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Is the Water safe to Drink in Thailand?

I've been here a couple years and so far I don't believe I've been sick from drinking the water here. Impossible to know of course what exactly I've had "Montezuma's revenge" from, but I always attribute it to the food I've eaten and not the water being unsafe.

The key to knowing if the water is safe is to look at the ice. The ice will be a circular ice with a hole in the middle - like a very thick "Lifesaver" if you're familiar with that candy or same shape as a Lifesaver of Styrofoam that is a water flotation device but with a smaller hole and thicker sides - if that makes sense.

Anyway, look at the ice and if it resembles what I tried to describe above then you're probably safe. A restaurant wouldn't get this good ice and put it with bad water. They'd have bad ice too.  Even very small restaurants or holes in the wall have this type of ice. It's very cheap for them and they buy it daily from trucks that drive around and sell it.  You will probably get charged extra for your ice too - but, no matter - it's good stuff and you won't get sick from it.

If the ice is round I think I'm safe drinking the water they provide with it.  Most Thais don't want to drink the water here either and their business would be ruined quickly if they served tap water and many people got sick from it - so they charge for good water and keep everyone happy.

When I first arrived I brushed with bottled water.  After a couple weeks and talking to some long-term expats I switched to tap water and as I said, I don't think I've had the "runs" as a result of using the tap water for this.

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