In Praise of Plumbing

We are finally home from Ecuador! I was hoping to be able to post while we were traveling but I had even less phone/Internet access than I expected, so that didn't quite work out. I'll be posting pictures from the trip as I get them downloaded onto the computer. For now, I want to take a moment to appreciate the plumbing in my house.

Seriously. I don't think I had a single hot shower in the entire 17 days we were gone, and I can't tell you how nice it was to take a shower this morning.

Plus, most toilets in Ecuador (meaning, every single toilet I encountered except for those in one nice hotel) require you to dispose of toilet paper in a trash can rather than in the toilet. You get used to it, but I sure was glad to get home and carelessly toss the paper in the toilet without having to worry about backing up the plumbing.

And, finally, it is a wondrous thing to be able to brush your teeth with tap water instead of bottled water. I can't explain why the bottled water is 5 times more inconvenient than the tap water, but it is. I am really loving the water coming out of the tap in my house, despite the fact that it tastes a little funky and will stain the sink a rusty pink color if you leave the water sitting around too long.

It's good to be home!