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Drinking water in Cuenca

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Omega

4/7/2013 21:42 EST

Often discussed and often debated, here is the skinny:

http://www.cuencahighlife.com/post/2013/04/07/CUENCA-DIGEST3cbr3eCuenca-water-quality-received-high-marks-again.aspx

http://www.gringotree.com/cuenca/Qs-and-As/Qs-and-As.php?qs_and_as=103

Scorpio11

4/15/2013 22:34 EST

Carbonated water, or beverages, while primarily safe due to low pH ( acidic), will not entirely protect you from Montezuma's revenge.

1. If they are served in a glass ...... the glass WAS washed with.... tap water.
2. If you get glass cubes in your drink the cubes WERE made ...... with tap water
3. If you have even a few drops on the inside /outside of the glass it's enough to get diarrhea.
4. If the water is carbonated ad-hoc, with an improvised "local carbonation system" ( tap water again ) the time between carbonation and
you drinking it is not enough to have enteric pathogens killed
5. Bottled water could sometimes be bottled.... "tap water". No way of knowing !

However, no need to mentally have one's holiday ruined. :-))
If you are more Catholic than the Pope when it comes to drinking water, below are two links which provide the solution. Pretty cheap
and definitely effective.
Used personally the Life Straw.
Drank straight out oh the lakes and rivers. I'm still alive ! ( and better looking than ever ) :-)))

The Life Straw
http://www.mypatriotsupply.com/Articles.asp?ID=260&Click=47761

The UV Stick
http://www.steripen.com/

Helpful to "pre-filter" the water through a coffee filter, before using the "steripen".

If none of the above are available.....

You can get get from the pharmacy some "iodine tincture solution" ( 2 % ) and add 4-5 drops to 1 liter of suspect water. Sake well
and...... give it 30-40 minutes, ....... before you drink. Iodine will kill most, but..... NOT ALL MICROORGANISMS
You may not like the taste of iodine, yet........ life is a continuous trade off.
If you want to eliminate the taste of Iodine add 1/4 of a Vit C 500 mg ( or 2 x 50 mg tabs) shake well, and drink.

And in the end ...boil the water !
After all this things being said, .... I tend to trust Dunmovin in so far as the "local water" :-))) In Cuenca.

However keep in mind that sometimes differences in the mineralization between the water you are used to and water from other systems
could also cause mild, transitory, forms of "increased intestinal motility" ( the runs ).

The best solution (hundreds of years old )..... a knife tip of... "tannin powder". It will "dry" you in 20-30 minutes :-))

===========================

I've seen it before on the forum, .....and I read it in this thread as well.........
To all those who change "Dunmovn" handle" to ... "Dumbmovn"........ it is difficult to describe in words how much of an imbecile,
the person makes him/herself appear.

You know how you are ! :-)))

=========================

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DUNMOVN

4/15/2013 14:08 EST

Before I moved to Cuenca, I did the same thing, but I have been drinking tap water for over one year with no ill effects. If you have a sensitive stomach that might be the way to go, you would not want to ruin your trip by having a religeous experience with the porcelain God.

mike2cu2

4/15/2013 13:52 EST

you guys really go for the jugular :) I would hate to ruin my two week vacation with a constitutional disturbance, so for this trip, I will be drinking bottled water.

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