In Reply to: Health tips.... posted by nycberkeley on Monday, 5. March 2007 at 04:29 Bali Time:
You really don't need to worry about too much. Wash hands whenever you get the chance is a good idea. I don't always remember though (always wash them after the bathroom!).
Wear sunscreen to avoid sunburn - if you can get one with built in DEET insect repellant you're on a winner because you will avoid mosquito bites at the same time (you need to wear insect repellant day and night).
Drink lots of bottled water to avoid dehydration. It's cheap.
You can have ice in your drinks. You can eat salads. You can eat outside of your hotel .I actually saw someone once post that they never ate a meal outside of their hotel due to fear of Bali belly. Most of the worst meals I've had were from hotels! LOL.
I buy a can of insect spray for the hotel room and spray of an evening about half an hour before bedtime, while I sit on the balcony with a cool drink. I also buy mosquito coils to burn while I'm sitting on the balcony at night. Don't burn the coils in the room though!
If you do get sick with Bali belly, call the hotel doctor soonr rather than later. He'll give you a jab and some tablets to take and you'll be good as gold in about 12 hrs or so - otherwise it can go on for days. If you get "the runs" it's not the same as Bali belly and usually only due to the change in diet.