Toilets and hygiene
❃ Toilets and hygiene
-
ຫ້ອງນໍ້າຢູ່ໃສ?
[ hong nam yu sai? ] -
Where are the toilets?
-
ຕ້ອງຈ່າຍເງິນບໍ່?
[ tong chai ngoen bo? ] -
Do I have to pay?
-
ບໍ່ມີເຈ້ຍອະນາໄມ
[ bo mi chia anamai ] -
There is no toilet paper.
-
ຫ້າມຖິ້ມເຈ້ຍລົງໃນວິດ
[ ham thim chia long nai vit ] -
Do not throw paper in the toilet.
-
ຖິ້ມໃສ່ກະຕ່າຂີ້ເຫຍື້ອ
[ thim sai kata khi nyeua ] -
Throw it in the bin.
-
ລ້າງວິດແນວໃດ?
[ lang vit naew dai? ] -
How do I flush?
-
ໃຊ້ຄຸຕັກນໍ້າລ້າງ
[ xai khu tak nam lang ] -
Use the bucket to flush.
-
ຫ້ອງນໍ້າເປື້ອນຫຼາຍ
[ hong nam puan lai ] -
The toilet is very dirty.
-
ລ້າງມືຢູ່ໃສ?
[ lang mu yu sai? ] -
Where can I wash my hands?
-
ມີສະບູບໍ່?
[ mi sabu bo? ] -
Is there soap?
One of the most memorable culture shocks for Westerners traveling in Laos occurs when nature calls. Once you leave the comfort of major hotels, navigating public restrooms requires a completely different set of habits. When you ask ຫ້ອງນໍ້າຢູ່ໃສ? (hong nam yu sai? - where are the toilets?), you will often be directed to a small, damp outhouse. The first thing you must understand is that these are typically squat toilets. You will also likely encounter an attendant outside collecting a small maintenance fee, so it is helpful to ask ຕ້ອງຈ່າຍເງິນບໍ່? (tong chai ngoen bo? - do I have to pay?). Inside the stall, you will immediately notice the absence of toilet paper (ບໍ່ມີເຈ້ຍອະນາໄມ - bo mi chia anamai). Lao plumbing systems are narrow and delicate. Even if you bring your own tissue, you must adhere to the strictest rule of Lao sanitation: never flush paper down the toilet (ຫ້າມຖິ້ມເຈ້ຍລົງໃນວິດ - ham thim chia long nai vit). All paper must go into the small plastic bin provided (ຖິ້ມໃສ່ກະຕ່າຂີ້ເຫຍື້ອ - thim sai kata khi nyeua). If you are wondering how to flush (ລ້າງວິດແນວໃດ? - lang vit naew dai?), the answer lies in the large basin of water next to you. You use the small plastic bucket or bowl floating in it to scoop water and manually pour it down the toilet bowl to wash everything away (ໃຊ້ຄຸຕັກນໍ້າລ້າງ - xai khu tak nam lang). This water is also used for personal hygiene in lieu of paper, though carrying your own tissues and hand sanitizer is highly recommended for travelers. Adapting to the squat toilet and the manual bucket flush is a true rite of passage that fully grounds you in the everyday reality of rural Southeast Asia.
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