Saving Water - Breves
Suzie Too - Western Caribbean
David & Suzanne Chappell
Fri 12 Mar 2010 17:19
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We were told by the Rallye organisers that the
Amazon river water is fine for washing up and showering, to save our drinking
water, and we have all been swimming in it twice a day. It cools you down
at the end of the day, but the current is fierce - and we avoid it near any
large towns because of potential pollution.
This is supposed to be the rainy season and last
year one boat collected 300 litres of rain water in one day - this year there is
little rain and the Amazon is 1 metre lower than normal, but so far there has
been enough water for naviagtion - just none for our water collector - but in
Breves they organised the local Fire Trucks to bring out 6,000 litres to fill
our tanks !!
The showering has been fine, with our wash down
pump, but our beige designer towels got very brown from the mud in the water. So
I have just fitted a 20 micron filter inline and now the water is much cleaner
and doesn't smell as "muddy". All the girls, Suzanne, Lisa and Priscelle love it
cos their hair is soft and shiny. It even seems good on skin problems like sweat
rashes. In some areas, like on the day trip to an Indian village from
Breves, the water looks like Coca Cola - like a peaty Scottish burn. This seems
to have helped Lisa's mosquito bites and apparently the water is so acidic that
the mosquitoes cannot breed.
Actually on the subject of mosquitoes there are
very few, even in Africa we saw very few. The most we have encountered were in
the Spanish Ria's and Portugal, so not sure why we bought £ 700 of Mallarone
anti malaria tablets - I think the risk is very low.
You can use Mallarone to cure Malaria, by taking
several tablets a day for 1 week and that might be a better option if we come
this way again and use protection from bites, nets and sprays, to avoid
getting bitten. Our African friends have a Malaria test kit and if they feel
unwell they put some blood on a test strip, if they have Malaria they just take
Mallarone for a week and all is well, far less toxic than tablets each day.
Although the main side affect with Mallarone seems to be in the wallet
!!
 Refuelling Chaos
 Collecting Water
     Coca Cola River
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