Story #2 of human hygiene: While camped at Tyndall Frog Pond, a lovely spot, I moseyed over to my favorite little watering hole on the creek to get some good clean Sierra water and came upon a guy sqatting right next to it, pants to his ankles, butt pointed at me. My reaction was immediate: I told him in no uncertain terms not to do his business right next to the creek, to go up the hill away from water. I was pretty distressed, but I would say that, judging by the look of horror on his face, he was equally distressed by me. He replied to me (and I quote): "Wash-wash!". I believe English was not his native tongue.
Now I do not wish to criticize him for being a foreigner. Plenty of Americans out there do some pretty crummy things on the trails (see above story #1). Nor do I wish to be judgemental of his command of the english language: lord only knows that I have said some equally awkward things while traveling in foreign countries. Furthermore, I have to admit that when I take a little swim or soak in a mountain stream or lake, I am of course hoping that some of the unsavory things on my body will "wash-wash" away.Maybe I was hard on the guy, but seeing a bare butt squatting right next to your drinking water will cloud one's reaction.
Nevertheless,I gotta say, he was the subject of a lot of laughter between my partner and I. Lots of "wash-wash" jokes. We would run into him and she would say "is that him?" and I would honestly reply "well, I'm not sure. It's hard to say with his pants up"