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Authors: Jennifer L. Leo
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bus and strode down the aisle toward me.
âCome,â he said.
Wondering what I had done wrong, I grabbed my bag and followed him off the bus and across the lot.The little boy went back to his imaginary soccer game in front of me. âOne rupee! One rupee! Hello, one rupee!â Another boy, even smaller and cuter and higher pitched joined in.
The driver led me to another bus. âThis bus will take you to Gokarna,â he said, gruffly but not unkindly. It was just as the station manager had promisedâthe driver would make sure I got to Gokarna. How could I ever have doubted it? I glanced around at the clamoring mill of people, the mingled woodsmoke and exhaust drifting past the green, red, and yellow busses.This must be Sirsi.
âThank you,â I said simply, knowing I couldnât convey all that I was grateful for.That no matter how clueless I was, the people around me knew what they were doing. And no matter how mistrustful I was, they were willing to help me. I gave each of the little boys a rupee and got on the new bus, which was exactly like the old bus, except for the curly script above the windshield that proclaimed its destination to everyone but me. The passengers all nodded at me as I passed them. I sat down in my new seat and saw all the kids outside my new window, the girls from the bathroom with the older one holding the baby, and the two little soccer boys, all grouped family portrait style and smiling big beautiful smiles up at me. Genuine smiles.They waved at me and I waved back, and they kept waving as my bus pulled out of the lot and onto the road to Gokarna.
Firmly convinced that buses are the way to travel, Megan Lyles has talked her photographer boyfriend into traveling with her by bus from New York City to Antarctica and helping her document the trip. (The final leg will have to be done by boat but thatâs not her fault.) You can follow along at www.meganlylcenter .
The first day I entered a public restroom in China I faced the ultimate toilet challenge. I had memorized the Chinese character for âwomenâ to help minimize my anxiety. I would have figured this one out anyway, as next to the Chinese characters there was a picture of a high-heeled shoe for women and a cigar for men! My initial amusement turned to horror as I walked in and saw two rows of doorless stalls on raised platforms. I walked down the hallway with increasing levels of fear. I was distressed by the fact that the white ceramic âsquat potsâ werenât there. In fact, in their place was a long cement-lined trench that ran right through the stalls, from first to last, on both sides. Fear and confusion overtook me as I walked down the center aisle, trying to formulate my plan ofattack. I knew I needed to squat, but the entire process was unclear to me. Do I straddle? What direction do I face? Why is there one long trench instead of individual bowls? What happens to the crap?
With trepidation, I pulled my pants down, placed one foot on either side of the trench and squatted, looking away from the hole. To my surprise, my neighborâs urine started flowing down the trench in my direction, headed for the hole beneath me! I quickly stood up, but of course I still needed to pee. I tried to squat and relax again, but the second I heard the sound of flushing from the toilet furthest âupstream,â the entire plumbing system became shockingly clear to me! I jumped back up and watched in disbelief as this gush of water carried a ghastly pile of crap past me to the hole below my squat spot. I then realized that traveling in China was going to be challenging, amusing, and always an adventure.
âKonnie Landis, M.D., âChinese Toilets 101â
JULIE EISENBERG
The Princess and the Pee
Close-quarter combat takes on new meaning to her highness.
M E, AN ADVENTUROUS TRAVELER ? W ELL, OF COURSE I like to think so. Sure, maybe not the kind that kayaks, canoes, or cavorts with local
âCome,â he said.
Wondering what I had done wrong, I grabbed my bag and followed him off the bus and across the lot.The little boy went back to his imaginary soccer game in front of me. âOne rupee! One rupee! Hello, one rupee!â Another boy, even smaller and cuter and higher pitched joined in.
The driver led me to another bus. âThis bus will take you to Gokarna,â he said, gruffly but not unkindly. It was just as the station manager had promisedâthe driver would make sure I got to Gokarna. How could I ever have doubted it? I glanced around at the clamoring mill of people, the mingled woodsmoke and exhaust drifting past the green, red, and yellow busses.This must be Sirsi.
âThank you,â I said simply, knowing I couldnât convey all that I was grateful for.That no matter how clueless I was, the people around me knew what they were doing. And no matter how mistrustful I was, they were willing to help me. I gave each of the little boys a rupee and got on the new bus, which was exactly like the old bus, except for the curly script above the windshield that proclaimed its destination to everyone but me. The passengers all nodded at me as I passed them. I sat down in my new seat and saw all the kids outside my new window, the girls from the bathroom with the older one holding the baby, and the two little soccer boys, all grouped family portrait style and smiling big beautiful smiles up at me. Genuine smiles.They waved at me and I waved back, and they kept waving as my bus pulled out of the lot and onto the road to Gokarna.
Firmly convinced that buses are the way to travel, Megan Lyles has talked her photographer boyfriend into traveling with her by bus from New York City to Antarctica and helping her document the trip. (The final leg will have to be done by boat but thatâs not her fault.) You can follow along at www.meganlylcenter .
The first day I entered a public restroom in China I faced the ultimate toilet challenge. I had memorized the Chinese character for âwomenâ to help minimize my anxiety. I would have figured this one out anyway, as next to the Chinese characters there was a picture of a high-heeled shoe for women and a cigar for men! My initial amusement turned to horror as I walked in and saw two rows of doorless stalls on raised platforms. I walked down the hallway with increasing levels of fear. I was distressed by the fact that the white ceramic âsquat potsâ werenât there. In fact, in their place was a long cement-lined trench that ran right through the stalls, from first to last, on both sides. Fear and confusion overtook me as I walked down the center aisle, trying to formulate my plan ofattack. I knew I needed to squat, but the entire process was unclear to me. Do I straddle? What direction do I face? Why is there one long trench instead of individual bowls? What happens to the crap?
With trepidation, I pulled my pants down, placed one foot on either side of the trench and squatted, looking away from the hole. To my surprise, my neighborâs urine started flowing down the trench in my direction, headed for the hole beneath me! I quickly stood up, but of course I still needed to pee. I tried to squat and relax again, but the second I heard the sound of flushing from the toilet furthest âupstream,â the entire plumbing system became shockingly clear to me! I jumped back up and watched in disbelief as this gush of water carried a ghastly pile of crap past me to the hole below my squat spot. I then realized that traveling in China was going to be challenging, amusing, and always an adventure.
âKonnie Landis, M.D., âChinese Toilets 101â
JULIE EISENBERG
The Princess and the Pee
Close-quarter combat takes on new meaning to her highness.
M E, AN ADVENTUROUS TRAVELER ? W ELL, OF COURSE I like to think so. Sure, maybe not the kind that kayaks, canoes, or cavorts with local
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