THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 17, 1996 TAG: 9603150077
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
EXCUSE ME, fellow travelers, but I think it is, uh, necessary, to discuss this delicate subject: toilets and toilet paper.
I am pleased to make you privy to the results of the fourth annual Quilted Northern Toilet Paper Report, commissioned by its makers (and our neighbor) the James River Corporation.
It is the findings of a survey of international travel writers, who are known for getting right to the bottom of things, including the best places to go - and to ``go'' - around the world.
Did you know, for instance, that there are throughout the world some rather creative substitutes for toilet tissue, including a bucket of water and the pages of a telephone directory? I seem to remember, though I have tried to forget, a public privy in Marrakesh, Morocco, where there was nothing at all.
The world view of the ``loo'' found that. . .
The United States tops the list for the best bathrooms and bathroom tissue (thanks goodness for that).
Bathroom tissue in both Russia and China is considered ``unbearable.''
Five times more men than women never leave home without their own toilet paper.
(Traveler's advisory: If you are unsure about the facilities where you are going, take a roll of your favorite tissue with you. Ignore all misguided urges to ``go native.'' Eventually you will thank me for this.)
The survey is simply overflowing with toilet trivia, including. . .
The days before toilet paper weren't such ``good old days.'' People used mussel shells, corn cobs (very big in rural America), a sponge on the end of a stick, and miniature sticks made of wood or precious metal that looked very much like hockey sticks were a favorite of the ancient Romans.
Homes in the Indus River Valley had bathrooms as early as 3000 B.C., and ancient noble Minoan families on Crete lived in homes with pipe systems intended to carry off waste.
England's Alexander Cunningham invented the first flushing toilet in 1775 but it was another century before people began to widely accept this radical technology over the outhouse and the chamber pot.
The first commercial packaged bathroom tissue was introduced in the United States in 1857 by Joseph Gayetty, who sold the paper in stacks of 50 individual sheets. Just to let everyone know whom to thank, Gayetty printed his name on each sheet. BOOKED FOR TRAVEL
Visiting national parks is on the top of most vacationers' lists. And for anyone considering such a visit, the ``Sierra Club Guides to the National Parks'' (Random House, $24.95 each) are a must. Each guide - ``East and Middle West,'' ``Pacific Northwest & Alaska,'' ``Desert Southwest,'' ``California,'' ``Hawaii & American Samoa,'' ``Rocky Mountains & Great Plains'' - contains everything you need to know about a visit to each park as well as the park's natural resources, history, wildlife and plants.
Also from Random House ($19.95 each): The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America, covering the parks, wilderness preserves, nature sanctuaries and scenic wonders of . . . well, I'm not sure how many regions the series will ultimately include. I have seen the superb books covering the Atlantic Coast and Blue Ridge, Northern New England, the Southern Rockies, the Southwest and the Pacific. Outstanding photography, excellent information. CALL THE COAST
The Left Coast, that is. If you're planning to visit Los Angeles, you can call one toll-free number and book hotels, reserve rental cars and have questions answered. Callers also can request L.A. vacation planning kits for a nominal postage-and-handling fee. The hotline, (800) 228-2452, is staffed 24 hours a day. WIMBLEDON ANYONE?
Heading for Wimbledon? There's no need to fear a complete washout from rain. Grand Slam Tennis Tours is offering people who buy tennis packages from them rain insurance that will refund a ticket's cost if play is totally rained out on any day. Refunds for rainouts can range from $300 to $1,000. However, only three days of play have been completely rained out in the past 30 years. Info: Grand Slam, 222 Milwaukee St., Suite 407, Denver, Colo. 80206; (800) 289-3333) MEMO: Travel-wise is compiled from wire-service reports, news releases, trade
journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the writer's
mind. Send comments and questions to Travel-wise, The Virginian-Pilot,
Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449; phone (804) 446-2904. by CNB