There are commercial preparations available for sterilizing food, the most popular being Microdyn which you can purchase in most grocery stores. Most food vendors use bleach, which is what we use at home. In all cases, the product’s label will tell you how much to use per liter of water and how long to soak. If you do this when you first come home from the market, you can be sure that everything in your fridge will be ready to eat. Berries and cherries, though, should be sterilized just before eating so they don’t turn mushy. We’ve never figured out how to sterilise mushrooms: you either cook them or put them raw into a salad and hope for the best. So far, we’ve had the best.

We have been told that city water is purified but, by the time it reaches your home, its potability cannot be trusted. Drink only bottled water. Most rentals will supply this in large 19 liter jugs called ‘garrafones’.

Tap water is safe to use for cooking pasta and other things as long as you hold it at a rolling boil for at least 1 minute.

Do not brush your teeth in the shower.

You may want to use bleach in the water you rinse your dishes with, although you will probably not suffer any ill effects if you do not.

Remember what you are wearing when using the bleach bottle. I’ve ruined several nice tops this way.

Every year, northern visitors bring the cold and flu season with them. This is especially true because everybody is so happy to be back and to see their friends again that they go around kissing everyone. Every year I do this too, and every year I get sick. We might all do well to exercise a little caution in this regard.

Keep hydrated. You may want to pick up some Pedialite, Gatorade, or other electrolyte replacement drink. Water is wonderful but, if you’re sweating a lot, you really need to get your electrolytes back into balance.

Use sun block. Protect your lily-white, snow-bleached skin. Your tan will be better and will last longer, and you won’t get burned and end up peeling and in pain.

Hangovers are an all-too-common problem in an area where people come to vacation, to unwind and enjoy themselves and socialize with their new-found friends. Prevention is, of course, the best cure, but nobody needs to be told this and many choose another route.

Mexicans will tell you that if you drink tequila, you’ll never have a hangover. Many visitors will tell you otherwise. Mexicans will tell you that the best cure for a hangover is a steaming bowl of menudo. As menudo is a greasy soup made from pig stomach, chiles and hominy, you may not want to go that route, although it may actually help if you can bring yourself to eat it.

Alternatively sleep, rehydration, and replenishment of electrolytes should help ease your pain. Carry a pitcher of Gatorade (or the like) and a book out to a quiet shady hammock and drink, read and snooze until you feel like facing the world again.

Eating Out

Use caution when eating uncooked fruits offered for sale on the beach no matter how tempting they look. The carts don’t necessarily carry enough clean water for the venders to wash their hands regularly. This is also true for ceviche venders. Ceviche is ground raw fish that has been prepared by pickling in lime juice. It is absolutely delicious. When it’s spent a day in the sun and been visited by flies and the hands of small children, though, the edge might be taken off your craving. Choose a restaurant with facilities to experiment with this fabulous treat. You will probably be safe with any of the well-cooked fish on sticks offered by beach vendors.

There are also many beach vendors selling pastries, and you will notice that most of these are kept covered. We’ve never suffered from indulging in them. Most Mexicans are very health conscious and because these pastries are prepared in private kitchens, safe procedures are usually followed.

Choose restaurants that are well attended. There is a far greater likelihood that health concerns will be attended to at a restaurant you know will be there the next day hoping for repeat business. If you have any qualms, bypass that salad.

Go ahead and eat off the taco carts. Yum. Just be wary of the toppings that are left out to the hands of passersby. Remember, if you saw it come off the grill, feel free to put it in your mouth. We like going from one taco stand to another having a taste of each vendor’s talent for flavour. They are all different. Chiles and lime can kill some bacteria. Try the salsas. Be careful, some are HOT! If a Mexican says that it’s ‘muy picante’, believe him.

Bring a bottle of Pepto-Bismol in case of an “I shouldn’t have eaten that” episode.