Viktorija Panovaite
Indonesian bathroom

Bathing in Indonesia

In Indonesia there is no hot water (only you can find it in hotels, rich people houses or sometimes in villages near mountains). It can be a bracing and refreshing experience to bathe (“mandi”) here. But not only taking a shower in cold water (sometimes room temperature water) can be challenge (for example during the rainy season) but as well   the way how to do that :).

A traditional Indonesian bathroom contains a trough of “clean” water, from which water is scooped up in a plastic dipper (“gayung”) and poured over the body while standing on the floor of the bathroom. After soaping up all over, more dippers full of water are splashed over oneself to rinse off.

Even living in Indonesia, sometimes it’s hard to get used to that initial shock of a plastic dipper full of cold water hitting your bare skin! :)

As well, mostly in Indonesian bathroom you won’t find a sink. So, how to wash just the face in the morning? One Indonesians just splashes a little water on hands with bucket and uses a little soap, others – just take water straight from water tube to clean the face. You can try both ways and see which one is more comfortable for you or find your own way to do that :).

Washing face

 

 

 

 

 

It’s quite simple, to take a shower in Indonesia, yah? ;) What is your experience with bathing in Indonesia?

 

Illustrations made by Hendra Arkan.

Useful? Great! :) You might also like these:

Indonesian people lifestyle
Good manners in Indonesia
How to use squat toilet