I\'m currently in Lima, Peru and I\'m filtering all my tap water and afraid to eat vegitables in restraunts because they\'re washed in water. I\'m planning to visit Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia. Is the water similar to Mexico or is it safe to drink? Should I filter all my water, or just outside the main cities, or what? Thanks!
Reply to this I dont think you can drink the tap water in any S. American country. You could check the World Health Organisation(WHO) website for health information about the individual countries. It will say on there if you can drink the tap water.
Mel
Reply to this I drank the water in the higher mountains of Ecuador (on a friend's farm), throughout Patagonia (southern Argentina and Chile) and also drank the tap water in Buenos Aires, Arg., and Cali, Col.. Most other places that I went to the water was not potable. Just ask the hostel/hotel staff if the water is potable or not....that is what I did. As for eating vegetables, I would not hesitate. I always ate street food and vegetables in restaurants and never had a problem. Those places would not make business if they kept making people sick. I always went to where I saw many locals eating....that is usually a safe bet. You can be more cautious if you want but for the most part, I think it is overkill (and personally, I think it is somewhat insulting to the local culture).
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