Musings from Singapore: toilets

They tell us that in the northern hemisphere, some things are different than in the southern hemisphere. For example, seasons. In the northern hemisphere, winter is November through February. It is frequently possible that Americans and Canadians (and Russians and Swedes, for that matter) will experience a White Christmas. In fact, it's common enough that Bing Crosby made a hit song AND a movie out of the concept. In Australia, not so much. They have a very warm Christmas because December is in the summer in the southern hemisphere. (It's quite warm in Myrtle Beach at Christmas also, but Aunt Big Cat and I still have to turn the space heater on when we sit on the front porch drinking wine. Not the same.)

Constellations are another thing. The stars you can see from places north of the equator are not the same as the ones you can see from places south of the equator at the same time of year. I dont know a lot of constellations, so I cant give you a lot of examples of this, but I believe it to be true. For example, the Southern Cross is a constellation most often visible in the southern hemisphere and is so commonly seen that it is represented on the Australian flag. You cant see it from Seattle. Also, I know you can see the North Star, the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) from the northern hemisphere. Specifically, from Raleigh, NC. I've seen it. And you can see Cassiopeia from New York. I know this because I've seen the movie Serendipity. Like 5 times. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon and a pre-S&TC Season 4 John Corbett (read: bad hair Aidan) as Lars, the celebrated oboist or whatever.

Another thing that we're often told is different in northern and southern hemispheres is the toilets. That in the northern hemisphere, they flush counter clockwise and in the southern hemisphere, clockwise. Now, I have been to the southern hemisphere (Peru) and neglected to pay attention to the way the toilets flushed. Probably because I was just glad to be flushing a toilet after 4 days on the Inca Trail....but I digress.

Singapore is basically on the equator. Downtown Singapore is 85 miles north of the equator, at 1 degree north latitude. So if northern toilets flush one way....and southern toilets flush the other....what happens on the equator?!

The toilets don't flush around! They just go....down. The water comes in from both sides and it just goes down. No around. Just down.

And THAT is what happens to toilets on the equator.

You're welcome.