Living at Lake Chapala in Mexico

I bet most of you were concerned about contracting traveler's revenge when you first came to Mexico. During the past 17 years I've spoken with approximately 8,000 visitors to Mexico. Of those people, how many do you suppose suffered through a bout of Mexico's famed "Moctezuma's Revenge"?

I bet it would surprise you to know that no more than twenty of those folks ever suffered the pangs of stomach upset. I did the math, that's only .2% ?Not 2% but two-tenths of ONE per cent!

Some of those folks have gone to ridiculous lengths to avoid becoming sick in Mexico. One woman was so terrified of a serious bout of dysentery that she started taking the antibiotic Cipro several days before she flew into Guadalajara. During her one week's trip, she ate almost nothing except the snacks she'd packed. She stayed on the antibiotics for another week after returning home.

One couple arrived with three large heavy bags. Their clothing for the ten-day trip filled one bag. The other suitcases were chock-full of bottles of water and ready-to-eat canned and dehydrated food items produced for hikers. When I met up with them on the first morning of their tour, they were staring longingly at enormous trays of beautiful fresh fruits, part of a complimentary buffet for the tour group guests. Even after we assured them of the safety of the foods and after they watched their fellow travelers fill plates with freshly baked pastries and fruit, our friends returned to their room to eat the food they had packed.

The vast majority of visitors come to Mexico and leave again without every feeling the least bit ill. In fact, that lady who took Cipro during her entire trip has lived at Lake Chapala now for almost five years. She not only has survived, she now eats the same foods she did at home and still has never had a trace of a problem.

How do people do it without becoming ill? They use common sense.

Most of those 2 out of every 1,000 travelers who do become ill have simple food poisoning ? the same malady our mothers tried to prevent by prohibiting items from our lunch boxes. Others have a reaction to the hard work of travel, and to the higher altitude here. Simple common sense will keep you well here, just like it does at home.

Here are some common sense tips to help you stay well and having fun on your holiday:

• Get as much rest as possible before your trip. Too many tourists are exhausted before they leave home.
  
  
• Lake Chapala is at 5,200 feet above sea level, don?t overdo until you acclimate. Walk more slowly, take it easy on stairs. It takes time to adapt.
  
  
• Limit exercise and exposure to sun. Always use sunscreen here and wear a hat, be sure to walk in the shade. Higher altitude will cause you to sunburn more easily.
  
  
• Drink extra water to avoid dehydration.
  
  
• Until you adjust to the altitude, limit your consumption of alcohol - it will hit you harder.
  
  
• The altitude can cause blood pressure problems. Take your meds, have your blood pressure checked if you are feeling dizzy or odd.
  
  
• Avoid extreme changes in diet?especially watch your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. They taste so good you may want to eat too much, causing a stomach upset from the excess fiber and vitamins.
  
  
• Try to maintain your normal routine, as much as possible. Don't try to walk all over the village on your first day at Lakeside.
  
  
• Avoid those foods your mother worried about - egg salad, mayonnaise, potato salad, luncheon meats, sauces, salad dressings and condiments that have not be kept under refrigeration.
  
  
• We know you are excited, but get into the Mexican custom of taking a siesta and getting a little more rest.
  
  
• Use common sense when selecting restaurants, follow the criteria you use back home ? if the café is clean and the staff is clean. If there are locals (foreigners or Mexicans) eating in the café, if the food is being prepared fresh and hot for each order, you will be taking no more chances than you would at home.
  
  
• If you have violent diarrhea and/or vomiting four to eight hours after eating, you probably have developed food poisoning. If it continues more than a few hours, see a doctor immediately.
  
  
• Doctors will make house calls, even to hotels to treat you. Don't immediately take Imodium or other remedies to stop the diarrhea. You'll trap the bacteria or infection in your system where it can reproduce, making you sicker.
  
  
• If you do become ill, see a doctor here, at Lakeside. Don't wait until you return home. Doctors here know how to treat your symptoms and can identify your ills quickly and easily.
  

Use common sense and stay well on your holiday, but most of all have fun and don't worry!

Life is Good at Lake Chapala

Don't drink the water. Is there a traveler to Mexico who hasn't heard that warning multiple times as they planned their holiday south of the border?

That warning must be heeded in most hotels and homes all over the Republic of Mexico. All residents of Mexico (yes, even Mexicans) are accustomed to always using bottled or purified water for brushing teeth, making coffee and tea, making ice cubes and drinking.

Here at Lake Chapala the water that comes into our homes is pumped from deep wells scattered across the area. The water pumped from those wells is pure and clean. We assume that as the water travels through underground pipes to our homes or in our home water storage tanks, it may have become contaminated. We choose to err on the side of safety, as do our Mexican neighbors and drink purified water.

Most of us use purified water that is delivered to our homes in five-gallon plastic jugs, similar to those you've seen back home. The only difference is the price . We currently pay about $2 U.S. per five-gallon garafon. I use a little more than one bottle per week.

When the water delivery truck passes my house every day or two, the driver cries, "AGUA." The driver carries the bottle into my house, wipes off the top of the bottle with a cloth, and puts the full garafon upside down in my ceramic dispenser. I pay him $22 pesos plus a one or two peso tip. That's all it takes to maintain my supply of drinking water.

If you are staying in a B&B or hotel, the management will provide you with a bottle of purified water a day. Some inns have a garafon of water in a public area so you can refill your bottle; others have installed water purification systems to provide pure water to the cold water faucet in your room. Always ask to be certain that the water in the sink is purified before you drink it or use it to brush your teeth.

Water Purification Systems
Some of my friends and many of the newcomers at Lake Chapala have installed water treatment systems in their homes. These electrified wonders filter the water and then pass it through a reverse osmosis system before subjecting the water to ultraviolet light to kill any remaining bacteria or parasites.

The systems aren't cheap?they run $350 to $750 US for installation plus another $150 per year for maintenance (replacing the filters and ultraviolet light bulb). It isn't the cost that keeps me from installing a purification system, it's the chances folks take that depend on their system to provide their pure water. Over the years, you wouldn't believe the stories we've heard. I know of a dozen or more homes where the systems were improperly installed, and the water didn't pass through the system to the cold water faucets in the kitchen and bathrooms.

The members of one household couldn't understand why they were having recurring stomach problems until they discovered that the ultraviolet light bulb in their system wasn't turned on. Other folks forget that when there is a power outage, the system is not on, and therefore not purifying the water that is traveling through the pipes during the time, creating a potentially troublesome problem.

There's nothing wrong with the systems or the science of purifying water this way. If you move into a house with a system, have it double checked to be certain it is properly installed, avoid using the water from the tap during a power outage or for several hours after one, clean and change your filters as instructed and check the light bulb daily.

Ordering Water in a Restaurant
If you order a glass of water in a Lakeside restaurant, let me assure you that you will be served purified water. The servers have never used water from the faucets; they have used boiled water or water from garafones from childhood. If you specify ?bottled? or ?purified water,? the cost of the bottle will usually be added to your bill (usually a bit over one dollar). When I'm traveling in other areas of Mexico, I am far more careful about drinking water; in more remote areas, I only drink water from sealed bottles.

Of Course You Can Have Ice in Your Drink
Far too many visitors and tourists think that they will become sick if they use ice in their soft drinks or water while they are in Mexico.

While that may once have been true, today you can safely enjoy ice cold limonada (limeade) or Coca Cola, just as you do at home. Mexico has instituted laws governing the production of ice, and now consumers can tell at a glance if the ice is safe.

All cylinder-shaped pieces of ice with a hole in the middle and other regularly shaped pieces of ice must, by Mexican law, be made with purified water. Those cylinders are the most commonly used ice pieces. They are manufactured in the same plants where purified water is bottled.

Always avoid using ice that is being chipped or shaved from a large ice block. While most of those blocks are safely manufactured, it is impossible to discern the difference. Be sure, if you are at a party or event, to not pick up an irregularly shaped piece of ice from the cooler that is filled with bottles of beer or sodas. Those pieces are tempting, but leave them alone.

It's Not Just the Water!
Keep these simple rules in mind and you'll not have a problem with drinking the water in Mexico. There are other food items that require special handling. Our next blog takes a look at how to prepare the fruits and vegetables.