Guest Blog Post - Manish Dubey

 

I am certain that after reading the wonderful blog on the 14-Day EBC Trek, your heart wants to take a trip to the Himalayas. My intent is not to discourage you, but to inform you of a very important aspect of the trek, which a lot of bloggers or insta-fluencers do not cover. Off the bat, I want to say that this will be one of the best trips you will undertake, if you are planning to do it. But additional knowledge has never hurt anyone, and I am certain that you will thank me, at some vulnerable times during the trip, if you consume this awesome nugget that I present before you. Now that I have you thinking about nuggets and food in general, it is time to introduce the two important things I want to talk about – these are #1 and #2 …so tighten your nostrils, grab your hand-sanitizers and let’s venture into this exciting realm of doing your business in the Himalayas.

#1 is relatively easy for folks who are not shy to drop their pants in the open, but if you are one of those who must have closed walls around you to trigger your external urethral Sphincter, all I want to ask you is - why do you have to be like this? Why can’t you be normal for once? Anyways, relieving yourself in the open is not looked down upon in Nepal, as long you look down to ensure that you are not wetting yourself. Finding a big or small rock, depending on how private you want this affair to be, to hide your privates is encouraged. You don’t want to scar the old lady taking this trip of a lifetime by flashing yourself. Enjoy the experience with the towering mountains looking down at you. This advice is not only for male readers but also for female readers. For folks who need a bathroom, there are some facilities throughout the trek, but please drop your expectation of cleanliness and just get it done, as soon as you can. If you have not seen or used an Indian/Nepali latrine, please google it and Good Luck! Most of these facilities are difficult to maintain given the elevation and so many wonderful souls like yourself answering nature’s calls. So please be respectful, pour some water after you are done and remember the donation box on your way out.

Pro-tip-1: Always keep tissue paper, hand-sanitizer and an extra zip-lock with you. Why zip-lock you ask? you will know when the time comes.

Pro-tip-2: Do not throw used tissue paper in the toilet, they go in a trash-bucket in the toilet – not in the bucket that has water.

Now let’s talk about the much more coveted topic of pinching a loaf. As you go higher in elevation, the teahouses have lower per capita toilets than you are used to at lower elevations. This increases the usage and hence the quality of the WCs. The one good thing about the reduced number of toilets is that you do not have to ask anyone about the location of these toilets, you can use your nose for navigation.

Pro-tip-3: You can rub some Vicks Vaporub under your nose prior to your expedition to the potty, to mask the smell.

A toilet seat is defined as the oval plastic seat that sits on top of the ceramic toilet – these seats will not be found in the toilets in Lobuche and Gorakshep and the ones that do have it, had cracks in them. So unless you want to risk cutting your gluteal region, you should avoid using it. While there is always room for improvement, the below step-by-step process is based on detailed discussion between me and 3 of my friends who had taken the trip together.

Step-1: You should spend some time inspecting the WCs and take mental notes on their status. Go to all the floors and decide which one you will use when the right time comes.

Step-2: Make a strategy (dry runs are not necessary) once you are back in your room.

Step-3: If possible, go earlier in the morning, when most of the people are sleeping. You are not going to be sleeping anyways after midnight (believe me!)

Step-4: Since most of us are used to cleaning with toilet paper and throwing it down the toilet, we have to adapt and make sure that we throw it in the bucket. That is not as big a problem, the problem is that while drawing your hand out after wiping, you have to make sure that you have enough clearance, and the tissue cube is folded properly, so that it does not transfer its contents  on its travel from your tush to the waste bucket.

Pro-tip-4: Use more cubes for the first few wipes than you usually do, to ensure that you can be successful during step-4.

Step-5: When the time comes, be prepared for any surprises. For example – you cannot get access to the toilet of your choice or the water is frozen and you need to use force to crack the top layer. Step-2 is very important for this reason.

Examples of things to think about while strategizing: 

Since there are no hangers or counters to set up your ‘stuff’, you will need to think about the necessary items that you will be carrying. Do not carry your phone (especially if you are using Indian style latrine – imagine if it slips off your hand). Use head-lamps for light, use jacket pockets for tissue paper, sanitizer, soap, etc. Do not take the entire roll, because it is too bulky but take enough tissue cubes. What if you run out of tissue, since you wasted extra cubes lining the toilet before you sat down? Will you be comfortable using water for cleaning yourself? Where will you wash your hands afterwards? Since there are no running faucets, should you fill the mug with water beforehand?

Pro-tip-5: If you have used latrine in the past, plan to use that since that has minimal point of contact, but you will need to squat for the duration of your business, so know your limits. Squat is a great exercise, so include that in your routine prior to this trek. It will not only make you fitter for the trip, but will be more hygienic as well.

Good luck with your trip!