So our day began jinxed.
It’s our last full day in Thailand and we all started our day with a discussion about how we’ve gone the whole trip avoiding any stomach illness. We all felt this would have been slightly inevitable given the difference in hygienic standards, water, and just being in an environment different than our own for such an extended period of time. Either way we were quite proud of ourselves.
Until we decided a bag of dried mangoes would be a good idea.
After about 4 hours of shopping Andy runs to the bathroom. Within 15 minutes as does Shane, and then me. Ohh no! Everytime we think we can make it onto the bus to get home, the bathroom calls one of us back. Until eventually the mall closes… and there is no option but to cab home.
We couldn’t help but laugh at our misfortune.
Of all the street meats and random food we’ve tried, it’s a bag of sealed mangoes from a food mart that gets us! We just couldn’t get away with one more day…
PS – The setting of this misadventure is the above pictured MBK Mall, an 8 story giant full of knock-offs and fake goods. We could have even purchased a “new” iPhone 7!
How to Avoid Food Poisoning in Thailand
Some helpful tips to avoid Thailand food poisoning:
- Avoid fruits or vegetables that cannot be peeled. This type of produce is often washed in tap water which can be dangerous. Stick with either vegetables you can peel or ones that are well-cooked. This can make ordering salads a bit tricky…
- Avoid tap water or ice that is not purified. Stick with bottled water, and be wary of the ice in your drinks. It is okay to ask at a restaurant if the ice is made with bottled/purified water.
- Avoid street meat? This is really a shame to write. Overall, the safest advice is to avoid street meat altogether as you are not always certain how long meats have been sitting there, at what temperature, and what flies have landed on it. However, street meat is sometimes the best food, so we recommend eating dishes made right in front of you and at high heat.
- Beware of tempting fruit shakes. These are all over Thailand and look incredibly tempting. Avoid these unless you know they use only purified water for both the shake and washing their fruit.
- Wash your hands. Wash your hands often. Carry hand sanitizer for ease.
