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Scavenger Hunt Catch-up: Travelling Toilets

Hey ya'll. Here's a picture of an Irish toilet:


This is from my brother and sister-in-law's house in Dublin. It may not look like anything special, but I think this toilet-scape beautifully captures the crisis that a young household faces upon running out of "toilet roll" just days before leaving the country for good. On the one hand, our delicate sensibilities called for more toilet paper, but on the other hand, we couldn't stand making that kind of investment when we'd probably have to leave most our newly-purchased papel hygiénique behind. Solution: random box of weirdly perfumed tissues that would, as my sis-in-law pointed out, "make all our parts smell like flowers."

Fin.

(Indian toilets/food to follow shortly.)

No Reservations: Fieldwork Edition

A scavenger hunt assignment in honor of Caitlin’s travels to India (aka "Eat, Shop, Drink"): Foodie edition.

An invitation to post the meal you find most evocative/emblematic of your field site.

Fear not, there will be more foodie assignments in the coming weeks and months (from typical breakfasts to favorite street foods) -- for the culinary delights of fieldwork are nearly inexhaustible.

Reminder: those of you who have not yet posted for the previous assignment can still get partial credit if you post ASAP ;) In the meantime, we will judge you for your sloth.

My Throne

So, this is my bathroom. My favorite part is the Skye Bank air freshener hung on the left wall, which is one of dozens scattered around the house, including the very formal living spaces.



Not a lot to see, but let's take a closer look anyway.

Pretty standard stuff, including the backup buckets. Even when we do have water in the pipes, the pressure is often not enough to wash shampoo out, so I am learning to love the bucket bath. I might even prefer it with the room temperature water we use, since there's no widow maker installed in here yet to heat up the water (though, as Susan has pointed out to me, the water doesn't come out near freezing either).


These buckets are also used to flush the toilet when there is not water in the pipes, which you do by pouring half a bucket of water directly into the bowl. If aimed correctly, this somehow opens the latch and flushes everything down. Unfortunately, this I am still developing these skills, but I'll just leave that at that.

I also wanted to share this little sample of Nigerian construction strategies, which include just grinding out holes in the wall for access to pipes and faucets that were made to fit spaces not originally suited for them.


One thing you won't see in this room is any kind of light fixture, which means that even when we do have electricity, I make my way around by flashlight, which is slightly treacherous given that the floors are perpetually wet and rather slippery. So most of the time the bathroom looks like this.

Mi palacio (cohort scavenger hunt, assignment #1)

They named a (hot pink) toilet paper after me...not a good sign of the gastrointestinal year ahead?


Nicer bathrooms -- like mine -- are generally covered in tile, with a brick barrier that helps keep shower water on one side of the room. Note that because the Bolivian septic system can't handle toilet paper, we all have little trash cans for such purposes. One of the hardest things for me each time I return from Bolivia is remembering that American toilets can handle toilet paper. Ahem.

The WIDOW MAKER. Most Bolivian showers are heated electrically (note the electrical cord connected to the shower). You have to be careful or you can get a nasty shock.

But lucky me -- my compadres have also installed a gas alternative for heating shower water, using the electric shower only when we run out of gas. These garrafas even allow me to have warmish water for my bathroom sink! Fancy fancy!

El inodoro colonial

I love colonial houses and their colonial toilets:Oh, did you miss the carved stone toiletbowl? A closer look:

It's sort of a leafy motif? Unclear.

P.S. This toilet's just for show, y'all.

Located here.

LOLtourism

I just wanted to sneak this one in before the scavenger hunting started. Next time, toilets and only toilets, I promise.