Paniiii

"Pani" vol dir aigua. Un liquid precios es miri per on es miri. Aqui n'hi ha per tot arreu, i mes ara que estem en temporada de plujes. Als camps d'arros verds sobre un mar brillant i lluminos, als bassals que deixen les rodes dels camions als camins i a les voreres, als pous d'on pujen galledes als poblets del camp... Pero no tota es apte per beure. No nosaltres almenys, pobres madams i sirs d'estomac delicat.

L'aigua es un dels temes que preocupaven mes abans de venir. "Vigila amb l'aigua!" em deien. "Sobretot beu-la embotellada". Nosaltres aqui tenim un esterilitzador d'aigua. Un trasto que va conectat a la tuberia i ens proporciona aigua "segura". Sempre hi ha algu que s'encarrega d'omplir les ampolles (7 o 8) que tenim normalment en stock a la nevera.Pero... que fan els que no tenen esterilitzador? La majoria de turistes funcionen a base d'aigua embotellada. La venen a tot arreu a les zones turistiques. Tambe es pot bullir-la i deixar-la refredar. Hi ha altres metodes pero de moment encara no he hagut de recorrer a cap d'ells. La gran majoria dels indis beu aigua sense esterilitzar.

Pel que fa a altres aigues, els indis no consumeixen alchohol. Costa trobar una llauna de cervesa. Als chiringuitos i restaurants no en venen perque per servir alchohol s'ha de pagar un impost especial. A mes a mes, beure no esta massa ben vist.

La xarxa de ferrocaril ven la seva propia marca d'aigua
The railway company has it's own water brand
Allahabad, India, 08/07

"Pani" means water. It's really a precious liquid. Here you can find it everywhere, specially now that we are in the middle of the wet season. In the rice fields over a shiny and brilliant sea, in the puddles made by the trucks in roads and pavements, in the wells where people take water from in the villages... But not all is drinkable. Or at least for us, poor madams and sirs with sensible stomachs.

Before I came, water was one of the issues that mostly worried. "Be careful with water" they would tell me. "Be sure to drink it bottled". Here we have an sterilizer. A machine that's connected to the pipe and gives us "safe" water. There is always someone in charge of filling the bottles (7 or 8) that we keep in the refrigerator.But... what about those who don't have an sterilizer? Most tourists buy bottled water. They sell it everywhere in touristic places. You also can boil it and let it cool down. There are other methods but I haven't used any of them so far. The vast majority of Indians drink non-sterilized water, of course.

Talking about other waters, indian people don't drink. A can of beer it's hard to find. In restaurans and food stands you cannot buy it because you must pay an special tax in order to sell alcohol. Plus, drinking is frowned upon.