Water purification - African hotels

[bert333]

Bert, drop the ceramic filter and it will crack, you won't be able to see it, but it's like the M6 to viruses. Don't believe the bull from manufactures, they have been tested by numerous independent bodies, and the results are not favourable.
!

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Bimble...
Independant bodies.....same as ' afriend of a friend of a friend reckons that....probably people flying a desk no doubt...:yelrotflm
I've had mine a long time and carried it over 58,000 miles in my bike panniers, often off-road. Only one cartridge change in 6 years due to wear-(cleaning maintenance) Never a single crack- I also changed two 'O' rings in that time too and that is it. Never fell ill once. I think that says it all don't you think?

I used it in brackish water, roadside puddles, holes I dug and water seeped in, Africa, Cambodia, Thailand etc etc and it has saved my bacon many a time.
Commercial hype? no Sir- a solid, well built professional piece of Swiss made equipment -(also issued to NGO's worldwide).
Good kit and one I well tested and trust out there.
Katadyn filter as linked to above
* 0.2 micron cleanable silver impregnated ceramic filter.
* 50,000 Ltr Filter life
* 1 Ltr/min flow rate
* 20 year warranty

Thew Pre-Mac MWP has a replaceable cartridge that will only treat up to 200 litres
No guarantees

It's a no-brainer!

 

[Sniper]

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Thew Pre-Mac MWP has a replaceable cartridge that will only treat up to 200 litres
No guarantees

It's a no-brainer!

Yes and cost a fraction of the price of the katadyn, plus a very good no quibble guarentee.
200 litre life span, yes at 4 litres a day to drink that gives you 50 days before change required. I carry a spare set with the unit sealed therefore I am self sufficient for far more than a couple of weeks holiday wouldn't you say. Also if I were going for long duration stays in the jungle or whatever I would no doubt choose the bigger version giving a much longer use period of a year or 2,000 ltr. This is for a holiday in a good hotel.

 

[Kepis]

Having travelled extensively in Africa and loads of other "underdeveloped" parts of the world, i echo some of the comments above, take some stoppers (immodium etc) and goers (senokot) and rehydration salts, only eat fruit that can be peeled, make sure food is piping hot when served, dont have ice in drinks and if the hotel has salad bar, stay away, as for drinking water if you are staying in reputable hotels then the bottled water is fine, just remember to check the seal is intact before opening, also as Bimble states, brush your teeth using bottled water, i fell foul of that one once when i was travelling around the Urals, brushed my teeth using tap water (completely forgot to use bottled stuff), and i ended up with the mother of all gum ulcers, all you have to do is use some common sense and you will be fine.

The only place i have ever gotten ill when travelling was Italy, twice , Africa is safer than most people think.

 

[hedgepig]

Just 2 points:

1. The MWP filter is great ... but ther is residual iodine, so don't use for it for more than 3 months.

2. BOTTLED WATER - CHECK the sides of the bottle as well as the lid! I have heard that sometimes the labels are removed, the water emptied through a hole in the side and then the empty bottle refilled with ordinary water and the labels reapplied. This shouldn't be a problem in your hotels but is worth being cautious about if you buy any bottled water elsewhere.

 

[Kepis]

2. BOTTLED WATER - CHECK the sides of the bottle as well as the lid! I have heard that sometimes the labels are removed, the water emptied through a hole in the side and then the empty bottle refilled with ordinary water and the labels reapplied. This shouldn't be a problem in your hotels but is worth being cautious about if you buy any bottled water elsewhere.

Why would someone empty the water out of the bottle and then refill it?

 

[spamel]

Pah! I went to Africa and didn't have any troubles. It was the first time I saw hand washing Regimentally enforced; the Squadron Sergeant Major stood at the hand wash for the duration of the meal times and ensured every man washed his hands, dried them with paper towels and then applied a good splooge of alcho-gel. This simple effort reduced people getting the squits to a few. One was my Troop Commander, fresh from Sandhurst. Nobody liked her as she came over like she knew everything and it was always her that screwed up. She said she would put us on a charge if we went down with D and V. She was the only one to get it in our Troop! Needless to say, we enjoyed watching her running to the DTL's, often a bit too late if you get my meaning!

 

[hedgepig]

Why would someone empty the water out of the bottle and then refill it?

Because they get to use the bottled water and then get to sell the refiled bottle at bottled water prices. Don't forget, it is not necessarily the same people. The original purchaser might use the water then sell the empty bottle to the person who refills it and then sells it as real bottled water.

Empty plastic bottleshave value because they can be refilled and sold as bottled water. However, with people catching on to this and checking the seal is intact the people doing this have responded by emptying and refilling the bottles a different way.

 

[locum76]

daved...

i honeymooned in Kenya and the only gut rot I suffered was from an orange juice I took from a local after he invited us into his house (it seemed rude not to accept). the trip included a safari in Tsavo east.

only drink bottled water from professional suppliers, brush your teeth with it and don't take ice cubes and you'll be fine. if the accommodation is good and full board, eating cold food such as as salads and the like won't be a problem either.

another word of advice is don't accept any cocktails served in fresh coconut shells. when we went plenty folk who did drink from those cups ended up really, really ill. a couple of poor guys ended up hospitalised.

Rob

 

[daved]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all the information and the tips. Will be sure to check that bottled water really is sealed! Just need to remember not to use the tap water for brushing teeth - good tip and one so easily forgotten.

I am starting to get quite excited about the trip now. Felt a little unsure about the whole thing before we booked - the idea of staying in swanky hotels and being driven around just seemed so wrong when there is so much poverty amongst the locals.

It is a relatively short trip so we can't really afford to lose much time to illness. There is quite a lot of travel involved so don't want to risk having gut rot on a five hour drive on bumpy tracks. Industrial quantities of imodium and dioralyte will be taken with us! I once had food poisoning on a long coach trip back from Europe - now that was one uncomfortable journey.

Sounds like we are going to be OK to find bottled water and that carrying a filter is likely to be overkill. Call me paranoid, but I think I can find room in the bag for some puritabs of some sort. The question is what sort is best for the likely bugs out there and which is likely to taste the least offensive? Chlorine? Iodine? Other?

I have had so many innoculations lately that my shoulder is like a tea-bag. Would be a real shame to get knocked for six by something as simple as a stomach bug.

Dave

 

[firecrest]

Where in Kenya are you going? I went to Watamu beach near malindi two years ago. Best trip ever. we didnt have a problem with the water, drink bottled. Normal rules apply. these safari camps are very well run, you really wont need a water purification system.
But yes, take immodium, new bacteria is a blight to travellers no matter what precautions you take.

 

[daved]

Just back from the trip to Kenya - fantastic. Highly recommend a trip to anyone with even the slightest interest in wildlife.

Thanks for all the advice regarding food, water and general hygiene. Thankfully, we had no problems at all - not even "travellers' tummy". We were pretty scrupulous about hygiene and were sure to use alcohol gel after toilet trips and before eating.

Regarding water, the majority of the lodges provided sealed bottles in the room. A couple of places just left a jug labelled "drinking water" but no details of how it had been treated nor any evidence that the staff hadn't just topped it up from the tap. We avoided using that. We did use chemical treatment on one occasion because we ran a bit short of bottled water one night and fetching a bottle would mean braving monsoon rain and wading through an inch and a half of standing water (yep, it rains big in Kenya!). For occasions like this I would suggest it is worth taking some tablets/droplets but sticking to bottled the rest of the time.

The tip about using bottled water for tooth brushing is surprisingly difficult to remember, especially at 5am - I took to leaving the bathroom when I was brushing my teeth to avoid the temptation to turn on the tap. We took a bottle of listerine to rinse the toothbrush with and keep it fresh.

Food was generally of very good quality but was often a self-service buffet - always a bit risky and it certainly pays to keep an eye on what the people in front of you in the queue get up to with the food. Definitely avoided salads in those places but did eat some in the better places, with no ill-effects.

Thanks again for your comments - can't wait to go back

 

[John Fenna]

Glad you had a good time!
African rain is special isn't it?
It even beats the Welsh stuff at times....

 

[Bimble]

Thats true John, but at least it falls downwards, not travel sidewards like it does in Wales. Also it does't have snowflakes mixed in with it like last weekend!

 

[daved]

Also it does't have snowflakes mixed in with it like last weekend!

Perhaps not snow but it did have quite a lot of hail mixed in with it on one day - it really looked like it had been snowing that morning. Took a few moments before I remembered I was in Africa. The rain was seriously impressive though.

 

[bob_the_bomb]

I have worked in a dozen or so African countries and endorse the points made here about sealed bottled water. IDo carry immodium but it does only bottle up the problem. If you have access to a good hotel room for a few days let it do its stuff.Rehydrate and also try taking some medicinal charcoal tablets. Its a bit like chewing a barbeque bottom but the stuff helps absorb the baddies (charcoal filters are what's in odour eaters and gas mask filters). It certainly seems to help me...

 

[galew]

I wouldn't imagine you would get caught without bottled water if it is an organised trip and your accommodation is good. You will be able to buy water in most shops, again just check the seals. For peace of mind I would agree with Leon, the premac filters will do the job nicely. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

My sister just came back to the states from an organized trip to Spain. Their frist class hotels turned out to be third class or worst, their three free meals turned out to be one, and they were required to add the tips to the tune of 15 dollars per free meal. She ended up eating elsewhere for all her meals. Bottled water was not available everywhere but she was able to find it every day. I would not expect it to be available everywhere.

So plan for the worst and hope for the best. And as stated before watch your back side

 

[hog]

I have spent all my life in Africa and not had a water problem, except when there wasnt any. You will find its not the quality of the water, for the most part but rather your system not used to the chemical composition, if you know what I mean.

 

[Dano]

Glad you had a good time; I would just like to add a bit to this thread

I have done a fair bit of travel in MEA, here are some simple tips

Firstly don’t get paranoid about the dangers, you are meant to be enjoying yourself

Take a purification method with you as described on the other posts, they are normally small enough and you never know when you may need them

If you are in any doubt about the source of bottle water then opt for sparkling if it available, this is more difficult to counterfeit

Its not just brushing your teeth that could give you problems, remember to keep your mouth shut in the shower

If you are leaving your belongings unattended i.e. in a hotel room its good practice to pack away your wash kit including your toothbrush after you have used it, put it back in your bag, which should be secure

Don’t use the glasses in hotel rooms as they may have been given the once over with the same cloth that went around the toilet bowl

Use alcohol gel before meals and after using the toilet

Money is generally filthy; people will store it in some really strange places. Use gel after handling it

There is also a threat from insect borne diseases, use a repellent and a knock down spray plus always try to rig a net up even in a hotel room, use the AC if they have it, make sure you have your jabs and complete the course any prescribed drugs for malaria etc

The biggest threat is traffic accidents, always were your seat belt!