“Travels to a Different Time” : 15March2004: Puntarenas, Costa Rica: The Fateful Glass of Water and the “Lucky Lady”

As a North American we are always on alert about European water! It’ll kill you if you are not careful. The food might kill you too so eat at McDonald’s in Paris every night! On a trip to Mexico I had a vicious crippling attack of Montezuma’s that I could only wish on my worst enemy. It was either those damn jungle tomatoes or a counterfeit bottle of water at Tulum in Mexico! Although I don’t eat at McDonalds every night or ever for that matter. But after a long day starting at 03:00 sitting down to dinner in Puntarenas Costa Rica poor wife Fotini had, without thinking, a huge glass of “tap water”. Twenty minutes later after snapping to attention she asked me if she made a mistake. Not having researched Costa Rican tap water I could not answer. As my mother said when travelling outside of North America better to drink beer and soft drinks and not the local water. Based on my Mexican plague near death experience it was either stick your finger down the throat and expel or wait until 7 a.m. and take your chances. It hit poor Fotini at 02:00 sounding vicious but it passed quickly and Fotini was happily eating a big breakfast the next day. As far as I can see it a lucky lady. It , of course, may have been the airplane food?