Drinking water and Ice in restaurants (in drinks)

[mike324]

Tap water is not drinkable. Ice will really depend on your immune system, most local restaurants buy ice from ice factories and ice factories aren't exactly the cleanest.

Here is a link to the picture of how ice is made, this is blocked ice, if you buy ice tea or ice coffee on the streets, they use a chunk of ice like this and grind it down.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/05/7e/79/a2/best-bangkok-private.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g293916-d6401160-i92174754-Best_Bangkok_Private_Tours-Bangkok.html&h=309&w=550&tbnid=YUnPhjASors9ZM:&docid=Mb4ozY75luYAbM&ei=naLOVfKQKNCAuwT3iJHwDw&tbm=isch&ved=0CB0QMygAMABqFQoTCLLTyIaEqscCFVDAjgodd0QE_g

If the ice cubes are hollow cylinder in shape, its a bit better, cleanliness will depends on how often they change the filter, which is not very. The big plastic bags they are delivered in aren't exactly the cleanest as well as its dragged on the floor and what not during loading.

[elgenon]

Ice cubes or with holes through it is fine.

May I ask why? What is the difference?

Chipped ice comes from large blocks of ice that they walk on etc. Told to me by my Thai teacher. Ones with holes okey dokey.

[jaywalker]

I wouldn't drink the tap water anywhere, even in Bangkok; though the water authority keeps assuring that they are fine to drink, pipe burst too often in this city and many people pump their tap water from the mains, causing low pressure that allows contamination when there are leaks or repairs.

And in buildings sometime the water is stored in unclean tanks or concrete wells, so no, no drinking from the taps unless you have water filters.

When I first got to Thailand, it is hard to not stop yourself from taking your glass to the tap, but having a few taste of the tap water will condition you quickly to not do that...

As for ice depends on the restaurants really, there are unhygienic ice out there too, the FDA does random spot check of ice and they have found things from bacteria and heavy metals to formaldehyde

but if you worry about ice, you will have to take in consideration other things too, like the water they use to wash the glass, dishes, cutlery....

15 years off & on in Thailand and I never got sick from ice. I always drank bottled water though. You can brush your teeth & shower no worries with tap water.

The only time I got violently ill (puking and uncontrollable defecation, multiple times, felt like I was on the verge of death) was from eating at McDonald's on Sukhumvit in N. Pattaya, and I eat lots of street food.

My wife was with me that entire day, and the only thing I ate that she did not eat, was a couple cheeseburgers from McDonald's.

---------------

Beware though if your kids are first time visitors. It's not "BAD" food that will keep them on the toilet all night. It's just that Thai food is quite different, and that WILL, FOR SURE, keep them on the toilet all night.

Stock up on the Imodium AD...... AD as in "Anti Diarrhea".

With a couple of those Imodium in their bellies they'll be eating somtam like a local.

Thai pharmacies stock them in plenitude in tourist areas, and most Thai pharmacists (even in the provinces) speak passable English and keep Imodium in stock.

I have bought that stuff from Chiang Mai to Phuket to Koh Chang & everywhere in between.

It's the one and only bit of Thai writing I know.......The one that says "Pharmacy".

BE CAREFUL with Imodium!!!!!!!!!!!!

It can and will constipate you!!! Almost as bad as the opposite.

Follow the directions on the package, which is "Take 2, then wait for the next loose stool. Then take one".

I took 4 all at once when my first bout of somtam-itis hit me.

I then went 3 days all plugged up.

Not fun AT ALL.

Yes the above is quite sickening to read, but it's the truth.

[northernphil]

I have never had any issue that I would put down to the water, but as already said OK for brushing teeth and washing, most bars and restaurants buy in their ice in bags or have it delivered from reputable souses.

Bottled water ids cheap and If you are staying in a hotel you will probably find you get a couple of bottles of drinking water free every day.

I wouldn't buy ice from souses, reputable or not.

(sorry, I couldn't resist.)

No nor would I. I don't trust anyone from the middle east.

[northernphil]

Only take Imodium if you are travelling or going out and need a quick stop up. If you are ill with the squits and staying in , don't take Imodium , what is inside needs to come out not not held back. Back to my breakfast.

[natway09]

Two decades of brushing my teeth & no ill effects

Most ice in Bangkok is made from well filtered water & also never had a problem.

I believe the guys who say they have got sick with ice should look at what they ate in the last 14 hours.

But in Jomtiem not sure

[Rimmer]

Off topic posts removed, topic is about 'Drinking water and Ice in restaurants' It's not about Saudia Arabia or Som Tam, Thank you

[duanebigsby]

I believe I have gotten sick from ice cubes on occasion. I try to avoid ice in most Thai restaurants, unless they are highly successful. Ice cubes may be made from

bottled water or tap water in Thailand. The chain restaurants such as Sizzler, Black Canyon, Coffe Club, S & P Coffee, I can trust. Beware the low budget Thai restaurants, especially the ones along the sides of the road, that have a more temporary set up.

Virtually every Thai restaurant, even the roadside shacks, buy ice from the reverse osmosis places and are safe.

The bigger concern is the washing of dishes.

If you have any concern and cannot take a risk , refrain from buying or eating any food product in Thailand.

And subsequently die of starvation.

I should have clarified, any roadside food product.

and of course, only people whose tummies can't handle it.

[duanebigsby]

Only take Imodium if you are travelling or going out and need a quick stop up. If you are ill with the squits and staying in , don't take Imodium , what is inside needs to come out not not held back. Back to my breakfast.

Absolute bs.

I've gone through rectal cancer. The first surgery removed that organ and I crapped in a bag for a year. When I was reattached ,

my body had to relearn how to make stool. 12 to 15 Imodium a day is what it took to live in relative comfort for 2 months.

The doctors' advice was..."as many Imodium as you need"

[marmaduke]

_{http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2334533/Ice-restaurants-bacteria-water-toilets.html}

Article above is just one of many, do your research before you comment.

People who say they never get sick from ice are absolutely mistaken. Bacteria does not die when frozen...I brush my teeth and rinse

with tapwater also and do not get sick. However when I say I get sick from ice at least its because I did my research and found out why.

As far as recover you need the Immodium to harden the stools back to normal. You also need medication to rid your body of the bacteria

or the stomach problems will return more easily.

Edited August 15, 2015 by Rimmer

[Brit_Doggie]

Tap water a no no bottled aye ice safe enjoy my friend.

[jaywalker]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2334533/Ice-restaurants-bacteria-water-toilets.html

Article above is just one of many, do your research before you comment.

People who say they never get sick from ice are absolutely mistaken. Bacteria does not die when frozen...I brush my teeth and rinse

with tapwater also and do not get sick. However when I say I get sick from ice at least its because I did my research and found out why.

As far as recover you need the Immodium to harden the stools back to normal. You also need medication to rid your body of the bacteria

or the stomach problems will return more easily.

The original poster was asking for advice.

I agree about the bacteria. It's a wee bit different 8,000 miles from where you were before you hit the somtam stalls & BBQ chicken & kow neow (sticky rice) of BKK.

We are all quite unique I suppose in our anatomy. I caught something in Mexico once ( I LOVE Mexico) and whatever it was did not come from the water. It came from the food, which was not bad, just not what I was used to.

I returned to the US & I'd eat and 5 minutes later it was gone down the toilet, coming out of both ends.

Whatever it was laughed & scoffed at Imodium. I was popping them 4 & 5 at a time for a couple days to no avail.

I had to visit a doctor & he gave me a prescription for something.....I do not recall what. They were tiny little white pills & they had me back on track in a day or two.

Nothing wrong with Thai ice nor tap water, it's just 'different' as is the food, which is all, that will throw any/most Westerner's stomach for a loop the first time they visit.

Being prepared, with a 6-pack of Imodium will help a LOT for first time visitors. Hell I wouldn't dare touch Asian food, in Asia without it.

The 2 most important phrases ever, in Thailand are "Hong nam yoo nai? (where's the shitter?) and "Mai chop ahan pet".

The last is I don't like spicey food. Good luck on that one.

I have said a thousand times, "Somtam, prik nung tow nun" = papaya salad with just one pepper......They grin at me and toss 15 peppers into it....Maybe I ain't saying right?

Shortly after I met my wife, long before we were married, I asked her how to say ice (nam kang). She sent me on a quest for nam toke (waterfall), and thought that was the funniest thing she'd ever done.

Looking back, it was hilarious.

[Fairynuff]

Ice is fine. Tap water is probably ok to, but avoiding it is so easy that you may as well not take the risk.

\

This is nonsense. Ice that is frozen water that is contamininated with formaldehyde, E.Coli, and sewage that leaks into the leaky water mains, from leaky sewage drains and canals is still poisonous and it does make people sick. Freezing contaminated water does not render the chemicals and microbes inert.

Bars and restaurants that filter their water on site and freeze it have ice that is - filtered. Establishments that buy ice commercially get their supplies from providers who take water from the tap and freeze and then allow it to be contaminated further in the containers that are used and at the hands and gloves of the workers and drivers that transport it to the place where you are enjoying ice with your beverage.

Water in bottles has less chance of contamination, since the source of the water may be purified or pristine.

The world being a place of living organisms, there are microbiotics living things most everywhere, on every surface, in the linings of your mucous membrains, in your intestines, on the dust particles in the air.... on every piece of fruit that you don't peal or piece of meat that you have not cooked thoroughly... parasites living on the insides of the bugs that Isaan girls eat. Some of these organisms are harmful to humans and some cause irritations in your body that force you to expel them - in one way or another.

You can take the trouble to filter, or boil, or cook, or bleach out these things, to nullify the effect of most ordinary toxin orgainisms or chemicals - or you can trust to the hygienic claims of bar keeps and waitresses - who may wash glasses in water that may be dirty and the glasses may become reasonably germ-free in time - as some organisms survive outside of their preferred environemnt for hours or months, depending on the species - by the time you drink out of them.

Tough guys like SoiBiker can go without simple precautions for health, but they are not doing other people a favor by claiming there is no issue of water contamination. If that were so then there would not be people getting sick every day from bad water and epidemics breaking out occasionally.

Well I've really least something now. I've learnt that some folks should live in a bubble in their own home

[jaywalker]

Only take Imodium if you are travelling or going out and need a quick stop up. If you are ill with the squits and staying in , don't take Imodium , what is inside needs to come out not not held back. Back to my breakfast.

Well said, and Thank Bhudda for ass-washers/bum-guns.

12 trips to the toilet with only tissue paper in one night makes for one grumpy farang (that can barely walk) the next day.

[KittenKong]

Only take Imodium if you are travelling or going out and need a quick stop up. If you are ill with the squits and staying in , don't take Imodium , what is inside needs to come out not not held back. Back to my breakfast.

Absolute bs.

I've gone through rectal cancer. The first surgery removed that organ and I crapped in a bag for a year. When I was reattached ,

my body had to relearn how to make stool. 12 to 15 Imodium a day is what it took to live in relative comfort for 2 months.

The doctors' advice was..."as many Imodium as you need"

I dont think that your very unfortunate situation can in any way be compared to someone who just has the runs.

I also believe that it's better to let nature take its course and not take medicines unless really necessary (as they were in your case).

When I had amoebic dysentery in the RP decades ago (contracted from food in an expensive farang restaurant and not from ice in the street) the doctor advised plain toast and bananas to reduce the "flow" and to avoid demineralisation. And he was right.

[Michaelaway]

I have never had any issue that I would put down to the water, but as already said OK for brushing teeth and washing, most bars and restaurants buy in their ice in bags or have it delivered from reputable souses.

Bottled water ids cheap and If you are staying in a hotel you will probably find you get a couple of bottles of drinking water free every day.

I wouldn't buy ice from souses, reputable or not.

(sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Yes, nobody goes to an Ice Souse any more...'cept Eskimos.

[lostmebike]

Ice cubes or with holes through it is fine.

May I ask why? What is the difference?

In the old days, ice with holes proved that it was machine made, with a good chance the water was filtered, as opposed to being chipped off a block thst had been dragged from the truck over the sidewalk (used to see this all the time).

These days, even the dingiest street vendor gets ice from a bag made at an ice company. However, NEVER accept crushed ice from a cooler, because more than likely, food, including meat, has been sitting on it.

Meat juice snowcones, yum!

Ice cubes are usually fine, kept in separate bags.

In the 'old days', way back when we had no electricity ..

Crushed ice is fine if you are buying it from the right place.

For example, out of an old ice box from some road-side coffee stall, er no.

From Amazon, Seven or somewhere else like these places, no problem.

[tajtom]

Silly really when water puifierd in condos and on the street are only 1 baht approx 1 liter bottle

Every building has a machine in place

[curtklay]

Ice from Amazon?

[Nice Boyd]

Ice from Amazon?

Amazon Coffee Shops all around Thailand, Great Prices, than Ripoff Starcrap

[onemorechang]

Used to like having the iced coffees in a plastic bag at the road side stalls , never got sick once on them.

Avoid them now days just to keep me slim.

[Catoni]

Had a lot of drinks with a lot of ice over four months in Chiang Mai, and in villages in the mountains northwest of Chiang Dao. Never got sick. But I did take that Dukoral Oral Vaccine before leaving Canada.

https://www.dukoralcanada.com It's not 100% of course..... I think maybe 70 % - 85 % effective. But what the hell ? ?

Helps protect against not all... but the most common forms of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) for three months. It also gives 2 years protection against Cholera.

I was not really that careful of what I ate or drank with the exception of making sure I didn't eat shrimp/prawns. (Allergic, quickly learned how to say "Chicken instead of shrimp/prawns please, I'm allergic to shrimp/prawns"..in Thai.)

Ate a lot of street food, ate salads... drank bottled water in restaurants... had some mixed drinks with ice in bars..... never got sick.

If you are going for only a few weeks or a month or two or three..... see if you can get that Dukoral. Even if only 60% protection.... . it's better than none. And even if you do get sick... maybe the Dukoral will at least make it a less severe sickness.

Best wishes... and have a safe and healthy trip. Thailand is a wonderful country with amazing people and food and history.

[duanebigsby]

Only take Imodium if you are travelling or going out and need a quick stop up. If you are ill with the squits and staying in , don't take Imodium , what is inside needs to come out not not held back. Back to my breakfast.

Absolute bs.

I've gone through rectal cancer. The first surgery removed that organ and I crapped in a bag for a year. When I was reattached ,

my body had to relearn how to make stool. 12 to 15 Imodium a day is what it took to live in relative comfort for 2 months.

The doctors' advice was..."as many Imodium as you need"

I dont think that your very unfortunate situation can in any way be compared to someone who just has the runs.

I also believe that it's better to let nature take its course and not take medicines unless really necessary (as they were in your case).

When I had amoebic dysentery in the RP decades ago (contracted from food in an expensive farang restaurant and not from ice in the street) the doctor advised plain toast and bananas to reduce the "flow" and to avoid demineralisation. And he was right.

Agreed, but if you've got to work or travel and can't just sit (pun intended) at home, I think there's nothing wrong with Imodium. It works. Toast and bananas are fantastic too.