Around The World In Six Toilet Flushes
It's World Toilet Day and if there's anything that can unite us all, it is the knowledge that everyone has to go to the toilet at some point in any shape or form.
By the end of it all, the average human being would’ve spent three years on the toilet in their lifetime. Celebrate World Toilet Day and travel six times around the globe to uncover its interesting toilet tales.
1. Cellphones: The Ultimate Toilet Companion
In case you were wondering if the future is here yet, the fact that more people in the world have mobile phones than toilets should convince you. In most developing countries, sending a whatsapp message is more of a possibility than finding a flushing toilet. In countries like Afghanistan, television is more common than toilets.
2. Squat Toilets
Squat toilets are still commonly used in many Asian and African countries including South Africa. You’ll find them in China, Korea, Burma and Taiwan and many rural areas in sub-Saharan countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda also use squat toilets but the same rules apply everywhere, clean up after yourself.
3. The Flying Toilet
Ever heard of the flying toilet? It’s not really a toilet in the sky like you would imagine. In the harshest sections of Nairobi, Kenya, the “flying toilet” is the most commonly used method of waste disposal. People defecate in a plastic bag and chuck it as far as possible and go about their day. Needless to say, the streets are clouded with these smelly bags that allow diseases like malaria and typhoid fever to thrive.
4. Under Toilet Arrest
Singapore takes their toilet etiquette very seriously. You can get arrested by police if you use a toilet in public and neglect to flush. Either that or you can be subject to a $500 fine and even a public caning for leaving behind an unwanted surprise for the next person.
5. Check Your Deposits
Looking for a receipt when you check your deposits for health reasons? Germany and Austria’s solution comes in the form of “washout toilets”, which feature an inspection shelf to catch your deposit. If you’re curious about what you’ve been eating, this is the way to go.
6. Flush Back to the Future
Toilet design has hardly changed over generations but you can trust Japan toilets to take the toilet design to the future. It’ll cost you a buck, about $5000 to be exact but some high-end futuristic toilets come with automatic lids, temperature controlled bidets, heated seats, driers, deodorizers, music, and even medical sensors with options for measuring the pulse, blood sugar, and body fat of the user. If that isn’t enough, the Japanese have also developed bathroom urinal video games that will bring the likes of Sega, controlled by the stream of the player.
Check out this informative video for more fun facts:
