4 July 2014 / leggypeggy

Will the real offender please stand up—some etiquette for hostels

Central Asia, Eastern Europe, etiquette, Georgia, hair, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, my soapbox, toilet paper

Not rocket science, just courtesy

English may be the universal language, but the likelihood of anyone of any nationality actually following the rules posted in a hostel is slim.

Last time we were in Bishkek in 2011, a gal was washing her clothes in the sink under the sign that said ‘don’t wash your clothes in the sink’.

Our current hostel has a signs asking people to not put toilet paper in the toilet bowl (the pipes can’t cope), turn out lights and exhaust fans in the showers and toilets, pick up their hair from the drain, not wear muddy footwear indoors and a range of other reasonable requests.

Last night, and in the space of about four minutes, I turned off lights in both toilets and showers. I also gave the (ahem) neglected toilet bowl a swipe with the toilet brush, but I didn’t pick up the gross hair on the floor.

So I’ll step on my soapbox and offer a few tips on hostel etiquette. They’re all really common sense, but I reckon that too many people leave their common sense at the border.

• If the sign says quiet after 11:45pm, don’t keep going at full volume until 12:30 when the hostel owner comes out to tell you off.

• If you must trim your hair or beard over the toilet bowl, at least do it when the seat is up. And toss the hair from your comb or brush in the bin.

Hair and footprints left for others to clean up

• The toilet brush in the stand beside the toilet is not purely decorative.

• If you use dishes, cutlery and pots and pans, wash them. Don’t walk away and expect your mum to turn up to do the job. This morning, Neil cleared the communal tables of beer bottles and dishes and then washed up a sink full of dishes. Yesterday I washed up so I could have clean dishes and a cup for breakfast and coffee. What will the residents do tomorrow after we’ve left?

• Don’t help yourself to food that belongs to other people. Yesterday an Italian guy had a whole litre of milk taken.

• If the hostel supplies toilet paper (many don’t), it is not your right to steal it on departure.

And while I’m still on my soapbox, I’ll say more about the toilet paper of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

If you are travelling in these parts, I suggest you bring your own supply from home. If you forget or run out, buy paper in Iran. It seems to have the best I’ve seen in eight countries.

Whatever you do, don’t buy toilet paper in Georgia. All the supplies bear an alarming resemblance to coarse sandpaper—in touch, texture and look. Or if you buy some, donate it to the person who leaves their hair on the toilet seat.