fresh water
 

does anyone have any tips or suggestions on what i should do about drinking the water in foreign countries?? i’m heading to mexico for two weeks and am concerned about getting sick from the water. any info would be MUCH appreciated....

Just drink bottled water, checking the seal 1st. You'll probably be fine.

Normally I brush my teeth in tap water, but when staying in real hell-holes (I wouldn't class Mexico as being so bad, but smaller towns and villages are likely to be higher risk) then I also brush my teeth in mineral water.

Some people get real paranoid about salads and stuff - I eat anything without too much stress, although I probably get the runs a little bit more often than most!! If the restaurant has rats and/or roaches in it, then I usually give the salad a miss.

If you do get the runs, which can be common in some countries, then lots of people offer lots of advice. FWIW, I NEVER take immodium or anything else that "stops" the symptoms - your body is getting the stuff out for a reason and keeping it in can be very uncomfortable. Secondly I tend to eat nothing for 24 hours and just drink loads of mineral water - in a hot climate it is important to keep your fluid levels high anyway, but especially when you are ill. If you have to work and you have the runs, pm me and I'll give you a rather unsavoury, but very practical, trick that I employed when working in Pakistan!!

Drinking water in Mexico
 

Always drink bottled water and also use it for brushing teeth, to be on the safe side. We have a house near Tulum, on the Caribbean and all the restaurants in our area are safe and use bottled water for drinks, ice cubes, etc. I eat everything including salads because I know the restaurants are safe. I have found this to be true anywhere I've traveled in the Yucatan. I also agree with the other poster who says do not take Immodium or other meds. Your body needs to get rid of whatever is making it sick. If you have a fever, see a doctor. We eat a lot of yogurt before our trips and grapeseed oil also helps a lot with stomach disorders when traveling.

Carole
http://CasaTropical.com

Hey, I found this great thing. There’s this product call a steripen – a water purifier. i take it with me when I’m traveling on business, especially when I have to go overseas. It uses u-v light to zap the water and kill the germs. i have used mine for the last two years and haven't gotten sick once. Hope this helps. Have a great trip and do be careful about the water in Mexico, a friend of mine got so sick from just using the water for brushing her teeth and having a few ice cubes in her drinks.

Unless you are going to Parral, the water should be fine ;)

I've never gotten sick, but then again, I was born there :p