Water

The most constant piece of advice I heard before coming to Brazil was more of an ominous warning: Don't drink the water. As the story goes, my American tummy couldn't possibly handle the bacterias lurking in Brazilian agua. I read about it in books, which promised mucho diarrhea. I heard stories from other travelers, telling horrors of trips ruined by drinking a cola cooled with tanted ice cubes. Even my doctor warned me not to eat fruit, because it may have been washed with the wary waters.

So before coming here, I began to wonder how exactly I'd stay hydrated. I mean, beer can only go so far. Also, how would I make coffee or brush my teeth? Would my skin absorb this water in the shower? So many worries ... which (mostly) all proved to be unnecessary.

Once we were in Brazil, Ben and I got the real advise we needed: Just don't drink the tap water. Instead, every home has a water cooler (ours included) where we can get all the fresh water we need. Now that was refreshing. We wouldn't have to be the odd ducks who refused to drink what everyone else was. We could just grab a cup and have fresh, filtered water in our own kitchen.

As for other water encounters, we decided to just dive in. I took a risk and showered sans a water filter and brushed my teeth with tap water too. I mean, it's not like I swallow the toothpaste. We boiled water for our coffee. Eventually, we even went swimming in a pool. By the time I dried off, I was happy to realize my stomach handled it all just fine.

All was well for the first week. And then we ran out of our fresh water to drink. The huge jugs that had been stockpiled in the closet were gone. And to our dismay, we couldn't easily find any more at the grocery store. This was a problem. Sabrina, our Brazilian guide and guru, was gone for a few days, and we were thirsty. We had one smaller jug left in the fridge, which Ben and I rationed between us each meal. At night we drank beer (and sometimes for lunch too), but it just wasn't something we were ready to crack open each morning.

Finally, after we'd poured the last few drops, Sabrina got a hold of us and promised to order more. And the solution was so simple. Apparently all we have to do is call the doorman downstairs, who will deliver as many jugs as we need. Now we have plenty of fresh water. No dying for thirst (or helplessness) for us!

However, I did fall prey to some tainted water lurking elsewhere ... ice cubes. I guess those warnings were right. During our first night out in Rio, I ordered my first mixed drink, which of course came on the rocks. These rocks proved to be too much from my tummy to take. I won't get into details ... but I learned the hard way that freezing water does not kill bacteria :(