I have to go to the bathroom. Or rather, I GET to go to the bathroom. Terminal 21, Bangkok

I wish I’d kept a bathroom diary of all the wonderful ways people ask you to go to the bathroom.  It would be such a brag sheet of endurance.  I've slipped and fallen on wet bathroom surfaces, squatted in a hole on tumultuous train rides, fended off rats in back-restaurant johns, and conquered a number of other less sanitary obstacles.  Needless to say, when I see that a stall comes with a) a toilet seat and b) the less common toilet paper, I am a beaming queen on her hopefully disease-free throne.    

Cambodia was actually a step up in sanitation but still pretty similar to Vietnam unless you were in a nice restaurant or store.  Tourism helped. 

Then came Bangkok. 

This throne washed and dried your bum. It even had controls to get juuust the right angle.  You might think "euwww, you touched the buttons?" fear not novice restroom user, the stall was also complete with hand sanitizer and wipes, which you could use even before washing your hands in the sink area.  Swanky.   

On a recommendation from my couchsurf host, I went to a shopping mall called Terminal 21.  Apparently they are known for their creative bathrooms and after an hour or two of meandering around, I was about to leave when I realized I had to go to the bathroom.  Or hang on – I HAD TO VISIT THE BATHROOM!  I almost forgot to check out one of the main attractions of this joint.

In Terminal 21, each floor of the building was dedicated to a different country.  It was fun and tasteful, with each escalator displaying your departure and arrival to a new land.  USA was on the top floor with a San Francisco theme, proudly displaying a huge replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.  What a fun mall!  I didn’t buy much as I have about 3” x 3” available space left in my pack and I’m not much of a shopper anyway. 

It's safe to say, Asia knows how to do malls.  The ones I visited in Kuala Lumpur, Malasia were some of the biggest in the world with a shop or restaurant for anything you could possibly desire to purchase.

Bangkok's malls were sizable as well, but they were also quite creative, and easily accessible.  Often times, you could walk out of the skytrain and follow the elevated platform right into the mall entrance.  It doesn't get much easier when you don't even have to step foot on a street.  Makes you wonder why there are still so many cars clogging up the city!