Your a nation, in public

Public urination seems to be a general practice here.  One night Rachel and I were walking home, about a block from our apartment building, and some man is huddled in the corner of an entryway...  going to the bathroom.  I mean he is peeing right into a corner of the entranceway into an apartment complex. 

Sometimes when we leave our apartment, the bush next to the front door smells like urine.  I originally assumed it was someone's pet... now I think it's some of the neighbors!

The other night I was walking home (remember, these are city streets, it's not like I'm out in the countryside) and all of a sudden the old man in front of me makes a beeline towards the bushes framing the sidewalk.  I'm thinking, "he's gonna go pee" and sure enough, he heeded the call of nature.

I'm not sure why everyone here so unabashedly pees in public...

That being said, it is difficult to find public restrooms in the city.  As I recall past travels, it has always been a challenge finding a place to go in the major cities of Europe (and perhaps in the US, for that matter)!  

While backpacking around Europe in my younger days, I remember noting McDonald's as especially important in forming mental map of cities as McDonald's locations would usually have clean restroom facilities available to the public. 

Nowadays, depending upon where I am in the city, I make use of university buildings which I know to have open WCs or local magistrates (like town halls) usually have public restrooms.  Sometimes, there are public restrooms, located by parks or near sightseeing attractions, in which sits a gatekeeper who charges a minor fee to pee!