File this as a hot tip for visiting Latin America. When I am in Latin America I prefer using paid restrooms. Sometimes I hear Americans complain about having to pay to use the restroom in Mexico or South America. They feel that using the restroom and wiping with toilet paper is a right that should be available for free everywhere you go, a given part of civilized society. But not in Latin America. Unpaid public restrooms usually don’t provide the luxury of toilet paper, even restrooms in malls and fast food restaurants. Sure you can use the restroom, but good luck after that.
Que te vaya bien. Dios te cuide.
Wiping with toilet paper is a privilege much like enjoying a fine wine. It’s an experience which must be bought. It’s elite. I like paying to use the restroom in Latin America because I know that generally if you have to pay to use a toilet there will probably be toilet paper. Usually when you pay the attendant outside the restroom they hand you a little stack of toilet paper folded up for your convenience. They don’t even leave extra toilet paper in the stall. You might steal it, you criminal. There have been a number of times in which I have stolen toilet paper. Once I stole a whole roll. Toilet paper heists are a legitimate concern. The first thing I remember manifesting consciously was a roll of toilet paper in Peru.
Paying to use the restroom does not always mean the toilet situation is going to be great. The toilet itself can be in questionable condition. I once paid to use the toilet in Cusco, Peru at a bus station. It didn’t have a working handle to flush with. Instead, there was a string tied around the lever that controls the water going through the hole where the handle should have been. You had to pull the string to flush, but I rejoiced because I had the necessary paper.
You will also notice that you can NOT flush toilet paper in Latin America. It is forbidden. There are signs everywhere remind you of this fact. Using paper does not give you the right to flush said paper.
In Cusco I bought some rolls of toilet paper that came with bonus rolls inside rather than the cardboard holder. This is GENIUS. It gives you that little bit you need to stick in your purse just in case you wind up using a restroom and discover after the fact that there is no paper. I also found myself collecting napkins everywhere I went just to have something on hand!
I also recommend always having a bandana on hand to use just for pee if you find yourself stuck with no paper. It brings me back to a time hiking the Appalachian trail when I had a pee rag. You wipe and then let that baby hang out in the free air tied to your pack and wash it at the next convenient moment. The bandana is also good to wipe your nose when you don’t have access to a constant supply of tissue. Just don’t use the same one for both purposes. It saves you from having to look for receipts and spare bits of paper in your purse if you’re in a pinch.
Psssst. If you want to see a bit of my travels in Peru click the playlist below. You can also click the links in the menu for a bit more of my writing about Peru.
