Staying Healthy In Colombia

utopiacowboy says on Sep 14, 2004, 10:53:

I always drink the tap water and never have any problems.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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poulet says on Sep 14, 2004, 11:09:

tap water in bogotá is one of the cleanest you'll find, but if you're not used to it you should drink bottled water or buy a filter. chances are you won't even notice if you're drinking tap water.

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bjorn says on Sep 14, 2004, 11:56:

Bogota and Medellin is OK As poulet says, tapwater in Bogota is very safe. Taste a little chlorine, but I have never had any problem drinking it. Medellin has excellent tap water, safe and taste better than Bogota. Several other large cities have also safe tap water , ask the locals, but not Barranquilla according to a frind living there.

Tap water in small villages are almost alvays unsafe to drink, lot of giardias and amebas.


Bjorn

Bjorn

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Sep 14, 2004, 12:20:

tap water? I drink bottled water in Cali. I rinse all vegetables and brush my teeth with filtered water. I peel all the fruits. I guess tap water would be safe to drink but I've had some bad experiences with tap water in Cali; it used to be pretty bad. It's much cleaner now, I've heard, but I don't want to take any chances with amoebas on shorter visits. If I were to live there again, I'd start drinking tap water again.
Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Roncita says on Sep 15, 2004, 06:37:

It depends where you go and who you speak to! I can vouch for the tap water in Medellin - it's fine. Not so sure about other places though. I was always warned (by paisas) against drinking the tap water in Bogota and Cartagena. Basically, anywhere outside Medellin. So I never had any problems because every time I went away, I played safe and always drank bottled water.

However, 4 of us went to the coffee region south of Medellin (Armenia, Quindio etc), and 3 of us were very sick - must have been the water (although we were careful, but you can't always avoid it esp in jugos, fruit etc). It wasn't too pleasant, but luckily occurred on the last day of our trip. Also, another group of people went to the same region the same time and they were all ill too.

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Chuck says on Sep 16, 2004, 23:19:

Please don't sue me for this but you should carry the following:

Peptobismol... for mild diarrhea
Imodium... if the above doesn't work
Lomotil... if the above doesn't work
**(only if you are in the middle of the jungle and no doctor around)**
Trimetropim sulfametozatol... if the above doesn't work

But feel free to drink tap water in Bogota an Medellín... it's much better than the hard water found all around the USA.

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argtat says on Sep 17, 2004, 09:42:

the runs i tell any american unless you are a human garbage can and eat anything an i mean anything, if you wish to enjoy some of the very autoctonous culinary creations that colombia has to offer empanadas arepas bunuelos chorizo fritanga pinchos etc wherever you go, expecto get the runs, colombian food, produce and other items are far less processed than american products and this diffrence might upset your stomach, brave it and enjoy it is to well worth it hey i cant pass up those street vendors, it is like a russian roullette, but hey if it wont kill you it will make you stronger, so eat up and get a TUSA.

for the american folks a tusa is an ear of corn sans the corn in american terms get a cork

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freyr says on Sep 17, 2004, 11:50:

Thanks! Thank you! These are very useful comments. I will make a trip to the drug store and install a pair of handle bars on the family commode. I am not going to deny myself the wonderful Latin cuisine so I will hope for the best. Thanks again.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Sep 17, 2004, 12:14:

no need I don't know if gringo stomach is something very special, but most people don't experience any discomfort at all from eating typical Colombian dishes like sancocho, fritanga, bandeja paisa, buñuelos, pandebono, arepas, empanadas, tamales etc etc. Don't eat raspados or anything resembling them from street vendors, but anything deep-fried even from the street is usually very safe. If in Cali, by all means, try some champus caleño! with a lot a fruit in it! The best champus is sold in the market or galería, or on the streets.
Bon appetit!
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Sep 17, 2004, 14:00:

tinto are you saying you've never been to Cali? Well, now you won't have an excuse, Desideria's B&B will be opening its doors sometime next year....with champus, empanadas and tamales for breakfast...
cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Sep 17, 2004, 14:12:

no internal organs in my kitchen! the girl I'm planning to hire to do the cooking is very good at making empanadas vallunas, with minced meat and potato stew in them. I think one of the vilest foodstuff in the world is mondongo (tripe stew) only comparable in its vileness with haggis and pölsa.
cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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