I even drank the “holy” water and street food

By the time I left I had lost count of how many people told me I should be careful not to get Delhi belly on my upcoming trip to India.

Fast forward eight days and I have returned from the land of spicy curries unscathed by the two to three day bathroom party.

India’s sanitary water systems or lack thereof, wreak havoc on tourist’s digestive systems that aren’t used to it.

Not only does this affect the tap water, but also the safety of many foods served in India and it is suggested you avoid any food that is not cooked fully or fruits and vegetables that would have been washed in tap water.

So the rule is, if they didn’t boil it, cook it or peel it, forget it.

There is also a precaution told by many not to eat street food. Except, it is so hard to avoid massive flavourful samosas, chewy rice balls with spicy sauce and deep-fried syrupy jalebi sweets. Just stick to the rule above and you should be good.

So, the good news is; I ate the street food and drank the holy water and lived to tell the tale.

I will admit, I was a little worried on the first day when a friend took me to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, a Sikh temple. At the end of walking around the beautiful temple, I accepted the holy water to drink. The water came from the holy pond that is believed to have healing powers since the time of the cholera epidemic.

If you do get Delhi belly, my best advice is to follow the instructions given by the doctor you consulted before your visit to India!

And really, if you can survive the driving in India, you can survive Delhi belly.