Water - the essence of life

We all know the importance of water. This is especially true when you are wondering about in the desert in 30 degree weather.

From what I've been reading, tap water and ice are a "no-no". Tap water is heavily chlorinated and will make you have upset stomach, while ice is likely made from tap water instead of bottled water. I felt okay using tap water to brush my teeth while I was there, so I wouldn't be overly concerned about ingesting a bit of tap water. Moreover, dishes and utensils at restaurants are likely washed with tap water (or a bucket of reused water... *shudders*) so there is no way to totally avoid it.

Bottled water, on the other hand, is not as difficult to come by as you'd think. All hotels sell bottled water at outrageous prices. A 1.5 litre bottle of Nestle Life can cost around 20 LE, which is around $4 USD. Drinking a few bottles of hotel water will surely make you go broke quickly.

The first thing we did when we arrived at our hotel, Le Meridien Pyramids, is finding a decent source for water. We asked the hotel reception where the closest "shop" was and we were told that one was available just a block away. Indeed, there was a "shop" there... but it looked more like a shack with random non-perishable items for sale... all without pricetags.

By this time the reader can guess what happened next. Being our first night in Egypt, we naturally asked for the price of water. We were told that the 1.5 litre of water is 5 LE, which is around $1 USD. Seeing that it is much cheaper than the hotel water, we immediately bought 4 bottles (there were four of us traveling) thinking that we are getting a "good" deal. Surely the readers can tell that we were getting ripped off...

Eventually we learned that water prices can and should be bargained. A 1.5 litre bottle of Dasani, Nestle, or Aquafina should cost no more than 2 to 2.5 LE at the small shops around the city. Do not listen to them when they tell you that Dasani is "the number 1 water" and hence should cost more than other brands. Upon visiting Spinneys (the equivalent of Safeway in Egypt) did we realize that the "retail" price of a 1.5 litre bottle is 1.75 LE across the board for the different brands of water.

When buying bottled water, always make sure that there are plastic wrappers around the bottle cap, and that the cap itself is sealed. I've heard stories about people filling up empty bottles with tap water and reselling those bottles of water. I haven't personally come across an unsealed bottle of water while I was there, so I think it should be okay.

As for the brand of water to buy, I would stick to imported brands such as Nestle Pure Life, Dasani, and Aquafina. I've seen some tourists buy "local" water as well, such as the Baraka brand. I didn't ask them if they ran into any problems with it, but I would be a little hesitant to drink those brands of water just because I don't know what kind of quality control they go through. I would also check the plastic wrapper around the bottle itself (where you find the label brand) and make sure that it is legit. It might be possible for them to replace the wrapper for a local water brand with an imported brand. Better safe than sorry.

So the moral of the story is to bargain for water whenever you can. Throw in multiple bottle purchases in an attempt to lower the price of water. For example, asking for 5 bottles of water for 10 LE will likely lead to rejection. Follow up by asking for 4 bottles instead and the shop owner will likely agree with you.