There were lavatories astern, along with two communal sinks, one of them hogged by a devout man doing elaborate pre-prayer ablutions.

First we retired to our room, took our futons from the cupboard (and replaced them the next morning), changed into yukatas and descended a steep stair passing communal sinks and toilets to the bath.

In many of the NATO-built camps, by comparison, the health care situation has stabilized, septic systems and showers are being installed, and communal sinks provide running water.

Outside on the square are cushion-strewn sofas instead of tables, and the unisex toilets have a long wooden canoe as the communal sink.

The row of a dozen stalls, each containing a bidet toilet and sink, was set against a long wall, just past the public communal sink and open squat toilets.

Ferret swallowed dryly, and moved to wash his hands at the communal sink.

A huge circular bar was thronged when I walked in, and people were taking tours of the restrooms, downstairs in what felt like an empty swimming pool, with a blindingly white powder room and communal sinks.

And in a land where the restrooms in many restaurants still feature a sloping hole in the floor and a communal sink in the hall, McDonald's bathrooms are spotless, modern and private.

And at the new Sea Grill in Rockefeller Center, Adam Tihany has designed a big Corian trough like a communal sink.

In the morning, a pair of communal sinks on the second floor allowed me to shave while looking at the distant Pacific, with three low islands on the horizon.