Vacationing in Baja, Part I: The Water

Many people have never left the United States. For those who are thinking about it, maybe there are some questions you have. Maybe you don't even know what to ask. We've all heard stories about traveling in Mexico. So lets talk about the real deal.

The Water

It's true--you can't drink the tap water in Mexico. I'm sure there are some places in Mexico that have sanitized their tap water. But I wouldn't even think about it. Here in Baja, we do not drink tap water. And, contrary to popular belief, Mexican people don't drink it either.

((The pictures show local people that sell water. Tony sells Pila water by the truckful, delivering it to your pila at your residence. The lady sells purified drinking water at an AquaSys stand in the town of Cantu for about 60-65 cents (9 pesos) for a 5 gallon bottle.))

The water that comes from the tap, at least here, comes from a "pila", or a storage tank on the property. This water comes from a well in town and is delivered to your storage tank by friendly local Mexican in his water truck. (See the picture above). You can shower, wash dishes, wash laundry, and water plants with it. Some people use it to brush their teeth, some don't. It is not for cooking or drinking.

You can wash produce in pila water as long as you use some type of soap or (better yet) some disinfectant drops you can get at any grocery store here (it's a colloidal silver solution). Soak the produce in pila water with the solution in it, for about 10-15 minutes, then just dry them off. You must wash all produce you plan on eating raw. If you cook the produce, just rinse in pila (tap) water and cook.

You could cook with pila water I suppose, as the cooking would kill any bacteria present. But it doesn't taste good, so I would not use it to cook with myself.

As for drinking water, we all drink purified bottled water. There are plenty of places to buy drinking water whether in small bottles, or in 5 gallon water bottles (you know, like the Sparletts type). Even the gas stations will have it available. Most people have 5 gallon water containers and take them to be refilled at local stores or stands that sell purified water. Some people that live in the area have purified water delivered to their residence. A 5 gallon bottle of purified water costs about 9-10 pesos here in the little town of Cantu. This works out to be about 60 to 65 cents at the current exchange rate. If you prefer the small individual bottles of drinking water, you will find the brands you are familiar with in the States, and the prices will also be the ones you are familiar with in the States.

If you eat at a restaurant and ask for water, it will be purified bottled water. The ice cubes in your drink will be made with purified water. It's the law here in Mexico. The food they serve will be washed and disinfected like you would do at home. Restaurants are in the business of making money, they will not try to make you sick. If you're still nervous about eating at restaurants or "taco stands" (that make some of the best food in Mexico, by the way), just look for the ones that have a lot of business, especially if the customers are Mexican. Quite honestly, we have eaten at many restaurants and taco stands here and have never become sick from it. Still, it's better to be cautious when traveling, just like in the States.

So, if you are planning a trip to Baja, bring plenty of bottled water. If you stay at a hotel, the hotel will usually provide a couple of small sealed bottles of water along with the room.

If you decide to rent a house on the beach, here in our camp for instance, the house will be furnished with a 5 gallon bottle of drinking water. And there are plenty of people here who can tell you where to eat.

That's the real deal about the water. In Part II, we'll talk about crossing the border (here and back).

Wishing you all Warm and Sunny Days!