Day 47: Electric showerheads
Despite all my writing about the modern joys of La Paz, one thing in South America never changes: the electric showerhead. We at home are used to having hot water heaters, and a big ole tank of hot water ready to go when we want it. The South America traveller gets an entirely different experience.
Combining electricity and a water source seems to be a bad idea, and you definitely get the willies looking at the setups in some showers. Basically what I am describing is a big white plastic showerhead with wires running into it from the wall. The water enters through the pipe, and is sizzled by electric current inside the showerhead, and then falls down upon you as hot water. Some setups are better than others (electric tape covering the wires, etc) whereas others look like an electrocution waiting to happen.
And of course there is more! Since the water must be heated basically the second before it comes out of the showerhead, you have now enjoyed 7 weeks of low water pressure. Turn up the water pressure too high, and you get a lovely dose of cold water since the electricity doesn't have sufficient time to heat the water before it shoots out. Combine that with the fact that it's winter here, and most bathrooms are thus rather cold during the night and morning, and you are living an odd experience. About 5% of your body, or where the trickle of hot water from the shower lands on you, is nice and toasty. The other 95% is shivering. Good times!
