Matt swears the toilets in China are the worst of our trip.  I say, at least there are toilets!  Sometimes in India it was so hard to find a public restroom, and if there was one, it was often far worse than the ones in China.  It’s just not as easy to use an “open toilet” if you’re a female, particularly if you are in a populated area.  I would much rather go over a trough that sits a couple feet below me with no door than be boxed in a filthy stall stained in urine, or, worse, caked in excrement, nervously hovering (much too close) over what should have been flushed (but wasn’t) by the 10 or 15 people who went before me.  I think one of Matt’s main issues with the toilets in China is the lack of doors.  But for me, if the toilet is going to be dirty, I would much rather have more airflow than pangs of claustrophobic panic from being surrounded by dirty walls and putrid smells.

Let it be known, however, that while I do prefer a Chinese toilet to an Indian one (or lack thereof), I don’t think they are that great or anything.  And I do find the no door/no flush thing kind of strange, particularly in a big, modern city like Shanghai (at the long distance bus station).  It’s not quite so out of place in the more rural areas though.  Anyways, my final comment for this toilet post is regarding this statement: “China is modernizing incredibly quickly. But it takes the people some time to catch up,” and the context it was used in, because I saw SOMEBODY take a leak outside tonight after hotpot….  Let’s face it, sometimes you just have to pee in public.  And if anyone should be allowed to, toddlers should.  (Adults have more mental capacity to “plan ahead.”)  I don’t really mind, as long as it doesn’t happen too much or all in the same spot or in a place where I might stand or walk.  It doesn’t bother me that little kids are allowed (encouraged) to pee in public.  I mean, it cuts down on diapers, so that’s good.  But it would be nice if they could stick their kid in a planter box (fertilizer?) or on the side of a curb to go so that I don’t have to be cautious of every single puddle on the ground.