Brighton to capetown and both my travel buddy and I were separately very ill in Morocco in the first couple of weeks of the trip and not again all the way through west africa to South Africa. A sample of two is not significant in this case but I always thought that was odd.

Maybe the appearance of western levels of food safety lull people into a false sense of security or maybe morocco is a transition for european travellers heading south between how they eat/behave at home and they way they adapt to different habits. The main thing is to be sensible and not be fooled into thinking that because it looks clean and modern that you will automatically be fine.

__________________
Find out details of my 2011 trip to Siberia on a lightweight dirtbike:
www.brighton2expeditions.co.uk

als je er bent rij dan ook eens langs de
watervallen van ouzoud echt prachtig
zie ook onze site Short Way Down 2009
groet tom

I used alcohol hand wash every time I ate. So I'm sorry Tim, your accusation is this case is wrong.

Maybe I went to a different Morocco. I never saw a sink in the corner of a cafe. In the gents perhaps, but I also did not think those looked particularly hygenic. I was glad of my hand wash...

And what does this really mean? Simply that whatever standards the government have decided upon are being upheld. Might even mean it is halal and nothing more. It may be up to their standard, but again, what is that worth?

Great! well done your constitution, but please don't encourage others to do the same! I wouldn't eat runny egg in the UK if I could help it, the facts are perfectly well known.

I am not trying to disuade others from going, just because I got ill. I am saying go - but be prepared.

Oh blimey ! Do I really want to stick my oar in ??

20 of us spent 10 days in Morocco in January. We stayed in very different accomodation from a European style hotel in Marrakesh to little Auberges in mountain villages. We were a very mixed group; male, female, old, young, bankers to builders.
No-one got ill from the food. We ate kebabs from road-side vendors when we got the urge and I even had a salad. I did drink bottled water most of the time (although this was mainly for conveinience filling a camelbac) and frequently used handwash.

One of our riders was bed ridden for a few days but that was because he was just getting over flue at the start of the trip and decided to see if a KTM floats in an icy mountain river.

I suppose some of it comes down to luck. I have had a bout of food poisoning from a Mc D in the UK

I would still take some imodium and dioralite with me though. Your best bet if you get ill and have access to a loo is to "let it all out" and only use "pluggers" when you need to. An alternative to diaoralite is 1tsp salt and 3tsp sugar in a litre of water. Make sure you try to put back what comes out. (disclaimer: I am not a medic, it's just personal experience and opinion)

The comment "Expect to get ill" is a bit like telling someone to expect to get smashed to eff-you-see-kay if you ride a bike. Yes, there are risks in most things.

Enjoy your trip (I wish I was going with you) and post a ride report WITH PICTURES when you get back.

Might see you around: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...086#post268245
Chris

__________________

Brighty's website: TheBrightStuffDotCom

CURRENT RR WITH REGULAR UPDATES: The Wife Takes on Chlamydia: A South American Retrospective

Dave Ett: I did say 'many people'; it wasn't a personal accusation What people forget it that they handle grubby banknotes, especially the 20dh, then eat street food with their fingers. In the summer they eat the base of the ice cream cone that has been handled by the ice cream seller...

What you said in your original post before you edited it was that people should expect to get ill. This was obviously the case with you and you sound quite angry about it. Some people have delicate stomachs but you can build up your body's defences before a trip with probiotic yoghurts and the like.

Dave Ede: I've always assumed that as long as the meat is fresh, cooking it is enough, after all the Moroccans (and most travellers) don't get ill. I remember our first refridgerator being delivered to the house round about 1960. We certainly ate meat before then, so what did we do with it?

There are three types of water supplies in Morocco. 'Town water' is supplied by the national water company, ONEP and is perfectly safe to drink. The company makes multimillion dollar investments each year, wins awards for its water quality and is an exporter of technology to other countries. Although the tap water network is spreading rapidly (you see the pale blue inspection hatches by the sides of roads), ONEP isn't omnipresent in Morocco and many reputable hotels in more remote places have their own wells that are fitted with filtration devices. By law these have to be inspected at regular intervals. The water in the tea that you drink in country auberges is normally from these sources. The bottom level of supply is non-inspected wells and personally I'd stay clear of these.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

{QUOTE}Dave Ede: I've always assumed that as long as the meat is fresh, cooking it is enough, after all the Moroccans (and most travellers) don't get ill. I remember our first refridgerator being delivered to the house round about 1960, what did we do before then?{QUOTE}

Buy as required from refridgerated sources is what was done in the 'old days' I agree with your point about handwashing and banknotes, The Moroccans, along with many other countries run very different hygene standards to alot of Europe, and especially the UK. I was a butcher for many years and was somewhat amused to see a 'part cut' top bit (rear leg from steer/heffer, which is leg of beef, topside/silverside and aitchbone) just hanging in the sun.
How many people, myself included eat Dona Kebabs without thinking how many times that large piece of rotating meat has been heated/cooled down, refridgerated,then reheated until its time to put a new 'lump' on the skewer? we just need to think, as its not too much fun riding on a trip with the squitters!.

__________________
'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

well, just got home. wasn't sick and a lovely time was had by all.

Attached Thumbnails