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**doc** · 04-16-2005, 10:33 AM

Excellent question.

Many years ago, in 1995 and 1997, when I traveled to Shaolin (and Tibet, etc), I had brought a Pur purifier with me, exactly for the reasons that you mentioned.

Used it once. Poured the water that was in the thermos into the unit, and burnt out the filter. (They boil the water for you, and put it into thermo's). So much for that.

You really don't have to worry about getting sick from the water in China. Because you don't drink it. Bottled, and safe, water, is readily available everywhere. It's also extremely cheap. You just have to be careful about what you buy; as I've seen some of the younger kids running around with used bottles, and filling them from the local rivers, you just have to make sure that when you buy these bottles water, that their seals are intact.

As far as dysenteric illnesses go, they're rampant in China, and more than likely, you'll get it from eating off the dishes, or, drinking out of the glasses, that they wash with the dirty water. You'll also get it from uncooked washed vegetables. And fruits. The knife that they cut the watermelon with is "dirty"; starting to get the idea???

In Thailand, a MUCH cleaner and more sanitary country, again, you don't drink the tap water (not because of infiltration by human shit, but, from the tin and cadmium in the ground water, though, some places filter it). Cheap, pure drinking water is available everywhere. Glasses, ice, dishes, etc, are all properly cleaned. In all the years I've been in Thailand, I've never gotten a gastrointesinal illness. In all the years I've been to China (now fifteen trips), I've only gotten out of the country once without getting sick. Sometimes, it just doesn't matter how safe you try to eat; the gastrointestinal disease potential is everywhere.

Europe, I've never gotten sick in Europe.

**feylahn** · 04-18-2005, 08:04 PM

It sounded like a cool idea when the vendor was talking about it, but it did sound like a lot of hassel. Then the next day I was at a vendor clinic for the brand that bought the non-home related Pur division, and of course they've got the perfect filtration divice too

, with a little pill that kills this and that and everything else . They also have a water bottle that looks like a Sports bottle, but has a filter in it so you could pour the questionable drinking water into it and not look totally weird pumping water. But the treatment is iodine and the water is only in contact with the other 2 filtration divices in it for about 2 seconds.

I guess companies should start a filtration divice for veggies and fruits.

As for Europe, I should have mentioned that he backpacks there.

**doc** · 04-19-2005, 06:07 AM

These things are good, for camping and such. But the pour through types of filters will not kill various organisms that can infect you. And, the ones that have the complex filtration, do not filter enough water, fast enough, for everyday use, especially when you're working out hard, and going through bottles of water a day.

Just buy it. It's fine, and cheap, and better than filtering any of the shit that comes through the tap.

Talking about shit coming through the tap, a picture is worth a thousand words. I've attached a photo that I took on one of my trips years ago, during the usual summer drought. I think you'll agree, buying it is the best choice.

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