In Reply to: Staying healthy in Bali posted by btw on Saturday, 19. March 2005 at 10:52 Bali Time:
makes some good points, but some are perhaps questionable.
For instance "40% of 1st time visitors to Bali will get sick". But sick due to what reason and sick to what extent? Hangovers perhaps? The 40% figure really does seem excessive.
The warnings on ice and salads seem to be less significant now than perhaps a number of years ago.
If you could post the source of this article, we could consider the points made in the light of both the author and the date it was written.
I speak as a person who is very particular about personal hygiene, but I am fully aware that not all food handlers follow good practise in this respect, not just in Bali but here in Australia too. And how about the customers who do not wash their hands after using the toilet and then handle the serving utensils at the buffet.
Something of this nature sticks in my mind. Some years ago I was in a hotel not far from Fremantle which at the time had a very good restaurant and entertaining music etc. I happened to be in the mens' toilet washing my hands. There were two other men in there. The somewhat scruffily dressed young guy washed his hands very thoroughly after urinating. The business looking guy in a suit and tie came out of a cubicle, smoothed his hair back with his unwashed hands and walked back into the dining area. Now who would you feel more comfortable following along the buffet line?
Another time I was with a large party of people at one of Perth's most respected restaurants. Most of the party got sick not long afterwards. Talking amongst ourselves we narrowed it down to the ones who ate prawns off the buffet got sick, the rest of us did not. I've eaten prawns there on many occasions with no problems, but on this occasion fortunately ate something else. It wouldn't be fair of me to name the place as I feel sure their standards are high, but if I did, a lot of Perth people would probably be amazed.