BATHROOMS IN MEXICO

BATHROOMS IN MEXICO

HUH?

 

 Having traveled in Mexico several times, I've come to realize that having no seat on a public toilet is better than having a seat to hover over.  For this reason, today when I have to use a public bathroom in Canada, I use some TP or my foot to lift the toilet seat - because it's simply easier and less messy to hover over a toilet that has no seat!  Trust me:  TRY IT.  Your shaking legs and knees will thank you - and when you leave the stall, you won't feel bad that you've wiped your pee from the seat that the next guest might actually sit on if they need to.

 

The one trick you should NOT use in Mexico, is putting a bit of TP in the toilet to pee on.  To avoid back-splash, aim for the porcelain at the edge of the water.  This isn't as bad as you think - because toilets in Mexico have less water than in Canada.  You should NEVER flush your toilet paper in Mexico - their system cannot handle it, and the toilets will back-up if too many people do this.  (Certainly not a chance I'm willing to take!) 

 

Whenever you use a public bathroom in Mexico - you should check for TP before you actually go.  There are still many public bathrooms that don't have toilet paper "in" the stalls.  Here's a picture of the bathroom at Tulum - which is a very popular pyramid site.  One would think they would have figured out that tourists are used to finding toilet paper IN the stall (especially considering so many suffer from Aztec Two-Step in Mexico, and can hardly guess just how much TP they might need in such an emergency!)  SO - if you're feeling a bit ill in the bowels - you might be wise to hit a store and buy a roll of your own personal TP for your bag...Carrying an extra Ziplock is wise....so your TP stays clean...

So - here's the public bathroom at Tulum.  Notice that thing on the back wall that looks like a paper-towel dispenser?  It's not.  It's the toilet paper dispenser.  None of these stalls have toilet paper inside.

 I've been fortunate to never get sick in Mexico - and I'm also lucky that we only used this bathroom to change into our swimsuits - so didn't find ourselves wondering what to do upon learning that there was no TP in our stall!! 

But - just one more reason why you might prefer to either bring a roll from home, or buy some when you get there - is that the TP isn't exactly soft in Mexico.  It's not here either, in public bathrooms - but, if you happen to be sick - the last thing you want is scratchy TP!