The Pay Toilet

In most countries (especially under developed ones) there doesn’t seem to be any issues with urinating in public, and having a coin collecting attendant guarding a fly infested hole in the ground seems to only encourage it. So here we are, face to face with the question every Westerner must tackle when traveling abroad; Do I pay to pee, or hold it till I’m back in the hotel?

It seems like these pay toilets are in an unhealthy cycle:
1. attendants can’t possibly collect enough change to pay their salary and for cleaning supplies
2. that’s probably why most attendants don’t actually clean
3. the shack becomes foul and makes a bush or a tree seem a lot more enticing
4. people are already poor so why would they choose a foul pit over open air?

In Asia it would only be something like 10 cents to use the loo, but on principle we would hold out for hours. It has taken a long time to come to terms with this concept, but after 16months, Kevin has finally given in and is now paying for toilets with a smile. In this demo video he shows how to put on his happy face and pay with exact change…