretly
mixed a potent laxative in the king's drink. after some
time, the king rose, excusing himself. birbal signalled to
the king's favorite dancer to perform akbar's favorite
dance. the king was forced to sit down.
he rose again. birbal immediately ordered food to be served.
the king had to politely sit down again.
every time the king tried to excuse himself, birbal found
some excuse to keep him to his throne.
finally, the king dahsed out of the room.
he came back a little later, with a big smile on his face.
"birbal, you're right. there's no greater joy in life than
shitting!" and he honored birbal with pearls, diamonds and
other gifts.
shit away!!!!
delhiwallah.
swami satyananda of the bihar school of yoga, munger, bihar,
india, in his excellent book on yoga for digestive problems
talks extensively on the art of evacuation, which basically
involves consciously thinking about the process while doing
the job, squatting properly (it keeps the sigmoid colon in a
vertical position) and RELAXING. if you are tense or if you
strain, the sphinchter muscles contract and make evacation
more difficult.
on a related topic, naturopaths and yoga experts suggest
cleaning out the entire intestine by drinking up to 16
glasses of warm saline water and doing some very basic
exercises. in about two hours, the entire alimentary track
gets cleaned out and for the first time, the digestive
system gets a rest. it's called shankprakshalana (read about
it in bindu, the magazine of the scandinavian yoga and
meditation school --
www.scand-yoga.org/english/bindu/index.html). it does
miracles to your health and i can vouch for it after doing
it a couple of times.
this is a true story about mogul king akbar and his adviser
birbal.
akbar threw a lavish feast for his subjects and as the wine
flowed and women danced and everyone was having a great
time, akbar turned to birbal and asked a rhetorical
question: can there be any greater pleasure than this?
birbal replied: yes, shitting.
akbar was furious and threw him out.
birbal then decided to tell the king a lesson. he held a
huge banquet in honor of the king the next day. secretly, he
mixed a potent laxative in the king's drink. a little while
later, the laxative began to work and the king rose,
excusing himself.
birbal immediately signalled to the king's favorite dancer
to perform the king's favorite dance. akbar was forced to
sit and watch.
then he got up again. birbal signalled for food to be served
and the chief cook came before him and presented a lavish
display. akbar was forced to sit down.
each time akbar tried to get up, birbal would find some
excuse for force him to sit down.
the king could take it no more. he dashed out of the hall in
a tearing hurry. a little while later, he came back, all
smiles.
yes, birbal, you are correct, he said and rewarded birbal
with riches.
1)WELL!! all nature lovers give up the toilet paper ( Read
trees ... and money for those corporations that make the TP)
2)Use water !! its cleaner and cooler. Especially if u
happen to eat hot spicy food..ala form India.
3)Another word of advice for jugs in the USA use the brita
water filter.
On after thoughts disregard advice 3
this has been incredibly funny......
me being indian, grew up in india can't figure out the
above.......
rule number one was use TP(u cant touch that)
rule number two after that if you don't wash ull get hit on
your head(haven't u heard of hygeine?)
but then maybe it was just my eccentric upbringing.....
but people of the world this is the cleanest way.......
just a little question.What about under your finger nails i'm a bit worried about that little problem apart from that i'm right handed.
This has left me feeling more than a little anxious about my forthcoming trip in South East Asia and has left me two options on how to eliminate the squat & wipe problem.
a) Don't Eat.- This will not only ensure that I will never have to face the dreaded arse-wiping session but it will also result in me losing tons of weight thus looking slim and beautiful on my return to the U.K.
b) Fill my spare ruck-sack with tens of thousands of Johnson's baby wipes and sanitizer gel (like you get a rock concerts). This will not only make me the envy of fellow
previously paper using travellers but also will ensure that my bum is not only super clean but as smooth as a baby's bottom, banishing cellulite forever.
Bill, Ella and Ravi have aptly described the techniques.
But it is worth mentioning here that western toilets are
seldom used the way they are supposed to be in India.
Especially, if you are on a train (upper class or lower
class), it is always advisable to avoid using the western
toilets. The toilet seats are full of footmarks and what's
more, you'll generally find them wet. People do not bother
to lift them before pissing.
Another word of caution....there is toilet chain in India
called "Sulabh Sauchalaya" (hindi for "cheap toilet"),
which should be used whenever you feel like crapping. The
other ones are mostly ill kept and infected.
If you have one of those screaming runs, mix a packet of
"Electral" in 1 bottle of mineral water and sip throughout
the day. Also, if you are hungry, avoid having anything
other than "Idli" (a white cake made out of rice paste)
serverd with "white cocnut chutney". By the end of the day,
you'll feel much better.
If anyone of you want more info , you may write to me.
But...serious travellers please!
1. Claim: washing your ass is cleaner is than just wiping.
2. Indians do not eat with their left hand.
I would rather have clean hands and a wiped ass
than a clean ass and dirty hands. Wouldn't you?
These toilets require advance planning. Aalways remain
calm and survey the situation. First the floor is always
wet so look for a hook, some times the door latch will do,
to hang the things you are carrying on. Dress for success:
avoid anything that can't be easily kept of the floor while
squatting. Fill the dipper first! Squat and go. Use the
splash and pour technigue. Air dry. I always carry little
packages of tissue, because sometimes, this just does't
work. Cheating I know, but I really don't feel the need to
experience just everything. I might add, that for a woman
these toilets are really better. Public toilets are rarely
clean and we all use some type of squatting technique, and
with a little practice squat toilets are really easy.
Get the book "Going Abroad" by Eva Newman. It explains
everything necessary for going to the bathroom abroad. It's
available on amazon.com about US$10.00
and YES washing is more hygenic than smearing it with paper!
I like Ella's method and, tho I'm a guy, I use the "valley"
method. When traveling I always take some water container
into the "john" with me, even an empty beer can, since if I
find running water there, I can fill it with water and
then, using one hand to hold it and slowly pour the water
down my back, I splash or do controlled wiping with the
other until I've poured all the water I need over my anus.
Those who travel in East- and South-east Asia will find the
same thing mentioned for India: footmarks and wet toilet
seats among the pedestal toilets where they're found.
There is no doubt for me that the 'Eastern' squat toilet is
cleaner and more hygienic in the East than any Western style
one will find outside the 'high class' tourist hotels. Used
to be the style in France as well 50 years ago.
I do have a question about the Ecuadorian convention of
putting used toilet paper in a container in the room rather
than flushing it down the toilet:- Why did this become the
method and is there any good reason why it continues?
I spent six weeks in India last year, intending to avoid
squat toilets completely if possible (it's not). I was
finally forced to relent in Fatehpur Sikra, when a combo of
Delhi Belly and no Western commodes made a squat
inevitable. I learned the hard way that it is best to do a
FULL SQUAT and not the partial squat we Western women use
in public toilets. A full squat ensures that your... ah,
aim... is accurate when those explosive loose bowel
movements take control. The little pitcher provided is
great for washing your behind, but completely inadequate
when you have to wash down the area surrounding the
toilet...
The reason the paper gets put in a bin is because the plumbing/toilets aren't designed to flush toilet paper (really!) and will back up if you do. There are many countries that have this custom. Better in the bin than an overflowing toilet, right...? :-)
Oh, in Brasil most toilets (in private houses and even inexpensive hostels) have a small "shower head" mounted on a flexible hose right beside the toilet. Guess what it's used for... Very effective, sanitary and you can use the paper afterwards to dry! :-)
Ladies, how do you avoid peeing on your pulled-down pants
and undies when you're squating????
Being a basically pragmatic individual, and we are dealing
with a very basic issue.. Let's try an experiment:
Stage one
1. Go (you know what I mean)
2. Wipe with TP
3. Wipe with wet paper towel
4. Look at paper towel
Stage two
1. Go (if you have anything left, or wait a bit)
2. Wipe with wet paper towel
3. Wipe with TP
4. Look at TP
Difference is obvious. Right?
If you have difficulty with the management of free water for
washing, get a "handle" on it. Wet paper towel, or as was
suggested already, Baby wipes. But not those lemon-scented
handi-wipe things. Ooooh, sting!!!
All methods aside, if there is an attendant waiting to wipe
you, it makes it REALLY hard to do anything! How do you
dismiss someone when you know you are taking away their rice
bowl?
In response to Bea's question:
In order not to pee on your clothes, pull down your pants
and undies below your knees, squat down as low as you can,
then grab your pants and undies with one hand and pull them
forward, away from your butt. This always work for me!
Squatting is a hard task for me, especially after hip replacements left me with little capability to squat with ease.
As far as washing goes, one little method I have resembles a portable bidet. You know the drink bottles that cyclists and runners have? When filled, a well aimed squeeze will place a nice little jet of water to the right spot, without the need for splashing etc. This is especially helpful to those who cant squat very well. I also carry a little pack of Wet Ones (with aloe vera) for the times when the burning ring of fire becomes too much to bear. Very soothing indeed and much better than harsh paper:)
I was completely fascinated by the wide kind and variety
of toilet facilities in Japan, most of which were made by
Toto. I pooped in everything from a wooden outhouse to
reeking public toilets, to restrooms in private homes that
were so clean you could have performed brain surgery in them!
Here are a few bits to amuse you: Western toilets are
often found in the disabled stall. Women (at least) form
individual queues in front of each toilet stall, instead of a
single line waiting for the first open stall. If there are a
pair of slippers inside the bathroom, use them. They are
there to keep contamination down by isolating your feet from
the floor. Leave them just inside the bathroom when you're
done.
downright fascinating!!!
and right, Thor about those little showers beside the potty.
noticed some in hotels here in india, and in thailand, nepal
and sri lanka too. extremely useful for western people who
favour the water method. great fun for us injuns!!
i was (seriously) chatting with my friends on this topic.
one of them had two very interesting pointers :
1. one can comfortably squat on western style potties (with
the rim-lid down). sounds unbelievable, precarious ?... but
true! after my friend admitted he does, i admitted i do
too!! squatting simply gives us a better crap. and both of
us wash with water sitting there...it's actually
simple...with practice, of course.
2. about the use of the hands, he said (a slightly yucky
example some of us howled) "it's like we eat with our
fingers...just practise! most westerners can't use their
fingers to eat like us because they don't know how to use
their thumb as the "shovel", but they practise and they
learn in no time. it's the same with using the left hand for
cleaning and the right hand for pouring water continuously
at the same time". maybe he had a point.
but all of us, used to travelling here and abroad reasonably
frequently, agreed that
> the squat helps for better and complete evacuation.
> do both from the front - pouring water with right and
wiping with the left, hand between the legs. that's the
easiest method.
> water is cleaner than toilet paper. either way one should
wash hands very very thoroughly afterwards.
but then again, my brother who lives in the west always
used/uses toilet paper, even when in india. and some friends
admitted that when they went abroad they dampened toilet
paper because they didn't feel 'clean' enough without the
water wash.
but as many have pointed out - each to his/her own.
here's an answer for Bea (41), passed on from a freind
living in Malaysia:
1- wear LOOSE pants (so you can get you shoe/sandle clad
foot through the leg hole)
2- remove ONE leg and whip ya trou' upto you other knee to
get it 'clear of the drop zone'
3- do the business, either holding ya pants clear or using
a clever twist n tuck to defy gravity (caution: don't let
go afterwards!!!!!)
Note: may require a level of cunning dexterity when trying
to pour and wipe afterwards, but it worked for me as an
alternative to leaving a wee deposit it my boxers!!!!
PS: in a particularly bad case of ring-sting you may wish
to clamp the twisted clothes between you teeth - it mutes
the groans of pain (and stops you swallowing your tongue
etc.....)
Enjoy ;-)
if you have the runs your body is not digesting properly
and that spicy curry is just as spicy on the backside.
cream helps......
Why are we discussing so much on paper vs water ?
At least in India toilet paper is available almost
everywhere including even small towns /places.
You have the choice....
cheers
Westerners are generally not as lithe as Asians, and many
find it difficult to squat for extended periods of time.
We, too, thought that squatting was a pain in the ass,
until we discovered this simple but effective technique:
Just place your feet so that you toes are lower than your
heels. It makes all the difference.
When shitting outside, find a gentle slope to do the
business on. When shitting inside, use the raised footpads
in some toilets or bring in a couple of stones and put them
under your heels. Don't take our word for it folks, try it
yourselves! You'll be able to shit for hours and hours.
I discovered how not to pee on your pants when squatting.
1) Let your pants down only halfway, so that the seat of your
pants is ABOVE your knees. 2)Squat so that your crotch is
below your pants. 3)lean forward, so that your chest rests on
your knees, and you pee more down than forward. You may also
wish to hike up the cuffs of your pants a bit before
squatting. If you pull up over your knees and keep your
hands on your knees as you squat, the bend in your leg will
keep your pant legs hiked a bit.
This sounds complex, but is simple in practice. Try a
few practice sessions before you travel.
I have some 3.5 inch by 5 inch ziplock baggies.
Into each I have placed 10 feet of Charmen rolled on a hair
brush handle and a latex rubber glove. Small compact. Ready
for anything. Planing 1.5 kits for each day of travel.
toilet museum
http://www.sulabhtoiletmuseum.org/
I hear that the toilets in Tibet are in a class of their
own! Anyone out there with any experience and advice?
Well, I can go either way, but in India I always know where
my day's stash of TP is. And also which brand currently
gives more than five feet per roll! I can't help thinking
that the enormous prevalence of intestinal diseases and
emaciated people in India has something to do with the
'fingernails' problem.
But, to the ladies above who say they learned to sort of
half-squat or hover over toilets in the west, I want to ask
why you people don't put the seat up like any decent man?
Instead you sprinkle the seat for those of us who aren't so
paranoid and know you can't get diseases from toilet seats.
And they wouldn't ever be dirty if people like you would
just sit down!
O.K. Here are my experiences on 20 years in Asian toilets.As
a water container I prefer the Sri Lankan toiletbowl instead
of the Indian waterjug. The bowl is round and easier to use
for splashing the water with your left hand, the right hand
keeping the bowl under your ass. This is not so easy sitting
on a western toiletseat, but in most toilets you can splash
next to the toilet, there is a waterevacuation hole in the
floor of the toiletroom.
Sqatting on an eastern toiletstone makes the use of water
more easy, you can also use the jug holding it at your back
if you bend a bit forewards while cleaning.
The best are the Japanese style sprinklers (showers) on any
kind of toilet. You can even regulate the strength of the
water jet.
I thought the jug was meant to throw water down the hole
after instead of a flush system - I didn't realise it was
meant to use on yourself! I think you will find a lot of
the time that is what it's there for and they have a basin
else where to wash your hands.