Submitted to veg-raw by: Eric (Ric) Lambart <[log in to unmask]>

Shawn, re your message to Kirt,

Just another raw fooder's encouragement.

Have been exclusively raw for over twenty years (20) now, and have still
continued to travel heavily, here in the States and abroad...no real problem.

Everywhere in Europe was able to get plenty of good raw grub, and would just
explain to my foreign friends that I was on a special diet for health
reasons...and couldn't eat anything that had been heated at all.  Left it at
that...most people would mutter something about how hard that must be, they
were sorry, etc., then dropped the topic and it was no longer a problem.

A few inquired about the diet...it's purpose and results, and then would get
into it a bit more deeply, but still no real problem.  A few of those
curious ones have even improved their own diets as a result of our
discussions (by consuming more raw food).

My toughest stretches have been aboard a ship for extended periods, when all
of my special organic veggies mistakenly froze in the galley's refrigerator,
when the thermostat gave up the ghost...had to throw the stuff
overboard...and live on sprouts till we made the next port and I could load
up on real food again.  It took me years before I could even look at any
sprouts without feeling nauseous.

The only other tough time was last April when I went down into Chiapas,
Mexico with my journalist daughter to live with the Zapatista rebels in the
Lacondon jungles.  Those poor indigenous folks could raise lots of fruit,
but have been too long dependent on canned and cooked fare, so, aside from
stumbling across a few local bananas, some mamays, guajabas and a couple of
papayas and delicious watermelons, had to lug the stuff into the jungle from
the last civilized town or city and make it last, since they really needed
all the food they did have that was fresh.  They were extremely hospitable,
but we just couldn't quite see consuming any of their own scant goodies;
usually ending up by giving them some of our own "imported" delectables.

In the towns and cities, of course, it was a snap...even had four
organic-vegetarian restaurants in San Cristobal de las Casas, so, every now
and then would trek back to that picturesque puebla and stuff down huge
organic green salads for the next rationing stint in the jungles.

The paucity of food in the jungles helped me skim off ten pounds of extra
weight, though, so it all worked out just fine.

Can't think of anywhere in urban South America where you shouldn't be able
to find the same plentitude of good fresh food we see everywhere in Mexico,
Guatemala, Belize, and the other Central American nations, too.

Did take the precaution, though, of always buying a bunch of bottles of
purified water in the cities to take along, since there were no facilities
in the jungles.  On the mostly fruit raw diet, of course, there was little
thirst, except on the very hottest days, when you'd be constantly sweating
away quarts of body fluids just to keep reasonably (for your metabolic
needs...not comfort) hydrated. Always used the bottled water for tooth
brushing chores.

The only people who seemed to get sick, including the natives, were those
who were eating the cooked fare, of course. The sanitation in the Lacondon
just wasn't visible.  Really bad.

I'd guess that your biggest problem will be the social interaction one you
mentioned,  but bet you handle it just fine.  Hope you'll report back, when
you return, about what you discovered on your journey.

Ric