- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- grandparents today articles
- grandparents today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Every Precious Drop
How a Trip to Mexico Inspired a Family to Conserve
By Anne Jacques-Merle
They say travel is broadening, but I never expected it could lead my family to a science project.
We were on a true water-bound vacation. My family's ideal vacation involves swimming and snorkeling. Our destination, Mexico's southern Yucatan peninsula, did not disappoint. The water in ocean, bays and lagoons was crystal clear and inviting. We responded by wallowing in it, every available moment.
But during dinner at a tiny local restaurant my daughter observed, "They sure are stingy with their water down here." Her third request for a glass of "agua purificada" had not been productive. Now, Mexicans are generous people, not stingy, but they can't just open the tap to fill glasses for every patron.
They know that travelers in most areas of Mexico are wary of microbes foreign to their bodies, and avoid the local tap water. Water consumed by "touristas" needs to be the bottled variety – purificada, or purified. Odds are, our little restaurant was running low.
This cautiousness goes not only for the water one drinks, but also for any contact with eyes or mouth. We have found that even the smallest hotel provides 5 gallon jugs of purified water in every room. This is used for tooth brushing, contact lens cleaning, coffee brewing, vegetable washing – you get the idea, everything.
Even though these huge bottles are replaced whenever they run low, I must admit that it feels like rationing. The need to carry, from kitchen to bathroom, a container filled with the appropriate amount of water needed for some familiar task, makes you stop and thin:. How would I know how much water I use to brush my teeth?
