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Has anyone ever picked up a case of food poisoning in CR? I returned home on Monday night after a four day stay at the HDR (where we did the majority of our eating). On Tuesday morning my friend I was with and I both came down with the same unpleasant symptoms. I'm still hurting and I can't be more than 10 feet away from a bathroom at any given time! Not fun. I'm really looking forward to going back to work today.

My wife and I ate at the little restaurant on the pedestrian walkway a few blocks west of the Presidente. It is on the south side and has tables in the street with a steel rail around them. I don't recall the name of the place.

She ordered chicken soup and was enjoying it until she started pulling chunks of raw chicken out of the bottom of the bowl. We were both disgusted and left immediatly to a farmacia where we were given an antibacterial powder and pills for nausea.

She didn't get sick, but strangely I did and was vomiting through the night and felt like crap the next day.

Welcome to the Montezuma’s revenge club! https://costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/vi ... hp?t=17411

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Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

I have good story.

I have not hesitated to eat at any soda or little hole in the wall place and never had a problem.

I was with a group at the Four Seasons Papagayo, one of two 5-star resorts in Costa Rica, and half of us got sick as hell from a particular dish that we all ate. Mine lasted for 3 weeks. It was awful.

Beyond that, I continue to eat where ever. The water here is in general much better than the quality of the USA. I drink tap water just about everywhere.

my doctor told me i probably got sick from rinsing my toothbrush with water from the faucet.

Thanks for the feedback. I see that I'm definitely not alone! I did some research online today and read all about what's medically known as "traveler's diarrhea." It 's very common and occurs when people from developed nations travel to underdeveloped nations. Based on everything I read, it seems like that's what I have rather than a case of full blown food poisoning. Try googling it. It's pretty useful information.

I posted this story in another thread when I got back earlier this week, but I'll do so again here...

I ate a hamburger at the HDR cafe this past weekend. About 4 bites into it I noticed an unusual long black hair sticking out between the bun and burger. I pulled it out and it appeared to be the hair of a dog or something! I lost my appetite on the spot. Was that burger the cause of my post trip stomach woes?? Who the hell knows. Assuming that the tap water in San Jose is safe to drink (I've never had a problem with it before), it had to be something I ate....Like a hamburger with a side of hair!

Watch out for the shrimp and rice at KL buffet.

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Why Chicas Come to CostaRica:

"Predators gather where prey abounds"

You never know when or where it will hit you. Once after three weeks in Egypt of eating everything local and watching everyone else in the group get deathly ill, I was fine and checked into a five star luxury hotel, I think an Intercontinental chain, to relax before leaving the country. They had a German restaurant so I ate some German style food at the high class fancy place and within a few hours was sick as hell. I made the flight back to Frankfurt but could not make it back to my duty station. I checked into the airport hotel and spent the next three days in the bathroom. Pretty sad when you survive eating crap for three weeks and almost die from eating at the high class joint.

Pura Immodium

Goetz

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In heaven there is no beer, that's why we drink it here!

I swear by it and take plenty on all my trips or pick up in the Farmacia. It's amazing how clickly it can stop the leaks and not plug you up too much. Only time I have been sick in last 9 trips was after we dropped our bags off and went across the street to the Soda before our flight. They just got the re-fill of cokes which were warm so we asked for some ice. Bad decision. Seems the water in that part isn't treated like in SJO.

I have news for the Costa Rica water lovers. 95% of waste water goes into the rivers untreated. Only 5% is treated. Where does the government go to get the water that they send thru the pipes as clean, fresh water? You guessed it. A lot of it comes from the rivers. They do treat it, but the raw material that they treat is pretty gross.

One specific event. A couple of years ago residents of Escazu noticed that the water coming out of their faucets was brownish. You guessed it. A sewer pipe broke and somehow the contents got mixed with the fresh water. I expect the evening scotch and water wasn't too tasty.

Another event. I lived in Incline Village, Nevada for several years in the 1990s. It is a small community on the north shore of crystal clear Lake Tahoe. One night a large sewer pipe started spewing its contents into Lake Tahoe. Near that area was where the government got their water to send thru the pipes. It was several hours before the problem was discovered and corrected. In the meantime, thousands of households had foul and dangerous water coming out of their taps.

I haven't had a drink of "government" water in Costa Rica or in the States or anywhere else for many years. Governments screw up everything they touch. Why should their drinking water be any different?

Factually you are correct, but the way your facts are presented is a little misleading.

The source for drinking water is upstream, before it is polluted.



With all due respect to your doctor, he does not know what he is talking about. This is not Mexico. The tap water is good here.



Not true. I live about 10 minutes from there. I am drinking coffee made from the exact same source right now. I do so everyday without a problem.

There are some remote parts of the country that do not have good water, but that is very rare. Costa Ricans get sick just like we do when they visit Mexico. This is not Mexico.

Sunshine, I see the Republican coming out of you

There is only one party that knows how bad governments really are.

Libertarians.

That something might have been a big rat that got caught in the meat grinder....

Lee and I have enjoyed watching mice run around the DelMar dining room during dinner before but no rats, maybe they stay out in the kitchen.

That's just horrible! I would have rather it been one of Rosie O'Donnell's ass hairs! But my stomach is feeling much better today -- Until I read this post that is!