65 years or so ago a high school classmate visited Russia and wrote letters home.....on their toilet paper.
OK, you want to rumble? ;-) Thirty years ago friends came back from traveling in Russia and staying in various hotels. They gave me and my husband big hugs. Less than 2 weeks later both my husband, I, and our two sons all had a case of scabies. We called them and they apologized profusely, as they also were afflicted. My husband and I got rid of our cases rather quickly, and I also did a lot of very hot laundering. Nevertheless, our boys continued to find an occasional jacket or shirt behind a chair or sofa, or under the bed, or in a toybox, so it took half a year before their cases were cleared. Boy, talk about from Russia with LOVE!
Wait! They got toilet paper now?!
During my last trip to Yalta, was touring the famous "Swallow's Nest" with my wife, and had to "use the facilities."
There was a long line (of Russian / Ukrainian tourists), and I took my rightful place at the end of it. A minor official noticed me (i.e., recognized that I was a Westerner), and insisted on escorting me to a private lavatory reserved for Westerners; the toilet - while not up to W. European or American standards - was adequate, and the toilet paper was at least usable. In the meantime, my (Moscow-born) wife had also felt the "call of Nature." I was done pretty quickly, and had to look around for her for a while. When we finally found each other, she explained that she had used the facilities for locals: A primitive latrine and no paper.
Regards,