[GarySpFc]

I've been in many countries, and seen both good and bad crappers. While it is true there are some bad ones in Russia, to equate them with the worst simply is not reality.

[struwwelpeter]

The pictures I posted were all from Ukraine, except for the roadside outhouse that in all fairness is not very typical of Kazakhstan, either. I'm sure someone could come up with a US gas station restroom that is just as scary.

I haven't been to Russia in a couple of years, but most people I knew there were spending a lot of money at the local versions of Home Depot to do "Yevroremonty" (European-style) renovations. In the two to four-room apartments, they would knock out the wall between the toilet and bathtub, lay tile, and put in modern bathtubs and stools. Even bidets.

I had an apartment in Kyiv which put my 2500-DM Frankfurt apartment to shame, and at 1/10th the price.