"The toilet situation" China Warnings Or Dangers Tip by bellatrix

The toilet situation really is horrendous. Toilets here consist of a porcelain hole in the floor, with a little area behind the hole to catch stray drips or whatever. So you squat and aim for the hole, trying desperately not to allow your pants or anything but the bottoms of your pants touch the floor, as it's always wet and you never know what it's wet with. You try not to breathe as the smell is really really bad, but you don't want to pass out and fall down, so it's a balance of holding your breath and gasping for air when you can't stand it anymore. You just pray that your sense of balance is good as you try not to fall forward or backward, and you try not to touch ANYTHING. Then you either flush if it has a flush, or take a big dipper of water from a nearby bucket and manually flush. Okay, this isn't so bad. The problem is when there is no flush OR dipper of water from a nearby bucket, or when the women who have gone before you have neglected to flush... what happens is that the bathroom creates an intense and truly disgusting smell of amonia and mixed pee that can be smelled all the way around the corner. And there's usually not a door in the front of each little stall for privacy. There is NEVER toilet paper, and I noticed that many Chinese women don't seem to use it. I don't know what they do instead, if they drip dry or what. If you are lucky enough to have a sink outside to wash at, there is NEVER soap. My absolute worst bathroom experience so far: (don't read on if you're queasy) a very primitive bathroom located in a small town in the middle of nowhere... one small dark room, with a floor which has wooden slats, where you place your feet and do your business in between the slats. If you are unlucky enough to glance between the slats, about a quarter of an inch below you can see all kinds of human waste, paper, trash, bugs... god knows what else. No doors, no toilets.... just a bunch of women in a small dark room, squatting and aiming for between the slats. Did I use it? Yes, I did!