You and the Public Toilet

Here in the Manila, people are too shy to use public toilets, and these people will do anything just to avoid it. When you say its a private thingie, its PRIVATE. Some people avoid it because they don’t want to see smelly and disgusting places such as the public toilets.

You’ll see these unpleasant public toilets in some transportation terminals, class B and C malls and also public parks. Lots of colorful graffiti around, lots of love ads, old or dysfunctional fixtures. They have no locks, smelly, no hygienic trash-bins and most of all… NO WATER or TOILET PAPER.

How can you be “on-the-go” if you hate these kind of public places? Of course, you don’t want to be stuck at home because it’s better to go out and “enjoy the Earth”, right?

Now, here are some “bongga tips” for you to enjoy going out.

– Plan

• Planning your trips is very important, always keep in mind where you are going and see if there is a place where you can do your nature calls comfortably. Discover if there are any clean toilets around your destination.

– Know yourself

• This may be a big help for you. Knowing your body routine and its habits will help you prepare when “disaster” comes. Know the triggers you have and try to avoid them. Example, eating a chocolate bar then drinking soda may trigger a disaster inside your tummy. Hehe.

– Bring personal hygiene products

• Be sure to have all or at least most of these: cologne, hand sanitizer, alcohol-free baby wipes and a small plastic bag or a sanitary wrapper just in case no trashbin is available in the toilet. Just don’t forget to dispose “it” as soon as possible. Haha!

What to Do When Nature Calls.

Most of us can feel it prior to the call, right?

It’s not true that when you are being called you are really called and you really have to burst. Haha!

What I believe is, it calls you gradually, it’s like you are given time to do it – like 15 minuets to 1 hour before disaster happens. Haha.

Fifteen minutes I think is just enough time for you to find a place where to do it. Check the nearest clean and safe public toilet for you.

Me, I usually go to the nearest hotel if there’s one because they have clean restrooms. My next candidate are usually paid toilets, specially in malls.

Then there are also restaurants and coffee shops. Just be sure to be discreet or at least, order something for take out before you leave.

My last resort would have to be fast food restaurants or mall public CR’s. Here’s a tip – go to the highest floor of the mall because there’s usually less people around that area and the restrooms there are cleaner than the rest of the floors.

Anyway, always remember to just relax and be in control. Prepare the things that are needed and your presence of mind is a must.

Remember that you’re experiencing something normal. Everybody does it. That’s why it’s just better to do it the proper way in a proper place rather than holding it in and act uneasy and uncomfortable. Let it out or else you might lose your face in public.

Have a bonggang jabongga!

Photo credits: CocteauBoy, Mark Giles and Fernando de Sousa