Foreign Practicalities

Toilet Training

First of all, that commode in the corner, with the really high triangular seat?...it doesn’t flush…it’s the flushing water, and to try to use it as a toilet (if you could comfortably get your tush up that high) would be a social faux pas of the highest and most embarrassing order. Some of the older and more remote restaurants, businesses, and temples might have the typical third world squat-type toilets. For those unfamiliar, this is basically a large porcelain-lined hole in the ground (which may, or may not, be connected to a sewer system), with a slightly raised platform on either side for the feet. In some locales with squat-type toilets the bathroom also functions as a shower or a place to take a splash-type mini bath (using the water reservoir in the corner or the hose for the fresh water). Don’t be surprised if you encounter a wet floor, and don’t always assume the worst if the floor is wet.

Usually there is a nail or hook on the adjacent wall to hang your pants (unless you feel your aim is sufficient to insure a direct hit without soiling yourself in the process). Make sure you are the only one that can access your pants if you hang them on a hook. Women may find it useful to wear a long, loose skirt that can simply be gathered up around the waist. In the corner of each stall will be a reservoir of water, with a ladle or bucket to be used for scooping water to flush the waste down the hole. There will usually be a hose bib on the wall to refill the reservoir should it be low or empty. There may or may not be toilet paper (a splendid reason to bring a roll with you in your day pack). Toilet paper can stop-up older systems, so it is possible that you might find used toilet paper in an adjacent trash can, as it is not put down the opening in some older systems. If there is no paper, there might be what appears to be a hose with a sprayer on the end (a la le bidet). This hose is used for two things: washing ones privates, and washing out (read mechanical flushing) the toilet for the next user.

If there is no hose, and no paper, you are expected to use a left hand wetted by the scoop to clean your privates (the reason for using only the right hand to eat with), and the privates must drip dry. This is how a huge chunk of the rest of the world goes to the restroom: Middle East , Southeast Asia , etc. Men will also find a regular trough-style urinal, quite often fragrant with mothballs as the deodorizer/sanitizer. You will find a regular hand sink with which to vigorously clean that left hand.

In all modern hotels, restaurants, malls, and shops you’re most likely to find the common Western-style modern facilities, so don’t freak out!

In modern facilities you might encounter a commode that has a pair of buttons on the top of the tank instead of a flushing handle on the side or upper corner. This is the newer style that is just now showing up in the States. The theory here is that you push only one of the buttons to flush urine, while both buttons are pushed to flush (ahem) “solid waste”.  The purpose is to release only as much water as is necessary for the purposes of flushing.

Electrical Requirements:  Converters and Adaptors

Pretty much every country except the U.S uses a 220v power system instead of our 110v ( Mexico being an exception). There is a link below under “Travel Equipment” for sites that will have charts of all of the countries and what type of plug connection to the wall socket they use. If you are taking along any electrical equipment, make sure that you have the proper wall plug adaptor for the target foreign destination and that any battery-charging device will function at 220v…if not, then you might have to have a step-down converter as well. Most of the travel equipment companies sell compact universal adaptor kits, or you can usually get them from the hotel at a higher price (or occasionally on loan from the front desk).

Travel Tools and Toys Atlas Loves

There are a few items that we never travel without, and you might consider bringing them along:

* A compass (or better yet, a GPS ) is a valuable tool when you are out trying to negotiate your way around a strange city, and if you’re like us, when you’re following a roadmap on the charter bus in transit, a compass really makes it easy to follow the map and stay oriented. It’s always a problem when you emerge from a subway tube on a street with tall buildings…a quick glance at the compass and you’re instantly oriented. With a GPS you can lock in your hotel’s location and always know where you’re going., as well as save your routes for future trips.

* A “church-key” type can opener can be a lifesaver, as can a cork screw.

* A small flashlight sure makes it easy to find your hotel key / keycard or bungalow in the dark… the newer, tiny, lightweight 2 x AA battery LED-bulbed types are practically unbreakable, waterproof,  and put out an amazing amount of light.

* Concealable neck pouches are superb for toting around money and valuables securely, and the newer styles have clear windows in the front so that you your travel documents are easily seen while in transit (be sure to get the type that has a pocket in the back that’s long enough for your airplane ticket and boarding pass to fit vertically), with a strap that has a small steel cable inside to thwart razor artists.

* Disposable antiseptic hand wipes that come in the small tear-open packets are required when you’re on the go.

* Sunglasses are a must (and it’s surprising how many people don’t wear them!), and polarized sunglasses work a whole lot better than conventional lenses…you can see through the surface of water and see better in rain, and it removes the reflection on a lot of glass windows.

* Packtowel® is a nearly weightless compact towel that soaks up huge amounts of liquid, squeezes out in seconds, and is ready to go right back at it. They come in many different sizes, and nothing’s better for mopping sweat in the tropics, or quickly drying off after a sudden downpour.

* A foldable, compact poncho will give maximum coverage in sudden rain, and folds down small enough to throw into the daypack.

* A collapsible traveler’s umbrella is indispensable when that unexpected shower pops up, or the sun is beating down on you like a flamethrower.

* Inflatable neck pillows are required for comfort on the plane if you want to grab some shuteye (and some airlines are now eliminating pillows as a cost-cutting measure).

* Ditch the CD player and those bulky CD carriers and go digital MP3 format player if you want music to take along: With an IPod or a Creative Labs Zen Jukebox MP3 player you can take along 20 gigs (200+ albums) or more worth of digital music in a package smaller than a pack of smokes.

* When you’re on the plane a pair of Noise-Canceling headphones (Travel Essentials, Bose, Sony) runs on one tiny battery, provides cathedral type sound for your MP3 music files, and eliminates most of the engine roar (great for noiseless sleeping also!).

* Power plug adaptors are practical if you want to use your laptop on the plane. Make sure you have selected a seat that actually has one if you’re going to try to plug in.

* Portable DVD players are becoming quite popular, and there are ratings of these products available with a simple web search. They give you the freedom to watch what you like, and some come with hard drives large enough to store a big selection of entertainment.

International Cell Phone Service

Pretty much everywhere you go in the world most people you’ll see these days will have cell phones. In many developing countries cell phone service bypassed the process of putting up telephone wires; erecting a cell phone tower is cheaper and easier than stringing hundreds or thousands of miles of telephone wires. The younger generation are as enamored with cell phones worldwide as they are in the States, if not more so, and they have created a demand for cell service that has fueled its spread.

In many countries where meeting times are more free-form, or traffic dictates how late you are to a meeting, having a cell phone with you is essential. You can use the phone in your room at astronomical rates, you can use your US-based cell phone for even more, you can try to figure out the pay phone system, or you can do the smart thing and take with you a tri or quad-mode cell phone that is SIMS card capable and “unlocked”.

What this means is that your cell phone can work on three (or four) different frequencies (thereby matching the frequencies used in whatever country you happen to be). A SIMS capable phone has a small removable computer chip underneath the battery that basically determines what your current phone number and company provider is for that phone. Most US cell companies “lock” their phones, preventing them from being used with other providers. Fortunately, the gearheads have figured out ways to unlock almost all US phones, and you just have to go to the Internet to find out how.

The wise international traveler will consult with their hotel concierge upon arrival and find out a few things: which of the cell phone providers in the country have the best signal coverage, the fewest outages, and the best prices? Once you know this, you can go to any number of different stores and purchase a new SIMS chip, which will give you a local phone number in your new destination. You pop out the battery, pull out your old SIMS chip (safely tucking it away for when you land back home), pop in the new chip, call a phone number, give them a code number (furnished with the new card), and they activate your number with X amount of minutes (you determine how much time you want to start with).  If your minutes start running low (determined by calling an access number to check your balance) you go to the nearest 7-11 and buy more time. Nothing could be simpler.

This is so simple that even I can do it. For a much more lucid and detailed explanation of how all this works you can’t do better that the six-part series presented by David Rowell on his Travel Insider web site: http://thetravelinsider.info/2002/0308.htm

Bottom line, when you have a tri or quad-mode phone you can not only use it at home, but almost anywhere you go in the entire world, and it’s a lot cheaper than the previous options.