Sunday, April 27, 2014

In the privvy

Turkish toilets are something a wee bit different...  I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do in there, so when I have a choice, I avoid them.  At the airport, for example, each restroom generally has a couple of stalls of "normal" toilets, and a couple of stalls of traditional Turkish toilets.  Often, I can tell as soon as I walk into a restroom whether there will be Turkish toilets, because there is usually an unpleasant funk in the air, even when the room has just been cleaned.  
I do have some Turkish friends I could ask, but I'm not really sure how to ask politely.  I don't want to offend anyone, or confirm their opinion that I'm a weirdo, by letting them know I don't know how to properly use their toilets.  I also don't want to offend anyone using the toilet after me...

What you find in there is a porcelain hole in the floor, with grooved space to either side, probably for your feet.  There's a faucet close to the floor, and a watering can or measuring cup looking thing...for pouring water down the hole?  So, I'm assuming you squat over the hole, like peeing in the woods.  But when you pee in the woods, you're already out in the wild, and who cares if maybe a little dribble gets on your clothes?

While I did find the Turkish toilets in the woods outside Istanbul, I also find them in the mall, the airport, pretty much everywhere.  The Turkish ladies are generally well-dressed, particularly the more conservative-looking ones who look like they follow traditions and might choose a traditional toilet.  How do the pee in their pretty clothes, with their fancy shoes?  Don't their nice trousers pool around their feet, which are resting on the wet grooves to either side of the toilet hole?

Also, apparently you're not supposed to wash your feet in the bathroom.  Before or after you pee?

I have other questions, but I'll leave you with pictures.  Yes, I'm the kind of gal who takes photos of toilets.