Water in India
 

I will be in India for the next 10 days, it's been made clear to me to only drink bottled water, no ice cubes, no fresh fruit that might have been washed etc. What about showers ? What about a chlorinated pool at the Mariott in Pune? Is that safe ?

Unless you're planning on drinking the pool or shower water, it will be fine! ;) Use bottled water to brush your teeth, though.

just stick to bottled water....ice cubes in good restaurants & 5 star hotels is fine....i don't see a problem with fresh fruit....showers are fine & so is the pool at the marriott....

Does that make a difference?

The immune system can only take that many unknown germs, if you are conditioned in India your body can take two glasses of water at a roadside tea stall, when you are a visiting Indian with past experience in India: two glasses from a regular home, when a visiting Firang: two sips of the pool and/or water duriing brushing your teeth.

Interesting. Didn't think that brushing would effect it too.

My boss spent 4 days in CCU in March and we took him everywhere, but he still got sick badly once home. He says he brushed his teeth with tap water twice. :eek:

Sensitive or some really bad water.

Or our canteen food. Or the utensils were washed in bad water.

Thing is you never really know. Could be the salad wasn't washed properly to the guy cooking it didn't bother washing his hands.

Canteen.... What industry are you in?

I visit at least once a year and am not used to the water. I stay at good hotel and take a normal shower and brush my teeth normally. I swim in the pools without any issues.

When I eat breakfast in the hotel, I eat eggs and fruits.

If I buy fruits on the street, I eat them in the room after cleaning them with bottled water. I NEVER eat cut fruits on the street or mid quality restaurants.

Usually, the western diets cannot handle the amount of spice(not heat but masala) that is put in restaurant food which is over and above than most home cooked food.

Even I get sick at least once while in India. Something I expect and deal with.

Has nothing to do with spices. I can eat more spicy food than many Thai/Indo/Chinese easily, but when I get unhygienic food (ie not well prepared) or "local" water as developed as Malaysia, my stomach goes on strike. BUT in China where i have more local experience i can eat/drink pretty much everything. Getting your stomach trained on local conditions is what counts. Only country really safe is Singapore. Second best is ~ according to my experience and maybe a bit surprising ~ Thailand.

Agree on this point.

I usually visit India twice a year for about 7-10 days, and 20 years of continous stay in India (which ended in 2000) have conditioned me, but not enough. Usually on day 2 or 3 I undergo a cleanse, but its not serious, I would place it just a bit better than a 'rinse' for a colonoscopy. Due to a sad reason I had to be in India 3 times in 9 weeks, and on the 2nd and 3rd time the cleane didn't happen. The third time there was no effect at all, even though I had been negligent (had to accept a tea and water at someones home). It was very hot and the food I had was pretty spicy. So I guess you get a tempoary shield ;)