Quote:
Originally Posted by langer_rol
hi couple of q's:
1) what's the water situation like (specifically, manila and davao). do you have to buy bottled water at all times and is it cheap? someone told me ice is not potable there. and u need to do this to stay safe.
Hi I'm in Manila and I've lived in various apartments in Makati and Taguig, I have also discussed this manner with a friend that lived in Malate that now lives in Taguig.
I have never been drinking directly from the tap. (My friend HAS consistently though in all locations, and never had any problems).
My current gf and other girls, and a couple of other locals/longtimers do NOT recommend fresh tap water. So there is some dispute. I choose to buy all my drinking water.
When I'm too hung over to buy, I've boiled water for drinking on several occasions. It doesn't taste great but it will help you on the quest for survival
I use tap water daily for cooking, coffee, cup noodles, etc. It's good for this. Just make sure it looks clear.
You can buy 6L jugs of distilled water, price range is p60-80.
You can get the 18L -ish barrels delivered, this is much cheaper per liter.
I don't make ice from tap water as this makes no sense unless already boiled.
All house water from restaurants has been fine, with or without ice but ice is not recommended. Sometimes it tastes pretty terrible though. On an irrelevant side note, it really pisses me off when they give me my whiskey on the rocks and I said straight. They also like to give you beer-on-ice. WTF!
In any case I suggest you be a water-nit if you're not used to the bacterial flow in the phils and go with the bottled water. I haven't heard about people getting sick from the water here at all.
Good luck on further expeditions
/water essay