K - Kleenex


“If it were easy as fishin’, you could be a musician”


This is a dirty subject, but it has to be discussed. For the purpose of this blog, I will refer to a necessary human activity as “taking care of business”.

Something that surprises many people when first arriving in Ecuador (me, at least) is the disposal of toilet paper. It does not go in the toilet; it goes in the trash can. (Yes, even the soiled stuff.) Most septic and sewer systems are not equipped to handle it, and marine TP isn’t available here (that I am aware of).

More importantly, though, is the availability of papel higienico. Gas stations and low-end restaurants don’t usually have paper; be prepared to BYO-TP when leaving the house. Remember that anything will work: save napkins and even paper towels for emergency situations.

Anecdote #1: A person has acclimated to life in Ecuador if they can “take care of business” with a single Starbucks-sized coffee napkin.

Anecdote #2: Occasionally public bathrooms will have machines for dispensing paper. They will only take Ecuadorian nickels, and there is no way of knowing if the machine is empty until it has been tried.

On a side note: Napkins are also used to smush bugs, so do not immediately throw one away if it only has a little salt or mayonnaise on it; it might still have some life in it.


Comments

  1. Hilary Melton-ButcherApril 12, 2018 at 3:53 PM

    Hi Scott - well this bemuses me ... how often are the trash cans emptied ... but useful to know in advance of any visit ... thank you- Hilary

    ReplyDelete

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