Place of Relief or Nightmare?

We visit this place frequently. It can be the place of relief. However, it can also make us puke. Do you already know what am I talking about? No? Well, then go on and continue reading.

I am talking about public toilets. They can differ from country to country. In some countries you have to pay for using them. In others you don’t. They are usually located at train stations, bus stations, shopping centers, markets, squares, gas stations, restaurants and pubs. As far as I know, the ones in shopping centers, gas stations, restaurants and pubs are always free all around the world. However, in some cases you have to be their customer to be allowed to use the toilet. This mostly happens at restaurants and gas stations. Toilets at markets and squares are often about something different. There often are fees for using them. Also the toilets at train and bus stations often are not free.

Is it right to ask desperate people to pay for using the public toilet? And I can ensure you that they usually are desperate. Just imagine that the need for toilet catches you while shopping at market. I am pretty sure that you will be desperate to find a toilet before it is too late, especially if your home is far away. Well, this is the better case as you probably have some money on you. However, not everybody is that lucky. Some people just go for the walk and it catches them. Many people just do not carry money with them all the time. Those people are then left helpless and have to run to the nearest shopping center or back home. Experience like this can ruin one’s day. Thoughts like these made me realize that gathering money for using the toilet is very bad thing. It can also be defined as taking advantage of other people’s misery. That just cannot be right. I think that every town should make sure that people have free access to toilet. It does not matter if they are locals or tourists. They all pay money to the town in some other way. Locals pay taxes. Tourists buy goods and pay for services. Merchants and service providers then pay taxes. So, why should they pay for using public toilets?

Another sad fact about public toilets is that they will sometimes turn your stomach upside down. In every country there is a place where public toilets are not cleaned properly. In some cases this can get really nasty. If you live at the wrong place, public toilets can become the icon of filth for you. They can also become the tourist’s nightmare!