Simple Things that are Good To Know

[999roses]

Offer some tips to help get by more efficiently, safely, or just for the hell of it.

Some of mine (yes I know these are VERY common sense, but hey, you never know when it may help someone).
1) When in public washrooms, don't use the first piece of toilet paper you grab. Throw out some because you don't know who touched it last.
2) Always buy travel insurance, not necessarily the first one they throw at you, but even some cheaper ones and read over the terms carefully.
3) Don't always trust lawyers/travel agents/brokers/personal bankers/etc. Yes, you are paying them to help you, but always do your own research. Re-read everything twice. Better safe than sorry.

[jadebunny9]

Check to see if there's toilet paper first before sitting down.

[Ren Ying Ying]

Check to see if there's toilet paper first before sitting down.

or rather...carry around your own toilet paper like they do in china!

[atlantean0208]

or rather...carry around your own toilet paper like they do in china!

Also when travel in China especially rural or deep in the mid area make sure to bring umbrella. Last time I travel from Hangzhou to Nanchang, we stop at one of those rest-stop near the highway and go to the Gas station toilet. It is still in a room but without cubicle. I saw three older guys squatting and chatting between them doing number 2 - ewwww.

There is something like a small ditch/drainage with flowing water at the end of the room for one to squat (2) or doing number 1. So one need umbrella to hide one self while squatting there . Flowing water means no need flushing LOL

[Guo Xiang]

1) When in public washrooms, don't use the first piece of toilet paper you grab. Throw out some because you don't know who touched it last.

Hmm... actually this is the first time I came across this. The poor trees.

[KeongJai]

With all this fuss, why don't you guys just only take dumps at home?

[atlantean0208]

With all this fuss, why don't you guys just only take dumps at home?

Hahaha - so the word emergency not exist in your dictionary LOL

[Han Solo]

Also when travel in China especially rural or deep in the mid area make sure to bring umbrella. Last time I travel from Hangzhou to Nanchang, we stop at one of those rest-stop near the highway and go to the Gas station toilet. It is still in a room but without cubicle. I saw three older guys squatting and chatting between them doing number 2 - ewwww.

There is something like a small ditch/drainage with flowing water at the end of the room for one to squat (2) or doing number 1. So one need umbrella to hide one self while squatting there . Flowing water means no need flushing LOL

When i was in china in 2007, i was unfortunate to witness this middle-aged guy taking a dump in an open toilet, smoking, and using sms, and talking to his friend who was having a dump as well.

All this while trying to suppress my urge to vomit as i was pissing.

Han Solo

[atlantean0208]

When i was in china in 2007, i was unfortunate to witness this middle-aged guy taking a dump in an open toilet, smoking, and using sms, and talking to his friend who was having a dump as well.

All this while trying to suppress my urge to vomit as i was pissing.

Han Solo

LOL - Han, I thought I'm the only who one have to endure those ewwww moment . Next time bring umbrella to prevent yourself from looking at those guys and also when you also need to squat doing number 2

[jiang bao]

Ah~ brings back memories. I've posted this before, but there's always time to talk about sith.

My first school in China was a ridiculously rundown place. Floor tiles all broken (We were walking on sand/dirt half the time), dusty air, worn down chairs and desks, etc. But the thing that freaked me out most was the bathroom. First, there's no toilet paper. Second, the toilets are built on top of a pond. Third, by toilet, I mean an opening in the floor where you just squat over for a #2. Whoever designed this would be arrested if it was America because little kids like us could have easily slipped and fallen into the pond below. There is no running water back then either, so I don't even remember how the hell we cleaned our hands afterwards. I remember one time when I was about 6, and did a #2 but had no toilet paper. I ended up squatting there and crying cuz no one would or could lend me any LOL. God I don't remember how I got out of the situation. Might have used homework paper... or maybe even my hand! WTF.

I think that's how I started developing the ability to not do #2s at public restrooms UNLESS I have stomach problems that day. You just had to regulate your body so you didn't have to go in those nasty places.

Thank god for modern facilities in the US. Disgusting as public restrooms may be, compared to back in the day in China... heaven and earth.

Oh yeah one time it was even worse. Went to visit some relatives by marriage at another village. They had a sith pit, for the lack of a better term. You squat at the edge and stuck your butt and go. Again, terrible safety hazard. Anyone could have fallen in and gotten seriously hurt - never mind being covered in filth. The pit was maybe 10 feet deep or maybe more. I had to go cuz I was still young and was there the whole day. It was a terrifying experience. (Actually one of my aunts saved my childhood friend from drowning in sith, literally. He fell into the sith well - were people dropped off their sith for collection and use as fertilizer. Had my aunt not seen him, he would have died a nasty death.)

Oh and I once sithed off the top of a 2 story building. That was done out of mischief.

[sniffles]

1) When in public washrooms, don't use the first piece of toilet paper you grab. Throw out some because you don't know who touched it last.

The human immune system is a lot more resilient than purveyors of sanitation products would have you believe. If you wrap the paper up so that bit is on the inside (so it doesn't touch you when you wipe) and wash your hands after you use the toilet, you should be fine. No need to worry about avoiding that little bit of paper.

The underlined is my bit of common sense advice. Carry some anti-bacterial hand gel with you so that if you can't wash your hands you still have some way to clean up. If you can't get anti-bacterial cleanser, use isopropyl alcohol.

A really good piece of common sense advice is: If you cough, don't cough into the palm of your hand! That may keep you from spraying germs into the air - but as soon as you touch a doorknob, or a pen, or some money, you're spreading your germs to the next person who touches that item. If you need to cough, cough into the crook of your elbow or your sleeve. If your hands are full bend your head down and cough into the front of your shirt. We could halt the spread of the common cold virus, if only people would try harder not to spread germs in public places and stay home when they're sick.

[remember_Cedric]

Check to see if there's toilet paper first before sitting down.

It's a good practice

[Trinie]

Ah~ brings back memories. I've posted this before, but there's always time to talk about sith.

My first school in China was a ridiculously rundown place. Floor tiles all broken (We were walking on sand/dirt half the time), dusty air, worn down chairs and desks, etc. But the thing that freaked me out most was the bathroom. First, there's no toilet paper. Second, the toilets are built on top of a pond. Third, by toilet, I mean an opening in the floor where you just squat over for a #2. Whoever designed this would be arrested if it was America because little kids like us could have easily slipped and fallen into the pond below. There is no running water back then either, so I don't even remember how the hell we cleaned our hands afterwards. I remember one time when I was about 6, and did a #2 but had no toilet paper. I ended up squatting there and crying cuz no one would or could lend me any LOL. God I don't remember how I got out of the situation. Might have used homework paper... or maybe even my hand! WTF.

I think that's how I started developing the ability to not do #2s at public restrooms UNLESS I have stomach problems that day. You just had to regulate your body so you didn't have to go in those nasty places.

Thank god for modern facilities in the US. Disgusting as public restrooms may be, compared to back in the day in China... heaven and earth.

Oh yeah one time it was even worse. Went to visit some relatives by marriage at another village. They had a sith pit, for the lack of a better term. You squat at the edge and stuck your butt and go. Again, terrible safety hazard. Anyone could have fallen in and gotten seriously hurt - never mind being covered in filth. The pit was maybe 10 feet deep or maybe more. I had to go cuz I was still young and was there the whole day. It was a terrifying experience. (Actually one of my aunts saved my childhood friend from drowning in sith, literally. He fell into the sith well - were people dropped off their sith for collection and use as fertilizer. Had my aunt not seen him, he would have died a nasty death.)

Oh and I once sithed off the top of a 2 story building. That was done out of mischief.

Thanks for sharing your experiences, but WOW... was it really that bad? I heard that it is a lot better now. My friend said that the bathrooms in China are pretty clean(the ones in the city anyways) nowadays. I guess I had it good in the US and never realized that... Boy, we are complaining about the public restrooms in the US too. They were nothing like that. THe only bathroom that I went to that I thought was really gross was those ones where it just sat there that the construction workers usually used. Gosh, those are smelly...

I heard in some countries that you can't even put toilet paper into the toilet or else the toilet would get clogged. Therefore, you have to put the paper into the garbage. Ok... What if someone did a #2 and wiped their butt?The poop with be stuck on the toilet paper. Wouldn't that stink up the bathroom?? I heard that is how it is in Taiwan and Thailand... Boy, I think that is one thing I will not enjoy....

[Trinie]

When i was in china in 2007, i was unfortunate to witness this middle-aged guy taking a dump in an open toilet, smoking, and using sms, and talking to his friend who was having a dump as well.

All this while trying to suppress my urge to vomit as i was pissing.

Han Solo

Wait... So he was actually sitting on the toilet and talking to his other friend who was also taking a dump?? Ok..That is really strange.... How can they see each other?? Were they just talking across the stalls??

[atlantean0208]

Wait... So he was actually sitting on the toilet and talking to his other friend who was also taking a dump?? Ok..That is really strange.... How can they see each other?? Were they just talking across the stalls??

LOL, you don't get it do you - it's an open toilet even though still in a room. There is no cubicle, only a drainage with flowing water where people squat side by side taking a dump, enjoying themselves while chatting or sending SMS

[GuGu]

another sh!t discussion?

and yes, you can flush toilet paper down the toilet in thailand.. to whoever that was wondering.

okay, my family just recently went back to thailand for a vacation without me. and my brother who was like just 3 years old when we came to america, called me from thailand and said 'SIS! THERE ARE NO BATHROOMS HERE! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?' hahaha my brother is like 22 years old! and he's like wtf? i'm not going to stay in this village! i'm gonna go get myself a hotel room in the city! it was 5am in america when he called and i was freakin tired, but i couldn't help laughing out loud that i think i woke up the neighbors. asian countries are so much fun!

[KeongJai]

Hahaha - so the word emergency not exist in your dictionary LOL

An emergency is when you're lost and don't know where you're going to stay the night. Worrying about who touched the toilet paper last isn't an emergency.

[atlantean0208]

An emergency is when you're lost and don't know where you're going to stay the night. Worrying about who touched the toilet paper last isn't an emergency.

LOL - I meant emergency as in the need to take an unexpected needs to do Number 2 LOL

[atlantean0208]

another sh!t discussion?

and yes, you can flush toilet paper down the toilet in thailand.. to whoever that was wondering.

okay, my family just recently went back to thailand for a vacation without me. and my brother who was like just 3 years old when we came to america, called me from thailand and said 'SIS! THERE ARE NO BATHROOMS HERE! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?' hahaha my brother is like 22 years old! and he's like wtf? i'm not going to stay in this village! i'm gonna go get myself a hotel room in the city! it was 5am in america when he called and i was freakin tired, but i couldn't help laughing out loud that i think i woke up the neighbors. asian countries are so much fun!

yeah, we just go to a nearby bush or river and just relieve ourselves there

[jiang bao]

Oh yeah, more memories from my young days in suburban (but really rural) China.

I can't remember when I got electricity, but there was no electricity in my village when I was born. I didn't get running water until I think around '84 or '85, so we got our water from wells, which were dangerous because they were open and all sorts of slipper algae grew around them. Electricity was cut off to "conserve energy" randomly, much more frequently n the summer, so several times a week during the summer we spent our nights in total darkness except for oil lamps... although the fireflies during those times were fun.

Then, there were my friends who checked out cow dung with their hands. First I laughed but then they yelled at me for being a "spoiled landowner kid" which has to do with the Commies persecuting my family, who weren't even rich. After that, I just watched them play with the cow dung as if it was dough. They said they checking it out to see if it'd make good fuel...

Then there was my friend, who is one of the cow dung kneaders, who wiped with a stick. He did a number 2 behind my house (desolate area) and stuck up his a$$ to ask me if I spot any dingleberries. LOL.

I am not a complainer in general, but my childhood experience in impoverished conditions also helped me to have a high tolerance.

Despite all the unpleasantness, I still miss those days. There's just a certain freedom in the old days in the village that's not possible anymore today (I used to run around unsupervised all day with friends)... cuz the place has been "modernized." Not too safe anymore.