I must admit, whenever I find myself some place new, I like to visit the bathrooms. Some are glamorous facilities with hand-painted porcelain sinks and gold-framed mirrors (like the ones at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas), while others are a simple hole in the dirt (like the bathroom hut I encountered whilst in rural Bolivia). I also like reading the sometimes amusing bathroom rules, such as these which I encountered when I paid a Brazilian bathroom a visit:
1) Don’t pee on the floor.
My question is, why would you pee on the floor? It’s not like this was a squatting toilet or a mere hole in the ground. This was a perfectly functioning toilet, a clean one mind you! Then again, a woman had just finished mopping… Just don’t pee on the floor people. Please.
2) Don’t climb on the toilet.
Again, not sure why you would feel the need to climb the toilet. My first concern would be, what if your foot slips in? There really is no need to climb. If it’s that filthy, wouldn’t the hover technique suffice?
3) Flush after use.
This one’s not so strange. I find it odd that people need to be reminded, but better this reminder than a surprise when you walk in the stall.
4) Throw the toilet paper in the bin.
This one might seem weird if you’re coming from Europe or North America, but it’s actually quite common in South America. A lot of the plumbing cannot handle flushing the toilet paper. So save yourself the embarrassment of clogging the toilet and throw your TP in the bin.
5) Do not throw feminine products in the toilet.
I think this one applies around the world. Enough said.
Remember, others will use the bathroom after you.
What’s the strangest rule you’ve encountered?
Ha ha I like your first line: “whenever I visit some place new, I like to visit the bathroom”. For me it’s usually more like “by the time I arrive in some place new I desperately need to use the bathroom”.
Flush after use? I’ve always flushed before.
Going to leave you with the instructions I found on one of those Brazilian-made electric shower heads that supposedly heat water but actually just shower you in sparks…
FOR PRESSURE OVER
80kPa USE THE REDUCER
IN THE NIPPLE
Would that be mine or someone else’s? And what do my nipples have to do with water pressure?
Whoaa! I wonder what they had in mind…haha 😀 Incomprehensible translations are my favorite!
love the comment above. anything having to do with the word “nipple” makes me chuckle. i haven’t encountered any weird rules, but i have encountered really bad bathroom conditions. i like the one you posted: “don’t climb on the toilet”
Don’t climb on the toilet would be common sense to me. Can’t find the link back, but came across an image today that showed a sticker that said “no diving” in the toilet…. Makes me wonder why they thought it was necessary to warn people for that in the first place.
All great rules for a bathroom. Just surprised that they needed to be rules. A lot I think are common sense. But then again, common sense is very much individualized. I hope the bathroom was usable for you. Ah, the things we must endure during travel.
The top of the cream is when you arrive to a nice hostel just to find the toilet INSIDE the shower. I encountered this in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro). So good mornings only last till you need to go and find everything soaking wet. Or on the other end when you thought to take that refreshing shower… it turns out to be a smelly one from somebody elses late night rodizzio´s.
Does everything in Brazil come with such intense instructions?