Best and worst toilet experiences when travelling

[gardkarlsen]

Hi

When you have travelled around the world I'm sure that you have come across some toilets that you found a bit....eh...nasty. This is the chance to share your best and worse toilet stories with all of us. I can start :-)
Best experience: I was in the bar at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai (the one in the top wing). This hotel is over the top and it claims to be the only(?) 7 star hotel in the world. Well, the toilet was spotless. Once I had been to the toilet a guy went into make sure that it was as spotless as it was before I went in there...and when I washed my hands a guy was ready to hand me a real towel so that I could wipe my hands :-)

Worse: well, In Beijing we got in touch with a couple of locals and we walked into some narrow streets. We went to a restaurant and I had to go to the loo but there was not a toilet in the place. So this one guy took my out of the restaurant and into the street and all of a sudden he points into a narrow and dark hallway...there was just one light bulb hanging from the ceiling in there. When I walked in there it looked like they had just used a sledgehammer to make a hole in the floor.

I was also on the toilet on a bus in Thailand once. First of all it was tiny so I couldn't stand up straigth (I'm only 5' 10")...and when the bus started moving there was lots of "water" on the floor that was sloshing around.

Regards
Gard

[GenevieveS]

The worst bathroom of all time was here in the US -- a port-a-pottie at a PGA golf event last summer in New Jersey. It was so hot and there were simply not enough potties for the crowds. I waited until I could wait no more and finally went in. I promptly threw up on the floor because it was so disgusting. I have never been so grossed out in my life.

I really dislike when I am in another country and the toilet is a hole in the ground. But nothing can be worse than that port-a-pottie.

[soliteyah]

Hahaha, great thread. Let me see...

Best: I was at the swanky Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia, and the bathroom there was absolutely palatial. (I am not a luxury traveler at all, so it was an eye opener for me.) It had like a little lounge sort of area with potted plants and sofas/chairs (? memory is a little fuzzy) before you got to the actual toilet area. Those were pristine, of course, and the whole place smelled like flowers and other good things.

Worst: Hmmmmm. I don't have anything particularly harrowing, I don't think. I took a Greyhound bus from Baltimore to New York once, and the bathroom there was tiny and stinky and had wet toilet paper all over the floor.

Then there were all the little train station bathrooms in Europe that never failed to be out of toilet paper, soap, paper towels, etc. -- I took to carrying those little travel packs of kleenex so that I'd have toilet paper. Ohh, but on one occasion I was out of tissues and napkins, so I had to use a city map I had folded up in my pocket. LOL, I'd forgotten about that! Ah, memories.

[WackyHeathen]

The worst bathroom experience I've had was in Mumbai (Bombay). It wasn't a bathroom per say, it was more an alley, where a nice Indian gentleman dropped trow and promptly dropped something else. At first, I was too shocked by the surreal event just witnessed to feel any revulsion. But after a moment of befuddlement, it began to sink in what I had just seen. The smell -- well what can one say about the smell? -- would horrify even the most heinous of the earth's creatures, those content to live in a pile of garbage and bile. Yum!

[tinkerbell]

Worst: New York's Penn Station. I had always thought it was a bad bathroom experience & swore to never use it again under any circumstances, but when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. So, before work one day, I ran in there quickly -- well, hoping to run in and out quickly -- but there was a line out the door. I waited for a good five minutes in the worst-smelling bathroom I had ever been in. Then, when I finally reached an open stall, the person next to me was singing at the top of their lungs AND making the entire bathroom smell even worse than it already had. And when I was almost finished, she grabbed my leg under the stall...

Needless to say, even if nature calls, I will never go into those bathrooms again. My friend also had a similar "alley experience" in Paris. No bathrooms in the restaurant she was in ... just an alley way with a hole.

[LSKahn]

In Russia, the toilet I used in extremis at The Bolshoi did not flush.

I went on an elderhostel arts trip and someone from the culture ministry talked to us. Part of the discussion revolved around toilets. The culture lady said that clean toilets, which she knew were much more the norm in the US than in Russia, we a sign of the respect we have for one another.

Unfortunately, some countries are so hard up that clean toilets are not a priority. I have not traveled in Asia, Africa or Latin America so I don't have any real horror stories.

By the way, this thread is a hoot. I have the eternal search for a clean toilet as part of my signature on AOL and some posters there think it is "uncooth".

When you travel, the things you always need are a bed with clean sheets, a toilet that is clean and flushes and a hot shower at the end of the day. If you have those 3 things, your trip will be just grand!

[hamsterwheel]

Best: In Japan, Hamasaka, in a hotel. There was an electonic toilet seat that automaticly started a fan to remove smell when you sit, and there was in-built bide, butt heater, and sounds to cover bodily functions. In general there has been good toilets in Europe, Argentina (bidee everywhere), Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

Worst: In Indonesia on a ferry from Bali/Paddang Bai to Lombok. There was 5 cm of pee and poop around the hole where you were supposed to go. Naturally no toilet paper, no water to clean yourself like they do in Indonesia, and no water to wash your hands. In general there has been bad toilets in Indonesia, Bolivia, Russia, Malaysia, and East-European countries.

In other countries we have been it's been pretty ok. There is quite a many toilet pictures in our photo albums at http://www.imagestation.com/members/...eel&order=date , because Päivi values most the toilet in a hotel.


No fears or worries,

[TinFins]

When you travel, the things you always need are a bed with clean sheets, a toilet that is clean and flushes and a hot shower at the end of the day. If you have those 3 things, your trip will be just grand!

...and a fifth of vodka doesn't hurt!

Seriously, this is a great thread!

I was totally freaked out by the public urinals in Amsterdam. If you haven't seen them, go Google "amsterdam public urinals" and look for the results with photos. Ingenious design or tool for public humiliation?

I took my mom to Italy a few years back and she was really freaked out about the ladies public bathrooms there. I didn't see them, so can't comment, but I do remember her being confused by how the toilets operated!

My wife won't stop talking about "how cool" the bathrooms are at Mass MoCA. The whole space has that cool industrial aesthetic and I'll admit, the bathrooms had a true factory feel. She's into minimalism and modernism, so that works. Plus, they were clean. Very very clean.

[GregW]

In Beijing ...there was just one light bulb hanging from the ceiling in there. When I walked in there it looked like they had just used a sledgehammer to make a hole in the floor.

I experienced that as well in Beijing. The one I walked into was a 4 person squat toilet room, with no privacy screens or anything between the holes in the floors. I walked in and there was a gentleman squating on the toilet. He was fine with it, but I was quite embarassed by the whole thing.

Though, Gard, I'm surprised you didn't mention any of the toilets on Kilimanjaro. They were awful, small outhouses with squat toilets, and it looked like most people didn't even bother trying to hit the hole. Most of the people in my group gave up using them, and just took a shovel behind a bush and buried it there.

I can't recall a specific, great, public toilet, but in general I follow the advice of my friend's mother, who always searches out a major hotel chain (Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton) to use when travelling. They almost always have toilets open to the public off the lobby, and are usually spotless.

[soliteyah]

I can't recall a specific, great, public toilet, but in general I follow the advice of my friend's mother, who always searches out a major hotel chain (Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton) to use when travelling. They almost always have toilets open to the public off the lobby, and are usually spotless.

Ahh, this is a great idea!

[gardkarlsen]

Though, Gard, I'm surprised you didn't mention any of the toilets on Kilimanjaro. They were awful, small outhouses with squat toilets, and it looked like most people didn't even bother trying to hit the hole. Most of the people in my group gave up using them, and just took a shovel behind a bush and buried it there.

Hi

I have tried to forget about the toilets on Kili :-) Here is one example of a toilet on the Machame trail leading up Kilimanjaro: http://gardkarlsen.com/kilimanjaro/f...ilimanjaro.jpg

Regards
Gard

[LSKahn]

[QUOTE=TinFins]...and a fifth of vodka doesn't hurt!

I had to laugh about the fifth of vodka. Not a bad idea if you have to use Russian toilets.

[LSKahn]

Hi

I have tried to forget about the toilets on Kili :-) Here is one example of a toilet on the Machame trail leading up Kilimanjaro: http://gardkarlsen.com/kilimanjaro/f...ilimanjaro.jpg

Regards
Gard

Having seen that, I think I will forget about climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro.

[travelmel]

This is a great thread. Funny, I had my best and worst toilet experiences in the same place -- The Cook Islands' Rarotonga -- and on the same day! On the island a lot of public restrooms don't carry toilet paper. That's not such a tragedy, of course, as I usually carry something in my purse when I travel. It was the nasty standing water that I had to wade through to get to the toilet that ruined the experience for me. Yuck. (But at least there was a toilet. I'm shocked by some of the stories I've read here!)

A few hours later, though, I had lunch at a restaurant called Trader Jack's, and there's something hanging outside of the bathroom there that you simply can't miss. It's a toilet seat mounted on the wall that says "Ass of the Week" on it. When you lift the lid, there's a mirror. What fun! The restrooms -- women's AND men's (I looked) -- at Bloody Mary's restaurant and bar in Bora Bora are very cool too. They are al fresco; outdoors but obviously with bamboo and foliage for privacy. Waterfall sinks, phallic toilet flushers, super fun.

[travelmel]

Oh, I almost forgot -- growing up in North Jersey, my family used to do a lot of day trips to New York City, and we always scheduled a potty stop at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Security might be tighter now, but we used to just walk in, ascend the fantastic glass elevator, and "go" in a clean, comfortable restroom. As someone already posted, using restrooms at local hotels is often a great alternative to the ... alternative.

[KimberlyB]

...and when you're done posting here, check out this site:

http://www.thebathroomdiaries.com/

[giambi]

We were travelling from the Italian Riviera to Modena, Italy where we were to link up with a friend who lives in that area. We were to meet at a roadside bar/restaurant. While waiting for her arrival, I visited the ladies' room. The restroom foyer was decorated quite lovely with a bunch of flowers in a vase sitting on the vanity. When I entered the "stall", I realized there was NO TOILET!! just a hole in the floor !!! Other than for that, the restroom was very neat and prettily decorated.

[Bob W.]

Among the best, though not plush, are the restrooms at The Breakers hotel in Spring Lake, NJ.

Among the worst I've experienced was the toilet in a roadside tavern in the foothills of the Alps, near Nice. A squatting hole was sculpted into concrete, edged by raised concrete footprints. When you pulled the chain for the water closet mounted on the wall, water sloshed over the footprints. Fortunately, I took a quick jump!

Actually, I didn't much care for the long line of toilets without partitions in the barracks at McGuire Air Force Base. Smelliest, ranking with some of the worst roadside outhouses, was the latrine at a summer "Swift Strike III" summer encampment near Camden, SC. Four weeks of encampments before us had left a penetrating foul odor. Even holding your breath didn't seem to work. Pouring in plenty of acid finally made it bearable. Nothing but the best for our troops!

And, of course, there have been countless pit stops at gas stations featuring wet toilet seats and floors, no water, soap or paper, and sinks coated in a mixture of dirt and grease. Adds to the adventure.

[BinDerDunDat]

La Jolla , CA. Pretty upscale would'nt ya say? Georges on the Cove restaurant also pretty swanky huh. The mens washroom is this tiny little closet. The urinal is just inches from the sink. Caution, one false move and you could be washing something other than your hands.

[WackyHeathen]

Hey,

Just stumbled upon this interesting site: Not sure how functional it is, but I'll test it out on my coming trip to San Fran, and see how it works.

Cheers,

Wacky

[WackyHeathen]

http://www.mizpee.com/web/index.html

[Traveling Granny]

No "best" bathroom stands out in memory, but the worst is quite clear. It was in a small town near the Blue Nile Falls in Ethiopia. Several inches of very nasty liquid surrounded the basin set in the floor. There was supposed to be a flush mechanism for this squat toilet, but obviously that was no longer functional. There was no toilet paper and no water to wash. Only the most deperate among us would use this facility. Rolling up the pant legs and holding your breath during the experience helped.

[Esurb]

Do the French still have those large, square, porcelain things in the floors of public restrooms with footrests on either side of a slightly recessed hole? Once perched on the footrests that dictated the spread of your legs, there was peril all around you. Keeping one’s balance while stooping was a frightening challenge! You teetered there while twisting and trying to verify you were hitting the hole, and to maintain that posture, you were tempted to put your hand down on the thing, whether is was clean or not. What to do with the trousers you had to lower required the talent of an expert juggler. You had to wad them to the front or rear, depending on your bodily needs; and if was an outside toilet, as many of them were, and you were wearing a coat of any weight or length, keeping it hoisted and unsoiled at the same time was nearly an impossibility. You were clutching at fabric with your fists, armpits, and elbows! When it was time to get up to a standing position on those footrests--while still holding your loosened clothes about you--you felt like a fellow learning to use stilts. I always thought that I was probably going at it all wrong—and that the French might have instruction on how to do it at lower grade levels. (A low, protruding limb over a freshly hole dug while canoeing in Northern Minnesota’s Superior National Forest was a comfortable luxury by comparison.)

[tinkerbell]

Three weeks ago I was rafting down the Delaware River in the Poconos, starting at Bushkill Falls. We finally arrived, 10 miles later, at Smithfield Beach. It took us six hours to reach this point, so obviously, nature was calling!

When I asked a river guide where the bathroom was, he said all the facilities I needed -- bathroom, water fountain, etc. -- were up the hill. From the outside, it looked perfectly fine, like a normal restroom would be. However, when I opened the door and hobbled my sunburned body over to the "toilet," I noticed ... the toilet didn't have an "end." It was just ... a hole in the ground. After baking in the sun for six hours, I could barely hold myself over this "hole" where I could see everyone else's "stuff."

It was a nightmare.

[atitlan]

I'm a medical missionary so I get to "experience" a wide variety of "johns". I wanted to share two of the worst.
In downtown Amsterdam there is a men's urinal. It consists of piece of snail-shaped corrugated tin. The piece is about three feet high and two feet above the ground. You walk in the spiral and there is a funnel stuck in a pipe running into the sewer. This way if your having a conversation with someone you can carry out business at hand and have no break in eye contact with the person you're with...or the others on the crowded city street.

Number two, (no pun intended). I was doing medical service to the indigenous Mayan people in Guatemala. They had just finished building their new toilet, (outhouse) high on stilts. It was a marvelous invention carved out of one foot thick granite. There was a depository for the backside and one for the front all on a flat table-like surface. I'm still not sure why but they felt they needed to separate the two outputs. This is a missionary secret...we take medication to constipate ourselves so we won't have to use the local facilities if it is only for a week. The indigenous cuisine is mostly beans and corn. Diet overrode the medication. I was escorted to be the first one to "annoint" the throne. It wasn't pretty! When I came out the entire community came out and encircled the new outhouse and gave me a standing ovation. Redddddd much!!! atitlan