I can't imagine doing my camino without my Mooncup. I know it could sound weird to someone who hasn't tried it, but it's much cleaner for me than a pad or a tampon (+ less garbage). I've been using it for three and a half years now and, not to sound too dramatic, it changed my life. I've heard menstrual cups hate before and it always comes out of being uninformed.
I've been on the Portuguese camino and haven't had any problems cleaning it. I've never taken it out or cleaned it in front of anyone else. Actually, thanks to the cup I didn't have to drip blood around while showering in a communal bathroom. The cup can even help a little bit for people new to kegels as it's easier to use them for taking out (I've cut the stem entirely).
I'm a bit squeamish, I think that sinks are never clean. When washing clothes, I made sure to wash the sink myself. Flipflops in the shower are a must and also for walking in the albergue.
This bandana thing is confusing me. Isn't a bandana a sort of scarf to wear around the head or neck? Is it disposable? Are people using it to wipe pee and wash in the sink, but cleaning a cup in the same sink is different?
Yes, fresh urine is supposed to be clean but doesn't bacteria start growing soon? Maybe on a damp cloth? I know a clean cloth + clean water when not properly dried can become unhygienic. So pee cloth worn in mesh pockets outside the backpack or hung to dry on the backpack makes me think I won't be walking too near anyones backpack next time (and yes, it made me think of cafe chairs too, and tight spaces between albergue bed bunks). Does the pocket get washed too? But menstrual cups yucky, right?
Now that I think about it even more, if carrying used toilet paper around is too much of a hassle, what about the wet wipes? Or some other means of cleaning the hands after said peeing? Isn't it the same thing? Or is the other end of the bandana used for the hands? I hope the hands ARE washed after. But cups that never touch anyone else are disgusting, I hear. And splash they do, I hear.
Sorry if someone takes me too seroiusly, not trying to offend.
Long live The Cup
p.s. not joking about the awesomness of the cup, someone deserves the Nobel prize for it.