Maybe you’ve never really thought about it but, are bathrooms the same everywhere on earth? Of course not. So it shouldn’t surprise you that in China one must often squat to use the toilet. There are western-style toilets around, usually for the handicapped, or in western-style places, like hotels, KFC, McDonald’s, etc. I guess if you wanted to, you could probably manage to visit China and never use a squat toilet, but why miss out on the fun? Shortly before the 2008 Olympics and my first trip to China, my dad forwarded me a silly email, (clearly written by someone like this guy (not my dad)), ridiculing China for having squat toilets. I think my dad was trying to scare me or at least just jesting. Personally I wasn’t afraid of squat toilets per se, but afraid of using them incorrectly. Like what happened if I uh,..went to the bathroom, on my pants? That’d be a shitty situation. (har har!) Long story short, that never happened and I learned it wasn’t all that difficult, in fact now I’m totally okay with it. All it took a little practice, and remembering to bring a package of tissues with you wherever you go.

I had,in fact, considered writing a blog post about toilets in China, but this post from the Lost Laowai Blog covers it pretty well so I’ll share it with you.

“The Women’s Bathroom in China — The Honest Truth about Chinese Toilets”

Guangzhou was the first stop on our tour of southern China. Getting off the airplane was nice, I didn’t need to wear my coat, and what’s this? There was actually green vegetation outside! Something Tyler nor I had seen for at least a couple months. Since we were only in Guangzhou for about a day, we simply roamed around, checked out the Pearl River, sampled some of the good local foods (Egg McMuffins are nothing compared to the egg biscuit I had!) and in the evening went tor a night ferry ride on the Pearl, to see the beautifully lit up buildings and bridges.

The next day, about an hour train ride later and we were in Shenzhen, mere kilometers from the border to Hong Kong. We didn’t do a lot in Shenzhen because it’s mostly just a border city and shopping haven for those coming from Hong Kong to buy cheap goods. Not to mention, so much of the shopping and eateries were still closed for the Chinese New Year “golden week” (what they call their week long national holiday). Thus there wasn’t a lot to do in the city, but it was alright, we relaxed and had some really spicy noodles as well as some local beer while we planned on how to get to Hong Kong, as well as what we’d do when we arrived.

When I arrived in Pingyao it was still dark. I didn’t really know where to go but I simply followed the other people to the train station exit. On the outside of the train station I must have been asked if I needed a taxi at least 5 or 6 times. I didn’t. The hostel I was looking for was only a couple kilometers away, and I wanted to see the city early in the morning before most people were awake. I stopped for breakfast, and ate some sort of noodles and bread, though I don’t really know what it was called.

My first look at the old city of Pingyao was beautiful. The surrounding city wall and the old buildings within, give it a very quiet and ancient feeling, like stepping back in time a bit. I found my hostel without too much hassle and despite having requested a dormitory style room I was given a really nice double room for only 30 yuan. I guess they don’t have too many visitors here. Finding such a nice room warm room, compared to the cold air outside, I decided this was an opportune time to take a quick nap.

Later on in the morning I took a quick tour along the city wall to see the old city from above. On this walk with a guide I learned that most of the buildings in the old city are nearly 200 years old, as well as one that is nearly 400 years old! I also learned that one of the first banks in China was started in Pingyao, which propelled it to be a bustling economic city in ancient times.

Lunch was actually very entertaining, not because of the food, but because of the young daughter of the restaurant’s owner. I don’t think she was much more than 4 but she wanted to talk, a lot. So while I ate we chatted, and she showed me some of her books, pointing out what was happening in the pictures. She was in actually very entertaining and gave me a sticker just like the one she stuck on her forehead.

Lunchtime Entertainment

During the afternoon I did a bit more exploring, and just took in the scenery. After walking around for awhile I decided I was rather tired and decided to stop in to one of the local Chinese massage parlors. I received a full body and foot massage for 100 yuan (~$15). The 1.5 relaxing hours was totally worth it.

For dinner I tried the famous “Pingyao beef”, which was actually cold pieces of beef dipped in chili powder and vinegar, decent tasting I guess, but not necessarily worth the expensive price. After dinner I headed back to my hostel where I had a nice chat with the owner and played some cards with some of the employees. Tomorrow I’ll head to Taiyuan to see Jinfei.

Go here to see the photos of Pingyao