Short Calls

I drink a lot of water. I am a firm believer in the rule that you should drink 60% of your body weight in ounces of water each day. And I actually have found that more is better for me. So I aim for 80-100 ounces of water intake a day. This keeps the headaches at bay. Unfortunately, it has a very annoying side effect. You see, what goes in, must come out. This means that one of the things I was preoccupied with in Africa was my intake and output. With the intake, you have to drink bottled water- the tap isn't safe. I had to figure out how to consume a vast amount of water that wasn't readily available.

Then, we did a lot of traveling and finding a good output place was a major issue for me. Kenya has a serious lack of appropriate potty facilities. Well, they have facilities, but usually not running water, toilet paper or hand washing available. Oh yes, imagine the fun! When we first arrived, Mom said to make sure I always had tissues in my pocket, since there may not be TP in the bathrooms. Good advice! The hand sanitizer in the car was also my new best friend.

Just to give you an idea of the sorts of things that consumed my thoughts, here are some pictures for your enlightenment. They are in no particular order!

This was the public facility at the Mara Camp. No flushing, just a drop. There was tp, and there was someplace to hand-wash outside. My favorite part about this one is the zipper door!

Busted! Deborah caught me leaving this one at a gas station as we were traveling. Once you reach that uncomfortable state of overfullness, you no longer care about anything but privacy. As long as there's no one to see you struggle to not pee down your leg or on your pants, you can go anywhere!

This was the bathroom in our tent at the Mara Camp. It was nice, very nice. However, less private than I would have liked. Overall, I was happier to have a lovely toilet and the open layout of the room wasn't a problem.

Ah, yes, the Choo at Erica's Shamba. This is what her family used. It boggled my mind. No flush, just a drop. And a door you have to lift and pull to shut. No lock. They never really had locks.

This is the bathroom in my parent's house in Kisumu. It is marvelous and while the bathroom is all one room, you can close the door and get privacy. Plus, there is tp and a sink! Whoo-hoo! You may notice that there is no shower curtain. This means the bathroom is regularly cleaned, as you mop after each shower. Still, it was my favorite bathroom during our trip!

I think this one was at the church.

This was at the Elephant Orphanage. Its the public restroom there.

Another gas station horror.

Next time you want to complain about the state of a bathroom, remember this and know it could be a lot worse!!