Travelling to Hong Kong, I Can't Squat

ego22 on 05/03/2018 - 22:47
Last edited 06/03/2018 - 10:21 by 1 other user

I'm travelling to Hong Kong in a few weeks and was told by a few people that many toilets in China are open and squat toilets.(Open is a whole other problem).

I have a bad knee and can't squat like that for longer than about 30 seconds. Even if my knee was fine I would fall over after a few seconds anyway (I just practiced squatting, LOL) I can't do it.

How prevalent are these toilets in the Hong Kong main city area? Has anyone been to asia and found it impossible to use these things? Like everywhere else I go, I'm basically going there to eat. So I'm just thinking ahead :p . Any tricks or ways around this so it doesn't turn into a really (profanity) situation?

Travel

Comments

  • Rescue 26 on 05/03/2018 - 22:58
    +17

    I lived in Hong Kong for 9 years and never once saw an open and/or squat toilet. Hong Kong CBD is like Sydney CBD only cleaner.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/03/2018 - 23:11
      +2

      HK is definitely not cleaner than Sydney. You are wearing rose tinted goggles. It is pretty disgusting.

      Like others say, most toilets in HK are western toilets, but that doesn't stop mainlanders from using them as squat toilets. There are often messes all over the seats.

      • [Deactivated] on 06/03/2018 - 00:53
        +4

        Unsure what kind of hell holes you visited… But I'd agree more with Rescue 26 than you.

      • sahh on 06/03/2018 - 10:17

        Really depends on which part of HK you’re in

  • jjjaar on 05/03/2018 - 23:01

    Hong Kong is fine. I used bathrooms in train stations and shopping malls and found seated toilets with no issues.

  • Briefcase Mong on 05/03/2018 - 23:07
    +2

    There are no squat toilets in HK only in mainland China. Usually rural areas in china have them

  • Toons on 05/03/2018 - 23:08

    Got to admit Toilets aren't something i have fond Memories of from holidays but i've been there quite a few times and don't believe i've ever come across a Squatter

    I do have one picture of a toilet in all my photo albums and it was from a pretty exclusive hotel in Japan i think the only thing it didn't do was powder my white A$$, there was even a TV in there just incase you had nowhere to be in a hurry

  • Ughhh on 05/03/2018 - 23:10
    +1

    You won't find squat toilets unless you're in a really really old building in local areas, so doubt you'd be hanging around there. Or, in mainland China/rural areas.

    Mainland China is different to Hong Kong.

    • myusername on 06/03/2018 - 10:11

      lol they have squat toilets in the public toilets in Mongkok

  • Justplanemad on 05/03/2018 - 23:15
    +3

    I'm an aussie expat living here - never had any problems finding a normal toilet here! The one thing the British did leave behind was lots of public toilets and hiking trails.

  • JetLi on 05/03/2018 - 23:21

    Is this a serious post? Public toilets in HK and China are no different to any other modern city. Someone must be taking the piss out of you.

  • nerdycat on 05/03/2018 - 23:21

    You’ll only face squat toilets if heading into China. Hong Kong has seated toilets. Some will be in better conditions than others so try for ones in major shopping centres and hotels if you want cleaner ones.

    One thing people haven’t mentioned is that you will need to take your own tissues/toilet paper everywhere when you go out, most public toilets won’t have toilet paper. You can get cheap pocket sizes tissues everywhere some places will give it for free when you buy things.

    Don’t drink tap water, stick to bottle water, if you want to be doubly sure brush teeth with bottle water too.

  • itsdougie on 05/03/2018 - 23:33

    You can reverse Kanga on squat toilets and investigate your deposit as you drop, hold on to the down pipe to help you squat down and get back up.
    30 seconds is all you need to take a shit unless you like reading walls in public toilets or something?

  • AdosHouse on 06/03/2018 - 01:04

    Been to Hong Kong, stayed in the Mong Kok area, never once saw a squat toilet. Only public toilets I used there was in shopping centres, but every toilet I saw was a standard toilet you will find here.

  • star-ggg on 06/03/2018 - 01:09

    Don't worry about it-HK is an international city. You'll notice mainland China and HK are very much different countries (just don't tell mainlanders that)

  • chumlee on 06/03/2018 - 03:08

    I haven't been to asian so can't comment

    I have been to asia though and no problem finding western style toilets

  • Donaldhump on 06/03/2018 - 03:49
    +1

    Every shower has a plug hole

  • onetwothreefour on 06/03/2018 - 06:26
    +2

    I found their rubbish bins to be a good height to curl one out.

  • good grape on 06/03/2018 - 09:27

    If you're actually interested in finding squat toilets I can point you to some, a fair few big public parks/courts have them, but there will always be western style toilets.

    Hong Kong is very different from Mainland China, you'll notice when you get there.

  • cloudy on 06/03/2018 - 09:45

    20 years ago street public toilets had squats, not anymore.

  • Dual on 06/03/2018 - 10:14

    Its only in mainland China where you find alot of squat holes.

  • Pecan on 06/03/2018 - 10:38
    +1

    Toilets won't be squat types, but carry a packet of tissues with you as not all of them supply toilet paper.

  • try2bhelpful on 06/03/2018 - 12:45

    Went on a round the world trip in September and didn't find any squat loos in Hong Kong and all the toilets we went to were really clean. If you go to the major shopping centres there is usually a good toilet available. Where we did find squat loos was in France. For some reason the public loos in some of the regional parts of France might be squat loos, come across this in a number of places. My, "Thank God I found a loo" becomes "Oh, no - how bad do I need to go".

  • lainey13 on 06/03/2018 - 19:35

    Hong Kong != China. You'll be fine. Posh hotels have better toilets.

  • grasstown on 07/03/2018 - 09:18

    I don't squat. I think there is a art to squatting and you won't be able to. Maybe hold the walls? Or take off your pants completely beforehand in case? Take fiber to supplement so you are regular, maybe psyllium husk.

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