Squat Thrust

Warning – this post may not be suitable for anyone who doesn’t like reading about toilets!

I think it’s about time that we acknowledged that Mega Trips aren’t just about the sights, people, animals and food. They’re also about the toilets.

The hotels we’ve stayed in so far have all had western style toilets but, venturing out, almost all the other toilets in the cities are squat ones. I’ve used these before but have always been a bit sceptical about them. However, after some practice (and some tips which Hannah in Uganda passed onto Laura while we were there – thanks Hannah!) I’ve decided they’re actually pretty functional and probably more hygienic than their western style counterparts as public toilets. Laura disagrees and thinks that if you’re going to go to the trouble of making a flushing toilet you might as well go the whole way and add a seat.

Once we went into the countryside any large rock or mound was fair game while we were on the road or camping. The tourist camps we stayed in for a couple of nights had western toilets and even showers, but we spent most of our nights in gers owned by families which usually came with a drop toilet (and no shower or running water). A drop toilet is an, initially deep, square hole in the ground with a couple of planks to stand on and anything from a small fence to a very basic shack around it. Some of them even had doors though most didn’t and the doors that were there were often just lying on the ground nearby. As a result, most of them had pretty impressive views! Like these:

Fortunately, once you’re used to the squat toilets the transition to drop ones is pretty painless.

My most memorable toilet based experience so far happened at the family ger at the White Lake. This particular toilet had only three small fences around it so offered little protection from the elements. It had spectacular views of lightly frosted mountains in the distance and the rolling grassy plain leading up to them. Just below the mountains were some gers with smoke from the stoves rising out of their small chimneys and not far to the right the clear waters of the lake lapped against the shore while nearby horses ate the grass.

Having got up early one morning I went to relieve myself in the morning twilight. At that moment the sun peeked over the top of the mountains in front of me and I witnessed a truly incredible sunrise. It just didn’t seem right to be squatting there as the sun rose above the mountains and their shadows crept across the grassy plain, and I realised just how incredibly beautiful my surroundings were. Fortunately, just at that moment a nearby horse relieved itself too, and I didn’t feel so bad after all.