The Trench

On one of the multiple bus trips that we took to get back up to Beijing we stopped off at a rest stop to grab a bite to eat and to go to the bathroom. Now, since being in China I have been exposed to many kinds of toilets. The one at this particular stop was the trench style. There is a trough running down the center and a stream of water that flows down the trench to clear out the waste. There are also little half partitions up on the platform to give the illusion of privacy. You squat over the trench and let loose.

One of the 'good' things about China is that I am no longer pee shy. I can pee with or without an audience, although I still prefer without (imagine that). So I was waiting in the pseudo-line and finally it was my turn. I got up on the platform - luckily my spot along the trench was near the head of the line so I didn't have other people's waste passing below me. I assumed the position and noticed that there was a little toddler watching me.

So, I have been watched before, more as a form of entertainment than anything else, but this little girl was quite transfixed on my squat. When she stopped staring, she decided to climb up on the platform with me and squatted down behind me over the trench. So I was concentrating not to miss and squirt the kid and she reached out and put both hands on my bare bottom and started to squeeze and play with her hands while she and I went to the bathroom. This all was of course a riotously funny to the mother, and even more so when she found out that I was a foreigner. But apparently, this was the first time that she had done this kind of activity on her own so mama was proud and happy and I got goosed by her daughter.

Good times!