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The comment that kept jumping out at me was using a bucket as a shower. I was living in Thailand for about 1.5 years and apart from my lavish westernized apart

The comment that kept jumping out at me was using a bucket as a shower. I was living in Thailand for about 1.5 years and apart from my lavish westernized apartment in Bangkok, about half the places I stayed in had buckets for showers. The first time I used one I kind of complained, but I got used to it quickly. Then, when I moved back to England, my girlfriend at the time lived in a council flat. There was a bathtub but not enough water pressure for a shower. Luckily by that time I was an expert with the bucket.

yummyfajitas 17y ago
Even fairly rich Indian families often use bucket baths rather than showers. I know of a a wealthy stock broker in India, and his estate is unusual in that it has a shower. He never bothered to hook it up to the hot water since no one uses it.
SanPedroGrouch 17y ago
As an American I need to ask what is a council flat? Is that like what we might call "public housing"? (Cheap, often low-quality) And how did you like life in Bangkok?
- ErrantX 17y ago
  Yes you got it: cheap public housing. Councils are the local area authorities (either county or town level).
- Quarrelsome 17y ago
  Yep. It used to be the case that council housing was given as part of social care and/or at subsidised rents. It still is, to a degree but nowhere near the amount it used to. Originally it was part of resettling the displaced population after WW2 and the bombing of the UK. The Tories back in the 80's decided that "home owners" were Tory voters so introduced a "right to buy" scheme that enabled tenants to purchase their properties at discounted costs. This means that a lot of council property in the UK is now actually private property. A lot of people made a lot of money with these purchases due to the recent housing booms. However it is a case of location, location, location as some lost money as in some locations properties can be practically worthless (Hull or Burnley being examples).

yummyfajitas 17y ago

Even fairly rich Indian families often use bucket baths rather than showers. I know of a a wealthy stock broker in India, and his estate is unusual in that it has a shower. He never bothered to hook it up to the hot water since no one uses it.

SanPedroGrouch 17y ago

As an American I need to ask what is a council flat? Is that like what we might call "public housing"? (Cheap, often low-quality) And how did you like life in Bangkok?

ErrantX 17y ago
Yes you got it: cheap public housing. Councils are the local area authorities (either county or town level).
Quarrelsome 17y ago
Yep. It used to be the case that council housing was given as part of social care and/or at subsidised rents. It still is, to a degree but nowhere near the amount it used to. Originally it was part of resettling the displaced population after WW2 and the bombing of the UK. The Tories back in the 80's decided that "home owners" were Tory voters so introduced a "right to buy" scheme that enabled tenants to purchase their properties at discounted costs. This means that a lot of council property in the UK is now actually private property. A lot of people made a lot of money with these purchases due to the recent housing booms. However it is a case of location, location, location as some lost money as in some locations properties can be practically worthless (Hull or Burnley being examples).