Indonesian Bathroom Hygiene Practices?

[plaamook]

I’m lefty and grew up in Indonesia. Friends at school knew me as “Si Kebot” (means “The lefty”). They admonished me if I handed stuff with my left hand and asked me to give it to them with my right hand. I remember when I came back home after living in USA for over 10 years, handed my passport to immigration officer in Jakarta. He balked at me for giving the passport with my “dirty hand” and asked me to give it to him with my right hand. I chuckled to myself about it and told to myself how stupid of him to force me to give it with my “dirty right hand” as I use my left hand to pour water cup over my rear end and use my right hand to wipe clean any leftover residue that toilet paper fails to pickup.

I was able to write with both hands up to 3rd grade as every time the teacher or my father saw me writing with my left hand, they would get a ruler and slapped the “dirty hand” and said something like as mild as “that’s a bad hand to use” to as bad as “that’s the devil’s hand, bad omen would come to you” . So, I switched to write with my right hand, whenever they saw me writing with my left hand, until one day my mother said to my father to leave me be and told my teachers the same. So, I lose my right-hand writing skill since then.

You are talking about old times, back in the sixties-seventies. The world has changed for the better. They accept Si Kebot like anyone else now. I don’t feel “special” anymore.

Same. Lefty. Funny world eh.

Sri Lankan friend of mine...same. His family leave him alone. He leaves me alone. You won't get utensils at his house and his cooking is too good to argue the point even if you were so inclined.

 

[plaamook]

As for the haemorrhoids/piles argument...
I've often wondered if it's less to do with the position and more to do with the washing.
People who squat generally wash rather that trying to clean themselves with paper.
People on seats tend towards paper.
Paper wiping tends to irritate everything because of all the obvious reasons like friction etc.
Washers don't irritate their nether-hole with paper all the time so maybe they don't even realise they have piles if they aren't very bad.
Just a thought.

 

[kelemvor]

The worst, though, was India. Used toilet tissue carried along the ground by the breeze, men openly defecating in public spaces.

How long ago was that? I have a few co-workers who live in India, and I recall being told about a major campaign to try and address that within the past decade.

 

[Centrals]

hahahahaha. No, Karachi is not a nice city by any stretch but the people are amazingly friendly and generous. Maybe the places my wife took me were a little less tolerant. We ate a lot at the street carts on Burns Road and the marina. Restaurant eating was a different experience all together.

Very friendly indeed!!!!
Took a taxi from the airport to the hotel, after just arrived from HK, the taxi driver insisted that he ought to take me to the brothel first!!!!!!! I politely declined his suggestion. LOL.

 

[Dan]

Back in the seventies, I lived near Ci Liwung (a major river passing through Jakarta). It’s a pretty common to see people bathing, washing clothes, and defecating on the river banks.

 

[Gene]

I was stationed in Turkey at Incirlik CDI in the early 1980s. On base of course we had the usual western style toilets. Off-base, often times it was a hole in the floor along with a bucket of sand and another of water.
One of my most interesting conversations on one trip down to Mersin was discussing the pros and cons of each way, sand and water, or TP, with a Turkish man while we spoke in a mixture of German and English. He was adamant about sand and water being the best, while I argued for what I grew up with, paper....
As a teen, I was also a dependent living in Taiwan, ROC during my high school years, but I mostly recall seeing western style toilets then. (This was 1978-9.) Although we did see benjo ditches everywhere with mostly kids using them as bathrooms.

 

[agilis]

How long ago was that? I have a few co-workers who live in India, and I recall being told about a major campaign to try and address that within the past decade.

Quite a long time ago, back in1990. I was visiting friends in Goa, and experienced what I described in Mumbai.

 

[SkiDive67]

Isn't there the backpackers guide to digging a 'cat hole' for #2 use? For TP remember to carry it in and carry it out with you. Then there are the train set up in India and other Asian countries where the 'squatty potty' is common.

 

[plaamook]

Just to bump this thread a bit, cause it’s so entertaining...
Another point I’ve often considered in Asia is...this business with insisting on using Tp in a water jug/hose country...doesn’t anyone feel bad for the staff that don’t use Tp but have to muck out the Tp bins in hotels, boats, etc?
That’s quite a job.
I figure that going native is kind of an act of compassion really!

 

[Centrals]

Just to bump this thread a bit, cause it’s so entertaining...
Another point I’ve often considered in Asia is...this business with insisting on using Tp in a water jug/hose country...doesn’t anyone feel bad for the staff that don’t use Tp but have to muck out the Tp bins in hotels, boats, etc?
That’s quite a job.
I figure that going native is kind of an act of compassion really!

Quite common in some countries including Korea back in the 80s.