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!

DH and I have just booked to go to China next year. Interesting to read about the public toilets....

@WildBalonz

In nearly all the tourist places there are a few Western toilets, even when they’re aren’t the Chinese ones are ok. I visited 5 cities a couple of months ago and only encountered the ones with sort of half walled cubicles in one place. That was on a tour of how people live and our guide did advice us not to use them but I was desperate to go.

I wouldn't worry about it. Travelled round China for a couple of months a few years ago and all of the toilets were completely normal

Depends on where you are going but the majority of terrible toilets are in more rural areas or provincial cities and older train and bus stations. Plumbing can be terrible in very cheap hotels but you will probably only come across that type of hotel if travelling off the beaten track with a low budget. It is possible to go there and travel in major cities and tourist destinations and never come across worst types of toilets.

Thanks for that, and your comment @XiCi

I think we will in general be in major cities and tourist destinations, though not necessarily 4* standard. One night is spent in a monastery guesthouse apparently. Doing something called a "small guided group adventure" and much of the travel is by bullet train and sometimes local buses.
I think we are advised to carry our own toilet paper and wet wipes just in case!

Being handed two sheets of toilet paper as I entered a toilet in Brazil 😬 I need more than that 😂

You need toilet paper for every single toilet, carry the small packets of tissues you can buy.

The older you get, the less choice you'll have about it - fact

No plug attached was the norm when I was a child. My Dad taught me how to wire a plug.

We stayed in the Marharaja of Jaipur’s shooting lodge near Ranthambore NP in India. Very early days of wildlife tourism there. The lodge had only two first floor bbedrooms. A giant bed greeted us with bedside lights whose silk shades were more holes than silk.

After a long journey we wanted a bath. We were delighted to find we had a massive bathroom with a giant bath. Luxury we thought. Except - no water came out of the taps. Just a big spider. We asked reception where we could have a bath or shower and they said not to worry, they would get water for the bath. They did. Steaming buckets of it carried on the shoulders of staff and tipped into the huge bath. Eventually we got to about 6 ins depth of water. Luxury it was.

The Queen and Prince Philip stayed there in 1962. 25 years later nothing had been changed and we sank into the centre of the bed. Hope Liz and Phil had a fun time!

Yes, I was born in the early 70s and was definitely taught how to wire a plug. Though I think it was in a Home Economics class at school…

😂😂 I’ve heard it all now!

To be fair, that happened to me in a pub toilet in Mansfield years ago. The barman had a “fuck the pope” tattoo on his forehead and most of the clientele were ex-miners.

When I was first in my own accommodation in my 20s, I had more appliances than plugs and would regularly change plug from one appliance to another - using ends of knives as screwdrivers. Often when I was drunk. I imagine the decision to sell appliances with the plug already on was down to similar cavalier attitudes (and the people mentioned above just stuck the plug in socket over the wires without even attaching it).

I was taught it in the early 00s, in Science class. Never had to actually wire one in because everything came with pre-attached plugs by then.

In the UK, it became mandatory for electrical appliances to be sold with a fitted plug starting in 1994. Prior to this, appliances were often sold with bare wires, requiring the consumer to attach the plug themselves. This change was implemented through the "Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994.

My uni halls, back in the 80s, only had 2-pin sockets. Every time I took my hairdryer or stereo back and forth I had to change the plugs.

No they weren't ‘being dicks’.

Do you understand anything about their culture and Spanish history?

Yes, I have one Basque one Catalan grandfather.

And if they are pushing it on a foreigner who is making an effort yes, they are being dicks.

Hasn't actually happened to me (yet) but my argument here would be that they can use badly behaved adults to teach their children how not to behave.
I do believe it takes a village and all that, but I also believe that part of the point is that people in the village will all behave differently.

A lot of Americans use plastic cutlery and paper plates. You see it a lot on TIk Tok and so on.