Actually, I had no idea that bodily functions would be such a huge part of this trip. We had to do lots of hydrating to combat altitude problems, and that is naturally followed by, you guessed it, de-hydrating. So that, combined with the gastrointestinal difficulties that are so common up here, and you begin to understand why toileting facilities turned out to be a big part of our trek.
The trip started with some of the most amazing toilets I've ever seen - in the Minneapolis Saint Paul airport. They were clean, large, and beautiful, with lots of marble and an electronic display at the entrance listing wait time. Perhaps a little over the top?
The toilets in the Chicago airport were some of the strangest i've ever seen. They were western style, but the toilet was wrapped in plastic, which was changed to new plastic at a touch of a button.
We encountered our first squat toilets at the Kathmandu airport, domestic terminal. We spent five hours there, so I was grateful for them - they did the job. A Minnesota friend of mine told me once that she prefers public squat toilets - she thinks they are more hygienic than the seat style. These were a bit dirty. There was a bucket for toilet paper (bring your own) and a pitcher to sluice the toilet when you were done.
Our hotel in Kathmandu had at attached bathroom, but the shower resembled those we saw in Cambodia. The shower was along one wall, and using it made the whole room wet. But again, it was fairly warm, so we were delighted. We even had power and outlets in that room, but they only worked sporadically - several hours on, and several hours off.
Finding toilet facilities on the trail out of Lukla was a bit of a challenge, especially at first, when we didn't always recognize them. And since we were trying to drink a lot of water, we needed them pretty quickly. But soon we saw a building marked toilet, and gratefully checked it out. It was a small building on a slope. There was a hole in the floor and a mound of leaves. That's it. Very biodegradable. I liked the simplicity.
We paid an extra 300 rupees our first night on the trail for an attached bathroom, including hot showers from solar heat. Notice that I've managed some sort of hot shower every day so far? Again the shower got the whole room wet, but that was OK. Still western toilets.
Our hotel in Namche was very nice, but the shared toilets were in small stalls, with a sink in the hallway. We paid 300 rupees (about $4) each for hot showers. Heavenly, but expensive.
Along the trail we continue to find those simple outhouses, with just a hole in the floor and some native material stacked at hand. I don't mind them, although I did find pine needles in my undies the other day!
It took me while to figure out what to do when there was no toilet building. Eventually I noticed small paths leading off the main trail. They are the equivalent of going behind a tree, although the amount of actual privacy varies. Still, most people have learned to avert their eyes in those locations. I've learned to carry a small plastic bag so I can carry out my trash, though others are not so considerate.
Our lodge in the tiny hilltop monestary community of Tengboche was one of my least favorite. The small bathroom at the end of the hallway had a squat toilet, a bucket for paper (of course not provided), and two bins of water. One was to "flush" the toilet. The other had a spigot and sink to wash hands. Not bad, though hard for bathing. I managed after a fashion, despite the cold wind whistling though the broken window and cracks in the walls. Oh, I guess there was some paper provided. There was an old paperback book, which was clearly being used, one page at a time.
Down in Deboche, the only running water was in the kitchen, but the bathrooms had larger barrels of water and Western style toilets. I do like to sit down to do my business on occasion, so that was a welcome change. Without running water, it is necessary to pour pitchers of water in until it "flushes". I bathed right over the bowl, figuring it could also drain my soapy water. I was cold when I was done, but clean! We could have paid 400 rupees ( about $5) for hot showers, but I am cheap!
The situation got more rustic at our next stop, Dingboche, at 4,400 meters, or just under 14,000 feet. The toilet was the same, a western seat with a water barrel and scoop to flush it, but it was outside. So if we needed to pee in the night we had to walk outside about 30 feet, through the fridgid wind. So I begged a discarded water bottle from a fellow hiker and set out our female funnel. Have I given you more details than you wanted yet? I was grateful we had brought it. Bathing the first day was a very sketchy wet wash cloth, but the next day we washed hair in the yard. It felt so good to be clean!
It turns out that above about 5,000 meters I really lower my washing standards. It's too cold to sweat as much, and washing in ice cold water when the air temperature is below 40 degrees is just not fun. But then Meg came up with a brilliant plan. We had already been ordering a pot of water with dinner. We'd each have tea, then pour the remainder in our metal water bottle, to warm up our toes in our sleeping bags. But then she realized that the water was still lukewarm in the morning - perfect for a wash. I'm amazed at how much cleaning can be done with half a bottle of warm water.
So that's it. We're headed down now, so I don't think we will encounter much else. We are creatively clean and healthy, so now I know that I was right - I could handle all the toilets as long as I have some way to get clean every day. I'm just more flexible about how I do that than I expected. Perhaps you would be too!
Oh boy, I could share some toilet stories with you!! And shower stories too. It's funny you just don't think toilets or showers are that big a deal, but then you suddenly realize how very important they are!
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