Potty Training
You never know when a great opportunity to share some classic Taiwan culture is going to jump up and bite you on the butt, but it’s always a good idea to get some pictures when it does! On my recent Pinglin Road Trip, I found myself in need of taking a rather urgent meeting, and fortunately, this conference room presented itself along the roadway. They’ve been setting up more of these in recent years because of increased traffic on weekends, and I was quite glad to find one this day. That is, until I opened the door . . .
(If you are a bit squeamish you may want to skip the rest of this - don’t say I didn’t warn you!)
WHAT THE ?????? Now what in the HECK am I supposed to do with THAT??? If you’ve ever travelled in Asia, you can probably appreciate my situation more readily. Fortunately, I’m fully qualified to operate one of these babies, so no worries mate! I won’t bore you with all the math - vector alignments, squat angles, drag coefficients, load ratios, etc. - I’ll just get down to the basics. The two key points to remember are 1: make sure you line up properly over the drop zone, and 2: keep loose clothing away from the edges at all times.
*Special tip: trousers should ALWAYS be maintained above the knees. Failure to do so may cause a misdrop, resulting in either a ‘catch and release’ (not pretty) or even more severe, turning your skivvies into a ‘take home bag’.
Actually, they are pretty efficient units once you get used to them, and the lack of contact with a toilet seat make them more sanitary than western style commodes. The bowl flushes itself (when enough weight is put on the trap - ahem) or can be activated by the black pump button on the floor next to it. The really amazing thing about this particular unit is the fact that it was stocked with toilet paper. Most public restrooms have vending machines for small packets of toilet paper, and people here generally always carry their own.
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:34 am
Frank A. Lojewski Says:
The basic design of the bomb bay has not changed, BUT 40 years ago there was no flush pump, so accuracy was “de rigeur”. And pay attention to your wallet, if you dare to wear one a la ‘murka. I always carried and still do valuables a bag around my neck, under the shirt.
As to the road, hit and run was the general tactic of larger vehicles then, and I am told, still is.
Do show some pix of the tea museum, if at all feasible.
Thanks
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 am
teaguy Says:
Very good advice Frank! I DEFINITELY wouldn’t want to ‘go fishing’ in one of these for a wallet, keys, or anything else for that matter! Spot on about the driving - it’s still amazing to me how trucks can come around blind corners completely in the wrong lane, and still manage to avoid collisions (most of the time).
I’ve been meaning to get out to the tea museum and do a report. Here’s a link with information about it:
http://www.sinica.edu.tw/tit/museums/0397_Tea.html