{"id":151,"date":"2008-06-10T15:26:00","date_gmt":"2008-06-10T04:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/2008\/06\/clean-water-in-asia-and-not-from-a-bottle\/"},"modified":"2024-06-19T07:42:50","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T11:42:50","slug":"clean-water-in-asia-and-not-from-a-bottle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/clean-water-in-asia-and-not-from-a-bottle\/","title":{"rendered":"SteriPEN: Clean Water in Asia, and Not From a Bottle!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For a more recent post about using the SteriPEN and other ways to get clean water in Asia (and other parts of the world where you can’t drink the tap water), check out this post: Dealing With Parasites – A Guide to Clean Water Around the World<\/strong><\/a>.
Read on to learn about my first experience using SteriPEN in Asia in 2008, and how I got through 6 weeks there without buying a single bottle of water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See Also: My Zero Waste Kit for Travel (and Home)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living in an ecologically sustainable way<\/a> in Hawaii for three months really changed us for the better. We think twice about everything we do now, from turning off the water while we lather up in the shower, to choosing what to buy carefully to reduce packaging and waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our way to Asia, we were very concerned about the fact that you can\u2019t drink the water. We were looking at being relegated to buying large quantities of water in 500ml-1litre plastic bottles. And all in a place where \u201crecycling\u201d is truly a foreign word.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This post was originally published in 2008, and has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cringed at the thought of throwing away plastic bottle after plastic bottle, not to mention the money we would spend for this privilege; the privilege of having clean water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we managed to find a viable alternative to this wastage: a way to sterilize water on the go, and all in a small compact solution that easily fit into our bags; SteriPEN<\/a> was our saviour.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"A<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

SteriPEN uses ultraviolet light to eliminate all the bad stuff that makes water harmful; from bacteria to viruses. The only pre-requisite is that the water be clear to begin with \u2013 no muddy creek water allowed. So whatever came out of the taps where we were traveling was more than sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially we were a little apprehensive about using a tiny little light to sterilize water that had the very real potential to make us incredibly ill (even fatally so), and then to have the guts (literally and figuratively!) to drink said water. But we\u2019re still here to tell the story, so all I can say is\u2026it worked!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although we had to pay about $100 for the SteriPEN, we never had to purchase water in countries where that\u2019s conventionally the only option, and of course saved (and continue to save) the consumption of hundreds of plastic bottles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes a little extra planning and effort to sterilize a few litres of water (at a whopping 90 seconds a pop) each morning and evening, and then to carry around our ultralight reusable water bottles<\/a> all the time, but what a savings it has brought both our pockets and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n

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