Toilets & Sanitation, Kuala Lumpur

Toilets used to be the subject of ridicule till recently when the country decided to project a cleaner image.

In the posh hotels you can be assured they'll be clean.

In backpacker-land, you get what you pay ( or don't pay ) for, so don't complain.

Close your eyes, close your noses and do your business.

Certain areas of KL, especially around Bukit Bintang, are quite filthy. This is not just my opinion. The Mayor of KL, Datuk Mohmad Shaid Mohd Taufek, has just conveyed his disgust at the state of hawkers' hygiene in the city. I was quite appalled actually and it looks worse in the cold light of day. Along Jalan Alor, where there are food stalls all along the street, the conditions are filthy. I saw food dumped on the pavement and left there for days. A sure breeding ground for flies, rats and disease. Be careful about what you eat and don't drink tap water.

Normally the complaint would be 'No Toilet Paper' & some toilets are just plain dirty & unkept. If you use the public toilet in KL.
If you must 'go', do so in shopping complexes.
You can also use the toilet is restaurants. Ask for permission. They'll let you use it without any charge whatsoever.

As some of you might know, South East Asian has 2 types of toilets.

►1st Type: The Western Seat
- Which is commonly found all over the western world.

►2nd Type: The 'Squatting' type
- Now, in the picture you will get a rough idea of how it looks like and how you're supposed to use it. Simple, go in, close door, remove pants or pull down(asian style), squat and get on with your business.
- Most 'squat' toilets come with water and tissue paper, but don't be supprised if you come across one WITHOUT both!

►Prevention:
- Always take some tissue when visiting these toilets. small tissue packs can be bought from just about anywhere for around 30? a pack.
- Sometimes at malls, they can be bought for a mere 30 cents from the lady manning the toilet at the entrance.
- Most malls do charge a toilet entrance fee which ranges from 20cents - 50cents.
- Gas/ Petrol Stations do not charge, but be warned of the smell at some stations.
- Public toilets out in the open, erm..well, some are well taken care of, and some are amazingly unbareable.
- Best place to use toilets are the Hotels. They usually have everything and are free. Hey, even I use the hotel toilets when in town☺.

►For emergencies only:
If the seat is dirty, do like the locals do, get up on the seat and squat like a squatting type. Everyone does it, cause you might use up an entire pack just trying to clean the rim and it till looks dirty.

►Reason for water hose:
It's because the muslim people(and some others) prefer to wash their [censored] and hands after a long session. They believe it's much cleaner that way.

►Shock Factor:
If you come across a really dirty and stinky one, oh well, it's just the culture here. Some people still after all these years do not know the meaning of the word Hygiene even after the goverment has tried over and over..So, live and let live....

☺