How to use a squatty potty

A few months ago I noticed a poster in a village that depicted in great detail how to use an outhouse toilet in true Lao style. While instructional/motivational/propaganda posters are used commonly in development work in Laos, I thought that one might be a valuable resource for visitors, tourists, and people new to Laos. Recently I found the same poster on top of a cupboard in my office in both boy and girl versions, which I’ve uploaded to flickr for educational purposes only.

The title, translated literally, is “How to use a latrine/outhouse”. These posters were designed for use in schools because both the boy and the girl wear the public school uniform: white shirt and black or blue pants/skirt.

Perhaps the most difficult part of the whole process are steps 3-5, where one must balance carefully without letting clothes or hands touch the (usually) wet, dirty floor. Practice squatting with feet flat on the ground and you’ll begin to get an idea. Those wearing pants would do well to follow this young boy’s example of scrunching pants near the knees to keep them from falling. Finally, note that water is used instead of toilet paper (see #5 for details).

I must note that the toilets I use on a daily basis are rather boring western-style toilets.

tags: howto, squatty potty, asian toilet

Hazy days

Hazy days

Originally uploaded by James Zwier.

March is the month when farmers burn their mountainside fields for planting corn and rice. Driving at night, one can see dozens of small fires creeping their way through forests and brushland. Besides the carbon dioxide and ash, the main downside I’ve noticed is that I can no longer see the hills that surround Phonsavan. On the positive side, the haze makes for beautiful sunrise pictures like this one, taken by accident on the way to Muang Khoun, Xieng Khouang, Laos.

Lao government against illegal logging

As an update to the article on logging that I wrote in my newsletter, I would like to share some encouraging news. Last week the Vientiane Times, the government-sanctioned English-language newspaper of Laos, published an article entitled Illegal logging continues in Laos. Using the example of the Savannakhet province in southern Laos, the article portrays illegal logging as a threat to development:

Illegal logging has become a critical issue in many provinces of Laos, creating obstacles for the country’s efforts to balance its development process with the need to protect the environment.

This is the beginning of what I’ve hoped for: increased awareness at all levels of the government (including the Prime Minister’s office, the highest political authority) of the dangers of excessive logging. Whether that attitude will filter down to provincial officials remains to be seen.

An interesting tidbit that I learned from the article:

The government also agreed to stop giving wood quotas to officials, including retired officials. In the past, some retired officials had sold their quotas to businesspeople, which caused problems in regulating the use of timber.

March 2007 Newsletter

For those who do not already receive it via email, I’ve posted my latest newsletter on my blog. As always, I appreciate your comments and emails.

James Zwier – March 2007 Newsletter

For future reference, my newsletter archives are available at the Newsletters archive on this site (hint: tabs at the top of this page).

Pai Tiao – An Outing

Thursday was International Womens’ Day, a big holiday here in Laos – like Mothers’ Day and Labor Day and general holiday-ness all rolled into one day. Congratulations to all you women out there: May equality and opportunity and hope for women spread across the world.

Since it was my first major holiday in Laos, it was my first time experiencing the typical Lao holiday outing, which turned out to be a lot like outings from my childhood in the Dominican Republic. We hadn’t planned anything in advance, of course, until one of our coworkers came by at 9am to rouse us into an outing. And so it was that we gathered our things, invited everyone to join us, stopped by house after house loading up a pickup truck until it was full of 19 coworkers, friends and family, went to the market to buy fruit, snacks, and things to make a meal, and eventually left town by noon.