Yeti Poops: Toilets in Asia

Get Your Mind Out Of The Toilet

Do not Squat on Toilet!

There are four main types of toilet in Asia.  Until you open the door, you don’t know what you’re getting (and some don’t have individual stalls or doors at all).

The standard one that westerners are used to.  They may look a little different than the porcelain throne you grew up with, but the idea is largely the same.  There is a seat to sit upon and a reservoir of water waiting to flush away your business.  Even these may not have toilet paper, however, so come prepared.

The second kind is really a variation of the first.  You still have a seat, but this one you flush yourself, using a nearby bucket of water. Often, the water is simply flushed down a hole below where you are staying.

Photo: Ingsoc

The most basic of all is often nothing more than a hole in the ground.  Sometimes there is porcelain, and always there is a bucket to flush and a smaller bowl (in lieu of toilet paper) for cleaning yourself. (Along those lines, don’t use your left hand to pay for anything.) Though the arguments about this being the most hygienic method aren’t wrong, the act of squatting can be challenging for those used to sitting.  Some new travelers remove their pants entirely just to make sure there are no unfortunate accidents.  These aren’t always as clean as you’d like.

The last one is a fancier version of the squatter, one replete with flushing.  These often have hoses that work as a practical bidet sort of device, and some will even have toilet paper.  These are realistically what you are hoping to find.

Hope this helps everyone playing toilet roulette on their travels.  Good luck!

2 responses to “Yeti Poops: Toilets in Asia

  1. The third one down looks like the toilets in Turkey…. I think I braved one long enough to take a picture, then held my pee for a four hour bus ride to a western toilet. I wasn’t scared, mind you. I just wasn’t ready for that kind of toilet adventure after fleeing the flooding of Olympos.

  2. The flooding of Olympus is a good excuse not to use a pit toilet.

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