Product Description

No Shitting In The Toilet is named after a sign the author saw on the door of the lavatory at Jack's Cafe in Dali, Yunnan Province, in China. It's a sign that summed up Peter Moore's philosophy of travel: that it never quite turns out as you expect. You end up in situations that defy logic, rational thought and, quite often, general well-being - and yet you end up having a brilliant time, and not in spite of these situations, but because of them. And this is also the philosophy behind this book, and the reason why this isn't really a normal travel guide. OK, it might look like one in its choice of topices and structure, but in fact it's quite the opposite. Instead of practical hints, it gives you impractical ones (How to avoid jet lag - avoid jets ...) and rather than tel you the best places to stay, it tells you the worst. Instead of celebrating transcendental travel experiences, it revels in the most demeaning ones (On checking the hygiene in restaurants: there are 2 things you don't really want to see in life. The first is your parents having sex. The second is the state of the kitchen in restaurants catering for backpackers.). But in that sense NSITT is more in touch with the way things really are. The world of NSITT is one where you're more likely to find a cockroach on your pillow than a complimentary mint, a world where you take your life in your own hands every time you get on a bus, a world where everything goes wrong, and you still end up loving every minute of it. Based on Peter Moore's award-winning travel website, NSITT is not only hugely entertaining but also eminently practical, with advice on everything from Backpacking and Souvenirs, to Sex and Romance and Health and Eating (e.g. Some last words of advice for vegetarians: Hope you like rice...).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #228265 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From the Back Cover
There are two things you really don't want to see in life. One is your parents having sex. The other is the state of the kitchen in restaurants catering for backpackers...

Taking its title from a sign on the loo door of a dodgy café in remotest China and based on his award-winning website, Peter Moore's NSITT is not really a normal travel guide. It might look like one in its choice of topics and structure (with chapters ranging from Visas and Health to Eating, Drinking, Transport and Travelling Companions) but it's quite the opposite. Instead of practical hints, NSITT gives you impractical ones; rather than tell you the best places to stay, it singles out the worst, and instead of celebrating transcendental travel experiences, it rejoices in the most demeaning ones.

Encapsulating the author's own travel philosophy: that things never quite turn out as expected, NSITT is the guide to the sort of world where you're more likely to find a cockroach on your pillow than a complimentary mint - a world where everything that can go wrong does, and yet you still end up loving every minute of it!

About the Author
Peter Moore is a freelance advertising copywriter and website producer who works only to support his insatiable travel habit. He has written for various Australian and British publications, including The Times and Sydney Herald, and it the author of two acclaimed travel books, The Wrong Way Home and The Full Montezuma. When he's not on the road living out of his trusty backpack, he lives in Sydney with his collections of souvenir plastic snowdomes.

Excerpted from No Shitting in the Toilet by Peter Moore. Copyright © 2002. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
No Shitting in the Toilet is named after a sign I saw on the door of the toilet at Jack’s Cafe in Dali, Yunnan Province, in China.
The sign was a crude, hand-painted representation of one of those internationally ubiquitous ‘forbidding signs’—you know, the circle with a slash through it and a picture of the forbidden action or item in the middle. But instead of a camera or a dog or an icecream, this sign featured a little man squatting. Although you couldn’t see the strain on his face, you could see the product of his labours. Just in case you didn’t understand the sign, Jack had placed a grate over the top of the toilet as well.
The sign appealed to me because it pretty much sums up my philosophy of travel. It never quite turns out as you expect. You end up in situations that defy logical and rational thinking. Yet you end up having a brilliant time, not in spite of these situations, but because of them.
I guess that’s also the philosophy behind this book—and the reason that NSITT isn’t a normal travel guide.
Sure, it might look like a normal travel guide in its choice of topics and structure but, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Instead of practical hints, it gives you impractical ones. Rather than tell you the best places to stay, it tells you the worst. Instead of celebrating transcendental travel experiences, it revels in the most base and demeaning ones.
In that sense NSITT is more in touch with the way things really are. The world of NSITT is a world where you’re more likely to find a cockroach on your pillow than a complimentary mint. It’s a world where waiters would rather die than wish you a nice day, where you take your life into your own hands every time you get on a bus. It’s a world where everything goes wrong and you still end up loving every minute of it.
Does the word perverse spring to mind? I hope so. Perversity is the essence of travel, and it’s the essence of NSITT.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
No Shitting in the Toilet is based on a format used by more practical travel guides. It is divided into chapters based on topics of general interest to travellers. But with NSITT you get the added bonus of a totally irrelevant and impractical Top 10 tacked onto the end. The topics range from the more philosophical concerns of why and where through to the more practical topics of drinking and eating.
The format of NSITT is such that you don’t have to start from the beginning and work your way sequentially through the book. In fact, it’s probably better if you don’t. Just pick a topic that interests you and dive right in. It will all begin to make sense after a while, although probably not until a couple of months after you finish the book and you try to use a piece of its scurrilous advice.
Similarly, if you’re about to go travelling, you might want to start with a topic that is appropriate to your needs. When you’re in the taxi out to the airport, perhaps you could read the chapter on where to go travelling. As you’re kicking back in a dimly lit hospital in Indonesia, you might want to read the chapter on health and give the doctors a few tips on what may be ailing you.
If you’re an armchair traveller, try using some of the advice found in NSITT in your daily life at home. Let’s face it, bus drivers are the same the world over.
I guess finally I should cover the legalities, even if it is just to keep my publisher and lawyers happy. Basically, if the advice in this book doesn’t land you in jail or get you into serious trouble, if it doesn’t leave you stranded or ripped off, if it doesn’t cause you to have the worst holiday you’ve ever hadÑwell, you just haven’t tried hard enough.
Happy shitting!
Chapter 1
WHY?
So you’ve decided to chuck it all in and go travelling. It would probably be the best decision you have ever made if it wasn’t for all the stupid and inane questions everyone has started asking you. Let’s start with the most annoying and most basic of all. It’s ‘Why?’ and here’s how you answer it.
So, why are you going travelling then?
Most people go travelling because they are running away from something. If you were to be honest with yourself, that’s probably why you’re going travelling too. Bad grades, bad relationship, nagging parents, armed robbery—they’re all perfectly good reasons for grabbing a backpack and slipping out of the country.
I can’t tell people that. They won’t believe me!
That’s true. Most people will expect a much deeper, more philosophical answer from you. Conditioned by centuries of pre-journey rationalisation, the simple truth is not enough for them. Just make something up that sounds politically correct, like a need to experience different cultures or a desire to see the destruction being wrought on our planet first hand. If struggling, find a Greenpeace brochure. They’re often a handy source of inspiration.
If you are uncomfortable with that line of reasoning or you know that people simply just won’t buy it, try the more enigmatic ‘Because I need to’. Coupled with a slightly pained expression, it is enough to satisfy all but the most indiscreet of inquisitors.
How will I know when it is time for me to go travelling?

Customer Reviews

A funny and witty travel guide for real backpackers
A travel guide for the experienced, new and wish-i-was backpacker. NSITT differs from the norm in the genre as it isn’t full of the normal, glowing references for the most expensive hotels, restaurants et cetera in the region. It instead gives you impractical (and some pratical) tips to travel, accompanied with the writer’s natural wit and his own amazing experiences in travelling.
Comprises of Peter Moore’s top ten experiences with things whilst travelling, from drinking, border crossings, souvenirs, to sex & romance. And also the best places to do them (and often wthe best places not too).
Moore's tales of strange fungi in your shoes, rats on pillows and how to deal with some health problems are funny, well told and original.
The book is best read, as it suggests within, in spasmoidic chunks, when it is relevant to you - unless your taking it with you, or your not going anywhere!
A practical book for the hitchhiker, or for just general amusement, but not for you if you don’t want to know the realities of backpacking.

Very amusing
This is no classic travel book, more of a spoof backpacking guide, giving you an idea of where not to stay and what not to do on your travels.

It is divided up into sections such as When (not to go) and Buses (and associated horror stories). It is very amusing and has some real laugh out loud moments, which as a former backpacker myself I can relate to. If you are thinking of going, don't let it put you off!

This guide is not to be taken seriously and is to be enjoyed for all the sticky situations Moore got himself into (and out of).

Backpacking stories for those who've been there...or want to
Peter Moore is an accomplished Aussie traveller who's written several books on the backpacking experience, and continues to write travel columns for major newspapers all over the world. Moore has been lucky enough to creep into some of the most legendary travelling spots - Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iran, amongst others - an experience which for many travellers will now be impossible.

NSITT is a nice collection of reminiscences from his travels, and serves as a nice introduction to the wonders (and horrors) of backpacking travel for those who haven't been there, and as a hilarious reminder for those of us who have. The tone of the book is jokey, and packed with "Top 10" lists from "Big Nights Out" to "Traveller's Ailments". It's a fun, easy, sarcastically humorous read - an ideal gift for someone who's about to set out on the road.

If you've read any of Peter Moore's travel books already, you may be slightly disappointed to find it's basically a collection of episodes which he's already described in detail in his other books, dressed up as the classic "shaggy dog" stories that you hear from travellers everywhere. Some of the episodes crop up repeatedly in different categories, too.

I suspect that a bit of "exaggeritis" (something he warns about as a classic traveller's ailment), may have crept in in parts, and it's strayed a little too far towards the "comedy foreigners" portrayal in other areas. Still, it's a useful book for the backpacker wannabe, as it manages to get across the essential messages of looking after yourself on the road, without becoming too dark and scary. Moore's experiences are at worst, whimsical, and his infectious optimism makes the best of unpleasant situations.

This isn't a total backpackers' guide, and perhaps might give the impression that backpacking is safer and more fun than it frequently turns out to be. I'd advise anyone who's thinking about going on the road to go out there as well-advised and well-prepared as possible, and take some of the advice in here with a large pinch of salt. But, it's still a pleasure to read, full of funny stories and some great tips.

Picador's "Worst Journeys" is a better book on the unpleasantries of travel, but as a lightweight and fun take on the backpacking scene, it's great. Just remember that the real world can be a much darker and scarier place.