I had to use one. The Chinese toilet that is.

It’s a popular design in other countries in Asia also. My friend Wesley claims its actually “cleaner”.

Local Wai Laos call it the “high dive” or “long drop” and once you use it, you’ll see why.

I thought I would never use it, but like eating dog, you can’t always choose these things.

The night started off normal enough. I shared a Chicken hot pot with a friend from Hong Kong and had a few beers and a dozen cigs. As I was leaving the restaurant to go to Maya City (which deserves its own post) I suddenly became very sure that i would need a toilet soon.

Since Maya City is an opulent spa with waterfalls and every convenience and amenity I was sure I would find a western toilet. As Plato says, only the fools are certain.

So there I was.

I was wearing a towel having just showered and I took the towel off and hung it on the hook and did my business. It was weird. It took athleticism. It wasn’t so bad.

God works in mysterious ways. That I not only had on only a towel and had a shower 10 feet away was certainly a gift, and without those two, i’m not sure I could have done it without incident.

But Wesley is right, there is something more clean and um, efficient, about it.