Today I fell for a new kind of scam. I bought a bottle of water in a store - a regular store located in the bus station, looking genuine enough. However, when I opened the bottle I noticed that it opened very easily (which Cuban water bottles usually don't; normally I need to wrap my shirt around the cap to get it open). So I inspected the cap a bit closer, and sure enough there were traces of glue to be seen. In addition, the water smelled different than water of this brand usually does. So the bottle was probably filled with ordinary tap water in someone's back yard, resealed with glue and put up in the shop for a huge profit. I had heard stories about this, but now I know for a fact that it's done.
When I think about it, this probably wasn't the first fake bottle of water, just the first that I've noticed. And now I also know where the stomach aches and (mild) diarrhea came from that I've been having the past couple of days.
It seems that soda cans or beer really are the way to go - both the seals of the cans and the beverages themselves are a lot harder to fake than bottled water.
And with this insight, there goes my nice and healthy low-carb diet, straight out the window... Because in a country where sugar is one of the biggest industries, diet soda simply does not exist.
When I think about it, this probably wasn't the first fake bottle of water, just the first that I've noticed. And now I also know where the stomach aches and (mild) diarrhea came from that I've been having the past couple of days.
It seems that soda cans or beer really are the way to go - both the seals of the cans and the beverages themselves are a lot harder to fake than bottled water.
And with this insight, there goes my nice and healthy low-carb diet, straight out the window... Because in a country where sugar is one of the biggest industries, diet soda simply does not exist.
