It seems that around the world there seems to be a need to “signpost” the toilet. Here are our favorite signs from bathrooms around the world:
Blumenau, Brazil
Yup, this hung over the sinks in the ladies room in an Oktoberfest tent. And yes, those are condoms in their head gear.
Swaziland
Hanging over a urinal.聽 That puts things in historical perspective.
Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia
It’s not unusual to come across a western toilet in SE Asia that has a no “standing on the bowl” sign. This was a winner because of the warning for westerners- don’t use the bum gun to shower! 聽Any guesses as to what that third one with the machete is?
Forbidden City, Beijing, China
Yup, the Chinese have “star” rated their toilets. Enough said.
Beitbridge Border Crossing, Zimbabwe/South Africa
When economics and err…nature combine.
RE the Cambodian one: perhaps means “Don’t wash your feet with this water” as Buddhists believe that feet are the dirtiest part of the body…? Just a thought. Oh and I actually saw a sign at my local international farmers market asking people not to stand on the toilets… funny!
@Melissa- Your suggestion is a lot more plausible than anything I could come up with for a machete! 馃檪 Where was the international market?
What is Zim dollar? I experienced the toilet sign in SE Asia myself, and I was impressed. No foot washing and no shower.. I wouldn’t think of that if they didn’t guide me.
@Juno- agreed, I never would have thought to wash my feet in the toilet, but I guess some people do. Zimbabwe experienced hyperinflation starting in 2007, their currency- the Zimbabwe Dollar (Zim Dollar) became worth less and less every day at an alarming rate. I guess people were using it instead of toilet paper. By the time we arrived in 2010, they had switched to the USD which had stabilized their economy a bit. We wrote about it while we were there: https://ishouldlogoff.wpengine.com/2010/03/08/on-our-way-to-zimbabwe/ https://ishouldlogoff.wpengine.com/2010/03/05/bartering-goods-zimbabwe/