I am about to head off to Varanasi for a week of research with an NGO, but before I go, I thought I should post a little something.
If you know me, you know that bathrooms are very important to me. I judge places by their bathrooms.
Before coming to India I was very nervous about the idea of using an "Eastern Latrine." But now, I much prefer the Eastern toilet to the Western, and will even wait in line to use the Eastern before using the Western. The eastern is so much more hygienic!
Here are some pics of the restroom facilities I've been using and also a wonderful little video tutorial.
This is the bathroom at my home here in New Delhi. It is very nice. I can flush the toilet paper (which we keep on the counter because there is no paper holder), we have a working shower (no bucket showers for us), and the hot water geyser (which you can see in the corner of the mirror) heats up within 20 minutes.
If you notice though, there is no shower curtain. This is not unusual. In India, there are drains in the floor, and because I live in a posh place, there is a floor squeegee that we use to remove the water.
Also take note of the little hose next to the toilet. That will be explained below.
This is a medium quality Eastern style restroom at a market here in Delhi. There is a trashcan for toilet paper or other papery products; there is a flush button and running water to fill the mug (the pink thing to the right).
Here is the most Indian toilet ever. This is the toilet on the train!
See that hole? Well that hole is directly open to the tracks down below (it was night when I took the picture so you can't see the tracks). There are directions to not use it while the train is stopped because you would be doing your business at a station and people would see everything dropping from the train car. This wouldn't be extremely unusual to see, but I guess it is the Indian train system's attempt at being more civilized.
It is actually set up very well. There is a handle to steady you while you are squatting/rocking with the fast movement of the train, and there is very strong soap and Indian water available to wash your hands pre-handsanitizer.
Finally, here is the video that we first watched to learn how to use the Eastern Latrine, which we now have learned is "very very clean."
Whenever I watch this with Indians, they laugh hysterically at the South Indian doing the tutorial, but we found it quite educational.
Enjoy.
Claire , I find this Blog(esp the video) Hilarios!Knowing your obsession with bathrooms and cleanliness,I am quite amazed at how well you have adapted to this!You must truly love India!XO Keep Blogging! I might advise Grandma Molly to skip this one:)!
ReplyDeleteHere's to "first class experiences"!!
ReplyDeleteHi Claire,
ReplyDeleteValerie wanted to know how one cleans one hands without an obvious source of water near the soap. Or do you use the right-handed mug to pour water on the left? I wondered how one dries oneself - not the hands, but the rest?
Hi Sam and Valerie!
Delete1: How to "wash" your hands is a loaded question. I personally will use water directly from the tap with soap; sometimes there is a sink that also has soap (but then air dry cause you NEVER use towels or other open cloths); or most often when I'm using a public restroom there isn't a sink/soap at all, so I use a huge gob of hand sanitizer ...
If you want to think more deeply about it/Indian problems ... think about being in a rural village (e.g. where I was in Rajasthan), you do your business on the side of a hill next to a bush or on a rock, there is no water anywhere, and to top if off you're not an american student/researcher/person and are not carrying hand sanitizer with you ...
2: And drying? Haha, its hot here, the weather does the trick :)
But some rich Indians (aka my host brother in particular) explained that a small amount of toilet paper can be used to dab away any residual wetness ...