Don’t drink the water

When traveling in China, it is not safe to drink tap water. In all the hotels we stayed at, there were electric hot water heaters to boil tap water. We brought along a thermos and water bottles to store the boiled water.

We used this potable water for drinking, brushing teeth and cleaning dishes, cups and utensils. Karen placed a hand towel over the bathroom faucet to remind us not to brush our teeth with tap water. We were not concerned about the water when we took showers.

In restaurants we didn’t drink water unless it was mineral water or bottled water. Otherwise, we would drink fruit juices or soda. We disdained ice. Here are two important phrases to know:

mineral water: kuàngquánshuǐ
bottled water: píng zhuāng shuǐ

We also did not eat salads, raw vegetables or fruit such as apples and pears. We did safely eat melon which was cut from the rind.