Unusual sights in a South Asian home

There are many sights in our home which one would normally see in an American home. There are also some things which appear somewhat unusual when entering a home here in South Asia.

For some reason the bathroom has most of the exciting features.

This is a picture of one of our bathrooms. In the top left picture is what is called a geiser (pronounced geezer). This is the only means of hot water in the bathroom. A better picture and detail on how this works is below. On the right is the shower apparatus. If you are a type-A personality or a multi-tasker this bathroom is for you! You can use the toilet and take a shower at the same time...if you are really good you could probably brush your teeth at the same time (the sink is just to your left). There is nothing to keep the water contained (like a shower curtain; the water just goes everywhere and it is pushed down the drain when you are finished with a squeegee on a long handle).

Here is a better picture of the geiser. It holds 15 liters and is turned on about fifteen minutes prior to using it (this is how long it takes to heat up the water). Once the geiser is empty you are out of hot water. This is fine for the summer but in the winter you need to wash rather quickly. When turned on, both of the lights on the bottom (green and red) come on. Once the red light goes off, the water is heated.

Toilet paper is available here but only the westerners make use of it. Our toilets all have a wonderful sprayer which is used in conjunction with ones left hand to clean. To the side of the toilet there is a handle which is used to turn on the water to the sprayer. If you turn the water on too much it will shoot an amazing distance (clear to the other side of the bathroom). I do not know how many times I have soaked my pants leg while fooling around with this contraption. This is why the left hand is considered unclean in many cultures; do not try to shake with this hand and never eat with this hand. P.S.- Although this can provide hours of fun and entertainment, we buy toilet paper.

The yellow and orange contraption on our switch panels in each room is a mosquito killer. Due to problems with mosquitoes which carry malaria and dengue fever, this is a very handy item. At night when the mosquitoes are active, you turn the switch on and an orange light goes on (visible in the picture). There is a solution which is in the orange container on the bottom of the unit. This solution is evaporated and sent out into the room via a hole on the top of the yellow lid. It is silent and emits a subtle pleasant scent. When these are used you find all sorts of bugs and insects dead on the floor. They say that it is harmless but this is coming from a country that uses bamboo scaffolding to build high rise buildings.

This is a picture of our refrigerator All come equipped with something that looks like a belly button at the top of the lower door. This is a lock which when closed with a key keeps either door from being opened. This is to prevent monkeys from getting into the fridge. This would be a great money maker for an entrepreneur in the USA...it could be marketed as the fridge for dieters.