Travels in a Tin Can

'hole in the ground'. Once again Emma formed the advance scouting party,
but within seconds of entering the room she rushed back out for
reinforcements.
The first thing that struck you when you approached the toilet hut was
the smell, from a distance of about 20 yards; it did not leave our nostrils all
day. To be fair none of the other 'primitive' restrooms we used during our
travels were so pungent, evidently this one was long overdue for a clean out.
When you consider the design of these toilets it is not surprising they stink.
They are literally just toilet seats above pits in the ground, from which the
waste is periodically dug out. No flusher, no cover for the seat. Fortunately the
rooms usually lack lights - otherwise you would surely feel compelled to look
into the pit.
It was not the smell, nor the darkness that caused Emma to demand
my company however, rather it was a fear that there might be an animal living
in the hole waiting to bite her while (and where) she was at her most
vulnerable. Seeing as we had just passed a bear-proof bin this was probably
not an irrational fear. Though surely nothing could survive prolonged exposure
to that stink. These types of toilets certainly made us appreciate our porta-
potty in the RV.
Basic though these toilets were we could not really complain about
them. They were mostly deep in the semi wilds of the National Parks, so at
least there were public restrooms at all - and most of them were clean. The
dirtiest restrooms we had the misfortune of using were those in Tombstone,
Arizona. First they were inadequate for the size and popularity of the tourist
town, but second they were just plain dirty and poorly maintained. Perhaps