I'm a Mexican, living in Mexico City, I drink bottled water at home. NEVER drink water from the mains.
This picture from earlier on the thread had me deep in nostalgia. Back to the days of Zedillo, the transfer of power to Fox and the heady days of the new changes as Mexico emerged from the shadow of 71 years of a dictatorship disguised as democracy. It was from the time of the release of the Kahlo movie that starred Salma Hayek with a distinctly hirsute appearance. That's Tyson, the Spyder monkey. I miss him. Those were heady days for young Tyson. He was moving and shaking, his career was a rocket heading for the stars. But it was not to last. A cold wind was blowing in from France and before you could say "zoot alors", he was replaced. Alas, poor Tyson was relegated to the B list and then, in a moment of inspiration worthy of any Mexican celebrity, Tyson entered the ring, but with mixed results. Turns out few people would pay to see a former A list wrestling monkey. Well, few people other than me, anyways. Tyson, learning a bitter lesson of stardom, lost his high profile agent. Next, Lopez Doriega and Televisa no longer returned his calls, and worst of all, Mexican actresses would no longer hug him dearly and smother him with their endowments. In short, life was tough. Real tough. I next bumped into Tyson when he was well into his "Fat Elvis", "Jim Morrison in Paris", and "Marlon's later years" stage. He was the doorman and bouncer at the old La Diosa strip club just south of the town of Angel R. Cabada on the coast highway Mex #180. I asked him if he missed Salma but maybe would wish her well with her new wealthy French husband and he looked me square in the eye and "signed" a reply to me. Times changed, the world had moved on and I lost touch with Tyson, we'd gone our separate ways and we were moving in different circles. We'd had our differences in the past, argued about Hollywood and if the good life was what Che Guevara had really wanted or whether he was just faking being a commie. Tyson used to say he could ride a single cylinder Norton better than Guevara any day of the week and I had to agree. The guy was a furry streak on a motorcycle, he looked just like the image above! And then one day I was riding past an old run down bar right on the shore outside of Alvarado. The place was on the skids, real down and out. I was thirsty, I asked for a coke and kicked back looking out over the waves, ignoring the utter filth and ruin of the place, being lulled into a gentle stupor, the pre-siesta kind, by the ebb and flow of mother ocean and then, out of the corner of my eye, there was Tyson! Dead as a doornail, stuffed, and hugging an empty bottle of cognac. May we all be so lucky! I left a couple of 10 peso coins on the table and as I got up, I swear Tyson gave me a wink and stuck his tongue out at me, he'd do that sort of thing whenever he'd been drinking, especially the high class stuff like cognac. He was far worse when he was into the peyote buttons, but we won't go there. I rode away, a better man for having known Tyson. In fact, I firmly believe there is a little Tyson in all of us, including these two guys in the photo below.
SR, I wish you had known Tyson...hey, did you happen to notice how much Salma's old man looks like Schizz?:eek1
The one not wearing the collar and leash.:eek1 Uh, sorry, I mean the one with the sunglasses and slightly better haircut.
About the drinking water question Another approach is to carry on your bike a plastic container, like a big 2L softdrink bottle you have emptied and also have with you a very small bottle of chlorine laundry bleach. Fill the bottle from any of the tapwater sources and then add 2 drops of bleach for each liter. The tapwater may already be treated , and it is a lot better bet than rainbarrels or rivers, the likelihood of the tapwater containing no major hazards is a good starting point. .Wait 30 minutes before using. The bleach will kill off any post-mains bacterial contamination , if any was there. Use this easy and cheap to replenesh supply for drinking if you get stuck along the roadside, to wash off any fresh fruit and for brushing teeth. I use this method and slake my thirst with it if needed but get most of my water intake from a good dose of coffeee , fruit juice and purified restaurant supplied water plus during the day I stop off for a couple of liters of o.j., or low-fat milk, or cold bottled mineral water. I get the satisfaction of not adding too much to the mountain of plastic bottle waste I trained myself to be somewhat like a camel - drink a lot at one time and carry on for an hour or two or threeAnd I avoid hard exertion in high temperatures . None of this constantly sipping a swig every few minutes .The body will let you know in plenty of time that you are getting thirsty so do something about it at that time. The story about the olden days when people could safely drink out of creeks and lakes is a myth. Those sources have always been prone to causing intestinal upsets and worse. Canadian northern waters and mountain streams inhabited by all kinds of wildlife have always carried the parasites shed by thos e inhabitants- think of beaver fever, raccoon roundworm and others dropped by elk and moose pooping in the water. I think the people were blissfully ignorant about the possible diseases , were lucky and when they did get sick they failed to make a connection.
No, Trice, he's not talking about that little Canadian kid from Stratford that is on your MP3 player.
"...Moonshine, moonshine to slake the devil's thirst, The law they swore they'd get him but the devil got him first" Thunder Road, Rob't Mitchum
I read some research a while back that indicated that high levels of stomach acid were genetically selected in populations that had bad food and bad water. The higher acid content killed a lot of the bacteria that caused disease and killed young people before they could reproduce. Before I started taking acid reducers like Prevacid, I could eat anything anywhere without getting sick, even when other people eating the same stuff did. That is also when I used to drink from streams in the marmot infested mountains. The problem was that I could not not lay down without the feeling that flaming kerosene was filling my esophagus. So I made the trade. Reduced incidents of that flaming kerosene feeling but a few minor bouts of something or other. I have to say I am happier without the acid. So maybe, if you are on acid reducers, be extra aware of the quality of your water.
MikeMike, The story of the rise and fall of Tyson is very touching. I think you should do a script treatment and shop it around. I think it will make a great film. It has everything, Hollywood insider stuff, exotic foreign locals, buxom movie stars, betrayal and a fall from grace. It even has an ending dripping with enough irony to keep modern movie goers happy. Maybe Travolta could play the lead using the camera tricks they used in the Lord of the Rings to make the Hobbits look small.
Sorry TC the word used in the song is "quench", scans better rhythmically. As to the Tyson movie... shop it to the National Geographic Channel, they are owned by Fox and will air any godawful stuff. This sounds like it is right up their alley. Sjoerd's advice on water is sound for the most part. The hydration nazis here in the mountains tell us that coffee and alcohol remove more water from your system than just drinking water, of course a case of the trots removes lots of water in a hurry. They also say that if your body tells you it is thirsty it is already too late. The purpose of measured hydration is to keep you from ever being thirsty or dehydrated. There was indeed a time when you could drink from mountain streams, that was before ranching, esp. sheep ranching brought giardia to the mountain streams. It has been over for many years. By "beaver fever" do you mean tularemia, common in all kinds of rodents and not real pleasant. The other form of "beaver fever" is transmitted by the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and others of their ilk. It is not fatal but can cause unpleasant difficulty in walking or getting up off of the couch.
Got me on quench - been singing it wrong all this time, I'm so embarrassed. Apologies to Bob Mitchum The Hydration Nazis are wrong. Thirst tells you when to drink. Thirst tells cats dogs and antelope when to drink as well. Have you ever seen an elk with a hydration pack? Thirst is a survival mechanism, it has a sound purpose and likely exists due to natural selection. Obviously, all of us have been thirsty at one time or another and we are not dead or permanently impaired. Coffee and alcohol are diuretics but not a big deal. Sojoerd's method of drinking a lot then laying off for 3 hours seems quite sound. Humankind developed to be tolerant of famine and drought. We can go weeks without food and days without water and be just fine when we finally eat and drink. I know a guy who was adrift in a lifeboat for 12 or 14 days with no food and no water. He is fine, runs a hotel in France and rides a GS. Next time a Hydration Nazi tells you their BS send them to me.
Now we're gettin' down to bid'ness Jimmex mentioned something about this just after we all had walked to the end of the playa at Escondido and I nearly split a gut.
You don't have to be sick, but quite often in Mexico your biology will "loosen" and you'll be riding along as the pressure in the tank builds up to a crisis level. Again, overall you will be feeling fine but you'll be playing that kazoo if you know what I mean, trying to "let off steam" until you can make that occasional emergency stop. Your mileage may vary
