The Senseitions New Feature: The Toilets of Asia

(This guy, from the same location as the toilet in this post, could totally use that toilet right about now. And maybe a urologist.)

Looking back on our time in Korea, and some of the crazy places we've traveled since then, I wish I'd started this feature earlier. From a material cultures historian perspective, such blog posts would be providing a valuable service! Do you realize how many gaps there are in our historical knowledge of hygiene practices, simply because people were too shy to document them? (This reminds me - if I ever go to New Delhi, I'm totally going to the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets). Do you realize how many unwitting tourists, incognizant of local "BYOTP" practice, end up in Chinese or Filipino toilets sans paper? At least one, I can tell you that much.

Basically, if you find this topic beneath you, skip this post. If you, like me, read that sentence and thought, "Dude, where else would a toilet be?", then read on, my friend! Porcelain glory awaits!

(Note: for the pedants among you, for the purposes of this new feature, the term "toilet" will be used UK-style; i.e., encompassing the stall, the lounge, the entire evacuatory experience. Toilets themselves may or may not feature individually. I could call this "The bathrooms of Asia," but that wouldn't be anywhere near as funny.)

Today's featured toilet: Sonya's Garden toilet, Tagaytay, Philippines.

Gender: Female

Toilet type: typical Western-style seat

Special features: Sink in stall, ornamental shell windows and screens, rose water hand lotion

Noted for: stunning view from toilet

This toilet does lose some points for gender ambiguity, which, as anyone who was ever stymied by the "Blokes" and "Sheilas" signs at the Outback Steakhouse knows, can put a real cramp in your style. All you had to go on at Sonya's was the photographs hung on the stall exteriors, which look an awful lot like decorations. Yes, I was scolded for pushing the door on the left.

On the other hand, what a lovely bench!

View from toilet: two stories up, overlooking private garden. Occasional twinges of concern when you spotted people in the garden and wondered if they can see you back; fears mostly allayed by awkward angles and dense vegetation. The overall tone of the bathroom is restful and natural.

Windows visible above and in the next shot. These wooden frames are actually lined with translucent shell, which was significantly less expensive than glass for most of Filipino history. Our friends from the Philippines told us that the ones in use today are generally salvaged from pre-WWII buildings and can sometimes be used as an indicator of quality restaurants, since they indicate attention to detail and connections to the traditional and the local.

Overall verdict: Highly recommended! A must-pee!