Western Toilet Oh How I've Missed Thee!

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when you are in sight
I love thee freely, thy clean, regal feel
I love thee cushy throne-like seat!
I love thee waving paper in the breeze
I love thee purely, white as snow
I love thee with a passion only you could know!

No sooner had we left the snowy white wonderland of Korea, then we realized that something very important was missing in the bathrooms...a western toilet! So I decided to find out which incredibly intelligent human being invented the Western toilet and thank them personally, only to discover that toilets may not be Western in origin at all! According to sources, the ancient Chinese may have been the first to use the throne! A flush toilet was found in a tomb of a Western Han Dynasty king (206 B.C. to A.D. 24)...they also invented toilet paper in the 6th century. That leaves only one important question: why in the world do most south east Asian countries still use the hateful squati-potties?!

I consider Inge and me to be real troopers...we can survive almost anywhere. No running water, no problem! No showers, shoot lets use the river! But this particular possessed squatty-potty, with its clogged pipes and hazardous stench, sent us packing, hauling our 100lb suitcases up and down the island coast asking bungalow owners and Inn keepers if we could see their bathrooms first before even checking their available rooms! In turn, we learned an invaluable lesson: you can judge the livability of an entire establishment from the state of their toilet. Below is a photo of the offensive poser commode!

Touch Down...

The first morning in Banda Aceh, we woke to the haunting and lyrical sound of the 4am morning prayer humming from the Great Mosque's loudspeakers. I found myself thinking excitedly, "Todo, we're not in Kansas anymore!" The heavy humid air clings relentlessly to the layers of denim and long sleeves we donned to cover up our scandalous elbows and knees. 86% of Indonesia is Muslim and Banda Aceh has a history of being one of the strictest regions. It seems strange to think that in some of the hottest places on earth, women are required to wear the most clothes.

We set foot on Indonesian soil for the first time on Dec. 26th...a day marking the 6th year anniversary of the 2004 tsunami that nearly wiped out Banda Aceh. For the first week we stayed with some of Inge's in-laws who work in the area. As unfortunate and devastating as the tsunami was for the region, it ended almost three decades of civil war and for an area that had isolated itself from the rest of the world and had not allowed foreigners to enter, this day also marked an in-pouring of of foreigners who came to help rebuild. To this day the peace still holds despite a few recent shootings targeting foreigners. Locals say Banda Aceh is in a fragile balance and that one false move by the government could cause the the conflict to erupt all over again, but while we were there all was quiet and even though we represented a culture, religion, and conflict that many Muslims oppose, the people we met were curious and kind with a touch of suspicion.

Our island hopping journey from snowy South Korea took us through the Philippines, Malaysia, and finally to sunny, tropical Indonesia. Indonesia: land of delicious fruit, coconut milk soup, banana pancakes, Banda Aceh coffee, hammocks on sunny beaches, and some of the most beautiful aqua blue seas I've ever seen! Next time I decide to move to a foreign country and teach English, could someone please remind me to move to a TROPICAL foreign country?! This whole sub arctic Korean winter stuff does not exactly put me in the mood to throw parties! There's only so many frostbite drive-by's one person can handle in a 6 month time period! ;)

The Philippines or bust!

I saw my first glimpse of the Philippines from the back seat of a taxi cab, the smell of cheap air fresheners and car exhaust hanging suspended in the humid air. I've never been so happy to get bit by a big juicy mosquito in my life! Or to shed the winter layers for a light summer dress! We landed in Manila at 12am Christmas Eve, our little Japanese hostel owner met us at the airport and carted us home, past brightly colored houses and fruit stands fit to make you drool! We spent the last few minutes of Christmas Eve swinging in hammocks, munching happily on watermelon and purple ice cream.
In the morning we woke to the neighbor rooster's timely squawks and sunny palm frowns waving beseechingly outside our window. All day we wandered the streets and no matter what trash strewn alley way we turned down or what private property we accidentally trespassed on or who we photographed, all was magically forgiven with a wave and a shout of "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years!"
Next stop, Banda Aceh, Indonesia!!