Embarrassing travel culture shocks

[WildBalonz]

Since it’s summer and holiday season I thought it might be fun to share some silly or funny or embarrassing cultural shocks we’ve all had when travelling!

I’ll start with an incident that is both funny and embarrassing depending how you look at it. A few years ago me, my brother, his wife and her brother (my brother and sister in law) went on a trip all through China. We were on a tour bus traveling through some rural areas outside Guangzhou. We had a pit stop to stretch our legs and use the toilet etc and our driver proudly told us that the public loos we had stopped at had western toilets which were very uncommon in these areas. Great we all thought, however what he didn’t mention is that instead of individual cubicals they had very small almost like shower screens separating each toilet. Not much privacy at all! It made for a very embarrassing poo for me my sister in law and two other ladies on our tour 😂. I laugh at it now but at the time it was probably the most awkward and embarrassing experience our lives. Luckily she’s a good sport and we joke about it these days!

Ffs this could have been a really interesting thread but it’s been massively derailed. How annoying. 13 pages of people arguing over shitting in public.

anyway, my biggest culture shock was when I was in Japan, I couldn’t get over how much the men starred. I’ve been to many places but I felt really unease.

@Takoneko I have PMed you (my first, so may not have got it right). We have a LOT to talk about. Also going on 19th!

Cardibach, you are truly blessed.
I have IBSd, it is my dream to have a system such as yours!

So did I and I live here!

You do realise don't you that some people have bowel issues?

Ibs, crohns, ulcerative colitis, collagenous colitis, coeliac disease (if they eat gluten) same with lactose intolerance, maybe malabsorption plus many more.

Sometimes people with IBD can go several times a day!

Honestly what's going on with the poo police on here?

If you knew how bad this disease was, maybe you would be more delightful. It's a debilitating disease that often requires excision of intestine.

No I don't have it but what a stupid comment. The poster was showing that you can't control things like this.

Becase hot water and dish detergent are so much better...

I know! Next she’ll be telling us she slept in a hotel bed and ate off a restaurant plate.

I kept hearing loud mewing in the bushes while sat round the pool in Morocco. When i investigated there were lots of traps set with cats in 😢

Following on from the deeply dangerous public loo situation, it makes sense to avoid touching any surface that might also have been touched by someone who may have used a public loo.

Or you could bring antibacterial wipes in your bag and try not to be so bothered by bacteria.

Also, wash your hands as soon as you get home.

Sigh. Yes of course I do. This thread was a light hearted thread about cultural surprises. Not a dissection of difficulties people experience in real life FFS.

Visiting Texas when I was 16, I was quite mind blown seeing people walk around with guns visibly on their person (it was explained to me during the trip that it’s an open carry state).

Small town in Morocco, 1998, we heard a band were going to play in the town square that evening, strolled up to see it late and realised in the growing darkness that we were the only two women amongst hundreds of men. We left quickly and without incident when we came across a hooded group of men cooking a number of sheep's brains on top of an oil drum - quite an unsettling night.

Takoneko
Thank you for your further explanation.
I have definitely been in restaurants in UK where I and others have said
Excuse Me
to get waiters attention.
And thought nothing of it.
Is this a faux pas?
I've observed others do the same.
Not only in my party but posh people.

Honestly, this has confused me ever since I first read it at about 10! I still don't understand how Marho thought it was clean paper though...

Tunisia - a taxi driver asked dh if he wanted to sell the shoes he was wearing 😂

Have you been to Japan? I might not be explaining it very well. I’ve said “excuse me” to a waiter at normal speaking volume after making eye contact in the U.K., but the vibe in Japan is just different. You don’t make eye contact with one person and say excuse me quietly like I’ve seen here. I’ve never seen someone in the U.K. call a waiter in the way they do in Japan. It’s a loud “Sumimaseeeen” with a hand raised, to which you get a loud “Haaiiiiii” response. You can find lots of videos online about how uncomfortable most westerners find it. The link is for an example from matcha samurai.

https://images.app.goo.gl/ZYwUcDhx1SVWvWjW7

No it's fine. I used to work in restaurants, if you want to flag a waiter/waitress down, crack on! It makes their job easier than keeping track of how much time to read the menu they've given to 13 different tables on a busy night and means they don't have to interrupt a conversation to ask if you need anything.

A double hole pit toilet in Azerbaijan. I had met the woman I went in with 3 days earlier.

Being asked "what is wrong with you?" in Central Asia when people found out I'm 40+ and not married.

Tea culture in Central Asia and Mongolia - get it wrong and it's very rude.

The OP was in China, she'd have been waiting a long by time to 'go at home'.!

@WildBalonz I think your first post may explain my weird experience in Macau once. I was using some public toilets there and just after I flushed the toilet and unlocked the door, a mainlander Chinese lady came into my stall before I could even leave haha! She didn’t seem to register that I was already there, so I had to squeeze past her.

I was told by the disgusted locals that it could only be a “Mainlander”!

Haha yes they were luckily gendered. Oh that’s an interesting rule. Never been in a gay bar myself but wonder if it’s the same here

You were doing so well until you got to the marmite.

Overkill. Less is more.

Disgusting!!!! You are seriously weird. If you were not supposed to poo in a public toilet there would be signs on the door saying that.

Honestly, the biggest culture shock to me is the way some people think.

Staying with a family in very rural Canada. The head of the house got a large gun and we all went outside with him. He shot a deer. We (kind of) helped to cut it up and carry the pieces home. We had some of it for supper and it was delicious.