In Reply to: Over the top! posted by Danny on Tuesday, 27. July 2010 at 11:47 Bali Time:
typical tourist will not have the advantage of "mountain water" nor any knowledge of where water may come from.
As you state, with little piped sewerage, and many almost surface installed septic tanks (even for large complexes) water around the built up areas must be avoided, other than for basic functions.
I have personally seen the results of water sold in "sealed and safe" containers that have been tampered with and refilled.
A large water cooler sized bottle can be exchanged for around $1.80 (Initial cost for the bottle is about $4.50)
So once the initial bottle is purchased, you are buying around 15 litres for less than the price of a small Bintang.
So what is the point of taking any risk at all, whether its boiled (many immersion heaters will switch off before the critical temperature and boiling time is reached) or ice (we always use bottled water for this too).
With respect,you have lived there a fair while, and a hardenening of the senses in being exposed over a long period of time to bugs will build up a natural immunity.
I would not assume that this is the case for occasional tourists, children or the elderly, and for the money involved I certainly would not be taking any chances.