I don't know what made me think of this today but here's an 'orrible story about relative wealth. A few years ago, a friend's friend (urban myth alert - but we do trust the friend) was travelling in a remote part of China where the local villagers were poor. He was suffering, as one can do on travels, with a bit of a dicky stomach.
He found himself in need of the facilities and they took him to a toilet. It consisted of four waist high walls surrounding a succession of holes in the ground (these I have seen and used myself. It's not a treat.) He was desperate to go - so go he did. Then - no toilet paper. And - how do we put this - he really needed toilet paper. None anywhere. In desperation he scrabbled around in his pockets to finally alight on some currency. The notes had a value equivalent to around 10 English pence each. He thought about it briefly - but needs must. He set about cleaning himself.
A hair on his neck must have prickled. He suddenly turned around. There, on the hillside next to the toilet, what looked like the entire village had gathered. They had in fact not seen a Caucasian before, and their curiosity had got the better of them. They had watched him. They had watched him throughout. They had watched him wiping his bum -several times - with the equivalent of a day's salary.
He left on the next bus.
Love,
M&T xxx
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