Heather in Neverland Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Since someone asked about the hand bedets in Malaysia: First, if you didn't already know, the public bathrooms here do NOT have toilet paper...at all. Instead they have "hand bedets" which is basically a handheld shower head that you are supposed to use to wash your "private area" after you use the toilet. Then I guess you just drip dry? The other problem, of course, is that water (and other things I don't want to think about) sprays everywhere. So our pastor's wife needed to use the bathroom at a restaurant but she was not about to SIT on the toilet seat as it was wet and disgusting. So she did what most women do in that situation...she "hovered". Well, unfortunately, she lost her balance, fell against the stall wall, her purse strap got tangled with the hand bedet and water started shooting upwards EVERYWHERE. It soaked her AND the lady in the next stall who started screaming and ran out. :lol::lol::lol: So yeah, I carry toilet paper in my purse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Okay, I really got used to the bedets and wondered why we couldn't import them to America. I never used one that was like the one you describe, thought. It was an adjustable, gentle stream of water. I loved them and wish we had them. I even have considered installing one if we ever build a house. Now, I'll admit that a public bedet sounds gross and drip dry sounds inconvenient so I don't blame you there. Still, I would love to have one in my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 LOL! Yes, definitely carry toilet paper! In the Philippines you have to pay an attendant if you want toilet paper. I don't know about Malaysia but I know that in Tunisia and perhaps some other countries, you wipe only with your left hand. It is considered very rude to use your left hand to eat with etc. I don't know how lefties survive there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Oh my! I started laughing so hard about that poor woman in the next stall that DH declared that I had lost it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted August 2, 2009 Author Share Posted August 2, 2009 Oh my! I started laughing so hard about that poor woman in the next stall that DH declared that I had lost it. Combine a hand bedet with a "squat pot" and you have something even funnier! I am supposed to squat over a hole in the floor to do my business? I am way too prissy to do that. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 You are way more adventurous than I ever could be. I can't imagine surviving there for a week, let alone two years. DH would be all for it...in fact, he'd love it if you needed a IT person or even computer teacher. The kids and I probably wouldn't make it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pqr Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Combine a hand bedet with a "squat pot" and you have something even funnier! I am supposed to squat over a hole in the floor to do my business? I am way too prissy to do that. :D Without getting too graphic. Buy yourself one of those small folding aluminum and fabric stools, cut a large hole in the center and stitch the remaining fabric. Carry this in your car, it makes a perfectly good ersatz toilet when you need to use the Asian toilets. Simply set it up over the hole and..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 LOL! Yes, definitely carry toilet paper! In the Philippines you have to pay an attendant if you want toilet paper. I don't know about Malaysia but I know that in Tunisia and perhaps some other countries, you wipe only with your left hand. It is considered very rude to use your left hand to eat with etc. I don't know how lefties survive there. Most of us Lefties are fairly ambidextrous. The main concern is when it comes to writing...that has to be done left handed. And for some, using scissors (I'm blessed in that I have to use my right hand for that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 I am supposed to squat over a hole in the floor to do my business? I am way too prissy to do that. :D Well, *ahem*, if you think about it, it could actually be healthier for your digestive system!:D Between this and the traffic, it sounds like you are in the thick of culture shock. Yep, you'll adapt after awhile, when you start figuring out how locals do things and why they do them the way they do and accepting the practices. (while keeping yourself clean and safe, ha ha!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Christmas is coming and for care packages from the states, I would ask for toilet paper and those lil wet wipes that you can carry in your purse. I would be coming home by now. Traffic and potties, that would be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 I think you mean "bidet." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 I think you mean "bidet."I'm the spelling culprit, here. :blush: I take full credit for starting this misspelling! Regarding the hand bidets: The thing I cannot stand is the fact that they are always lying on the floor in lots of liquid mess. If they are hung up, it's hard to imagine they weren't lying on the floor previously. I'm sorry, but I don't see how public hand bidets could possibly be sanitary. :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christy B Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 I think you mean "bidet." Yes, a bidet. Now the thread makes much more sense. Hey, I grew up going fishing in the mountains. We always carried our own toilet paper. In a pinch, a splash of Sundrop soda if, well, you know. Yup, squatting behind the biggest evergreen we could find, trying to avoid the poison ivy, keeping an eye out for adventurous wildlife, and wiping with a paper towel you found under the seat of the pickup. Malaysia's got nothing on the Blue Ridge Mountains. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 I understandi that they're not universal though. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in OH Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 I don't know about Malaysia but I know that in Tunisia and perhaps some other countries, you wipe only with your left hand. It is considered very rude to use your left hand to eat with etc. I don't know how lefties survive there. Wow. I would really be in trouble there. I eat left handed. I *can* manage with my right, but it's awfully wobbly. It makes my six year old look graceful. And TMI I can only wipe with my right hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaMamaMama!! Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 That was soooo funny.... I cant imagine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Personally I find that for kids, a squat toilet is MUCH easier than a big adult sized one. One size fits all. I don't mind them. :) Good luck with the culture shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Heather, I'll leave the adventurin' to you! I like potties. Real potties. And I like orderly traffic too! You'll get used to it though, I'm sure! Thanks for the great laugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 OK, I got way too curious about this topic, so I Googled. I found step by step instructions for the proper use of a bidet, as well as the warning: *Do not drink water from a bidet*. There, just so everyone knows. :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy2BeautifulGirls Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 OK, I got way too curious about this topic, so I Googled. I found step by step instructions for the proper use of a bidet, as well as the warning: *Do not drink water from a bidet*. There, just so everyone knows. :ack2: Darn it! That was going to be the first thing I did! :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Just so you know, there are bidets and then there are hand bidets. A normal bidet is a regular toilet with a water squirt function (either attached or to the side). The Japanese have perfected this to an art object. Their toilets need instruction manuals so that you know which button is the seat warmer, which is the normal spray, which is "turbo!" and which is the warm air blow dryer. A hand bidet is basically a hose attached to a little faucet that has a shower sprayer on the end. Definitely not as fancy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 I think you mean "bidet." Thank you for the important correction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 The Indians here do only eat with their right hand. I have not noticed it as much with the other groups. You also conduct business with only your right hand (give/accept money or business cards, etc.). The folding cloth chair with a hole in it is a GREAT idea! And I am going to have wet wipes and tissue wherever we go. The toilet thing is more funny than shocking but the traffic? That is just ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I was using a Asian toilet when I was 9 months pregnant with first dd. I gained 75 pounds with her and found that I could not get up from the squatting position without falling over or touching some questionable areas so I yelled for my hubby to come and help me. Of course, he thought something was wrong so he came barreling into the ladies restroom which caused a bit of a rucus but when the ladies figured out what the problem was they were quite amused. And then there was the jeep-ney ride down the mountain with no more than two wheels actually attached to the ground at any given time complete with swerving, honking, yelling, chickens hawking, people handing out the windows and so on. Good times, I tell ya. It was much easier to make the cultural adjustment to Germany. A home bidet is one of the great inventions in life. If you turn around and sit on it backwards it can be incredibly soothing for bladder infections or other feminine discomforts. Plus the kids think it is just the best play fountain ever. Had to make sure I kept that scrumptuously clean. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 (edited) Thank you for the important correction. Well, bless your heart! You're welcome. :D Edited August 3, 2009 by Audrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: OMG... that deserves the missionary award! Our group gives it out to those who brave the grossest or not-the-greatest overseas bathroom. Yikes. (Thanks for the tip... I will carry TP when I travel overseas.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 Well, bless your heart! You're welcome. :D Awww, You are TOO kind. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: OMG... that deserves the missionary award! Our group gives it out to those who brave the grossest or not-the-greatest overseas bathroom. Yikes. (Thanks for the tip... I will carry TP when I travel overseas.) Wait til I tell my pastor's wife that. She will LOVE it!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgilli3 Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 When we 1st moved over here, DH had a rather unfortunate incident with the toilets here. He was visiting a museum/heritage site, and needed to use the bathroom. Now back in Oz, most male public toilets have a trough (sp?) area where you urinate, and then the toilets are for #2's ( or for those that like their privacy). DH walked in the loos, and proceeded to urinate in one of the smaller, lower than usual basins. It was only when another man entered the toilet and started yelling at DH, that poor DH realised he was weeing in the HAND BASIN!!!! :lol: He left pretty quickly, after apologizing profusely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 When we 1st moved over here, DH had a rather unfortunate incident with the toilets here. He was visiting a museum/heritage site, and needed to use the bathroom. Now back in Oz, most male public toilets have a trough (sp?) area where you urinate, and then the toilets are for #2's ( or for those that like their privacy). DH walked in the loos, and proceeded to urinate in one of the smaller, lower than usual basins. It was only when another man entered the toilet and started yelling at DH, that poor DH realised he was weeing in the HAND BASIN!!!! :lol: He left pretty quickly, after apologizing profusely! :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camibami Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I love squatty potties, as we call them! They are getting harder to find in Korea.:glare: I think they are far more sanitary, myself. Nothing touches ANYTHING, even the flush is on the floor. Its easier to squat than hover high above a western style toilet, and who wants to sit on one of those?? My girls are pros at the squatty potty and prefer them, too. We carry our own paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 ROFL, oh Heather! You're just a trooper! We moved into a new home just before Christmas and *ahem, please use a fawncy shmawncy accent here* across from the grand 2-person jacuzzi is a wonderful porcelain and brass bidet, featuring triple speeds and custom temperature settings... *end accent* :001_huh: ummm... I detest that thing. It sits there, covered in dust, completely forlorn and neglected. I want it gone. I mean, that's just too personal to be sitting out there in the open like that. Can you imagine giving Uncle Fred a tour of the new house? "oh, and here's my giant douche!" nuh-uh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 Can you imagine giving Uncle Fred a tour of the new house? "oh, and here's my giant douche!" nuh-uh. OK, seriously, my Diet Coke almost came out my nose when I read that! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 I love squatty potties, as we call them! They are getting harder to find in Korea.:glare: I think they are far more sanitary, myself. Nothing touches ANYTHING, even the flush is on the floor. Its easier to squat than hover high above a western style toilet, and who wants to sit on one of those?? My girls are pros at the squatty potty and prefer them, too. We carry our own paper. OK, here is a practical question for you. So you are in the restroom to use the squat pot. Now you have to get pretty low to the floor in order to ...umm...aim correctly. How do you do that without getting your pants dirty on the floor? Do you roll them up to your knees first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElaineJ Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 We have the same kind of toilets here, and I think the key is to squat correctly, i.e. flat footed as opposed to on your tiptoes. Then if you just sort of pull your pants out toward the front of you while you "go", you'll be fine. At least, that is what works for me. Good luck and enjoy your new adventure! Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 OK, here is a practical question for you. So you are in the restroom to use the squat pot. Now you have to get pretty low to the floor in order to ...umm...aim correctly. How do you do that without getting your pants dirty on the floor? Do you roll them up to your knees first? The problem my boys had was that their trousers were not wide enough for them to be able to crunch them down and also place a foot on each pedestal, so I did a lot of trouser holding when they were small. The alternative is for the adult to squat, holding the child with its back against their chest, with hands under the knees and bottom aimed at trough. I never had good enough balance for that one. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I have my kids take off their pants. But that applies no matter what the toilet sort. It's too hard for kids to spread one's legs on a seated toilet, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 For this most entertaining thread. I almost fell off my chair I was laughing so hard. ... makes me glad I live in the USA. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Can you imagine giving Uncle Fred a tour of the new house? "oh, and here's my giant douche!" nuh-uh. OK, I'm not even exaggerating when I say I nearly fell off the couch laughing when I read this :lol::lol::lol: I was trying so hard to stay away from this thread, because, well, you know...ugh! But that was the best laugh I've had all week! Now I have a question. Are you not SUPPOSED to use TP in the restrooms? Is that why there's none there? I remember when we were on our honeymoon in Greece (on Santorini and Mykonos), there were signs in all the bathrooms that said that we weren't allowed to throw TP in the toilet, it had to go in the garbage cans. Apparently the plumbing infrastructure was so old as to not be able to handle toilet paper :confused: That was disconcerting, to say the least. So I'm wondering if carrying your own TP might be some kind of other problem. However, given the situation, it's possible that you simply do not care if that's the issue... :lol: Heather, you are indeed a trooper. This whole thing would bother me far, far more than the traffic, I must say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 OMG! Yeah...and put a 24 pack of tp in your car too! Geez. That would be awful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 It is *amazing* to me to hear stories about the experiences in other countries. As someone who has never been outside the USA, it is almost fascinating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 And TMI I can only wipe with my right hand. Me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Without getting too graphic. Buy yourself one of those small folding aluminum and fabric stools, cut a large hole in the center and stitch the remaining fabric. Carry this in your car, it makes a perfectly good ersatz toilet when you need to use the Asian toilets. Simply set it up over the hole and..... How ingenious! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Their toilets need instruction manuals so that you know which button is the seat warmer, which is the normal spray, which is "turbo!" and which is the warm air blow dryer. "Turbo" you say? Now it's getting interesting...And seat warmers sound good for cold winter nights....:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camibami Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 You definitely need to squat "Asian style" to use a squatty potty- too unstable otherwise! Usually my pants (TMI alert!) are bunched below my knees, and above my ankles, and I haven't had any "incidents". All the weird buttons on the regular toilets are too scary, too! Some play music, some spray water of differing temps, just too overwhelming for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Lol. I have been to India several times and they actually ask you not to use tp where I have stayed, because their pipes are too narrow and they get blocked easily. The toilets where I have stayed are always a nice ceramic hole . They would come and clean them every day though. Easy to clean because you could just throw a bucket of water and give it a quick swish. The airport was worse than where I stayed- it stank. I dont mind squatting and have flexible hips. I think its a healthy pose to do your business :) They didnt have bidets. They had a plastic jug and a tap. You know, Indians told me that they thought toilet paper seemed terribly unhygeinic to them. I guess it's what you are used to. THe other thing I got used to and ended up enjoying were bucket baths. I stayed in fairly cheap accomodation and instead of showers you would get a nappy bucket sized bucket, a plastic jug, and hopefully hot water. I was in the north in winter- very cold. But its amazing, you can acutally wash your hair and get a really decent wash with just a bucket of water. It showed me how much water wastage there is in the West. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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