<html><div style='background-color:'><P>Some of this discussion has turned unpleasant, but to weigh in on the water issue, my wife, a MD with a Masters Degree in Public Health and a pediatric public health practice is horrified at the prospect of drinking untreated water from <U>fuente</U> in agricultural regions. A variety of diseases, ghardia is the most likely but E-coli (potentially deadly), salmonella and others, can be contracted by drinking untreated well-water in areas where livestock is present (as it is along most of the camino) or even in wilderness areas where the diseases have been spread from domestic animals to wildlife (among other wilderness zones, most of the Alps, the Rockies, the Cascades, the Sierras and probably the mountainous regions along the camino). When I walked the camino 2 years ago, I bought bottled water both for its convienience and for the safety factor. I am working on plans to walk again this autumn, and i!
f !
I am able to go, I will again purchase water for drinking during the day. Of course, water supplies in towns and cities in Spain are safe (probably safer than in comparable sized towns in the US and Canada), and water can be carried from refugios in canteens. </P>
<P>A case of ghardia, with its 5-6 week incubation period, would be a most unwelcome souvenier of the camino! </P>
<P>As for hotels, <U>chacun a son gout</U> (sorry, don't have diacritical marks on this word processor). It isn't usually necessary (though I was forced into a hotel once because of a full refugio), but comfort and privacy may dictate a few hotel nights even for the most penurious pilgrims.</P>
<P>E. O. Pederson</P>
<P>Seattle, WA</P></div><br clear=all><hr>Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at <a href='http://go.msn.com/bql/hmtag_itl_EN.asp'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></html>