White Throne

Thursday, Sept. 18

Journal Entry #21

I think I may have mentioned in an earlier blog that the bathroom is called “The Happy Room.” Every “Happy Room” stop offers a coin toss of either a “Western” or “Eastern” (aka “cultural”) experience.  In other words, sometimes Shorty gets low, and other times Shorty gets low-low-low.  

While visiting the white temple I found it fascinating that the “Happy Room” offered a choice. You could select either Western-style commodes, or Eastern. In fact, I found it so fascinating that after using the facilities I decided to go back inside to document the situation. Since we were at a temple, this happy room facility required you to remove your shoes and use provided slippers. I followed the line towards the entrance, removed my flip-flop sandals, and then quickly snapped a couple of pictures. When I returned to the shoe rack my biggest fear occurred…my flip-flops were gone! I looked back in the bathroom and saw an old lady with them on making her way into a happy room stall. I called out “excuse me” several times, but she didn’t speak English so she didn’t turn around. I had to run up to her before she closed her stall door and visually explain to her that those slippers were mine. I pointed at her, then down at her feet towards her shoes, then pointed at me, then pointed to my feet to illustrate that she had on my flip flops.  At first she looked confused.  She took a second look at her feet, then mine, looked up and smiled at me with a little laugh, and then slipped them off of her feet. I grabbed them and ran out.

Below are pictures of the "offerings."  The Eastern-style commode below is actually a really clean version. You still have to squat low, but keep in mind that at some stops these Eastern-style commodes are actually lower than this one. Thai people must really have great quads from squatting low, low, low, low!

Western-style.

Eastern-style.  There's no built-in flushing system. To get rid of the evidence 

you take a bucket of water from the pot and pour it down the toilet.  

Shoe rack outside with provided slippers.  If you look inside to the right are all the 

Western-style facilities and on the left are the Eastern.

Here's an example of one where one would have to go low, low, low. It's practically set in the ground, so you could imagine the leg work the Thai's get on the daily.

Back to the subject of the White Temple. It really was beautiful.  It looked like a beautiful palace decked out in icing.  I wanted to taste it!

The White Temple

I wonder which throne Buddha would prefer?