One gripe

I will say this: the water in India sucks. Now, I live on top of a swamp and I don’t even make my cat drink water out of the tap without filtering it first. But this…this is a whole new level.

I thought I’d be more eco-friendly this time around and just boil lots of water at home rather than buying bottled water every day. It takes care of all the bacteria and whatnot but man, that is still some nasty tasting stuff. My husband used to talk about how great the water was at home, how it had a kind of sweet taste to it. I know now either he must be delusional or the water does not come from the same source it used to.

Back to the point of boiling the water: a heads up for those of you less traveled, the water in developing countries is not safe to drink. If you’re hanging out in Paris, yeah you’re probably good. Sleeping in a hut in a village in the middle of nowhere and the only source of water is a mile away? You will definitely regret taking a sip of that. If you survive.

So on the last visit, I “played it safe” and drank only bottled water. Which isn’t always safe because lots of people just refill empty bottles, glue the lid back on so you think the seal hasn’t been broken, and sell it to unsuspecting tourists who will then be glued to their toilet for the remainder of their visit. At some point I must have messed up, because I became one of those tourists after the first week or so. Now I clearly remember that being the most miserable experience of my life. It also was apparently no fun for my in-laws. At least, that’s the feeling I get on this visit when every day, one at a time, each family member asks me how my stomach is. Gee I’m glad I made such an impression.