By Kelly Moad
That’s what Dad said every time we made another stop along our journey. My sister was the queen of bathroom breaks. Whether the trip was 20 minutes near home or hours away on a vacation, she needed to go all.the.time and Dad explained that she must be doing research for her book. Well, I guess it runs in the family because the research is once again underway, by me this time. It is quite the adventure finding restrooms in foreign countries as we travel and explore. Thankfully, my family is gracious and understanding when Mom needs to go. They see me take that first sip and jokingly bet, “How long until Mom needs a potty?”
My research thus far is simple: when you gotta go, you just gotta go, and it’s a crap-shoot (no pun intended). Some bathrooms, or “toilets” as they’re internationally known, are quite presentable. But on the flip side, plenty are hold-your-nose-and-squat-quickly gross! Several you have to pay to get in, they even take credit card at a turnstile for the equivalent of about $1 per squatter. There’s the interesting porta-potty on the street corners in Rome and Paris. These large automated units are in common areas, usually in the medians or street corners. Once you pay the door slides open, you enter to take care of your business, and I assume it lets you out when you’re ready. I didn’t have the guts to try this. I had too many fears of being stuck or being exposed in the middle of city life. But they seem common enough.
Overall, I made it through. We managed to find bathrooms along the way, at each restaurant or monument we wanted to check out. Good thing is, everyone needs toilets so there is no shortage of toilets around. It just takes some research and eyes-peeled to find the good ones…and have some local coins on you in case you gotta pay to pee.
[Apr-26-2022]
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