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!

Another toilet one! Children in China (30 years ago) didn't wear nappies, they just had trousers with a split in the bottom, and parents would hold them over a gutter to do their business. One time on a train, the parent held the child up just outside the train toilet, so they could pee on the floor. Charming!

People spat everywhere too.

I can’t believe you’re able to ignore a call of nature.

These toilets are quite common in parts of Europe. What amuses me are the diagrams on the wall to show you how to use them. What do they think you’re going to do? Sit on the tray with your arse tucked into the big hole?

Honey, if you do not poo when you need to, you will have issues.

NB this is why lots of households ask you to take your shoes off when you enter the house.

Beastly mud and oomshka

Do you suppose Uncle Monty had a no-shoe policy?

Though Withnail’s socks might well have been worse than his shoes.

Hormones, different diet, different water can impact my digestive system.So ordinarily I would normally try to poo in home toilet, but if out and about and the need arises then needs must. I am sure if I was on a tour in China my digestive system would not be working the same as when at home

Moving away from the pooey theme - I had quite a surprising experience in Lanzarote earlier this year. I went to the completely empty car hire place while DH waited for the bags. There were two people at the desk doing some sort of admin but they WOULD NOT acknowledge me or meet my eye. But as soon as they were ready to deal with me they were helpful and charming, with excellent English. It was very odd. At home I would have had "be with you in a tick, just have to finish up here", but the complete blank was so odd. I'm not familiar with Spanish culture so would love to know if this is normal.

When I was a child, neapolitan ice cream was about as exotic as it got here. We went to USA and I was amazed to discover chocolate fudge crunch Ben and Jerry's and cookies and cream milkshake at a diner. Truly astonishing for young me.

Yeah she should have done it on the tour bus 🙄

Travelling in India and seeing filthy, barefoot children in ragged clothes begging for money. Literally tugging at your sleeves and pleading. And the worst thing was knowing you couldn't give them any - it wouldn't make their lives better or get them some food, it would go to the gangmaster that controlled them.

Also, people sleeping on roundabouts. Just nowhere else to go and it's as good a place as any I suppose, but still.

I adore India but I've never seen poverty like it.

Curious…..what do you do when nature calls then? Say there’s no option for miles, you can hold it. Or do you not poo full stop??

I live here and I thought the same. On the plus side, the roads were quieter than usual, and the day of the funeral was lovely and quiet for a long ride on my horse.

@TwinklyRoseTurtle...........

There is a "turtles head" joke in this user name somewhere, but I am really busy and struggling to find it if anyone wants a go....

the diagrams on the wall to show you how to use them

I'm sure I've seen signs in the UK - maybe motorway services - which show via a diagram that the toilet user is not meant to squat on the loo seat to do their business i.e. don't put your feet on the seat and do it from a crouching position. How strange!

Not just one person, but 4. 4 ladies all did a poo. In a public toilet. At the same time. Very unusual.

Sweden at an outdoor sports event (male dominated sport about 90/10 ratio) . I wandered round the camping field, twice, looking for the ladies showers. Saw one lot of showers in a large canvas big top style tent but no signage and only men going in/ out the single tent flap that served as door, so I continued to look for the ladies figuring it might be smaller.

I finally saw a couple of other women with towels and wash bags who seemed to know where they were heading so decided to follow them... they walked into the shower tent I'd clocked previously so I assumed that it must just be an external door and inside would be seperate m/f sections. Nope, one giant tent with shower heads rigged up around the outside at 3 ft intervals, no screens and just some benches in the middle for your clothes and towel... at least 20 naked Europeans happily naked showering and chatting away! You could spot the UK/ USA people on that trip, awkward strip off under a towel, dash to shower as far from anyone else as possible, stand facing the tent wall avoiding eye contact or conversation, having the quickest shower of their life and immediately wrapped in a towel!

Squatting toilets for me too - I was 8 or 9 in Paris, couldn't believe my eyes

In Portugal we were in a restaurant and my brother ordered this chicken skewer, sharwama thingy. The waiter asked how he would like it cooked!

It’s already been done 🥱 😴

Another toilet related one from a childhood visit to Paris although I don't remember it, my mum told me.
She went to a public toilet and women were standing topless in front of the mirrors washing and doing their hair and the like.
I don't think my mum was a prude but she was a bit surprised.

I saw this in Italy too. Mum in the back too

My husband has a lot of family in Japan. When you stay at a traditional hotel there the washing facilities and baths are split into men/women but other than that it's communal bathing. Fortunately I'm not especially self conscious, but I do sometimes find it funny that all his female relatives have seen me starkers but my own mum/sister/aunt etc. haven't seen me naked since I was a kid!

Reminded that I was in the USA just after Diana died and hearing my English accent I kept getting hugged.

That was probably because we Americans watching the news coverage got the impression that the UK was losing its collective mind. It was a very sad event, especially for Diana's young sons, but the level of public hysteria did seem very out of national character and actually somewhat alarming.

@LolaLemons

yeah a lot of people could control it but they don’t really wanna walk around with shit held in them.