I am now in Kuala Lumpur visiting the home of two of my former students. Their mother lives with them, and it is a wonderful experience for me, staying with Muslims. Again, it has been a wonderful day of eating Hari Raya cookies--something I have not tasted for many years. However, much of these experiences will be posted within a few days. Instead, I want to talk about cute signs, toilets and bathrooms in Malaysia. There is nothing better than using icons to indicate what you should be doing. After all, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), people of so many nationalities pass through every day. It would be difficult to ensure that all the different languages were inscribed on the signs. Instead, the sign in a lady's toilet stall has all the necessary icons.
The more basic Asian toilet is the squatting toilet or otherwise called the "two-stepper" toilet in India and the Middle East, http://americanbedu.com/2011/01/14/saudi-arabia-how-to-use-an-eastern-style-toilet/. It is amazing what you can find on the Internet these days.
Although showers and bathtubs are common in Malaysia, a tub or a Chinese egg jar, http://gotheborg.com/qa/bigjar.shtml, may be used to store the water for bathing and washing clothes. Here is a picture of the plastic tub in my mother's bathroom. Every time one of us has a bath, we need to make sure that enough water is kept for the next person.
You are shown how to sit on the toilet and not to squat on it. Many Asian toilets are the squatting ones and often people do squat on the sitting toilet because they do not want to sit on a toilet that had been used by others. The top middle icon shows you where the flush button is located and not to use your foot to press the flush button! Trash should be thrown in the wastebasket and you are not allowed to smoke in the bathroom in KLIA.
In India and Malaysia, and I am sure in many Muslim countries, there is a faucet to wash one's bottom after relieving oneself. Below is a picture of a toilet in Malaysia. Such a toilet is common in big airports and three-five star hotels in Asia. This toilet is common in Asia and the Middle East. Sometimes toilet paper is provided but usually not in public toilets. In China, you are also not supposed to throw toilet paper in the toilets.
Although showers and bathtubs are common in Malaysia, a tub or a Chinese egg jar, http://gotheborg.com/qa/bigjar.shtml, may be used to store the water for bathing and washing clothes. Here is a picture of the plastic tub in my mother's bathroom. Every time one of us has a bath, we need to make sure that enough water is kept for the next person.
Below is a plastic blue water scoop that is used to throw water over one's body. Mother has a pink one above.
Below is a "warm notice" in the ladies' toilet at Beijing International airport. I have no idea why this is a warm notice.
Therefore, my friends, that is all for today. I am hot but stuffed full of Hari Raya cookies. :)
