Thursday, January 24, 2008

Ngau Tau Kok Public Toilet/Bath House - The Bi-Identity Toilet

I have been waiting for this day!To be able to show you all the different public toilets that I visited in Hong Kong.This was an idea from my friend,James.

I think it is really a great idea.Seeing a video only doesn't really tell much about a toilet.It's like looking at a woman's private parts without knowing how she looks like.Well,you get the idea...

Today,I will introduce you to the Bi-identity toilet.A toilet with 2 brands.It is quite rare to see this in Hong Kong.I have only seen one of them before.It was at a market in Mei Foo,under the fly-over.I didn't have my video cam back then and I really wished to see this type of toilet again.

The law of attraction never fails.As you can see,I managed to find another one.And here you go...Presenting Ngau Tau Kok Public Toilet/Bath House.


After visiting this public toilet,I realized that squatting Victorys in disguise are also considered a lucky charm for me.If you read my post on my favorite toilet in Hong Kong,the Jubilee Street Public Toilet,you will know that the squatting Victorys are my lucky charm.If I see them,my whole day will be very smooth.

If I don't see any of them on a certain day,that day is usually not right.I kept watch on this trend since 2000.

Anyway,back to this toilet.It is a toilet cum bath house.In Hong Kong,there are still poor people with no homes.The government takes care of them by providing public bath houses for them to bathe.These bath houses usually are attached to a public toilet and are usually 3 levels high.

This bathhouse is surprisingly on the ground floor.

The ladies toilet is probably on the second level.Usually the trend in Hong Kong is that the gents are on the higher levels and the ladies are usually on the ground floor.

There are 5 cubicles in this toilet.All of them are cistern flushes.The bowls are also uniform.All 5 are squatting and all look the same.Look at the photo below and you know what I mean...

Now,the question is...Why is this called a bi-identity toilet?

Let me direct your attention to the Victory logo slightly above the hole.Do you see it?Next,look at the TWYFORD logo at the top middle of the toilet bowl.Do you see 2 brands?

Now,my question is...Is this a Victory or TWYFORD?

This is the reason for calling it a Bi-Identity toilet.It has 2 brands.Do you know what brand it is?You need to listen to the flushing sound to identify the brand.Provided you know the difference between a Victory and a TWYFORD.

I have included the video below.Listen to the flushing sound and see if you can tell which brand it is.I will reveal the answer at the end.




Now,are you able to tell whether it is Victory or TWYFORD?

The answer is Victory.Listen to the high pitched sound.TWYFORD's flushing sound is more smooth.

The TWYFORD you see is actually a cover.The squatting TWYFORD has 2 parts,a cover and the toilet bowl itself.You can separate the bowl from the cover and add a Victory to substitute the bowl.

I highly suspect that this toilet retained its old bowls and just underwent a face life.The Victory you see here is the older batch of Victorys from the 1980s.Looking at the new TWYFORD cover and the floor tiles,this toilet was probably renovated in 2002.

This toilet is located at 1,Ting Fu Street.It is near Kwun Tong Road.You can take a bus to Kwun Tong Road and walk in.Ting Fu Street is where they shot "Bug Me Not",starring Isabella Leung.

In my next post,I will introduce you to the pure breed of TWYFORDs.You will be able to tell the difference in their flushing sound with this toilet.Stay tuned.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

The Armitage Shanks Family Part 4 - The Baby Of The Family,Small Pear-Shaped Squatting

Whew,finally had a chance to continue with the very last part of this series on the Armitage Shanks family.I actually wanted to finish this before the end of 2007,but unfortunately my computer was down.

Thank God,it is finally up.I can start blogging on my beloved toilets again.

In this post,you will look at the last member of the flushable squatting Armitage Shanks family.This is actually the baby of the family.I call it the baby because it is the smallest among all the squatting toilets.

As you can see later,there are only 2 batches of this type of toilet,the older batch was manufactured as early as 1983,while the newer batch was manufactured somewhere in the early 1990s.

The baby of the Armitage Shanks family can be found in a few countries,namely Singapore,Malaysia and Hong Kong.Among the 3 countries,it is the most commonly found in Malaysia and the least common in Singapore.

I have included photos of each representative from each country.Coming up first is the representative from Singapore.

This toilet is found at Level 6 Car Park of Center Point Shopping Center.Center Point was built in 1983.As you can see,this toilet is 25 years old,if it is still around.

This photo was taken 3 years ago.I don't know if the toilet is still around today.Maybe I'll drop by and try to video it when I get the chance.If I'm not wrong,this is the one and only place in Singapore where you can find this type of toilet.

Next,the photo below is the representative from Hong Kong.This photo show the newer batch of this type.Notice the difference in the logo?The newer logo has a 'A' beside the words.


This toilet is located at Shatin KCR Station,New Territories,Hong Kong.This photo was also taken 3 years ago.I don't think this toilet is still around.Because when I was there,this is the only cubicle with this toilet,the rest have been changed to Kimware.

Shatin KCR Station was opened on 6th May 1982.I strongly believe before this toilet,there is another generation of toilets here.Because this toilet belongs to the 1990s era,not the 1980s era.

Last but not least,you can see the representative from Malaysia.Malaysia has the largest number of the Small Pear-Shaped Armitage Shanks.It is especially common in Penang.Walk into any coffee shop,you are almost certain to find this type of toilet.

However,this photo was not taken in Penang.It was taken in Kuala Lumpur,at Lai Foong Eating House along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock.As you can see from the mosaics in the photo,this toilet was replaced.

I was wondering what was the original toilet like.This building was built in 1953.I'm still trying to find out what are Malaysia's old toilets like.

This is also from the newer batch.The good news about this one is that I have captured it on video.I personally like the flushing sound of it.Do you share the same view as me?Find out by viewing the video...