I never wrote this when I was in Germany, but I wrote it in my head, and now in my blog.So, as you travel the world, you'll find many cultural differences...the food, the languages, the scenery and the toilets (this guy has a made hobby of photographing them). This particular model was a favorite in Eastern Europe a few years ago, and can still be found in some very special bathrooms. The "Poo Shelf" as it has lovingly been nicknamed, acts as, well I think you get the picture. The nice thing about this is it can stink up the bathroom even faster than usual. Also, if you are prone to dropping things into the toilet, this will give you a chance to pluck them out with ease.
So, how to proceed when in a non-native land and you "gotta go?" Find out the common signs, words and symbols for die Toilete, the crapper, the "loo." Learn how to ask where it is. Then, learn how to interpret the answer...good luck with that. One time, the answer was "there isn't one." Then, I proceeded to go down the hall to the left.
OK, good. Congratulations, you have to pee and you made it to the bathroom. Now, don't get hasty once you're there. Check to see how the door locks (if it does, can you get back out?), will you have to hold it shut from sitting on the pot? Importantly, is there toilet paper? Finally, do you know how to flush the toilet? Assuming you aren't in an outhouse. You may think these last two are no brainers but have a couple beers and find the toilet, we'll see how many of you look for the toilet paper before you sit down. I had more than one episode of the transfer to the next stall, pants around my knees. Not a pretty site. The worst was once I spent a good 5 minutes trying to figure out how to flush the toilet. It ended up being on the wall over to the side, hidden behind 2 doors with combination locks. Seriously though, I got worried I was not going find the flusher. In Germany they were all different...as if the engineers kept trying to make it a better button, more accessible, prettier maybe.
I think I've covered most of the basics. Search the web for more on this topic. There is plenty of material out there. Start here.
Want to share? Leave it on the bathroom wall of my comments below.
Spring has sprung,
Two hundred years after the Notre Dame cathedral was built, "Montezuma's castle" was built sometime in the early 1300s by a native indian tribe that lived and farmed in the area. Nearby, there is a well that produces 1.5 million gallons of water a day. It flows up from the ground and down the creek. So, imagine these people living in the desert, the West is wild and they hunt, gather and farm corn, beans and cotton...After thinking about this scenario for awhile, I decided I would have liked the job to gather salt. 10 miles away is a salt deposit that the natives would use and trade to other tribes around the southwest. Imagine how valuable the salt was in the middle of the desert. I would have filled my pockets. 
This sycamore tree and me were meant to be.
Here it is, in all it's wind and glory, the Grand Canyon. Stretching 10 miles across and a mile down, it's one gigantic gorge. It was cold and windy that day. But we missed the snow which came the next day. We drove home in 8 inches of snow and low visibility. It was quite a trip. All I have to say about it now is, I wish my grandpa would get his hearing aids fixed.
This is the train to the canyon from Williams, AZ. It's a cool looking way to travel. We went by way of my grandparents van.
It seems there is a large concentration of dentists in this Mexican town. My grandparents have both had extensive dental work at one of these shops and are very happy with their teeth. My own dentist frowned a big toothless frown when I asked what he thought of this phenomenon. What else would he do though? Americans are flocking to have crowns, partials, and total dentures made in these shops. Imagine having 7 trips to the dentist in two days, and crossing the U.S. border to do it. What a deal!
We decided this is the poster boy for dental work in Mexico. Despite how many dentists there are and how dirt cheap it is, I guess it's all relative. He was one of the street sellers with hundreds of gold chains for sale in his hands.
These shoe shine boys were all smiles as they worked hard transforming the old people's tennis shoes. I saw them later with a pocketful of ones as they biked off to school (which starts at 1pm). 
This is the essence of a border town in Mexico. It seems that people walk across the border for a few hot sellers. Cheap healthcare, cheap smokes and liquor. You can be your own pharmacist in Mexico. Whatever your needs, it's there. Viagra for grandpa, Zoloft, Zantac...the men call from the sidewalks to beckon you into the stores. Need your drugs? 
The woman at the eye doctor worked harder than anyone I saw. With calm patience, she greeted every old person that came in the door for a cheap eye doctor appointment ($20 or $10 with the purchase of glasses). She adjusted glasses and answered questions all day long. Just watching made me tired.
This picture is a fine example of old school meets new school. If you look carefully at the top, you will recognize that this old windmill now doubles as a cell phone tower. In the middle of the desert, you have to be clever...they don't just erect towers all over the place like we do. 
This is one of my favorite pics so far. I just love spurs and jeans. The cowboys had extra little bells on the spurs that tinkled as they walked by...
We went to the flea market. The parking lot was full of cars, everyone and their cousin is there from Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Those midwestern snowbirds love a good bargin. When we took this picture the cowboy who was selling hats said we looked like an poster for Brokeback Mountain. 
Speaking of gay cowboys...we ran into this guy up at an old gold mining town later in the day. A group of wannabe cowboys perform a street shootout every hour. The guns were above and beyond loud. Everyone was dressed up for the occasion. It was a good show with my ears plugged. One of the rare instances you wish you could just turn off your hearing aids.
