Toilet facilities - a final flush?

[Crawley, Jeffrey]

Hi there,

no need to be coy about a perfectly natural function, as Maura says urine is quite useful to farmers - the Chinese used to call it Mao's golden fertilizer - just make sure you wash the grapes.

North Americans especially are easily shocked by what appears to them as the lax standards of Europeans - it is not unusual to see a man relieving himself in the bushes or even in a back alley in towns. Quite a few toilets are co-ed - men are often surprised when a lady comes out of the "gents" because the ladies is busy.

The dirtiest place I saw was the west side of the crest after Pamplona - Perdon I think it's called where the sculptures and windmills are, with a fairly exposed climb up it seemed everybody had the same idea when they saw the bushes on the descent!

No matter how shy you are DON'T SKIMP ON THE FLUIDS!! I saw an article recently that recommended 30ml per kilogram (about 1/2 fl oz per pound) of body weight per day. Weigh yourself and then fill up empty soda bottles and you'll be amazed how much you SHOULD be drinking each day.

As a basic guide check the colour of your urine - a pale lemon colour is what we are aiming at, anything darker means you should be drinking more.

A friend got caught out relieving himself in an, apparantly, deserted area when a lady popped up from behind a bush and, looking down at him said (in what he reported to be a charming French accent) "dark yellow pee is God's way of telling us to drink more water!" - he was more curious as to how she knew he was anglophone!

Caffeine drinks: coffee, tea, colas are diuretics and drain you of liquid, fruits like oranges and grapes top you up.

Ladies especially, don't be afraid of a demure side trip into the bushes, you'll soon get used to it.  I walked into Santiago with a charming young German girl who had been suffering from a bladder infection (and blessed the cover of eucalyptus woods) for some time. As we entered the square in front of the cathedral she gripped my arm and said: "Jeffrey, what shall I do?  No bushes!!" - and I used to wonder why the poncho was so favoured by German girls!!

Anyone care to open up a discussion on the relative merits of piercing/not piercing blisters?


kind regards

Jeffrey

(quote: don't eat the yellow snow - Frank Zappa)

-----Original Message-----
From: Maura Santangelo [mailto:maurasantangeloaSTNY.RR.COM]
Sent: 25 June 2003 09:18
To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
Subject: Re: Toilet facilities


Rosina,

 I agree with everything you said, but here goes my physician training
again..restricting fluids while exercising in the heat is a very bad idea, I
have had two episodes of hyperthermia to prove it to myself, slow learner
that I am.  You can't possibly know how much you are losing through your
skin, it will vary with temperature, humidity, wind, what you are wearing.
Urine is sterile and  a little ammonia in a field may even do it some good,
but stay at  least 100 ft from a stream.  Stools are another matter, but as I
recall the Appalachian Mountain club talks of being sure to be at least 300
ft from a water source and recommends that you bury it together with toilet
paper, so carry a small spade for the purpose.   There is a book you can find
in the US called 'how to Shit in the Woods'  worthwhile practical reading if
you plan to be out where there are no toilet facilities.

 And do carry some hand sanitizer with you

I apologize if I have ruined your breakfast or other meal with such talk

Maura

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