Water & Milk
Tap water is heavily chlorinated. Local people's stomachs are used to it but yours
is probably not. It is OK for cleaning teeth, but not for drinking. Bottled water is readily available and recommended. It
costs about LE2.5 for 1.5 litres in supermarkets and about the same for a chilled 0.75 litre bottle from street kiosks and shops. You will probably
pay more in hotels, but it would still be cheaper than a pack of tummy pills.
Outside Luxor and the other main towns and cities, mains
water may be more risky and should certainly be avoided or sterilised.
Milk is unpasteurised and should be boiled. Powdered or tinned milk is
available and is recommended, but should be reconstituted with pure water,
not tap water. Avoid dairy products which are likely to have been made from
unboiled milk. |
Food
 Why worry with refrigeration?
It's only 32 degrees today
Meat and fish should be well-cooked and preferably served hot. Pork is
not usually sold in Egypt. Pork (if you do find it), salad and mayonnaise
may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked. Only eat fruit
from a trusted source or that you have peeled yourself.
Food in restaurants is usually fine. Local restaurant and hotel owners have learned from the disaster stories of years ago and follow western-style hygiene practices. There may be individual instances of problems with food, but they are much a one-off and often associated with unsafe prawns or other shell fish than with the eating place.
There are plenty of of one-off food hygiene problems in the UK and elsewhere. There is no need to be frightened into thinking it is any worse in Luxor. |
