Bathroom tips: pointers on how to find one abroad, plus unique ones!

A men's bathroom in Singapore offers greenery along with sparkling clean urinals.
Not all bathrooms abroad are as clean or nicely appointed.

BATHROOM POINTERS WHILE   ABROAD: KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN AND CHANGE AND PAPER IN YOUR POCKET

Bathroom art is sometimes whimsical.
Here we find a trio of famous artists
out for a drive: Salvador Dali, Frida
Kahlo and a bloody Vincent VanGogh.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER


IF YOU'VE spent time abroad, you've likely experienced confusion while trying to answer the call of nature. 

Where to go when you have to go?

You're saying to yourself, "I need a bathroom now."  Your eyes have scoured the scene to no avail.

Often in a strange place, you can't find a john, or when you do, you have questions.

Maybe there's a turn style with a stern looking woman standing by. Do you pay her, and how much? Is there toilet paper? Unisex? How do I flush the damn thing?

LOOK FOR signs. One might say "WC" (short for water closet). It will usually say "toilet." It's not a "restroom" or "bathroom" although we'll call them by our familiar names here.  But abroad, those words are not widely recognized. 

At a WC abroad, you might find little drawings or cartoon figures of a man and woman.  Signs might say "men and women" in the native language, so bone up on the language:

Sometimes in Europe, asking for
 a "bathroom" will literally lead you
to a room with a bath, and no toilet.
 Ask for "WC" "toilet," "bano" etc.

Hombres, mujeres; männer, frauen; hommes, femmes; uomini e donne; madames, monsieurs;  menn, umen; Etc., A few words of homework.

This nicely decorated men's WC is in Provence.

In Japan, we found this on a bathroom in a Kyoto restaurant: "men and umen." Nice to see the distinction because we don't read much Japanese. In Greece, we saw this sign: Άνδρες Γυναίκες so we've learned to recognize the Greek for "men and women."

It never hurts to ask, or wait until the door opens and see who walks out or in.

This toilet sign in Portugal made us
laugh. Who knew people would stand?
 

FORTUNATELY, most service people and many of the citizens abroad speak English.  In many countries, it is compulsory in schools, but we always carry a Berlitz translation book and learn a few words and phrases in the native tongue. My college French helped a lot in Paris: "Où sont les toilettes s’il vous plaît?" always brought a smile and a friendly point to the restroom. But don't be offended if your best foreign language question is answered in English. 

Knowing a few words, though, always opens doors, wins friends -- and helps find bathrooms.

A spotless toilet in a European
hotel off the lobby. Notice the
flush above, soaps and lotion. 

 The more remote your destination, the less likely of widespread English, making it all the more important to know a few key phrases and words.
SMALL-TOWN foreign toilets tend to be functional, reasonably clean, and tiny, often at the back of the shop or restaurant, or maybe up the stairs or down the basement. Remember: most of these places were around before modern plumbing. 

IF YOU ARE near a restaurant or bar, you may have to purchase something to use the restroom.  Most cafes and restaurants will have a toilet for customers to use. This is usually included with a purchase and you'll might see a sign that says "customers only, no public toilet." So grab a chair and a drink or snack.

It's "toilette" or "toilet." A
bathroom is where you bathe.

Some places allow non-customers to use the toilet for a small fee, in Europe, usually a Euro.  Recently, in Provence, the waiter explained to four of us that purchasing a cafe au lait was expected in return for use of the loo. No problem.  Four Euros each well spent.

A few more tips, gleaned from years of travel:

A men's room in the famous Sydney
Opera House offers a view of the
architecture while you relieve.

*Always carry a few sheets of toilet paper or a tissue. Many foreign toilets don't provide it, or you'll find it out of stock. We take pocket-sized tissue packs in our backpack or my purse. And if you see a wastebasket near the toilet, you'll know the plumbing is likely fragile. Use it for your paper, instead of flushing. You'll find in some places with older systems, the paper is NEVER flushed down the toilet. I know, it's not the American way, but when in Rome....or China, or a beach on the south of France....

*IN OLDER hotels and restaurants, you'll sometimes find a pull string instead of a handle. In modern bathrooms, you may see a push panel above the toilet or two buttons or a large split button near the tank or on the top -- one for light flush, one for heavier. It's a water conservation method.

 Someone with a sense of humor decorated this
toilet display, a urinal in Honolulu.

 The rule of thumb in small or older toilets or on a tour boat or bus: Don't put anything in the toilet that doesn't come naturally from your body. 
* PAYING to use a public WC is a European custom that annoys some Americans. We never quibble because the city or village is offering a service and water is expensive. Pay toilets are the norm at highway rest areas, train stations, and even at some sights — so keep your change for a john.  

Recently in southern France, we found  a WC with a self-cleaning toilet seat and a spray for the floor.

This classic "squat" toilet was in
a unisex facility in a Turkish museum.

* Often the toilet itself is free, but an attendant in the corner may sell sheets of toilet paper. A common sight is the tip dish by the entry.  Many attendants leave only bills and large coins in their tray, but the local equivalent of a dollar is plenty, so don't be intimidated. But do smile and be polite. It usually helps.

We've met many cranky toilet attendants so we try to be nice with a tip.  Who can blame them?  They spend their day in rooms of stinky toilets with people who often don't have change.

Be kind and polite and leave a few coins.

* We've noticed more and more unisex toilets abroad, recently in both South America and Europe. Some European bathrooms have shared hand-washing facilities for women and men, with adjacent but separate toilet areas. And some restrooms make no distinctions for gender at all. Again, when in Rome.

Remember to ask for the
toilet, or "le toilette."

* Most European, Asian and South American toilets are similar to ours. But in remote places or on the beach, you might find a more rustic facility.  It might consist simply of porcelain footprints and a squat-and-aim hole. Sometimes they are in the shape of a urinal, but built into the floor.

Keep in mind that many of our fellow humans sit on their haunches to use the bathroom. Some cultures call these "Turkish toilets," probably because they are commonly found in Turkey and that part of the world.

Be flexible, polite, carry change and paper, and plan ahead. 
And of course, the rule of thumb: if you see a toilet, use it, even if you don't think you need one.  

Salvador Dali was eccentric from childhood
into his final days.  Here, near the end of his
unusual life, he posed with his favorite cane.

ON TAP:  Hello, Dali! If you're intrigued by the imagination and eccentricity of Spanish surrealist  Salvador Dali, come to his homeland with us to visit a trio of museums dedicated to his art, life and passions. We step inside a castle he bought for his wife-mistress-muse, Gala, and spend time in his own home on the seaside of northeastern Spain.  Finally, we revisit his enormous museum in Figueres, where he was born and grew up. Then more art is in store: New York's famous Museum of Modern Art, and Barcelona's Gaudi homes, Sagrada Familia and an update on the Getty Center and Getty Villa, which closed because of the fires. Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on the arts, travel, performance, nature, family and more: www.whereiscookie.com